# Newport, TN rides??



## BikinCO (Feb 17, 2004)

I will be in Newport, TN for a week over the Christmas Holiday. Can anyone recommend some rides in the area? I am not opposed to driving 30 minutes to an hour to get to a route.


----------



## tellico climber (Aug 14, 2006)

I live in Tellico Plains, TN which is about an 1 and 1/2 hours south of Newport along the foot of the Apalachians. I dont know about the riding in Newport but there are several routes that are good and scenic I know of within 45 minutes to 2 hours of Newport. About 30 to 40 minutes from Newport the Little River road from Gatlinburg to Townsend is extremely scenic and this time of year the traffic will be less but will still have some traffic. Most people are driving fairly slow to catch the scenery.It is primarily down hill with some rolling all along the scenic mountain Little River to Townsend and obviously mostly uphill on the return trip. Well worth the drive and moderate traffic. About 45 minutes to 1 hour away is the Foothills Parkway from Townsend to Chilhowee Lake(hwy 129). This route is owned by the Park Service which means no commercial traffic allowed and few tourists this time of year.It is 18 miles each direction with approx total 4000 ft of elevation gain over the entire ride. Good views and good road. If you can take the cold of high elevation and moderatly heavy traffic the route out of Gatlinburg( elevation approx 1500ft) to Clingmans Dome (elevation 6600ft) is great in terms of scenery and climbing.

Down my way,(about 2 hours) the best route is the Cherohala Skyway. You can ride from Tellico Plains(elev 900ft) to Hooper Bald(elev 5400ft) which is an out and back distance of 64 miles. This route has almost no traffic this time of year. When I ride it this time of year I might see 10 cars the entire route, just ride fast when you hear the banjo music. Only kidding, Nobody ever bothers me while riding around here.

Sorry to ramble so long, If you want any more information let me know


----------



## hdcat (Oct 18, 2005)

There are several good loops around the Newport/Cosby/Sevierville area which you can probably leave from your front door and start riding .Any of the routes tellico climber mentioned are good.

A couple of good bike shops in the area can help you out with routes. Shifting Gears in Sevierville [865-908-1999] and Cycle Quest in Pigeon Forge [865-429-5558]

Hope you enjoy your stay


----------



## The Tedinator (Mar 12, 2004)

Cross the mountain over to Hot Springs, NC. Madison Co. has some excellent backroads.


----------



## Velo Vol (Mar 9, 2005)

As hdcat notes, there's undoubtedly some good routes near Newport.

If you want to drive towards Knoxville/Maryville, there are a few cue sheets here and here.


----------



## BikinCO (Feb 17, 2004)

Thanks for all of the responses. I will give the two local shops a call.


----------

