ICONIC new section to the foothills parkway now open

[RuneRider66]

This last weekend the new "Missing Link" section of the Foothills Parkway opened. Its roughly a 17 mile stretch that begins where the Foothills parkway ended near Townsend TN and goes all the way to Wears Valley or essentially Pigeon Forge TN. I Traveled it the day it opened. Although there were like 13 million people there it was Absolutely Awesome. Truly the best views that I have seen in that part of the country. The views are better then or equal the best views from the BRP. The pavement is pristine and the layout of the pull offs for picture taking and viewing the mountains are well thought out. If you have traveled across the Linville Viaduct on the BRP this road has the same thing only better and longer. One section has like 8 or 9 bridges. I was impressed and loved the new road. Now to just travel it with very few people on it. A great new addition to that area. When the foothills parkway is complete it will connect with I 40.
So now if you were to stay in the area and leave early in the morning you could travel the Cherohala Skyway, stopping at Bald River Falls and then continuing on to Telico Plains for gas and snack then back to pick up 360 to 411 to 72 to the bottom of the foothills parkway and the Dragon. You could ride up to Pigeon Forge on the foothills parkway for lunch then ride halfway back to Townsend TN on the foothills parkway. Turn left and go to Cades Cover or to Clingmans Dome and then back to the foothills parkway and take it to the bottom of the Dragon. Turn left, do the dragon and then down to Tapoco Lodge for dinner and then back to Robbinsville or wherever you stayed. If staying in Robbinsville. This is a long day of riding and could easily be divided up into 2 days of riding. But absolutely some of the best roads in North America. Especially on the east coast.
The new "Missing Link" section of the Foothills parkway truly is ICONIC and is a fantastic new addition to the already great rides in that area.
Google "Missing Link Foothills Parkway" There is a small video to watch.
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[RuneRider66]

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[F6Bster]

Beautiful. Thanks for posting!

[53driver]

Have to add that to the Butler Map!
Thanks!

[lloydmoore1]

Sweet thanks for posting. I now might have to venture back that way to check it out. I remember sitting on my bike at the end of the foot hills parkway this summer wishing that was open!

[oldxtreme]

Hey, you got some good leaf color. I was down there, past Bald River Falls...great ride on River Road and did the Dragon four times before point back north. When I did it everything was green but still good riding. I did Bear Tooth Pass a few weeks before and wanted to make a comparison between the two. Glad I did!

[2015F6B]

I rode the Foothills Parkway less than 4 weeks ago - that section wasn't open yet. I'll have to go back I guess :rolleyes:

[JackB]

Thanks we were down there a few weeks ago not a bad road anywhere.
Can't wait to get back.
https://i.postimg.cc/c4n5Nnj6/IMG-1781.jpg (https://postimg.cc/tY9z3Y9H)

[tenxxx]

Made my gloomy day in Ohio.

Thanks

[Brasco]

Hey, you got some good leaf color. I was down there, past Bald River Falls...great ride on River Road and did the Dragon four times before point back north. When I did it everything was green but still good riding. I did Bear Tooth Pass a few weeks before and wanted to make a comparison between the two. Glad I did!

Hey oldxtreme . . . interested to hear your thoughts after comparing the two routes. I've done Beartooth Pass (and nearby Chief Joseph) several times in both directions but have not yet had the time or opportunity to travel on the B as far east as Tennessee. While I'm sure both are amazing roads for their own set of reasons, how would you personally compare them from a pure riding perspective? One road 'funner' or more 'challenging' than the other? Just curious until I have the good fortune to ride east and discover for myself!

[Ewreck]

Looks like an amazing ride. Thanks for the pics.

[oldxtreme]

Well, if you are looking for just pure awesome riding, the Dragon Tail is more of a Bunny Tail!

Probably the biggest difference is that on the Dragon, if you miss a curve, you end up in a cast...You miss a curve on Bear Tooth or the Chief, you end up in a casket! What made for an interesting ride on the Tooth when I did it this August was once you reach the very top, there was a large sign stating that motorcyclist should use "EXTREME CAUTION" because about 5 miles of road was missing...just rutted rock and hard pack. Too make it even more interesting, a water truck would squirt water on sections of the hard pack to make it super slippery!

The F6 is not a real off-road machine but I found riding it like a dirt bike got me to the other side...stand on the pegs, gas it and let the bike dance around under you! When I did get to the other side, it did look like a dirt bike!

The Dragon Tail is a narrow two lane road through the trees; the Tooth has rock on one side and a cliff on the other.

That said, the Dragon and the surrounding roads are certainly great rides but you do not have the big rock mountains like at the Tooth. The fun thing about the Dragon is that you can ride it several times in one day and keep pushing the envelope to see how fast you can make those 300 curves or how many times someone blows past you on a crouch rocket or in sports car. People on the Tail are courteous riders in that that they all tend to find a spot to let you pass if you are going faster than they want to go, no one seems to hold up faster riders or drivers behind them. If you decide to do the Tail, there are a lot of biker motels and camp grounds near the Tail or in Sweetwater. From Sweetwater you take the Cheralola Highway on the way to the Robbinsville. The biggest thing about the Tail is to stay on your side of the road because someone is usually coming the other direction. Fun ride, a real peg scrapper, and it gives your forearms a good workout. The F6 is a real stable ride in the Dragon twistees but it would be fun to have a lighter, short framed bike to try on it.

Coming down from Calgary, check out the map. If you can come down south and do Bryce and Zion Canyons you will probably experience the best rides in North America! And, since you are in the neighborhood, the Grand Canyon isn't that far away. Time it right, you can hit Sturgis, Devils Tower, etc. on the way back.

[RuneRider66]

Just a FYI note. Some 20 people have been killed on the dragon since 2000. I am not sure if they were on motorcycles or in cars or bystanders but thats the count. I have not done Bear Tooth pass but its on the bucket list along with the Trans America Trail. Just need the time off work to accomplish it. Thinking about shipping the bike out this next summer and riding several of the great motorcycle rides in that area. I have a friend that did Bear Tooth Pass this summer and he reported that it was absolutely AMAZING! I need to go. No matter how you look at it I am sure both roads are in the top 10 motorcycle roads in America.

[oldxtreme]

If you can get the time, the ride out to Bear Tooth is outstanding. No traffic and no speed limit, so to speak. Lot of places have posted 80 MPH Speed Limits but no one watching to enforce them!

I did a loop this summer which included Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Bear Tooth, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Sturgis, Las Vegas, and Malibu thrown in just for grins. The Tail was the last run of the season.

As far as KIA's on the Tail, I can see how someone will buy it by drifting out of a turn into something coming in the other direction. Had a truck drift over into my lane but fortunately I was hugging the inside of the turn! It would have been a big hurt if we both drifted out on that turn!