Road trip · Tennessee & North Carolina, USA

Tail of the Dragon & Blue Ridge

Knoxville → Deals Gap → Asheville

318 curves in 11 miles at Deals Gap, then the long green exhale of the Blue Ridge Parkway into Asheville's breweries.

160 mi · 2 days · best April–May & October (leaf season) · $$

The route

ScenicEatStayDetour

Start, finish and every stop, pinned — turn-by-turn in one tap.

Relaxed pace

total driving

driving per day

miles per day

Driving times are estimates at a ~40 mph touring pace (stops, photos and traffic add to the clock).

This multi-day drive has no overnight marked — book a place to sleep about halfway.

🚗 40 mi · ~1h
1
Tail of the Dragon
Scenicmile 40
318 curves, 11 miles, no driveways — run it at 8 a.m. before the crowds.
🚗 11 mi · ~17 min
2
Tree of Shame
Detourmile 51
Motorcycle parts of the overconfident, nailed to one tree at Deals Gap.
🚗 9 mi · ~14 min
3
Fontana Dam
Scenicmile 60
The tallest dam in the East, with the Smokies stacked behind.
🚗 40 mi · ~1h
4
Blue Ridge Parkway ramp
Scenicmile 100
No trucks, no billboards, 45 mph — the anti-interstate.
🚗 35 mi · ~53 min
5
Looking Glass Rock overlook
Scenicmile 135
A granite monolith rising out of an ocean of forest.
🚗 25 mi · ~38 min
6
Asheville finish
Eatmile 160
More breweries per capita than anywhere in America — earn your flight.

Ideal: suvMinimum: compactAWD helps but isn't requiredHybrid recommended

Mountain roads are more comfortable and surefooted in an SUV

Make it yours

Ask Arya to pace this drive around your DNA — where to linger, what to skip, and where to sleep.