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[King2013]

I'm going to try this again.
Me and my kid are planning a road trip from New Jersey to North Carolina this month.
We're leaving the itinerary home and just going to ride for approx. 4 days.
We may even head further south depending on the time we spend in each state.
Anybody have any must sees or suggestions?
Since we really don't have a planned route we can pretty much go anywhere.
I'm trying not to do too much too fast but my life has been at a dead halt since my accident. I've wanted to take a trip like this for most of my life and last year was supposed to be the year I was going but......so, this is a start.

TIA for any feedback.

[DICKW]

Take Skyline and the Blue Ridge for a nice peaceful ride south. Getting there from Southern Jersey.......maybe not as peaceful, Porthole may be able to give you a route from Jersey.

[mark]

1. Back of the Dragon (hwy 16) from Marion, VA, to Tazewell, VA
2. Cherohala Skyway at TN/NC line
3. Hwy 64 from Franklin, NC, to Highlands, NC (stop & walk down to Dry Falls)
4. The Gauntlet in north GA, near NC line (Google it for route)
5. Hwy 64 along the Ocoee River near Cleveland, TN
6. Hwy 209 between Hot Springs, NC, and Lake Junaluska, NC (near Maggie Valley)
7. Nantahala Gorge in NC (hwy 19). South of Bryson City towards Andrews

The list could go on and on...NC hwys 281, 215, 107, US hwy 276.  Someone already mentioned the Blue Ridge Pkwy.  US 129/The Dragon to me is meh.  It seems to have developed that tourist trap vibe and is too crowded.  There are other roads just as curvy w/o the traffic volume.  For a great road that goes nowhere, try TN hwy 32 from hwy 321 to the NC line.  No traffic, great curves, great pavement.  At NC line, 32 turns to gravel.  We've always turned around there rather than continue on.  Have a great time, you really can't pick a bad road in this area.

[porthole]

I'm going to try this again.
Me and my kid are planning a road trip from New Jersey to North Carolina this month.
We're leaving the itinerary home and just going to ride for approx. 4 days.
We may even head further south depending on the time we spend in each state.
Anybody have any must sees or suggestions?
Since we really don't have a planned route we can pretty much go anywhere.
I'm trying not to do too much too fast but my life has been at a dead halt since my accident. I've wanted to take a trip like this for most of my life and last year was supposed to be the year I was going but......so, this is a start.

TIA for any feedback.

Where in south jersey? We are right off Exit 98
Why not plan that road trip for next month - Maggie Valley event?

When I head to NC and not on a get there today plan I usually just stay off the highway  and meander down. If you try and hit some of the civil war sites you get off the beaten track somewhat.
Taking 4 days to get there is a great time.
Not having a set itinerary is even better.

I like looking at the maps (computer or paper) and look for roads that aren't very straight, then go looking for them.

Leaving Jersey if heading south, I like the DE MD VA 2 lane highway routes. Sometimes all the way to teh Bay Bridge Tunnel, sometimes crossover at Annapolis.

[King2013]

Where in south jersey? We are right off Exit 98
Why not plan that road trip for next month - Maggie Valley event?

When I head to NC and not on a get there today plan I usually just stay off the highway  and meander down. If you try and hit some of the civil war sites you get off the beaten track somewhat.
Taking 4 days to get there is a great time.
Not having a set itinerary is even better.

I like looking at the maps (computer or paper) and look for roads that aren't very straight, then go looking for them.

Leaving Jersey if heading south, I like the DE MD VA 2 lane highway routes. Sometimes all the way to teh Bay Bridge Tunnel, sometimes crossover at Annapolis.

Unfortunately that's the dates we off from work. We'll be heading out from exit 4 area of the njtp, but we'll be going via 295s to the del mar bridge and I was thinking rt13 through Delaware. Traffic of course will be the ultimate nightmare until we get a little ways through Delaware. LLooks like they're starting to be like Jersey right over the bridge lately.

[stevehd]

Have you thought about taking US 30 through Pennsylvania, making stops in York and Gettysburg, before heading south?  From Gettysburg, head south on US 15 through Frederick, MD and decide if you want to continue south on US 15 through Leesburg, VA until you reach Haymarket and then take US 211 through Warrenton  to get to Skyline drive, or at the US 15/US 340 fork, go south on US 340 through Harpers Ferry and Charles Town and continue to Front Royal and pick up Skyline Drive there.

[smkymtnboy]

Have you thought about taking US 30 through Pennsylvania, making stops in York and Gettysburg, before heading south?  From Gettysburg, head south on US 15 through Frederick, MD and decide if you want to continue south on US 15 through Leesburg, VA until you reach Haymarket and then take US 211 through Warrenton  to get to Skyline drive, or at the US 15/US 340 fork, go south on US 340 through Harpers Ferry and Charles Town and continue to Front Royal and pick up Skyline Drive there.

good plan!! :2vrolijk_21:the skyline and blue ridge are great rides with good scenery and points of interest.

[phato1]

good plan!! :2vrolijk_21:the skyline and blue ridge are great rides with good scenery and points of interest.

Just try to avoid Skyline Drive on a weekend -- trust me on this...as an alternate I've taken 678 south to 675 west then 11 to continue south and then loop back to the east to take the BRP.

[King2013]

Lovin all the suggestions keep them coming.
Also, if your in/on my path I wouldn't mind meeting up or stopping for a bit.
Should be leaving somewhere between the 17th and the 20th, just waiting for his employer to confirm.
Will post exact departure date when known.
Thanks again

[08glide]

i like stevehd's suggestions. as otr for 39 yrs i've been all over & around. I'd head towards 30 thu york, gettysburg. take hwy 15 south to hwy 340 head towards front royal & waynesboro,va. there you can take blueridge pkwy into nc if you want. if you do back of dragon, take rt 8 off brpky & head to tazewell first (look at 460 west into tazewell. this will bring you out in marion,va. then hwy 11 south to glade spring,take rt 91 to damascus then head to 421 (the snake). from there you can take 421 into boone,nc or head to bristol,johnson city,asheville, & maggie valley. good luck with your trip. we live just off the brpky in lynchburg,va. if we can be of any assistance  (pm for phone #) maybe we can meet & ride with you to tuttles gap. may even offer lodging for the night 

[08glide]

we will be leaving out of town on 20 or 21 ourselves

[Unbalanced]

I would add The Snake 421to your list, Chimney Rock / Lake Lure Rt 9, Blowing Rock area, Grandfather Mountain, Boon, Brushey Mountain, New Switzerland off the Blue Ridge, Mt Airy (Where Andy Griffith show was filmed) stop in at Snappy's for lunch (Pork Chop Sandwiches are great), The Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway.   Rt. 80 is a challenging route, Mount Mitchell
Can head down 276 to the YMC in South Carolina also a great ride there.   The Dillard House is another great ride.

http://www.421thesnake.com/

If you do Grandfather Mountain, Boon, Blowing Rock you can continue out through 321 to 421 and make your way to Shady Valley.   IMO this is a nicer set of roads, less traffic and better condition of the roads as compared to the dragon.

If you do the dragon you should really head out along highway 28 and ride the river.    If you do the dragon at the bottom while your going around the lake turn right and head up the foot hills over to Marysville to the dealership if you like to stop at them.

Have a great time.

[King2013]

Awesome. That's a whole lot more to see than I realized, However I don't think 4-5 days will be long enough now.
Might have to go for longer which could ultimately happen provided my back holds out and I bring enough drugs..lol

[King2013]

We made it back safe!
We had to cut the trip short because of the weather on the return dates. Heavy thunderstorms supposed to hit our area all day Thursday, without rain gear we didn't want to ride that far or into anything that heavy.
Yes we will be getting quality rain gear for the next trip.
We ran into a heavy storm in exmore va on Monday when we got there. We rod in it for about 20 mins and said that's enough. Lol
It poured for most of the day Tuesday also, not wanting to over do it (I was already experiencing some heavy back pain) we hit a hotel for Monday night and Tuesday. Although we didn't hit the 1 destination we wanted to (NC or virginia beach) because of the weather, me and my kid spent some quality time together and we didn't spend much $$$.
We took the scenic route there 260+ miles and the short cut home.
We road home 240+ miles today stopping just 3 times for gas and pills.

We're both already planning our next trip, possibly having towards the West Coast.