Tail of the Dragon

US 129 crosses Deals Gap on the Tennessee–North Carolina line with 318 curves in 11 miles and not a single junction or driveway. It runs along the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park under a continuous canopy of trees, and it is the best-known driving road in the eastern United States.

The drive

The corners are tight, cambered and relentless, mostly second gear, with names like Copperhead Corner and Gravity Cavity painted into local folklore. There is nowhere to overtake and very few places to pull off, so your pace is set by whoever is in front.

The roads around it are just as good and much emptier. The Cherohala Skyway climbs to over 5,000 ft with wide, fast sweepers, and NC 28, the 'Moonshiner 28', runs south from Deals Gap towards Fontana.

In your Porsche

With a 30 mph limit and constant direction changes, the Dragon is about agility more than power, and a Cayman or Boxster is arguably the better tool than a 911 here. The lanes are narrow and a wide-body car has little margin, so stay well inside the centre line. Porsche clubs and independent groups run regular drives in the area. Go midweek; weekends bring heavy motorcycle traffic and a strong police presence.