Local S2000 lover but not owner, here.
Be careful, folks, the Dragon has been crawling with Blount County Sherriff's deputies on weekends. They will be out in greater numbers than in the past when you guys come back here for the 'Ball. Not that you can speed on a nice Saturday afternoon, anyway, the dragon is getting too crowded for a decent weekend run. Dusk on Saturdays is a nice time to hit it up, and don't rule out a night time run, the place is pretty sweet in the
dark.
Monday-Wednesday the place is still deserted, though.

While ya'll are in the area:
1) there is a SCCA sanctioned autocross in Bristol, TN/VA on the 22nd. www.etrscca.org .
2) Check out some of the other less-well-known cool roads and places in the area.
Northbound Hwy 27 from I-40 to the KY state line is awesome driving, and no cops. Destinations: historic Rugby, TN; Big South Fork and Cumberland Gap NP. Other backroads north of Knoxville offer similar driving pleasure, and the road quality is amazing, given the paucity of traffic.
In the vicinity of the Dragon, of course, the Cherohala Skyway is a must-do. Also, other roads over by Cosby and Pittman Center are almost as nice as 129, and, again, no cops (Pittman Center is patrolled but not surrounding roads). The Cosby portal into the GSMNP is much quieter than the main portals near Gatlinburg and Townsend if you want to do some hiking.
W. NC is covered with amazing roads. If the weather is decent, forays up into the mountains around Boone, NC are well worth the trip.
Same goes for N. GA, although both areas are drawing retiring yankees and FL Halfbacks like flies, somewhat ruining the area...
PM if you want some details.
Hope ya'll have fun in my backyard, welcome to E TN.
Greg
Knoxville

PS, I have counted the turns on the 11 miles of the Dragon from the bridge to the state line (with help from my kids), and can state pretty firmly that there are 226, total. Try it yourself and let me know what you come up with...
Also, you can thank your fellow Honda owners who brought the Honda Hoot here a few years back for the superb pavement on 129. The county repaved it a few weeks before the first Hoot, creating the magnificent playground we enjoy today.

 

Thanks, bikerecker! Some great suggestions here.

 

NOOOOO! I feel jipped!

REFUND!! I want a refund!

Wait...you drove slow enough to actually count the number of turns?

 

Never been stuck behind a camper for the entire length, have you?

I made a vein effort to count one time while stuck behind a slow vehicle in the rain, and came up with 205 or something to that effect (parking lot to state line), so I can't argue the 226 number. It's definitely not the 318 that is advertised.

 

Make sure you car is in good working condition. Fluids,brakes,suspension, ect. I always do a alignment before I go.

 

I have to almost advise against drving the Cherohala Skyway. Ive recently heard of NUMEROUS high-speed busts along that road with car cops and also by them now using aircraft support. Im not 100% sure if that is correct, but speed traps are common. Just thought you all should know.

-Matt

 

If they are not careful, they are going to take all the fun out of going to that part of the state.

 

the dragon does not end @ the state line. It continues all the way from Lake and pull over on the TN side to "the fugitive dam" NC side. if you counted to the state line you cut yourself short, theres still penty of fun left past the motorcycle lodge.

 

Except that the NC side of the road is garbage. There's only 3 real turns from the state line to the gas station straightaway (which should never be driven fast; too many pedestrians and people pulling into and out of the various lots. Of those 3, one of them (the hard left downhill/hard right uphill) is a fairly dangerous accordion spot where I've seen way too many near misses. After the gas station, the road gets progressively worse, with several large drops and no edge. That section is also very narrow. It's twisty, but it's just not worth driving fast.

If/when NC redoes that stretch with asphalt instead of chip-and-seal, I may consider it worth driving again. For now it's just brake cool down territory.

 

There were rumors of helicopter support a few years ago, but that went away. I've never seen an aircraft running time gaps, though I've seen plenty of cops, and you're on park land so the fines will not be cheap.

It should be noted that if you get in an accident on the Cherohala, especially a bad one, you'll probably die there. It's at least an hour and 15 minutes before an ambulance will arrive (spoken from experience).

Enjoy the scenery and go easy on it.