Suggest Two Day Blue Ridge Route

[cajunshredder]

Can anyone suggest a good two-day route on the BRP leaving from the charlotte area with suggested lodging? Prefer do do some sort of loop as to not cover the same area. We would like to stay at two different places. We have a total of 3 days/two nights.
Thanks!

 

[TEWKS]

One night would be at the Little Switzerland Inn. Bike friendly place with a spectacular view out back and it's right on the BRP. https://switzerlandinn.com/

Can ride south to Mt. Mitchell SP. http://www.ncparks.gov/mount-mitchell-state-park
And north to Grandfather Mountain. http://www.grandfather.com/

All in the same day! :thumbup:

Best part, 226a is right behind the Inn. https://switzerlandinn.com/diamondback/

You're probably gonna want to stay two nights just because it's an awesome place!

Pat

 

[blacklightning]

There are so many places in the area, it is hard to say where to start. But, I would begin up north near Boone and Mountain City in the area of 421. In that area you can do the "Snake" and the "Back of the Dragon". Then I would travel south on the BRP down to Little Switzerland and spend one night there (you will pass some great places on the BRP like the Aquaducs on the way there). The next day I would do 226a (The Diamondback Loop) and then continue down 221 south to Hwy 80. Take hwy 80 (the Devil's Whip) back up to the BRP and then continue south. Go south until you get to the ridge along hwy 19 and either go into Cherokee or Maggie Valley to stay the night. (another option would be to exit in Asheville and do the Rattler before heading into Maggie Valley to spend the night.) The next day I would get up early and do a trip over to do the Dragon and the Cherohola Skyway. Also don't forget to do Moonshiner 28.
There are so many places to go, that you can only hit a few, but those would be my favorite places with your short time frame. Everyone talks about how bad the traffic is on the Dragon and how you should avoid it. I say, go do it (unless it is on Saturday or Sunday)! If you do not, you will regret it and then hate yourself. If traffic is heavy, just wait a while, and it will normally slow, that is when you go do your run.
Most important of all, HAVE FUN!

 

[cajunshredder]

There are so many places in the area, it is hard to say where to start. But, I would begin up north near Boone and Mountain City in the area of 421. In that area you can do the "Snake" and the "Back of the Dragon". Then I would travel south on the BRP down to Little Switzerland and spend one night there (you will pass some great places on the BRP like the Aquaducs on the way there). The next day I would do 226a (The Diamondback Loop) and then continue down 221 south to Hwy 80. Take hwy 80 (the Devil's Whip) back up to the BRP and then continue south. Go south until you get to the ridge along hwy 19 and either go into Cherokee or Maggie Valley to stay the night. (another option would be to exit in Asheville and do the Rattler before heading into Maggie Valley to spend the night.) The next day I would get up early and do a trip over to do the Dragon and the Cherohola Skyway. Also don't forget to do Moonshiner 28.
There are so many places to go, that you can only hit a few, but those would be my favorite places with your short time frame. Everyone talks about how bad the traffic is on the Dragon and how you should avoid it. I say, go do it (unless it is on Saturday or Sunday)! If you do not, you will regret it and then hate yourself. If traffic is heavy, just wait a while, and it will normally slow, that is when you go do your run.
Most important of all, HAVE FUN!

Awesome. Thanks for the input! Just trying to get some ideas to put together the ride.

 

[cajunshredder]

One night would be at the Little Switzerland Inn. Bike friendly place with a spectacular view out back and it's right on the BRP. https://switzerlandinn.com/

Can ride south to Mt. Mitchell SP. http://www.ncparks.gov/mount-mitchell-state-park
And north to Grandfather Mountain. http://www.grandfather.com/

All in the same day! :thumbup:

Best part, 226a is right behind the Inn. https://switzerlandinn.com/diamondback/

You're probably gonna want to stay two nights just because it's an awesome place!

Pat

we definitely will be staying at little Switzerland for at least one night. Just trying to figure out if we can put together some kind of loop that doesn't have us on the same roads if that makes sense. Thanks for the help

 

[SPYD3R]

MAP QUEST PLANNER

by far, MAP QUEST PLANNER, is the best i've found for planning a road trip...
just plug in all your suggested stops, and this website will make your ride easy....
good luck & ride safely...
SPYD3R

http://classic.mapquest.com/routeplanner?format=copypaste

 

[cajunshredder]

There are so many places in the area, it is hard to say where to start. But, I would begin up north near Boone and Mountain City in the area of 421. In that area you can do the "Snake" and the "Back of the Dragon". Then I would travel south on the BRP down to Little Switzerland and spend one night there (you will pass some great places on the BRP like the Aquaducs on the way there). The next day I would do 226a (The Diamondback Loop) and then continue down 221 south to Hwy 80. Take hwy 80 (the Devil's Whip) back up to the BRP and then continue south. Go south until you get to the ridge along hwy 19 and either go into Cherokee or Maggie Valley to stay the night. (another option would be to exit in Asheville and do the Rattler before heading into Maggie Valley to spend the night.) The next day I would get up early and do a trip over to do the Dragon and the Cherohola Skyway. Also don't forget to do Moonshiner 28.
There are so many places to go, that you can only hit a few, but those would be my favorite places with your short time frame. Everyone talks about how bad the traffic is on the Dragon and how you should avoid it. I say, go do it (unless it is on Saturday or Sunday)! If you do not, you will regret it and then hate yourself. If traffic is heavy, just wait a while, and it will normally slow, that is when you go do your run.
Most important of all, HAVE FUN!

so we decided to stay both nights at the Switzerland inn and make that our home base and just venture out and back from there. South one day and north the other

 

[blacklightning]

so we decided to stay both nights at the Switzerland inn and make that our home base and just venture out and back from there. South one day and north the other

That could work out fine. But my only question is, how will (or what road) you come into Little Switzerland? There are not a lot of access roads to these places. I know you can get there by 221, but if you do, I think you will be going over some of the same roads twice. My suggestion would only take you over roads one time, and then you would be covering more ground. I was just up in Boone today returning my daughter back to college. Either way, you will have loads of fun. Be safe and take lots of pictures.

 

[cajunshredder]

That could work out fine. But my only question is, how will (or what road) you come into Little Switzerland? There are not a lot of access roads to these places. I know you can get there by 221, but if you do, I think you will be going over some of the same roads twice. My suggestion would only take you over roads one time, and then you would be covering more ground. I was just up in Boone today returning my daughter back to college. Either way, you will have loads of fun. Be safe and take lots of pictures.

Havent quite figured that out yet. Was possibly thinking of going from here straight to Hendersonville area then picking up the parkway north from there. I'm actually struggling a little with this one not being overly familiar with the area

 

[blacklightning]

Havent quite figured that out yet. Was possibly thinking of going from here straight to Hendersonville area then picking up the parkway north from there. I'm actually struggling a little with this one not being overly familiar with the area

I really wish I lived a little closer, and had the time off work. I would love to give you a guided tour of the area. I could assure you some extreme views, with riding to suit any style (aggressive or leisurely) that you would like. And I could nearly guarantee you not to have to hit the same roads twice (although some of them you would want to). Have fun. If you could come over in October to the spyder rally, look me up and I can give you the grand tour of the area. I will also be there from 9/28-10-1 doing the same thing, but I will be on my 2 wheeler with a couple of my M109 buddies.

 

[cajunshredder]

I really wish I lived a little closer, and had the time off work. I would love to give you a guided tour of the area. I could assure you some extreme views, with riding to suit any style (aggressive or leisurely) that you would like. And I could nearly guarantee you not to have to hit the same roads twice (although some of them you would want to). Have fun. If you could come over in October to the spyder rally, look me up and I can give you the grand tour of the area. I will also be there from 9/28-10-1 doing the same thing, but I will be on my 2 wheeler with a couple of my M109 buddies.

apprecite it. I am trying to make the rally in October but not sure yet. I'll keep you posted. Thanks

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Little Switzerland Thanks

Thanks for the Little Switzerland link. We had a meal there a few years back and I thought the inn was a little pricey for me, but that motorcycle friendly room for $79 looks OK. I check the weather daily for Little Switzerland, and it looks like thunderstorms have been forecast most days recently.

We also stayed in a mom and pop motel south of Boone that was very reasonable, comfortable, and convenient, but I don't remember the name.

-Bill

One night would be at the Little Switzerland Inn. Bike friendly place with a spectacular view out back and it's right on the BRP. https://switzerlandinn.com/

Can ride south to Mt. Mitchell SP. http://www.ncparks.gov/mount-mitchell-state-park
And north to Grandfather Mountain. http://www.grandfather.com/

All in the same day! :thumbup:

Best part, 226a is right behind the Inn. https://switzerlandinn.com/diamondback/

You're probably gonna want to stay two nights just because it's an awesome place!

Pat

 

[blacklightning]

Thanks for the Little Switzerland link. We had a meal there a few years back and I thought the inn was a little pricey for me, but that motorcycle friendly room for $79 looks OK. I check the weather daily for Little Switzerland, and it looks like thunderstorms have been forecast most days recently.

We also stayed in a mom and pop motel south of Boone that was very reasonable, comfortable, and convenient, but I don't remember the name.

-Bill

One thing to keep in mind, thunderstorms are normally in the forecast for the mountains everyday. Sometimes it could mean extended periods, but most of the times a storm will pop up and then sun will be out in an hour or so. When we were in Boone on yesterday, they were predicting a 60+% chance of rain. It looked like rain for about the first hour, then it was beautiful for the next 4+ hours. Rooms are normally pricier to the north near Boone, then they are towards the south (like in Maggie Valley or Cherokee). I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Boone is a college town. I normally check with some place like booking.com to get prices. If you have a preferred hotel booking.com say they are all out, check with the hotel directly and they will normally match their prices because they keep some rooms that are not listed on other websites.
In October we are staying at the Microtel in Maggie Valley, but for the trip in September (Just the guys), we are staying at the Home Hearth Inn. Better prices and it is still a clean, friendly little place. The wife just has a problem with rooms that exit to the outside, she would rather have a hallway:dontknow:.

 

[cajunshredder]

One thing to keep in mind, thunderstorms are normally in the forecast for the mountains everyday. Sometimes it could mean extended periods, but most of the times a storm will pop up and then sun will be out in an hour or so. When we were in Boone on yesterday, they were predicting a 60+% chance of rain. It looked like rain for about the first hour, then it was beautiful for the next 4+ hours. Rooms are normally pricier to the north near Boone, then they are towards the south (like in Maggie Valley or Cherokee). I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Boone is a college town. I normally check with some place like booking.com to get prices. If you have a preferred hotel booking.com say they are all out, check with the hotel directly and they will normally match their prices because they keep some rooms that are not listed on other websites.
In October we are staying at the Microtel in Maggie Valley, but for the trip in September (Just the guys), we are staying at the Home Hearth Inn. Better prices and it is still a clean, friendly little place. The wife just has a problem with rooms that exit to the outside, she would rather have a hallway:dontknow:.

So so we decided to take an extra day and make it a three night trip. Monday we are heading to deals gap via hwy 11 to walhalla. Then moonshiner 28 to stay at deals gap motorcycle resort. Next day we will head up to little Switzerland either via the BRP or the rattler. After that probably north on the parkway. So excited. Just installed the new madstad windshield for the trip and fitted the new Nelson rigg cl 855 for the trip as well. My wife's first real bike trip.

 

[blacklightning]

So so we decided to take an extra day and make it a three night trip. Monday we are heading to deals gap via hwy 11 to walhalla. Then moonshiner 28 to stay at deals gap motorcycle resort. Next day we will head up to little Switzerland either via the BRP or the rattler. After that probably north on the parkway. So excited. Just installed the new madstad windshield for the trip and fitted the new Nelson rigg cl 855 for the trip as well. My wife's first real bike trip.

You should have a blast. If you can only do one road, make sure to do the Cherohola Skyway.

 

[jaherbst]

Can anyone suggest a good two-day route on the BRP leaving from the charlotte area with suggested lodging? Prefer do do some sort of loop as to not cover the same area. We would like to stay at two different places. We have a total of 3 days/two nights.
Thanks!

Check with Jaybros, he lives there. (PM)

​Jack

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Cherohala

Cherohala.

You should have a blast. If you can only do one road, make sure to do the Cherohola Skyway.

:agree::agree:
One of my favorites

 

[GeorgiaBill]

Thunderstorms Forecast

Thunderstorms Forecast. Thanks for that information. I've booked a room in Boone tomorrow night, and then will ride up to Roanoke for a day or 2. It will be refreshing to see temps in the 50s.

-Bill

One thing to keep in mind, thunderstorms are normally in the forecast for the mountains everyday. Sometimes it could mean extended periods, but most of the times a storm will pop up and then sun will be out in an hour or so. When we were in Boone on yesterday, they were predicting a 60+% chance of rain. It looked like rain for about the first hour, then it was beautiful for the next 4+ hours. Rooms are normally pricier to the north near Boone, then they are towards the south (like in Maggie Valley or Cherokee). I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Boone is a college town. I normally check with some place like booking.com to get prices. If you have a preferred hotel booking.com say they are all out, check with the hotel directly and they will normally match their prices because they keep some rooms that are not listed on other websites.
In October we are staying at the Microtel in Maggie Valley, but for the trip in September (Just the guys), we are staying at the Home Hearth Inn. Better prices and it is still a clean, friendly little place. The wife just has a problem with rooms that exit to the outside, she would rather have a hallway:dontknow:.

 

[CanAmMick]

You can find plenty of good roads to ride from the following link:

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/Routes/North-Carolina_109.html

 

[blacklightning]

You can find plenty of good roads to ride from the following link:

http://www.motorcycleroads.com/Routes/North-Carolina_109.html

Wow! I have done a lot of these routes before, but there are some new ones. I will definitely be looking into doing some of these.