tn motorcycle rides | Smoky Mountain Motorcycle Rider

Wayne’s Alternative Detour Rides for Motorcycles – a better biker road that is shorter and more scenic than the TN DOT route – with map

Ignore the signs and ride to the bridge. It's an easy detour and brand new pavement!.

It came out of the blue. Not one hour after I’d sent out my monthly road report of the best motorcycle rides in the Blue Ridge Mountains, I got an alert of the announcement – a 2 year long closure of the Wolf Creek Bridge near the Tennessee / North Carolina state line.

They don't make 'em like that anymore! Look at that beautiful 1928 architecture. The best thing about the detour is you get to see the bridge!

Honestly, US 25/70 ( TN Route 9 ) is not a road the majority of Blue Ridge motorcycle riders ever see unless you’re from Tennessee. It is a good way to get to some great motorcycle rides along the NC border. The bulk of the traffic now keeps to Interstate 40 to the west, so it doesn’t carry heavy traffic.

Fugate Road is freshly paved, winding, and narrow, squeezed between the river and the railroad.

Directions:

From Hot Springs – Ignore the signs that tell of the road being closed ahead as you follow US 25/70 north of town and ride all the way to the closed bridge. Fugate Road is on the left. Follow it 4.8 miles until you reach TN 107. Turn right and follow to reconnect with US 25/70.

From Newport: Turn south on TN 107. Fugate Road will be on the left, turn left and follow it until you arrive at the Wolf Creek Bridge. Follow US 25/70 into Hot Springs, NC.

Squeezed between the river and the rail, Fugate Road gets too narrow for a painted line in a few places.

Fugate Road follows the railroad tracks along the French Broad River. Recently paved, half of Fugate Road is squeezed on an narrow strip between the water and the railroad tracks. At times it gets too narrow for a painted line and cars slow to sneak past one another. You cross the tracks in the middle of the ride and spend the rest of it married to the other side of the rails.

River, road, and rail. Fugate Road makes a nice alternative detour for motorcycle riders.

Because it’s too narrow, big trucks can’t use this detour. Local and commuter traffic will quickly discover it, though most of the commercial and tourist traffic will be led to the longer official DOT detour route to the north. Fugate road should cut your detour time in half.

Click for larger view

If you do take the DOT recommend detour, you can use Rollins Chapel Road to take a short cut and save yourself a few miles.

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Wayne Busch - Cartographer

Learn Total Control

– 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

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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Another long day on the road, another loop of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in search of the best motorcycle rides north of the big forest. The wonderfully warm weather we’ve been enjoying has slipped back into the winter norms, though it was still nice to be out riding. The day ended with a long ride home in the rain with temps in the 40’s but it was well worth it.

Photo - roadside waterfall near Wears Valley

Waterfall along US 321 near Wears Valley, TN. While it's pretty to look at, US 321 is one of the last roads you want to be caught on if you're looking for enjoyable riding. Even mid-winter, the traffic takes all the fun out of the ride.

While I’ve pretty much scoured the mountains from north Georgia to north Virginia looking for the best motorcycle rides for America Rides Maps, this area north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one I’ve shunned until now. I know the tourist routes through it – and avoided it because of them. The traffic and congestion that is drawn to Gatlinburg, Sevierville, and the surrounding cities chokes the major roads so much it takes all the enjoyment out of riding a motorcycle. With Knoxville, Oak Ridge, and Maryville all growing and expanding, the winding mountain roads bare a heavy burden of local and commercial traffic. Add to that the millions of tourists drawn by the nations most visited National Park, the Smokies, and things can grind to a miserable crawl.

High winds recently, including today, keep you on your toes on the back roads. If you're not skirting around trees, you're dodging rocks loosened by rains. Some of these roads still have a good deal of gravel and sand left from the last snow. You come to expect this of winter riding in the mountains.

It’s a tangled web of roads along the north side of the smokies, but I’m already happy with what I’ve found. Sorting through them has been full of surprises. As always, if you really look for them, great motorcycle rides are there to be found. I’ve already got some real gems, roads I ride over and over in my travels. I can duck in and out of Gatlinburg with little care for the traffic on some great hidden roads. I’ve already found ways to cruise right through all the chaos like it didn’t exist. Now I’m seeking the roads that link all these gems together, and I found a bunch more today.

At this rate, the new motorcycle ride map will be finished soon. I’ve found great rides near The Dragon at Deals Gap few know about. I’ve discovered some that play with the Foothills Scenic Parkway. A few go into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The best ones though, are those that are just the roads less traveled. If you’re in a car, there are faster or more direct ways to reach your destination. On a motorcycle, destination doesn’t matter so much – it’s all about the ride, and these are some great rides!

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: Wayne Busch – Cartographer

Smoky Mountain Motorcycle Rider

The Best Motorcycle Rides in the Mountains

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