Anyone have any experience in driving "Tail of the Dragon" in the Winter? What is best time of the year to drive the 11 miles, 318 curves?

 

Have ridden the Dragon many times on a Ducati. Once you do it on a bike, a car seems a bit pointless. ;-) Great stretch of road, but policed heavier now than it used to be. There are some severe drop offs, so I would certainly make sure there were no surface issues - lots of shade in there for ice to form. Not a winter destination, imo. Try it in the spring or summer. Also consider Cherohala Skyway, the Snake (421) and others. Absolutely phenomenal roads in that area of NC/TN. I still keep a KTM 690 Supermoto in the mountains there. Have fun!

 

a mildly warm winter day is best for that road, there's no one on the road at all during the off season. I live 40 mins from there and used to go all the time in my 350z. Haven't had the joy of taking my 997S up there yet but as soon as we get a nice day I'm all over it. Summer time is pretty rough, there are trucks, bikes, and all sorts of cars up there all the time. Cherohala Skyway is up there as well and that road is fantastic but really has some crazy turns on it that will catch you off guard if your not careful.

Just be sure if you do go up there you treat the yellow line like it has nails sticking out of it. Don't cross it, or touch it at all.

 

Done it several time on my CBR1000, never done it in a sport car, I can tell you that Winter is the worst time to go.

Early fall is the best to go (in a motorcycle at least since it is not hot and it is not raining). for a Car I would say that summer or spring would be great time to visit.

Lot of LEOs in there, so whenever you decide to go, enjoy the ride and keep it under 100 =)

Also the tail is the "Tourist" route, so everyone want to do it, however there are many routes around there that are as exciting as the tail and they don't have that many riders or LEOs... just a tip.

 

I also have done the Dragon on a Guzzi. Great road. Cool places to stop and relax and stretch. If you can you may also want to try the Kancamacus in NH. Another cool road. Runs from Conway to Lincoln. A few fast left and right sweepers. Plan on doing the road in my C4S early this spring.

 

I would recommend waiting until early spring, most of the decent lodging in the area is closed until April anyway. I already have booked reservations for the first weekend in April to stay in the Tapoco Lodge as they do fill up. This will be my first time taking the 911, but I have taken my Cayman before and really enjoyed it. The tail is a great road, but it can get very crowded if you go at peak times in the day. During these times you can always go up the Cherahola skyway (which is beautiful), or many of the other roads you will find here http://www.tailofthedragon.com/. Also I recommend getting pictures from killboy, here are some pictures he got last year of my Cayman.

 

I spent two days there in October 2010 in my C4S on the way to Road Atlana. It was insane. Half way through the Tail, my wife warned me that she started felling nauseous and half a minute later her cheeks puffed up, her eyeballs were out and I had to make a sudden stop to avoid having to replace the interior of my new car. Second gear most of the way through the switchbacks, it's was like 20km/hr to 90 and down to 20 again. Banked corners, all wheel drive and sport seats combination made for some gs. By mid 2nd day even I got tired of all twisties and was glad to hit a straight freeway.
Beautiful scenery everywhere in the Smokey Mountains. Research and planning ahead is key. I would also wait till at least April or even May.

 

It can be a bit sketchy in the winter. I like arriving mid day on a Sunday and spending Monday and Tuesday on the area roads. It is way less crowded. Keep in mind that your tires will not have as much grip in the winter.

 

The tail if the dragon is on my list of things to do sooner then later, I hear some many good things about. I have not really heard about the Kancamacus in NH though, might have to give that a look also. Thank you for the link 2005997carrera2

 

It's a great road.. during the week. It's sheer madness from Friday - Sunday. It's also not a 'fast' road, it's a 'technical' road. The most important thing of all when running it is to "stay in your lane". You might save your life, or the life of someone else.

Lots of squids there on the weekend, and Tennessee's finest has made a sport of issuing citations.

You've probably seen this.. www.tailofthedragon.com

 

I would also look into the Snake (421). I've driven both and it is true about "Smokey" being out in force on the Dragon, but I haven't seen much of a presence on the Snake.

Both are in the same area so you may look at both. I think spring and early summer are great times to go. Late fall is nice too, since the trees have dropped some leaves and you can see a bit more around the corners and other scenery too.

 

I always wanted to do this drive.

 

TOD is a must do. I have driven it many times and always have a big smile on my face. There was one time we dropped a left front tire over the edge with a Ferrari up our tail pipe. Needless to say, there was a bit of a pucker factor that time. Like others said it can get very crowed on weekends. Take a detour to Fontana Dam while you are there.