Country Roads Group Riding A Motorcycle Club that rides in the Great Smoky Mountains.

TOURISTS INFORMATION AND SUGGESTIONS

    This riding club was started in 2000 which was 8 1/2 years ago as I type this page. Over the years I have received a lot of email from folks who are coming to the Great Smoky Mountains on vacation and they always ask me if they can come ride with us. Some folks even make requests for rides to popular destinations such as the Dragon or Cherohala Skyway. After answering numerous questions and giving a lot of advice, 50& of them never show up for the rides they ask us to organize....or maybe I should say they decide not to ride with us. Why?

    I think most folks are thinking logically when they are planning their vacation but end up excited when they get here and they kind of lose their common sense. Of course, there is always the possibility that they have talked to me enough on the phone only to decide I am not someone they want to spend part of their precious vacation with. <g>

    Seriously though, I understand it is your vacation and hanging out with folks you don't even know may be a little intimidating. I understand completely how you can get caught up in the idea of exploring on your own and for that reason, I am going to make a few suggestions that you may find helpful. I am assuming that you are coming here to ride your motorcycle and see the scenery as your top priority. If you are hauling your bike and are planning to ride "if you get time", then stop reading right here. It will be a waste of your time to read further.

    ACCOMMODATIONS: First, where to stay? Let me simplify this by saying where NOT to stay. I suggest you AVOID Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. Why? Because all of these area are full of tourists who have no idea where they are going and what they are doing. They are pulling across the street in front of you......pulling in to your lane when they realize they need to turn left in 100 yards.....or they don't change lanes, they just turn left....and worst of all, the traffic is usually awful if you don't know how to avoid it.
    If you are a group, consider a cabin in Wear's Valley. They are available in one to twelve bedrooms and are comparable to hotel room prices during the tourist season. Wears Valley is convenient to all the tourists attractions to include Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. Just ask your rental agent for a map or directions to these cities via the back roads. One thing though, make sure the rental agent knows you are on motorcycles when you are making your reservation. Some of the cabins are on roads that are loose gravel and are very steep. Wear's Valley is highway 321 between Pigeon Forge and Townsend.
    Townsend is my choice for hotel locations. It is on Highway 321 Southeast of Maryville, TN. However, even though any map will confirm my location from Maryville, to get to Townsend from Maryville you must follow 321 North. Townsend is known as the "quiet side of the Snokies". It is big enough to have several gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants. (Subway is the only chain....the rest are family style or home cookin.) Townsend is convenient to the National Park, the Dragon and a lot of good riding areas.

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