YamaGeezer Posted July 9, 2008 Share #1 Posted July 9, 2008 Haven't seen anything written about this on the site, so I thought I'd pass it on. Some friends and I rode up to Shady Valley, Virginia a couple of weeks ago to ride what they call "The Snake." Shady Valley is close to Bristol, near the Virginia - Tennessee state line. I forget how many curves in how many miles it is (it's a lot of both). If you're interested in that sort of riding and you've been to the Dragon and bought the T-shirt, you'll really enjoy the Snake. In fact, the actual road almost appears to be brand new - no potholes, no missing pieces, very smooth and well marked, and the two lanes even appear to be a little wider than the Dragon. Even better, there was no traffic at all. Shady Valley is a beautiful place, and they even have a "General Store" for souvenirs, hot food and motorcycle stuff (helmets, bags, leather, etc.). You can even buy a T-shirt! The attractive young lady working in the store told me that on weekends, you can't get into the parking lot for all the bikes. We were there on a Monday. If anyone has ridden it, tell us what you think. Be safe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Tone White Posted July 9, 2008 Share #2 Posted July 9, 2008 What is the route #? Between what town and what town so I can find it on the map? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKid Posted July 9, 2008 Share #3 Posted July 9, 2008 US 421 out side of boone NC and could carry you all the way into Bristol, TN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condor Posted July 9, 2008 Share #4 Posted July 9, 2008 THE SNAKE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted July 9, 2008 Share #5 Posted July 9, 2008 This is about 20 miles from home for me.Yes, it is a beautiful ride, especially during the week. It has become quite popular and has drawn the attention of the LEO's. I think the saying is one valley, three roads and 486 curves. We have had our share of incidents over the last couple of years, including deaths. I tend to avoid it on the weekends, as I do The Dragon. Just too many squids going way too fast going around blind curves on the wrong side of the road. Ryder magazine did a piece on this area a few months ago and without a doubt, Shady Valley is a beautiful serene place. It is surrounded about 80% by mountains and the water drainage goes north to Damascus, VA, so it is more of a bowl than a valley. It is actually in Tennessee and the road north goes into VA and east after Mountain City goes into NC. If you do a Google earth search, go to north east TN and find Johnson City, go north to Elizabethton then north to Shady Valley. RandyA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted July 9, 2008 Share #6 Posted July 9, 2008 Thanks Condor, you are quick. It is a shame the satelite map is cloudy. It may be better to go to weather.com and hone in on their satelite map. RandyA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plainmd Posted July 9, 2008 Share #7 Posted July 9, 2008 I rode the tail of the dragon and the snake last fall.....I have to say the snake was my favorite.....I was at the snake during the week didnt hardly see any traffic. Here is a link to more info...http://www.shadyvalleycountrystore.com/default.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Tone White Posted July 10, 2008 Share #8 Posted July 10, 2008 Thanks everyone for this info. I thought I knew all the cool roads nearby, but this is new to me. I will get on it within the next two weeks. Regards, TTW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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