There is no more beautiful place in the Carolinas than the Blueridge Mountains! This scenic ~2 day route is the perfect weekend overland adventure for any experience level. Clocking right around 120 miles end to end, this route begins in Dillard, GA right at the NC/GA state line and winds up into the mountains mixing pavement with gravel. You'll see beautiful vistas, historic sites, gorgeous rivers and more!

Details:

Difficulty: 

Scale: 1 for 95% of the route, 3 if you plan to take the hard ending route through Mad Dog Road - Difficulty Scale can be viewed here

Itinerary: 

Note, airing down is optional as most of the route is just light gravel roads. Most paved sections are less than 20 miles. Later in Day 2 and for Day 3 it's recommended you drop to at least 20psi for comfort, and for more grip if you run the difficult route. 

Day 1 - 

Rally Day! Rally at a beautiful creek side camp off Darnell Creek Road. There is plenty to explore in the local area as well, stop off at Blue Hound BBQ for the best food around!

Day 2 - 

Start the day off easy, leaving by 9AM you'll head north crossing into Western North Carolina winding your way into the Beautiful Blueridge mountains. You'll spend most of the day climbing in elevation taking in beautiful views and cruising on easy gravel roads with occasional pavement. There are many many hiking trails and marked waterfalls not far from the trail during the first half of the ride. Several USFS paid primitive campgrounds are found along the way.

If you maintain pace you should reach a beautiful mapped lunch stop off the Nantahala River around 1-2PM, stop for a while and take in the views and enjoy a break!

After this you'll be on pavement for a few miles crossing into Andrews, NC. There is a gas station marked where you can stop and top off fuel (Not required, but recommended) and get some firewood if you need it.

Following the stop you'll be back on gravel in no time, heading further into the mountains. There is an optional turn off to go visit Joanna Bald Firetower which holds one of the most beautiful views on the ride. At the end of the trail there is a gate, it's about a half mile hike up to the fire tower from there.

The next sections take you closer to the TN line passing beautiful Lake Shanteelah. Shortly after you'll find yourself on FSR 81, It's recommended to air down at this point, there are sections that can be rough on full pressure and if you plan to run the hard route on Day 3 it is strongly recommended.

Depending on pace you should roll into the area around ~5PM 2-3 Miles into FSR 81 you will find a number of beautiful riverside campsites varying in size. A very large horse trailer camp with a commode is about midway through the trail which can accommodate large(30-40 rig) groups, there are also medium and small camps the whole way up the trail to accommodate any size group.

Day 3 -

Break camp around 9AM and continue heading north winding along the gorgeous Shanteelah creek. About an hour into the ride there is a split that will add ~8 round miles to the trip to ride up to Whigg Meadow, a gorgeous and serenely peaceful meadow at the highest point of the ride. The road up to Whigg meadow is not technical, but EXTREMELY bumpy, strongly advised to air down if you havent already.

On the main route you will continue north toward TN, at a large paid USFS paid campground there is a divergence to two different endings to the trail:

Easy route (Rated 1):

This route will wind you out of the national forest along the beautiful River Road following the Tellico river out to the Cherohala Skyway. You can expect to end the route right around 11AM-12PM depending on pacing and take the skyway out to your next destination!

Hard route (Rated 3):

If you havent already, go ahead and air down at the USFS Camp where the route diverges because it's about to get TECHNICAL!!

From here you'll ride out to Mad Dog Road, this short 3 mile trail is one of my favorites in the southeast, it's short and sweet but a ton of fun. Be prepared for some pinstripes and potential down trees/branches in the road as this is a very low traffic trail. As you progress you'll find a few technical and off camber rock gardens that will give you a run for your money, easy does it as you go and you'll make it through with a little help from a spotter.

At the end of the the trail you'll spit out right on the Cherohala Skyway around 12-1PM depending on pacing.

From the Trail...