Yesterday, my gf and I went on a day trip on the Road King.  We hooked up with a local riding group and 18 of us did a roughly 600 mile round trip from Lexington, SC to the Maggie Valley area of NC.  110 miles of this was on the Copperhead Loop.

The world-famous 'Tail of the Dragon' is 318 curves in 11 miles.  The Dragon can be a fun ride, but with all the idiots trying to run it beyond their skill level (bikes and cars) it can also be more dangerous than you'd believe.  Toss in all the weekend tourists with their trailers and motorhomes crawling along, the Dragon can be more frustrating than fun.  Basically, unless you hit it off-season (and on a Wednesday) it's a lot of hype......it's still cool to be able to say you've done it, but it isn't what it's cracked up to be due to the traffic and idiots.  It's a relatively short run with a lot of twists.

The Copperhead Loop from Maggie Valley, on the other hand, is 110 miles with 956 curves that range from gentle sweeps to tight switchbacks and hairpins, up and down mountains--elevation changes several thousand feet as you run this route.

The Copperhead still has a lot of traffic, but it's nowhere near as bad as the Dragon, and we were able to run it hard enough that bikes overheated and lots of us have fresh scrapes on pegs/floorboards.

Here's the group rolling out at 7 AM.  (me and my gf are front, left)
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This is the Copperhead Loop route
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Our lead rider's wife managed to get a shot of us on one of the gentler curves while we were stuck behind a car on the 276 leg---I'm glad we got held up a bit because I needed a breather after 20+ miles of switchbacks.


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Here's where we stopped for lunch---AWESOME BBQ sandwich!  (lousy service, but the food was excellent)

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After we got through the serious twists on the 215 leg, our lead rider's wife managed to get another pic.  The 215 was (to me) far more challenging than 276.

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I really need to invest in a go-pro.  This ride had some of the most amazing scenery and technical riding I've ever seen.  Well, I saw the technical riding part......I didn't get much of an opportunity to view anything but the road because it required all of my concentration.  My gf got to see the scenery, but she was too busy holding on for dear life for her to feel comfortable enough to take pics or video.  

If you haven't had a chance to ride the Blue Ridge mountains, put it on the list!  


ETA:  This loop is not for a beginner and we got a stark reminder of that right at the start. We ended up taking the loop from the opposite direction from our original plan because a rider from another group had gone down around the halfway point of the 215 leg and the road was blocked.  We heard from other riders that he had been airlifted out in serious condition and they were still trying to recover the bike that was wedged in a guard rail.

You could not pay me to ride 600 miles on my bike. I love my 1 hour loop out in the hill country. I have a car if I want to drive that far. I'm sure it was a great ride.

LOL!  I get bored in a car.    


Traveling on 2 wheels is by far, my favorite way to see the world. I consider myself fortunate that I've been able to make several cross-continent trips through Europe and the US.

Looks like a fun day!

I want to make it out east to do some of those rides some day.

I love riding street, but dirt has a special place in my heart

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OP nailed the best loop. Been down to Maggie at least a dozen times and ridden that loop a few times. 600 miles on a bike for me is easy. We road from CLE to Grandby CO, 2 days out and 2 back.  600 miles on those roads would waste me. I limit it to 200 miles in that area. I can't think of a more enjoyable place. The locals, the food and the scenery are hard to beat..

Used to do that loop on the regular when I lived back east like 15 years ago. At the time it wasn't well known. Would love to get back again some day.