Iowa · Illinois · Wisconsin
Mississippi River
4 days · Round trip from Des Moines, Iowa · 3–6 bikes
4 daysRide from Des Moines
$3,850
per rider · +$500 passenger
North Carolina · Tennessee · Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains
The most famous curves in the East, and the history that goes with them. Your bike is waiting at the Grove Park Inn when you land in Asheville. From there it's the Blue Ridge Parkway, Newfound Gap through the Smokies, the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway, the waterfalls of the Pisgah, Mount Mitchell, and Virginia's Back of the Dragon, with an afternoon at the Biltmore and nights in hotels that opened in 1832, 1878, and 1913.
- 5 riding days · 6 nights
- ~960 miles
- Fly into Asheville, home from Tri-Cities
- Best: May–June, late September–October
Along the route
What you'll see
The stops and roads on the Blue Ridge Mountains ride.
The Linn Cove Viaduct, Grandfather Mountain (Day 4) 
Rough Butt Bald Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway (Day 1) 
Waterrock Knob, the Parkway's high point (Day 1) 
The Biltmore, Asheville (Day 3) 
Looking Glass Falls, Pisgah National Forest (Day 3) 
The Parkway outside Asheville (Day 1)
The route
Day by day
5 riding days, 6 nights. Best time: May to June and late September to October, when the Parkway is open and the leaves are turning.
- Day 0
Fly into Asheville
- Evening
- A 20-minute transfer. Bikes are waiting at the hotel; orientation on the Grove Park's terrace.
- Overnight
- The Omni Grove Park Inn (1913), Asheville
- Day 1~180 mi
Blue Ridge Parkway south to the Smokies
- Roads
- Blue Ridge Parkway south from Asheville past Mount Pisgah · Waterrock Knob, the Parkway's high point at 6,053 feet · the Parkway's southern end at Cherokee · US-441, Newfound Gap Road, across Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the gap and back · US-19 to Bryson City.
- Stops
- Graveyard Fields · Waterrock Knob · Museum of the Cherokee People · Newfound Gap and the Clingmans Dome road.
- Paid tours
- Museum of the Cherokee People
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park parking tag
- Overnight
- Fryemont Inn (1923), Bryson City
- Day 2~225 mi
The Dragon and the Cherohala
- Roads
- NC-28 along Fontana Lake to Deals Gap · US-129, the Tail of the Dragon, 318 curves in 11 miles · TN-165 and NC-143, the Cherohala Skyway, 43 miles over the mountains to Robbinsville · US-129 and US-19 to Franklin · US-64 up the Cullasaja Gorge past Dry Falls to Highlands.
- Stops
- Fontana Dam · the Dragon and the Tree of Shame · Santeetlah Overlook on the Skyway · Cullasaja Falls and Dry Falls.
- Overnight
- Old Edwards Inn (1878), Highlands
- Day 3~185 mi
Waterfalls and the Biltmore
- Roads
- US-64 to Cashiers · NC-107 and SC-130 to Whitewater Falls · SC-11, the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway · US-276 over Caesars Head and through Pisgah National Forest past Looking Glass Falls · the Parkway back into Asheville.
- Stops
- Whitewater Falls, the tallest east of the Rockies · Caesars Head overlook · Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock · an afternoon and evening at the Biltmore Estate.
- Paid tours
- Biltmore House and gardens
- Overnight
- The Omni Grove Park Inn (1913), Asheville
- Day 4~215 mi
Parkway north to Virginia
- Roads
- Blue Ridge Parkway north from Asheville · NC-128 to the summit of Mount Mitchell, 6,684 feet, the highest point east of the Mississippi · Linville Falls · the Linn Cove Viaduct around Grandfather Mountain · Blowing Rock · US-421 and US-58 into Virginia to Abingdon.
- Stops
- Mount Mitchell summit · Linville Falls · Moses Cone Manor · Blowing Rock · the Barter Theatre and the brick main street of Abingdon.
- Paid tours
- Linville Caverns
- Overnight
- The Martha Washington Inn (1832), Abingdon
- Day 5~160 mi
Back of the Dragon
- Roads
- VA-16 from Marion to Tazewell, the Back of the Dragon, 32 miles and 438 curves over three mountains · the one-road valley of Burke's Garden · back over the Dragon · US-11 through the old towns of the Valley to Bristol.
- Stops
- Burke's Garden, called God's Thumbprint · Hungry Mother State Park · the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol.
- Paid tours
- Birthplace of Country Music Museum
- Overnight
- The Bristol Hotel (1925), Bristol
- Day 6
Fly home from Tri-Cities
- Morning
- A 25-minute transfer to Tri-Cities Airport. Your bike goes back on the trailer and follows you home to Des Moines.
$8,250 per rider
One Price. The Whole Trip.
Included
- Motorcycle transport there and back from Des Moines, Iowa
- Round-trip flights from Des Moines
- Airport transfers
- Historic hotels every night
- A planned route on the best roads in the region
- A lead guide
- A support vehicle for luggage and tools
- Every paid tour and admission on the itinerary
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Fuel
- Bike repairs and parts
- Your riding gear
- The spare emergency bike, if you need it ($50/day)
Good to know
- The Parkway has no gas stations. We fuel up in the towns below it, and the support vehicle carries a reserve.
- Parkway speed limit is 45. This tour is about the curves and the views, not the pace.
Riding rule: The Tail of the Dragon has no shoulder and plenty of traffic by noon. We ride it early on a weekday, at a touring pace, in formation, and nobody passes the guide.
Group: 3 to 6 bikes
How It Works
No two rides are the same. Every tour is built around the group that books it: the pace, the stops, how early you roll out, and whether the afternoon is one more pass or a hot spring. And we pay attention to who rides with whom. We've spent a lot of years around riders and have a good sense of who will mesh, so we match up groups that get along. Most people go home with new friends.
Every tour needs three bikes to run. Got your own crew of three to six? Book the whole tour for your group and we'll set dates that work for you.
Step 1
Reserve your spot for $200
Pick a tour and put down a $200 deposit. It holds your place, counts toward your tour price, and is refundable any time you ask. Change your mind about which tour? Move it to another one.
Step 2
We set the date
Once enough riders have signed up for a tour, we set the dates with the group. Every tour runs with three to six bikes. The balance is due 30 days before the tour starts.
6 more rides
Other rides
- $200 deposit
Missouri · Arkansas
Ozarks
5 days · Round trip from Des Moines, Iowa · 3–6 bikes
5 daysRide from Des Moines$200 deposit$5,050
per rider · +$400 passenger
Kentucky
Kentucky Bourbon Trail
4 days · Bourbon country · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Louisville$200 deposit$6,300
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
South Dakota · Wyoming
Black Hills
4 days · South Dakota & Wyoming · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Rapid City$200 deposit$6,050
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
Front Range · San Juan Mountains
Colorado
4 days · The Rockies and the San Juans · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Denver$200 deposit$6,850
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
Montana · Yellowstone · Wyoming
Montana Backcountry
6 days · Montana & Yellowstone · 3–6 bikes
6 daysFly to Bozeman$200 deposit$9,650
per rider · +$1,200 passenger
Questions
Questions? Ask Away.
Questions about a tour, your bike, or bringing your own group? Send us a note or give us a call. We'll get back to you within 36 hours.