United States to United States
Country music to 318 curves in 11 miles, taking in the Cherohala Skyway on the way.
Direct
350 km
217.5 mi
Scenic route
520 km
323.1 mi
Days
3
about 3.7 hr direct
Tolls
£0
one way, per car
The drive
Leave Nashville on the Natchez Trace Parkway for the first hour just to clear your head, then swing east towards the Tennessee mountains.
The famous piece is the Tail of the Dragon on US 129, but the better drive is the Cherohala Skyway alongside it, wider, faster and usually empty. Do the Dragon early, before the bikes and the photographers arrive.
Add the Snake on US 421 if you have a spare day, and finish over Newfound Gap into North Carolina.
Late April to early June, and the second half of October.
Worth the detour
Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee
Natchez Trace Parkway
A 715 km parkway with no junctions, no lorries and no billboards, just trees and quiet.
8.4 / 10 · 715 km
Tennessee and North Carolina
Cherohala Skyway
Wide, fast and empty, the grown up alternative to the Tail of the Dragon next door.
9.3 / 10 · 69 km
Tennessee and North Carolina
Tail of the Dragon, US129
318 curves in 11 miles, the most famous stretch of asphalt in America.
9.3 / 10 · 18 km
Tennessee
The Snake, US 421
489 curves in 12 miles over Iron Mountain, a proper southern Appalachian sprint.
8.9 / 10 · 19 km
Where to break the drive
Chattanooga
Lookout Mountain and a good riverside evening.
Tellico Plains
The western gate of the Cherohala Skyway.
Townsend
Quieter than Gatlinburg and closer to the Dragon.
Questions
About 350 km, roughly 217.5 miles, by the most direct route. The scenic version described here runs closer to 520 km.
Around 3.7 hours of driving on the direct route, which most people split over two days. The scenic route takes 3 days without rushing.
Budget about £0 one way per car in tolls, vignettes and crossings, before fuel and hotels.
Late April to early June, and the second half of October.
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