Tail of the Dragon
Tail of the Dragon is a scenic drive in Tennessee. Within Tennessee it covers roughly 11 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Tail of the Dragon with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
US-129 at Deals Gap packs 318 curves into 11 miles along the Tennessee–North Carolina line, making it one of the most famous driving and motorcycling roads in the country. With no intersections or side roads to break the rhythm, it's a continuous, flowing sequence of tight bends through the Cherokee National Forest. The "Tree of Shame" at the Deals Gap resort is hung with parts from riders who didn't make it around one of the turns.
- 318 curves in 11 miles
- Deals Gap
- Cherokee National Forest
- Tree of Shame
- US-129
Plan a drive on Tail of the Dragon →
About this drive
This is a scenic drive — a road worth taking for the views and the journey itself rather than the quickest line between two points.