{
  "name": "The Snake",
  "slug": "the-snake-us-421",
  "url": "https://www.bestdrivingroads.com/roads/the-snake-us-421/",
  "summary": "A celebrated motorcycle and sports-car road in the northeast corner of Tennessee, climbing over Iron and Holston Mountains through Shady Valley with a much-quoted 489 curves over three mountains.",
  "roadNumbers": [
    "US 421"
  ],
  "location": {
    "country": "United States",
    "region": "Tennessee",
    "start": {
      "name": "Mountain City",
      "lat": 36.475937,
      "lon": -81.809083
    },
    "end": {
      "name": "Holston Valley (near Bristol)",
      "lat": 36.565355,
      "lon": -82.069519
    }
  },
  "measurements": {
    "lengthMiles": 22.8,
    "lengthKm": 36.7,
    "driveMinutes": 50,
    "corners": 200,
    "hairpins": 5,
    "maxGradientPercent": 9,
    "summitMetres": 1186,
    "elevationConfidence": "measured",
    "difficulty": "demanding",
    "tightnessOutOf10": 7
  },
  "timing": {
    "bestSeasons": [
      "spring",
      "summer",
      "autumn"
    ]
  },
  "conditions": {},
  "hazards": [
    "Heavy motorcycle traffic crossing the centre line on weekends",
    "Log trucks and slow traffic on blind climbs",
    "Gravel and damp patches in shaded switchbacks"
  ],
  "scenery": [
    "mountain",
    "forest",
    "valley"
  ],
  "pointsOfInterest": [
    "Johnson County Veterans Memorial Wall",
    "Grindstone Knob",
    "Delaney Mountain"
  ],
  "geometry": {
    "pointCount": 340
  },
  "attribution": {
    "source": "Routes - bestdrivingroads.com",
    "citation": "Cite with a link to the road page. Stats are measured from the mapped line, not copied from other lists; where elevationConfidence is \"approximate\" the 30 m DEM cannot resolve that line and the elevation figures are indicative.",
    "roadGeometry": "(c) OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL",
    "terms": "Facts are free to cite with attribution; bulk reproduction of the catalogue requires permission (simon@keane.studio)."
  },
  "updated": "2026-07-25"
}