Map #9 - The Best Rides in the North Georgia Mountains

I’m way late getting back into Georgia. I’d planned to revisit the region in May. Here it is July, and I’m just now wrapping up the revisions to my Georgia motorcycle ride map – The Best Rides in the North Georgia Mountains.

Love d'em possums!

I’ve been poking my wheel into the periphery of the region as I’ve been exploring great motorcycle rides in Tennessee, North and South Carolina, but just haven’t had the time to dedicate a full assault on the heart of the best riding area in the Peach State. My motorcycle map business is expanding so fast it’s required far more time in the office and production than I expected. I wish you the same success.

Clay's Corner in tiny Brasstown. Georgia is full of these little do-it-all pit stops. Lots of history to be discovered too.

There’s no need to revisit the well known rides – Blood Mountain, Wolf Pen Gap, Suches, Helen, etc., but I won’t resist hitting as many of those outstanding roads as I can while I’m there. If you’ve ridden them before, you already know what I mean. If you haven’t ridden the north Georgia mountains on your motorcycle, you’re missing out. Get it on your bucket list.

I found myself with a window of opportunity to get out on the road yesterday as the supplies I need won’t arrive until today, so I dressed for the deluge and headed south. No doubt it was going to rain. I’d hoped for thunderstorms that would come and go, but the torrent was steady from noon till dusk.

The hilly countryside is such a nice mix of rural scenes, wooded byways, and historic little towns.

I’m used to riding in all kinds of weather, and have spent so much of my time on the motorcycle riding in rain it just adds another dimension to the ride for me. I’ve found excellent tires that allow me to keep my usual “spirited pace” when carving through the wet curves, and the principal factor that limits is visibility. You can only go as fast as you can see the road ahead and at times yesterday it was so dark and the showers so heavy I had to yield to the conditions.

I set out with 29 new roads to explore. The focus is not to find the next great classic Georgia motorcycle ride, but to determine better ways to link the already well known great motorcycle rides together with good 2 lane back roads so you have the most flexibility on your travels. I’m not sure if I got to all of them. I’d printed a paper map before leaving and within a few hours it was in useless tatters. I did much of the exploring from memory. Once I review the GPS logs I’ll see if another trip is needed.

Here are a few roads you should know about:

I paused in Suches at this once popular motorcycle stop - the convenience store is till open, but no gas any longer. I laid my gear out to dry and as soon as I did it started pouring again.

Boardtown Rd / Sugar Creek Rd are west of GA 515 running parallel to it between Ellijay and Blue Ridge. Not an outstanding ride, it does allow you to get off the 4 lane divided highway when passing through. Use Scenic Rd at the north end to go into Blue Ridge or connect to GA 5.

When coming south on GA 60 Spur from US 64/74, Hardscrabble Rd will bring you west of Morganton, Blue Ridge, and Mineral Bluff so you avoid the town traffic. Orton Rd / Johnsonville Rd / Mt. Pleasant Rd! are really twisty ways to access Hardscrabble Rd from US 64 / 74 but the pavement is bumpy and your suspension had better be excellent to fully enjoy these curves.

Connecting GA 60 and GA 5, Curtis Switch Rd takes you to the Taccoa River, then Galloway Rd makes a curvy run to rejoin GA 5 midway between Blue Ridge and Mccaysville. To reach GA 5 closer to Blue Ridge, hop onto Barnes Chapel Rd, though keep an eye open for Dills Rd – it’s much more fun.

View from GA 60 south of Suches. There are awesome rides through those rainy hills. Come and do them!

Just north of the border in North Carolina, Martin’s Creek Rd snakes south from Murphy. Access it via Hiawassee River Rd on the south side of the river. The north end is devilishly tight with 10 mph curves, then it opens up as you proceed south. At the midpoint, Brasstown Rd is a really enjoyable romp east leading to a knot of great rides near Hayesville.

Finally, south of Suches where GA 60 meets US 19 at Porter Springs, Stone Pile Gap Rd is easily overlooked. A large and fancy “Ranch” sign makes it appear as if the road is a private entrance to the facility. It leads to Yahoola Rd / Black Mountain Rd which loop back towards Dahlonega. All are enjoyable though not outstanding cruiser rides. Don’t be tempted to make a run out Camp Washega Rd – it’s a really nice ride but dead ends at an Army Ranger Camp.

I plan to have the new version of Great Rides in the North Georgia Mountains ready in about a week.

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