Some of the best riding in the usa imo just down the road in walland/Townsend/maryville.

Nice pool downtown at the civic center. Haven't swum there but have heard it's pretty good, 25 yd and 6-8 lanes.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Not sure of a "civic center" one but the community center pool is good. I was there same time last year for a few weeks. I swam around 9am and always had my own lane. This site says drop in rate of $2.00 but I think it was $2.75 or something. Take cash and a card. They wouldn't take one of them while I was there and I can't remember which they wouldn't. Water was not 85 degrees either. It was cooler than that. It was a very nice facility for dropping in.

http://swim.isport.com/...mmunity-center-17983

Head up to Clingmans Dome via hwy 441. Awesome ride to 6500' + with facilities at the bottom and top.

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Formerly TriBrad02

Cycology Bicycles (in Maryville) has rides that go out Tues/Thur/Sun mornings. They are a good group of fella's/ladies and you get plenty of climbing and scenery. Gatlinburg/P.Forge has some ok riding as well, but depending on the day it can be very traffic heavy.

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

Ha! I'm going to be down there the 2nd week of May and was looking into the same thing. I had contacted a tri club (Rocky Top Multisport) over in Knoxville and they recommended Cades Cove and riding from Sugarlands Visitor Center. I was planning on using the community center pool too.

Does anyone know if there are any tracks in the area?

closest track is in Ashville (Mellowdrome)

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

I'm sorry - I should have specified, I meant a running track. I'm assuming there are local high schools that have tracks open to the public?

oh d'oh thought we were still on cycling ;)

Surely Gatlinburg-Pittman's track is open when school is out.

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My Blog - http://leegoocrap.blogspot.com

Ah, couldn't think of community center but was thinking civic center was a bit off, but close enough to be of some help to the OP. Thanks for updating my memory:)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Lap pools, huh? That'll give me something else to do on my vacation.

One or two days a week (do a search to see which ones and what times), the Cades Cove loop is closed for car traffic. This looks like a great place to ride. The only drawback is that it's a bit of a drive from Gatlinburg.

You can ride from Gatlinburg up to the Sugarlands Welcome Center, directly or using the bypass road. Each is a good ride, but both are questionable based on car traffic, blind turns, and speed of the motorists.

Once you get to Sugarlands, you have two great choices: straight up to Newfound Gap and over to Clingman's dome (21ish miles, 5000+ feet elevation gain), or hang a right and ride toward Elkmont campground and Cades Cove (10 miles to the campground, one long, twisty climb, maybe 1000'). If you go on a weekday morning there isn't a lot of traffic. The roads are in great condition and the traffic isn't fast.

If you have the time, the fitness, and the gears, I highly recommend riding up to Clingman's dome. You'll get plenty of strange looks from the tourists, and the descent is FANTASTIC.

Locals may know other routes in the area which use the side roads (not me). You could check one of the GPS route websites for more information.

(And if you're towing a camper and want to exit from the Cades Cove loop (say, because you've been driving all day, you're not sure where you are, no cell signal, and you're stuck behind a caravan of scenery spectators), don't take one of the dirt roads up into the hills. Trust me.)

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

https://connect.garmin.com/...n/activity/740894845
https://connect.garmin.com/...n/activity/740245778
https://connect.garmin.com/...n/activity/741611375
These 3 rides are what we did two weeks ago. We stay in Townsend. Also second recommendation to climb from Sugarlands Visitor Center to Newfound Gap or all the way to Clingmans Dome, but we didn't do that this year. Week days are best, but traffic is generally alert for bikes and considerate.

nice!

here's my ride from last summer: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/578037833

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

Depending on the milage you are looking for, the area has great riding. Ride up over Newfound gap and down to Cherokee. Near the bottom of the NC side near the visitor center, you will find the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Head up for about 10 miles and turn around, descend back to Cherokee, back up over Newfound and descend back to town. Views are very different on each of the three climbs. Total distance of about 90 miles.

You are in a National park. Speed limit is 30 mph and cars have no choice but to accept your presence. I have been there many times training and never experienced a problem with motorists. Food in the area can be pretty iffy. Great steakhouse in Townsend. Trailhead Steakhouse is the name.

A flashing tail light is a good idea. Lots of dark shady areas on the roads.

Do not waste your time doing the loop around Cases Cove. The ride out and back to the loop is very nice though.

Have a great time.

The Cade's Cove loop is fun to run also. A great chance to see bears and other wildlife. Last time I did it, traffic was backed up and going very slow. I was moving quicker than the cars so I would get to areas on the loop before cars and saw 3-4 bears. The bears didn't really mind me. I kept my distance and they just looked at me and ran into the woods. The cars never even saw them. It was pretty cool.

Thanks to all for the replies. Any idea how much time I should budget for a ride from gatlinburg (glenston lodge) up to the top of clingmans dome and back?

How long does the climb take?

I ended up not taking my bike and doing alot of running on the trails instead which was fun. Glad I did. There are alot of cars and no shoulder on the roads close to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Took the family on a drive of the 11 mile nature loop folks mentioned and that would be a nice ride if there weren't so many cars. Did not see many bikes while I was there but there might be better riding further out from town in the surrounding areas.

It took me about two hours to get from the visitor center to near the Clingman's Dome observation deck (stopped by a park ranger on the path). Last summer's GPS data here: https://connect.garmin.com/...n/activity/869226221

There are no water fountains at the top (or along the way) - you'll need to buy bottled water from the gift shop if you're thirsty.

I can't access Strava at work, but the climb is easy enough to find.

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

Thanks

Hi, was planning a trip to Gatlinburg and saw this post from last summer.

Did you start from the Sugarland visitors center? how was the traffic? did the park ranger have issues?

any other ride suggestions/ thanks. Todd

We were staying at the Elkmont campground, so I started from there. It adds another 2 climbs and 12-ish miles to the route. Sugarlands is a good place to start, except that you start climbing right away (no warm-up). Traffic is ok if you ride in the morning - likely safer than riding on straight roads, since speed is limited. The only issue I had with park rangers was when I tried to ride up the pedestrian path to Clingman's Dome.

You may also want to consider riding the bypass road and looping back into town (good warmup ride before the big climb) & climbing Campbell Lead Rd from downtown to the bypass (good luck).

Make sure your brakes work & that you're comfortable descending in the rain - there's a lot of rain at that elevation.

When are you planning to be there? Check in after you get back and let me know how it went.

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

Thanks. the weekend of 7/15. probably do the ride Sunday 7/16 as thought about running cades cove Saturday when closed.

Thought about riding that Fighting Creek road towards Townsend to add some distance. Have you ridden that? Can you ride on the bypass?

Looking for ride of 80 miles with some climbing.

I don't like driving Fighting Creek Road, there's no way I'd ride it. There can be a lot of traffic, there are MANY blind curves, and there are no shoulders. Definitely drive before riding so you're not stuck. I'd also skip the four-lane road between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

I'm not sure about the roads on the NC side of the park, but it might be easier to drive up to Newfound Gap, descend from there on your bike, and ride the NC roads for a while.

If you start in Townsend (see the Garmin links earlier in this thread), the roads may be more conducive to cycling.

You can ride the bypass.

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king of the road says you move too slow
KING OF THE ROAD SAYS YOU MOVE TOO SLOW

Definitely run the Cades Cove Loop. A lot of up and down but no sustained climbs. Last time I did that, I saw a lot of bears, both crossing the road and up in trees.

During July, the park can be CRAZY busy. If you do ride from Sugarlands to Cades Cove, start nice and early. Also, there is a lot of good riding in Townsend. The Foothills Parkway is a great place to ride with good climbs and great views. There used to be a ride with the local Dancing Bear Lodge in Townsend. Not sure if they do the ride or not but the road may still have the markings. It was either 50 or 60 miles but involved a lot of lesser travelled roads.