# Cherohala Skyway advices needed



## AcesFull

I really wanted to do my fourth Cherohala Challenge this year, but sadly it was canceled. So some buddies and I are headed up this weekend to do an out and back from Robbinsville as prep for a trip to France.

There has been some mention of the availability of hydration on the route and I sent a PM to a Teleco rider, but I have not heard anything back.

Does anyone know the exact location (or even the possibility) of water on the Skyway between Robbinsville and Telico Plains? 

I'm really worried about hydration because fat riders sweat a lot. A whole lot.


----------



## Keeping up with Junior

*Poor Memory*



AcesFull said:


> Does anyone know the exact location (or even the possibility) of water on the Skyway between Robbinsville and Telico Plains?


Spent a couple of spring training camps there but it was early in the season so water was not as much of an issue as finding some hot soup to warm up with. We stayed in Fontana Village, which is farther north by the dam and Tail of the Dragon. So when we rode the Cherohala Skyway from Robbinsville we only went to the state border and turned around.

Going strictly from memory... we stopped at a gas station that was maybe 7-10 miles into the ride from Robbinsville. It was on the right side, after a little clmbing but before the real climbing started when you enter the park. At the summit near the state line I recall a pavillion but did not go inside so I have no idea if they had water or if it was potable. The book I have that has cue sheets for the route from Robbinsville to the state line says "Carry provisions and water; there is little or none en route.

There are some other great routes in the area, not as scenic as the Skyway but nice riding. Shoot me a private message with your e-mail addy and I can e-mail some maps and cue sheets to you.


----------



## Bike Poor

I used to ride motorcycles over the skyway a lot. Didn't use to be any water available on the actual skyway, and no utilities so that probably hasn't changed. You could probably find somewhere to stash a cooler at an overlook though.


----------



## AcesFull

What a fantastic ride this weekend on the Skyway! We rode from Robbinsville proper (the Microtel parking lot) to the Tennessee line and back (~62 miles & ~6100 ft of gain) The traffic was very light until about 1:00 PM (we rode from 9:00 - 1:30) and once we got above 4000 ft, the weather was perfect. 

The toughest part climbing-wise was the actual road to the Skyway from Robbinsville. It has a section of ~10+% that is tough when it's hot.

Bike Poor & Keeping Up are correct. Indeed, there are no facilities on the Skyway and this is a real concern for riders sensitive to water needs in the summer. There is a nice store stop before the climb, but be ready to carry 3 or 4 bottles on a hot day if you want to make it to Tennessee and back. 

Surprisingly, we did not see a single bike rider on the entire ride. 

Props to Keeping up with Junior for the great maps. PM me for copies.


----------



## mrbull

+1 on not seeing other riders. I ride from my cabin on Fontana to Robbinsville, over to Topton, then down the Nantahala Gorge back home, and I never see another rider. Beautiful area, just a shame there aren't more people enjoying it.


----------



## triple b

*Cherohala/Tail of the dragon*

I am heading up this weekend to ride. I am trying to get in the climb on cherohala and tail of the dragon, what is the best way to do that? If you have other suggestions that would be helpful.
Thanks in advance.

bb


----------



## tellico climber

triple b said:


> I am heading up this weekend to ride. I am trying to get in the climb on cherohala and tail of the dragon, what is the best way to do that? If you have other suggestions that would be helpful.
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> bb


Are you doing it all in the same ride or 2 seperate rides?


----------



## tellico climber

triple b said:


> I am heading up this weekend to ride. I am trying to get in the climb on cherohala and tail of the dragon, what is the best way to do that? If you have other suggestions that would be helpful.
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> bb


If you are riding both in the same day I would climb up the Skyway from Robbinsville first in the morning. If you wait until the afternoon you will bake in the hot sun on the way up. Even with the elevation it can be quite miserable climbing up the skyway in the sun this time of year and it looks to be another hot weekend coming up. Even though the dragon is at lower elevation it is very shady for the most part so you will not be out in the open exposed to the sun. If it were me, I would opt out of doing the dragon this time of year especially on a weekend due to the high automobile and motorcycle traffic. I would probably start out by climbing up the Skyway from Robbinsville and then backtrack, restock provisions and ride something like the loop that included yellow creek rd and Hwy 143 back to Robbinsville. Just my opinion. Glad to provide any more info if needed.


----------



## triple b

*cherohala/tail of the dragon*

I would like to try and do both in the same day. How far is tail of the dragon from robbinsville? How much time do you think it would take to do cherohala to the top of the climb then come back down and head to tail of the dragon. We are planning on doing it friday.
thanks


----------



## tellico climber

triple b said:


> I would like to try and do both in the same day. How far is tail of the dragon from robbinsville? How much time do you think it would take to do cherohala to the top of the climb then come back down and head to tail of the dragon. We are planning on doing it friday.
> thanks



Are you going to the Tennessee side or the North Carolina side of the Skyway? If you want to do both the Skyway and the Dragon on the same day I think your best option would be to just go ahead and do the Cherohala Challenge century route. It is a full loop and will include both roads. It is about 105 miles with over 10,000ft of climbing. Its a great route with nice scenery. You can google the route by searching Cherohala Challenge. Your only issue would be finding enough fluids to finish the route without the support of the event sponsers. It can be done though with planning. A good portion of the route is in the National Forests with no water or fluid choices. There are several markets sparsely spaced on the route along with a good spring on the Cherohala Skyway that you can get water. The spring is reliable and good to drink. I drink it all the time. If I did not have to work I would offer to guide you on the route as I have been looking for someone to ride the entire route with me since the Cherohala Challenge was cancelled this year due to a land slide that has now been cleared up. I think the best way would be to start in Tellico Plains,Tn but you could do it from starting on the North Carolina side also. Let me know if you want to know more precise locations of the spring and service stations for water sources.

Oh yeah, it is about 10 to 12 miles from Robbinsville to the Dragon.


----------



## Bike Poor

tellico climber said:


> If I did not have to work I would offer to guide you on the route as I have been looking for someone to ride the entire route with me since the Cherohala Challenge was cancelled


I would be intersested in riding it with you in September if we can work out the logistics. After it cools down a little I can stretch out my water stops a little, right now its a bottle every 30 minutes carrying 4 bottles and still getting a dehydrated after 4 hrs. Send me a private message if you are interested.

Tim S.


----------



## NealH

I've got a gap in my calendar on September 19 so, if you guys would consider a group ride on that date I would probably join you. I've ridden the CC twice and, its a nice route full of scenic diversity. Outside of a group or event, I would not consider riding the Dragon as its just too risky, in my opinion. There are often lots of motorcycles, with Porches and Z's letting it all hang out, with little regard for whoever else is on the road, and hardly ever any law enforcement. I think I remember reading somewhere that the Dragon averages taking a life about every 30 days or so. 

If you start the ride at Tellico Plains and drive there from NC, you can stop early on the Skyway and store some liquids and snacks at one of the overlooks (out of sight).


----------



## tellico climber

NealH said:


> I've got a gap in my calendar on September 19 so, if you guys would consider a group ride on that date I would probably join you. I've ridden the CC twice and, its a nice route full of scenic diversity. Outside of a group or event, I would not consider riding the Dragon as its just too risky, in my opinion. There are often lots of motorcycles, with Porches and Z's letting it all hang out, with little regard for whoever else is on the road, and hardly ever any law enforcement. I think I remember reading somewhere that the Dragon averages taking a life about every 30 days or so.
> 
> If you start the ride at Tellico Plains and drive there from NC, you can stop early on the Skyway and store some liquids and snacks at one of the overlooks (out of sight).



Sounds good to me, I am off from work that weekend and dont have any plans as of yet. Anyone who is interested in riding that weekend I am up for it. I live in Tellico on the Tennessee side. It would be easy for me to drive up the skyway and hide( store some provisions) somewhere along the skyway the day before. My brother has some excellent cabin rentals in Tellico if anyone might be interested. Lots of great riding around here besided the skyway that most people dont know about. Thanks


----------



## Bike Poor

That weekend works for me, although I would prefer 18th, Saturday, instead. I was planning on doing a easier backroad ride Sunday if I get my cyclocross/dirt road explorer set up by then. But the 19th will be ok if that works better for eveyone else.


----------



## tellico climber

Bike Poor said:


> That weekend works for me, although I would prefer 18th, Saturday, instead. I was planning on doing a easier backroad ride Sunday if I get my cyclocross/dirt road explorer set up by then. But the 19th will be ok if that works better for eveyone else.



Either day would be fine for me. Whatever is best for everyone else is fine. Do you do forest service dirt road riding exploring also? I have a Gary Fisher Presidio that I purchased in the spring that I do some great loop rides on combination pavement and dirt forest service roads a lot. I may be a little biased, but I think that this area is the best area in the Southeast for that type of exploring back road dirt riding. There are too many great cyclocross routes to even begin to list. I did a lot of it back in the spring but the high heat and humidity this summer is not very conducive to the slower speeds of climbing a long dirt forest service road. I am planning to get back to a lot of cyclcross riding again once it cools off in the fall.

Anyone who would be interested in riding the Cherohala Challenge route on this weekend in September chime in. It would be nice to get a group together. Since I live here I could make plans to either store some snacks,energy bars,gels and fluids along the route or have my wife meet us at various points along the route to provide food and fluid support.


----------



## Bike Poor

tellico climber said:


> ...Do you do forest service dirt road riding exploring also? I have a Gary Fisher Presidio that I purchased in the spring that I do some great loop rides on combination pavement and dirt forest service roads a lot. I may be a little biased, but I think that this area is the best area in the Southeast for that type of exploring back road dirt riding. There are too many great cyclocross routes to even begin to list. I did a lot of it back in the spring but the high heat and humidity this summer is not very conducive to the slower speeds of climbing a long dirt forest service road. I am planning to get back to a lot of cyclcross riding again once it cools off in the fall...


I'm building up a bike now for that type riding. We are going to Missouri to ride the Katy Trail (http://www.bikekatytrail.com/default.asp) in October.


----------



## tellico climber

Bike Poor said:


> I'm building up a bike now for that type riding. We are going to Missouri to ride the Katy Trail (http://www.bikekatytrail.com/default.asp) in October.



That looks like a great trip. Hope you take some pictures and post here after your trip.


----------



## BikeWNC

If NealH goes I might tag along. I'm hiking into LeConte Lodge for the night on Sunday so I'll have to think about it. Also, if you guys plan to ride the 115 miles in 7 hours then I'll just sleep in. lol


----------



## tellico climber

BikeWNC said:


> If NealH goes I might tag along. I'm hiking into LeConte Lodge for the night on Sunday so I'll have to think about it. Also, if you guys plan to ride the 115 miles in 7 hours then I'll just sleep in. lol



I think I will start a new thread on this within a few days to see who all we can get to come along. We can also iron out the details. Thanks for informing me about the Blue Ridge Breakaway event in Waynesville in a couple of weeks. I am going to sign up for it tonight. It seems to be a decent replacement for the cancelled Tour de Tuck this year. Are you riding the Breakaway?


----------



## BikeWNC

tellico climber said:


> I think I will start a new thread on this within a few days to see who all we can get to come along. We can also iron out the details. Thanks for informing me about the Blue Ridge Breakaway event in Waynesville in a couple of weeks. I am going to sign up for it tonight. It seems to be a decent replacement for the cancelled Tour de Tuck this year. Are you riding the Breakaway?


Neal and I are both planning to ride it. I haven't done a century since Mountains of Misery in early June so I'm sure it will hurt.


----------



## tellico climber

BikeWNC said:


> Neal and I are both planning to ride it. I haven't done a century since Mountains of Misery in early June so I'm sure it will hurt.


I will see you there then. I am always hurting a least a little on every century I have done. I tend to ride strong until the last 10 to 15 miles or so and then begin to suffer or cramp a little especially if the last few miles are flat. I know it sounds strange but flat riding near the end of a century hurts me more than climbing a hill. We will have to try and meet at then event if you like. I will probably been one of the few hairy legged cyclists there.


----------

