Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway – Fall leaves can be deadly!

Posted on November 2, 2013 by Wayne Busch

Motorcycle riding tips – Wet leaves in the road can be slick as ice! Watch out for them.

The fall leaf color show is nearing it’s end. With every good breeze a shower of tree trash rains down to blanket the ground for winter’s slumber. Usually those winds blow it clear from the road and it’s no big deal for the motorcycle rider flying along with trails of floating color swirling romantically in your wake.

There is still plenty of fall color to enjoy in the Blue Ridge, but those leaves can become a hazard!

But add water to the mix and those leaves get heavy and stick to the road piling up between the two tire tracks cleared by passing autos. The water acts as a lubricant. Stray out of those tire tracks cleared by the cars, especially in a curve, and you’ll find your traction goes from hero to zero in an instant.

We all know the painted lines are slick when wet – it can be deadly when you add wet leaves on top of them. Watch out and hold your line in the curves!

Be especially alert and cautious when riding now after it rains. The problem goes away pretty quickly with sunshine, but don’t be fooled. Many areas of our mountain roads are perpetually shady and those leaves remain wet and slippery even on the brightest of days.

If you enjoy photos of motorcycle riding in the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains, like MY BLUE RIDGE MOTORCYCLING FACEBOOK PAGE.
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Wayne Busch

– Wayne Busch lives in Waynesville, NC, where he produces the most detailed and comprehensive and up-to-date motorcycle pocket maps of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains to help you get the most of your vacation experience. See them here – AmericaRidesMaps.com

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Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina – Secrets

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Wayne Busch

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina – Secrets

Here’s another bunch of the best motorcycle rides in North Carolina that few ever discover – it’s a nice loop ride that includes a section riding the Blue Ridge Parkway –

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - Sandy Mush

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - This loop ride will surprise you with some very challenging roads, nice scenery, and places you'd never see otherwise.

The roads shown south of I-40 are pretty well known biker roads. US 276 runs from Waynesville to the Blue Ridge Parkway, always a popular North Carolina motorcycle ride. The section of the Blue Ridge Parkway shown includes Mt. Pisgah and The Pisgah Inn. NC 151 is legendary for it’s treacherous curves as it plunges towards the valley that leads into Candler.

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - Pisgah View

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - the view from the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway represents others on this section of the road - outstanding!

Most riders then point their wheels to I-40 or US 19 and miss out on the roads that lie north of I-40. This area gets little attention from motorcycle touring visitors who are lured to the more publicized roads elsewhere. To the east lie the suburbs of Asheville, the west is mostly rural valley farms.

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - NC 151

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - The section of NC 151 which descends from the Blue Ridge Parkway is full of tricky curves.

The two primary roads north of I-40 are Newfound Road which runs from Canton to Leicester, and Leicester Rd (NC 63) which runs into Asheville. Both are decent rides, particularly the west end of NC 63 as it climbs out of the valleys to intersect NC 209 – The Rattler (Click for ride guide). Still, they are the most heavily used roads so this route avoids them in favor of the empty two lanes which provide a much more relaxing and fun scenic motorcycle ride.

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - Hookers Gap Rd has little traffic and wonderful curves as it climbs over a mountain.

You’ll want to pay attention to the map and watch for the turns as it’s easy to wander off on the maze of small surrounding roads. The turn onto Hookers Gap Rd is not well marked and the road can be hard to spot, but the ride is worth the effort. You’ll also find a short unpaved section of road where Morgan Branch Rd runs into S. Turkey Creek Rd. Be sure to veer right and take the high road where N. Turkey Creek meets Earlys Mountain Rd. NC 215 makes a nice alternative to NC 110 leading out of Canton.

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - Earlys Mtn Rd

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - Earlys Mountain Road is one I often ride in winter. The valleys will be clear while snow covers the higher elevations. A nice ride any time of year!

You’ll enjoy a variety of motorcycle riding experiences on this nice loop ride. The valley roads often follow along rushing streams or wind through twisty mountain passes. You’ll enjoy farms and pastures, the park atmosphere of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the contrast of the massive paper mill when passing through Canton. There are historic buildings and timeless views.

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - Beaverdam Rd

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - If you ride Beaverdam Road north from Canton when you crest the mountain the Sandy Mush Valley view explodes as you plunge down the steep hillside.

Step-by-step Route: (uses NC 215 instead of NC 110, either does the job)

Start in Canton. Follow NC 215 to Bethel.
5.4 mi Turn left @ stop sign onto Sonoma Road. Junction NC 215 and Sonoma Road.
6 mi Turn right @ stop sign onto NC 110. Junction Sonoma Road and NC 110.
6.4 mi Turn left @ traffic light onto US 276. Junction NC 110 / US 276 / NC 215. Follow to Blue Ridge Parkway.
20.9 mi Left turn onto ramp to Blue Ridge Parkway.
21 mi Turn right onto Blue Ridge Parkway (towards Asheville). Follow to next exit.
27.3 mi Turn left onto NC 151. Junction Blue Ridge Parkway and NC 151. Steep descent with tight switchbacks.
39.1 mi Continue through traffic light @ US 19 onto Dogwood Road. Traffic light. Junction NC 151 and US 19.
41.4 mi Turn right onto Hookers Gap Road. Junction Dogwood Road and Hookers Gap Road. Poorly marked, be alert for this turn.
46.5 mi Cross Newfound Road @ stop sign to continue on Morgan Branch Road. Junction Hookers Gap Road and Newfound Road.
49 mi Unpaved section of road for short distance. Cross single lane bridge.
49.4 mi Turn right @ stop sign onto S. Turkey Creek Road.
52.4 mi Turn left @ stop sign onto NC 63 (New Leicester Highway). Junction S. Turkey Creek Road and NC 63.
53.7 mi Turn left onto N. Turkey Creek Road. Junction NC 63 and N. Turkey Creek Road.
55.1 mi Keep right on Earlys Mountain Road. Junction N. Turkey Creek Road and Earlys Mountain Road.
Earlys Mountain Road becomes Big Sandy Mush Road.
59.6 mi Turn left onto Willow Creek Road. Junction Big Sandy Mush Road / Willow Creek Road / Bald Creek Road.
Willow Creek Road becomes Beaverdam Road
69.6 mi Turn right @ stop sign onto Newfound Road and follow into Canton. Junction Beaverdam Road and Newfound Road.
71 mi Stop sign. Junction Beaverdam Road and Main Street in Canton.

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - Willow Creek Rd has some pretty views and pretty challenging curves.

You can do this North Carolina motorcycle ride in half a day or less. It’s a good one to know about if you’re staying in Waynesville or Maggie Valley or at the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s a nice one to fill the rest of the day if you visit Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum. If you get caught here during a rainy spell, it’s a quick one you can dart out and do between showers with easy options to run back for shelter if you get caught in a downpour.

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - old store

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina - riding through historic farms and tiny towns that date back a hundred years or more.

Don’t underestimate these roads, they are plenty challenging and worth the time to investigate. You’ll see sights others miss, and experience a part of the mountains rarely visited. You’ll pass by homes and farms that have been there for hundreds of years and many generations. It’s a ride through the history and heritage of the Smokies. Enjoy!

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These roads are just a few of the more than 50 great motorcycle rides found on America Rides Maps pocket map #6 – The Best Motorcycle Rides EAST of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

AmericaRidesMaps.com

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Wayne Busch

Learn Total Control

Wayne is an advanced motorcycle instructor for Total Rider Tech teaching Lee Parks Total Control Advanced Rider Courses. Isn’t it time you looked into advanced rider training to ride more confidently and safely? It can transform your mountain riding experience. Total Rider Tech

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Misleading Blue Ridge Parkway Sign should come down

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Wayne Busch

There was a time when the “No Gas for Next 50 Miles” sign at the US 74 exit on the Blue Ridge Parkway (MP 443.1) was an accurate warning, but it no longer serves the purpose.

This sign is a legacy to when gas was available on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It should now read "No gas next 400 miles". There is no gas on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Years ago, there were gas stations on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This sign warns next gas was once available at the Pisgah Inn after a long lonely stretch with no convenient access to fuel. That’s no longer the case.

You’ll also see the remnants of a gas station at the Crabtree Meadows Visitor Center (MP 339.5).

The Country Store at the Pisgah Inn was once a gas station. Now it's just a break spot and service for the campground.

The Park Service removed the gas stations yeas ago. There is no longer gas available on the Blue Ridge Parkway nor are there any signs directing you to the location of the nearest gas at an exit.

The only place you’ll find a gas station visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway is at Raps’ Deli at Orchard Gap (MP 193.8) in southern Virginia.

With the limited range of motorcycles and long stretches of isolated road, knowing where the gas stations are is one of those things that takes a lot of the worry out of a Blue Ridge Parkway trip.

You'll find the closest gas to each Parkway exit listed on each of my Blue Ridge Parkway maps and descriptions of the best roads nearby.

It’s one of the most useful features I’ve included on my maps – closest gas to each exit along the 469 mile ride. Sometimes it’s just a few miles, other times it can be quite a distance. Knowing which way to go can keep you from getting stranded and help you make the best use of your time.

In keeping with the park service’s ethic of minimal signage, this legacy warning sign should be removed.

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Wayne Busch - Cartographer

Learn Total Control

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Smoky Mountain Motorcycle Rider

The Best Motorcycle Rides in the Mountains

Tag Archives: plan blue ridge parkway trip

Riding the Blue Ridge Parkway – Fall leaves can be deadly!

Best Motorcycle Rides in North Carolina – Secrets

Misleading Blue Ridge Parkway Sign should come down