Schedule

Visit the Maps & Routes page to see any available maps.

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and eastern Tennessee are all in the Eastern time zone. All times are given as EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).

2009 North Carolina E/SE GS Rally Structure and Schedule

I generally leave the event schedule open to whatever you choose, but I have included suggestions in the past that are worth visiting or roads worth riding. I will continue to offer a handout with suggested routes and information, but as we have visited the area each year more and more of the group is comfortable leading others or choosing their own adventure. (This helps me a ton and I don't have to lead a train of people!)

Wednesday, June 10th - Some folks may choose to arrive a day early and give themselves an extra day (Thursday) to ride the area.

Thursday, June 11th - Play day. Choose your own adventure. Ride the dragon / deal's gap 19 times, eat a dragonburger. Cruise up the Cherohala Skyway. Find Wayah Road.

Thursday Meet 'n Greet - Informal meeting at the Two Wheel Inn outdoor Pavilion / official kick-off of the rally. I will hand out maps, info, or make them available at the main office of the Two Wheel Inn for late arrivals. We usually order pizza for about $8-10 a person.

Friday, June 12th - Play day. For Thursday arrivals, this may be your best day to ride the Dragon before the weekend rush. My initial plans are to lead a group to the Blue Ridge Parkway, ride it to Asheville area, down into South Carolina and back up into NC. This would be a new route for this event.

Saturday, June 13th - North Georgia Mountain Ride. Hwy 129 into Georgia, world's greatest sweepers. Wolf Pen Gap Road, lunch at the Two Wheels Only Resort, Cherohala Skyway back to Robbinsville. A long day, well worth it. I would like feedback if everyone still likes this ride or if it needs adjustment

Sunday, June 14th - Packup and farewell breakfast / lunch. Ride the dragon one more time before leaving town.

A Few Thursday Route Suggestions:

As suggested by attendees from last year, no official time was designated for riding the Tail of the Dragon, other than early morning or late evening rides...though those were the best with little traffic! Ride the Dragon all day, at your own pace. Ride the Gap till your arms fall off or it gets busy and then maybe go check out some other roads. You choose your schedule for the day, possibily eating lunch at the Deal's Gap Resort, home of the infamous Dragon Burger.

Dragon and Cherohala Skyway Loop: www.tailofthedragon.com/maps_loop.html - No scheduled ride is planned for the Cherohala Skyway this year, however, if you appreciate the 5000 foot view of the Smokey Mountains you should consider this loop.

Ride to Northern Georgia Mountains, Two Wheel Only Resort for lunch, Wolf Pen Gap Road, and a fantastic Highway 63. Total mileage for last year was approximately 250-300 miles.