Tail of the Dragon (US 129)

Mountain road · USA, Tennessee / North Carolina

Tail of the Dragon US-129 winding through Cherokee National Forest

318 curves in 11 miles. The American touge.

A 17.7 km stretch of US 129 across the Tennessee/North Carolina border with 318 corners in 11 miles. The road runs through the Cherokee National Forest along the Little Tennessee River; the upper section, the "Dragon," is the densest set of switchbacks in the eastern United States.

For drift culture the road sits halfway between bucket-list pilgrimage and risk-management cautionary tale. The sportbike community claimed it first; sportscar drivers followed. Police presence is heavy and the speed limit is 30 mph (48 km/h). The pilgrimage is the experience of stringing 318 corners together at speed, even legal speed.

It is the closest thing the American grassroots scene has to Akagi, a road that does not belong to drift but that drift culture treats as a sacred run. The reference photo of an FD3S sliding through Deals Gap exists in every American drifter's mental library.

At a glance

  • Length: 17.7 km (11 mi)
  • Turns: 318
  • Surface: asphalt, public road
  • Nearest airport: TYS (Knoxville)
  • Season: Apr, Oct (winter ice closes)
  • Day pass: Public road, free
  • Language: EN

Iconic cars

Source: William Klos · CC BY 2.0