Triumph Headquarters to Tapoco Tavern ALL STREET

This is a half-day long ride from Triumph Headquarters in Atlanta all the way up to the Tapoco Lodge / Tavern in Robbinsville, NC with a good mix of twisty roads and great scenery. This will give you a taste of the Motorcycle heaven we locals live in and some "secret" roads on NC you won't usually hear about.
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This route is ALL STREET, NO GRAVEL OR OFF ROAD. In the beginning the focus is getting out of the damn city quickly so it's a straight shot up 400N.
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Going north out of Dahlonega (if you are riding a bike with a small fuel tank) you will want to stop at the gas station at the intersection of HWY 60north and Calendar Creek Rd. Its a few minutes past the big lake you'll pass and is shown on the route by a small divergence to the right. It's a waypoint you will be alerted to in your NAV. If your bike has no problems going 150+ miles on a full tank (and you began at Triumph on full) you won't have any issue getting all the way to Hiawasse to the next gas stop.
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After filling up you'll continue north on hwy 60 to the intersection locals call "the rock pile". You'll see the big pile of rocks here, the local story is that there is a Cherokee Native Princess buried here and her spirit looks after the mountain, and those that show respect to her. Never take a rock from the pile or you'll get on her bad side, if you add one she'll look over and protect you.... You'll be rolling right through here so give her a nod as you pass... you will merge to the right and go north on 129, a local sportbike favorite road.
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129 will take you up and over Blood Mountain, on the other side you'll go north (right) on hwy180, a beautiful road with lots of elevation gains. This will take you up to hwy17 that leads you north into Hiawassee.
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The second (or first for big tanks) gas stop is at the Ingles in Hiawasse. Again, you can see it on the map above and the NAV will direct you to the station to fill up. It's 88 miles from here to Tapoco Lodge, and if you are continuing on to Fontana Village after dinner its just 11 miles to the next gas station after dinner. (The last gas station will be just down the street from Fontana village).. total of about 98-100 miles from Hiawasse to the last fuel stop of the day.
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Once you've filled up in Hiawasse the route will take you north into North Carolina and up US 64 to one of our favorite "secret" roads. Wayah Rd. It's a special one, and worth the extra time it takes to experience it. The beautiful Wayah Rd will take you all the way up to US 19/74 where you'll catch 129 for the final stretch of the ride. The Tapoco Lodge and Tavern will be on your left as you approach the end of the route.

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