Cherohala Skyway and Tail of the Dragon

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Smokies take...3000?  We have gone to the Smokies  many times over the years.  Usually around September-October, I get the itch to go see the colors in the Smokies.  We got invited to stay with a friend who lives in Knoxville for a few days.  Conveniently, she lives about 45 minutes from Gatlinburg. So we made plans for a day trip to the Smokies and Cades Cove.

Before we left, a friend of mine told me about the Cherohala Skyway that hooks to the Tail of the Dragon.  It begins in Tellico Plains, Tennessee and ends a little south of Maryville,  Tennessee.  I had heard of the Tail of Dragon and how dangerous it is on motorcycles. Luckily, while we had Big Red (our Honda Goldwing motorcycle), my husband never had the inclination to actually drive it.  But we decided it's probably pretty safe in the car. 

It was pretty cloudy and overcast the day we drove it. But, it was a pretty ride through winding roads.  I can imagine how beautiful some of the overlooks are when it's clear and you can see for miles.  

Scenes from Cherohala Skyway. 


Someone had set up this memorial 

 I made Curtis pull over so I could play with my camera and ND filter on a little water feature. It was at a little dangerous spot because it was on the hook of a curve. But, hey,  sometimes you have to just take the picture!


We stopped at a gorgeous lake along the Cherohala with a neat picnic spot and small dock. There were several long, skinny lakes with fingers along the Cherohala.  We picked out several neat spots to retire on.




Curtis was a little upset to find that someone had left a fire going. So he and Cathy put it out. Curtis had to climb down to the cold water because we didn't have enough water with us. Curtis even poured his bottle of Gatorade on it before he decided to climb down to the lake. I wish people would always be careful to put out their campfires before they leave a campsite! That's how forest fires start. It was very windy too.



This is how low the clouds were hanging this day. Like I said, I'm sure it's a gorgeous drive on a sunny, clear day.  It was pretty even with the clouds hanging low.

Tail of the Dragon

This cool metal sculpture marked the beginning of the trail. There were several motorcycle groups gathering for a team ride. They also had some cool old cars and trucks on display. We love old classics.




The Tree of Shame is a collection of motorcycle parts from the many accidents that have occurred along the trail. One guy inscribed on his part that he had survived his accident. 











We will definitely come back and drive this again when the weather cooperates. 








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