Mazama

My wife and I will be heading to Eastern Tennessee next weekend (Chattanooga, Sevierville and Gatlinburg) and we're going to take the bikes. Other than Cade's Cove, are there any other relatively flat (Remember I'm a Floridian, and my wife has little ride experience.) bike paths around the Smoky's? I would prefer off-road and paved. Tom, I know you did Chattanooga, how was that path?

TIA

Tom Stormcrowe

I did a road ride up Lookout Mountain to the top and back.

https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...ette/141846161

It's most assuredly not flat.

I'll do some digging, though.

Tom Stormcrowe

Here's 178 routes in the Chattanooga area.

https://www.mapmyride.com/search?txtP...rch=SEARCH+%3E

SOmething easy around Gatlinburg (Easy is a relative term here....)

https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...burg/314991545

and a bunch more:
https://www.mapmyride.com/search?txtP...rch=SEARCH+%3E


And Seviereville

https://www.mapmyride.com/search?txtP...rch=SEARCH+%3E

Mazama

Thanks a bunch for the footwork, Tom! I will look into those. We will only be in Chat for a night, but I hear there's a swell MUP right outside our apartment. I cannot see my Florida arse climbing Lookout Mountain, but who knows.

twobikes

After the Battle for Lookout Mountain it took General Grant four hours to get up the mountain by a cart pulled by a draught animal. Today there are paved roads, but it is still not fast. The roads are wide enough for two cars to pass, but adding cyclists on the side of the road to the mix will definitely slow things up quite a bit, even though there are two routes to the top of Lookout Mountain. There is also the Incline Railway. You could ride it up the mountain and could likely take your bikes on the train car, although I have never seen that during my use of the railway. Then you could ride around on top of Lookout Mountain, which runs 80 miles southward down into Alabama.

If you want to ride from Chattanooga to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville; try using the old highway (11/64) up to Knoxville. Take something like 441 out to Pigeon Forge. There are a lot of small roads out of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge that go up into the mountains. If you do not mind grinding up some hills you will be rewarded with some very nice scenery. Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park would be fun.

There are places in Tennessee where traffic is relatively busy, but the road's shoulder is a designated bicycle route. I was in Tennessee a few days ago and had this happy surprise on the Oak Ridge Highway between West Knoxville and Oak Ridge. I was able to go across the Clinch River and into Oak Ridge in complete safety. There are other places where you might wish for bicycle route, but traffic is right up to the curb and fast. There may or may not be a sidewalk on which you can ride.

wrk101

I don't think there is a flat road in Gatlinburg. I live east of there, and cannot go a block without a hill, and within a mile, into some serious inclines. Beautiful area, just not flat.

jaxgtr

you might also want to post this in the Southeast Sub forum. Lots of East TN\W NC people there that might be able to help you out