3 Days in the Smoky Mountians

[andy29847]

Maybe if I had spelled it Witt Rd. Sorry. Still, your google **** is weak.


https://youtu.be/W9DiPqUNrKk (action starts at 1:20)

 

[andy29847]

Looks like you had fun in our neighborhood!
I'd like to give a nod to a couple of good campgrounds for you next time or others.
Wildcat in Suches: http://www.wildcatsuches.com/
Crawford's in Murphy: http://www.crawfordscg.com/index.html

Thanks for the suggestions. The KOA in Murphy is just OK.

 

[andy29847]

There's lots of videos of motorcycle guys dumping their bike in the water on Witt rd.

https://youtu.be/ip-UGLXKptQ

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-pVH5sM8/0/1280/i-pVH5sM8-1280.mp4

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-bH5hxx6/0/1280/i-bH5hxx6-1280.mp4

 

[andy29847]

From Helton Creek Rd, we went east and north to Hightower Rd-Charlie's Creek Rd-Tallulah River Rd-and Patterson Gap Rd.

Charlie's Creek Rd is a popular destination for Jeepers. Coming from the west, there is a good climb up to the Appalachian Trail.

The highlight of this section is the Talualah River crossing to get to Tallulah River Rd. The water was very low, so the crossing was easy.

Movies - river crossing in both directions:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-WgCszGt/0/1280/i-WgCszGt-1280.mp4

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-7Cmn7bC/0/1280/i-7Cmn7bC-1280.mp4

 

[andy29847]

Patterson Gap is a easy but fun road. We didn't take any pictures while we were on Patterson Gap. We were in a hurry to get to the Dillard House for lunch.

After lunch, we went north to Ball Creek Rd and Standing Indian Campground Rd.

Ball Creek Rd is a good climb and tops out here:

We raced down Standing Indian Campground Rd to Hwy 64. We decided that we had had enough and took the paved roads back to Murphy. We had a great time and want to go back. The roads are mostly easy with just a few obstacles along the way. I would say they are suitable for any 4 wheel drive.

Thanks for looking and reading.

 

[maquette]

Nice read Andy. As you know, we go through there on the bikes at a rapid clip and don't get to enjoy the scenery as much. I'm looking forward to going back with my 4x4 and see the sights. Maybe figure out a way to get to Burger Basket in Andrews for lunch!!! LOL.

 

[backroadnomad]

I really enjoyed this Jeep Drive report and your photos were awesome! Looking forward to Jeepin' this route asap.

Charles
Clarksville, TN
2016 Jeep JKU "Oscar Mike" Edition

 

[ljrunner05]

I have been exploring the back roads of the Smokys by motorcycle since 2004. The foundation of this ride is a motorcycle ride called the Smokey Mountains 500. Since jeeping is a slower than riding on a dirt bike, I trimmed out parts of the SM500 tracks until I had daily legs down to 100-125 miles. Virtually all of the roads are public roads with 2 way traffic. I learned about the roads from others, or found them on maps and tested them myself. I build the maps in Garmin Basecamp. I prefer to use tracks instead of routes - routes won't stick to some roads and tend to change on the fly (recalculate). I use a Garmin Montana to follow the maps I made. Here is a ride report from one of my motorcycle rides: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/dad-rides-the-smokey-mountains-500.1149333/

Would you be willing to share or post your tracks somewhere? Looks like a great route somewhat close by to me. I really enjoyed the pictures and your report! Thanks for sharing!

 

[andy29847]

The route is not a secret. I got most of the information from others. All of the roads are public roads. The Smokey Mountains 500 tracks are shared on a thread in ADVrider ( http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/smokey-moluntain-500.926507/ ) and in a Facebook group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/698628080200070/ - you have to join the group to see the info). How do you map?

 

[ljrunner05]

The route is not a secret. I got most of the information from others. All of the roads are public roads. The Smokey Mountains 500 tracks are shared on a thread in ADVrider ( http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...in-500.926507/ ) and in a Facebook group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/698628080200070/ - you have to join the group to see the info). How do you map?

Awesome, I'll check it out. I have no idea how I'm just hearing about this and I live so close. Thanks again for sharing!
I use Gaia GPS, but just about any route or track format can be converted. Typically I use either KML or GPX files.

 

[EvanAlrighty]

Looks like fun! I'm close in Knoxville. If you ever come out this way again let me know!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[e60ral]

Awesome, I'll check it out. I have no idea how I'm just hearing about this and I live so close. Thanks again for sharing!
I use Gaia GPS, but just about any route or track format can be converted. Typically I use either KML or GPX files.

I think this is correct per the discussion and map:
https://www.gaiagps.com/public/ewzMyW5iqS5gwDTzFO5vNr21

I also have the official Smokey Mountain 500 v6 uploading and I saw mention of a Smokey Mountain 1000 so I'm going to read the thread and see if I see that

 

[ljrunner05]

I think this is correct per the discussion and map:
https://www.gaiagps.com/public/ewzMyW5iqS5gwDTzFO5vNr21

I also have the official Smokey Mountain 500 v6 uploading and I saw mention of a Smokey Mountain 1000 so I'm going to read the thread and see if I see that

Thanks so much! I can't wait to give it a try

 

[dorton]

Cool post. Thanks for sharing.

 

[andy29847]

I think this is correct per the discussion and map:
https://www.gaiagps.com/public/ewzMyW5iqS5gwDTzFO5vNr21

I also have the official Smokey Mountain 500 v6 uploading and I saw mention of a Smokey Mountain 1000 so I'm going to read the thread and see if I see that

I had not seen Galagps maps before. The map looks right. I use Garmin maps and Google Earth. The mileage calculation on Gala seems wrong. The route I rode in OCT 2016, an abbreviated Smokey Mountains 500, was 106 +118+142 = 360

If you ride the Smokey Mountains 500 tracks, your mileage would be 160 + 165 + 136 = 461

The Smokey Mountains 1000 uses most of the SM500 and adds a loop north almost to Boone. There is a Facebook Group for the 1000: https://www.facebook.com/groups/229150894116972/ - feel free to join in. There have only been a few riders who have done the SM1000. The route is not as developed as the SM500 regarding lodging and places to eat. The dirt roads in the area near Linville, NC are the most scenic Smoky Mountains roads I have been on. If you want to go to that area and stay in a motel, I like The Inn at Blue Ridge ( http://www.theinnatblueridge.com/ ). If you want a camp ground, I hear the Bear's Den ( https://bear-den.com/ ) is nice. I'll share a few pictures.