Tennessee / North Carolina · United States
Tail of the Dragon
US 129Deals Gap to Tabcat
318 curves in 11 miles, America’s most famous driving road.
The US 129 'Tail of the Dragon' at Deals Gap packs 318 curves into 11 miles along the Tennessee–North Carolina line, with no intersections or driveways to interrupt the flow, a place of pilgrimage for drivers and riders. Relentless and demanding; mind the crossing-the-line traffic, the photographers, and the off-camber bends.
A relentless ribbon of switchbacks through the forested Smokies, corners arriving so fast it becomes pure conversation between hands and tarmac. Nothing breaks the spell.
Why we picked it
Scenery
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Where it runs13.2 mi · point to point
Navigate to the start: Apple Maps · Google Maps
Character
Corners
busiest around mile 5Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%267.4 – 596.9 mFrom the road
Points of interest3 stops
- Calderwood Dam OverlookViewpoint8.9 mi in
- Deals GapViewpoint0.3 mi in
- Shaw Grave GapViewpoint6.8 mi in
Hazards
- Relentless blind, off-camber bends
- Riders crossing the centre line
- Roadside photographers
Sources
“318 curves in just 11 miles of roadway... named the top motorcycling road in America”
Verified route: mapped from real road geometry and fact-checked by a human editor. How roads get checked
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