The Appalachian Mountains are home to some of the best views and some of the best roads for those looking to keep their footpegs shaved down. This past April, Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson led the first “Run to the Ridge” where 15 riders were taken on an adventurous moto-camping weekend covering roads with plenty of twists and turns. Among the roads taken, was the famous 
Diamondback. Located between Boone and Asheville with only an hour's ride to either city. This technical, 38-mile, diamond-shaped loop takes riders through switchbacks, twisties, and plenty of boot scraping turns! If you’re not too busy looking into the turns then you can catch a glimpse of some of the rolling mountains or Lake Tahoma. The riding conditions on this loop were fantastic. We had most of the road to ourselves with minimal traffic passing by us and no traffic behind us. The road conditions were pretty pristine. In fact, most of the asphalt looked pretty fresh. There were minimal road hazards, a couple of spots with a little gravel on the edge, and one small stick in the road. So all in all, a road you can feel pretty confident leaning into!
We started the Diamondback like most everyone else with a stop for lunch at Little Switzerland. It’s worth the trip just for this place! Great service, food, views, and entertainment! The Switzerland Inn offers a variety of accommodations and the little shops nearby are sure to make you have to break out the bungees for your newest purchases. With quarter tanks and full stomachs, we rolled out to see what this serpent of a road had in store for us.
From Little Switzerland, it was an easy ride down the Blue Ridge Parkway to warm up our tires and take in the views. We rode through Gooch Gap, Crabtree Falls, and past the Black Mountains Overlook before dropping into the Devil’s Whip. I quickly learned how fitting of a name that was for the series of switchbacks we found ourselves on. They were each pretty tight https://ride.tobaccoroadhd.com/runtotheridgeturns and the second switchback allowed me to see the lead bike on the road below. From there is a series of twisties and straights before we got to the School Bus Turn-around. Then it’s a few S curves with a good line of sight. Past Sunny Vales it starts to open up a little bit with a few scattered driveways. If you want to get a group photo or catch your breath before continuing to Lake Tahoma, there’s a good spot to pull off just before you cross Buck Creek Bridge.
Despite the good curves ahead, we took it easy with the houses on either side. On our left, we started to catch a glimpse of Lake Tahoma and then we were riding beside the lakeshore. At one point we saw an odd, circular building sitting 40ish yards off the shore with a long, gated, pedestrian bridge to it. I later found, according to the Diamondback’s very informative website, it’s a clubhouse of sorts that the locals use for large gatherings. While images of the mysterious, floating house are in your mind you’ll quickly pass by and catch a glimpse of the Haunted Dam.
Not wanting to stick around that too long, we made a left onto Tom’s Creek Road where it was a quick blast to an intersection with 221 where we stopped for fuel at the Mystik fill-up station. Not the most ideal place to fill up but it does have a convenient location. With only 6 pumps, half of which offer anything above 87, and no option to pay at the pump, I’d definitely recommend some teamwork if you’re traveling with a group. After we got everyone tanked up, it was a short run-up 221 before making a left onto 226 just past the Dollar General. We stayed to the left on 226 to stay on 226A to make sure we were able to take the best curves. Lots of good curves on this last stretch up the mountain. A handful of blind turns with no guardrails showing nothing but trees below. Some tight maneuvering but compared to the Devil’s Whip, we had plenty of room to work. There is one particular switchback, the O’Dear Corner, where you must take all 180 degrees of this turn with a little caution. After that, only a little more left to the loop, and the gift shops on the right let us know we were on the way out. From there it was a last little jump back to Little Switzerland where you could stop to rest and get your Diamondback sticker or head on back up the Blue Ridge Parkway.
This was the first time I had done this loop and I’m glad I did! After doing the Tail of the Dragon for the first time, I’ve always been looking for the next road to check off the list and the Diamondback did not disappoint. Compared to the Dragon, there was much less traffic and the turns were much more spread out but it still stayed pretty curvy. On the Diamondback there are more driveways to watch for and the switchbacks make for some pretty tight turning. If you’re looking for somewhere to go on your next mountain ride, I’d recommend checking this one out. Great roads, great riding, and great views are in store for anyone riding the Diamondback.
Want to ride the Diamondback with Tobacco Road H-D? Registration is now open to be a part of the next RUN TO THE RIDGE on July 2nd-July 4th! Act fast because registration will fill up quickly!
https://ride.tobaccoroadhd.com/runtotheridge
