The best motorcycle roads in Tennessee
The twistiest paved roads in Tennessee, from Calderwood Highway in Blount County on down. Distances, how twisty each one is and how to string them into a ride.
Looking for the corners in Tennessee? We measured 111 named paved roads and picked the five that never stop bending.
The headliners
Calderwood Highway
In Blount County. 16 miles, about 35 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Mount Sterling Road
In Cocke County. 16 miles, about 35 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Catoosa Road
In Morgan County. 7.5 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Cades Cove Loop Road
In Blount County. 10 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
Little River Gorge Road
In Sevier County. 13 miles, about 25 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
When you want to settle in
Not every ride is about hairpins. These are longer paved roads that keep twisting the whole way, good for a long cruise where you can find a rhythm.
- Forge Ridge Road, in Claiborne County: 18 miles
- Lakeshore Drive, in Grainger County: 18 miles
- Moodyville Road, in Pickett County: 18 miles
How we picked them
We looked at the shape of every named paved road in Tennessee and measured how much each one bends along its length. Then we ranked them by bends per distance, so a short hairpin road and a long mountain highway are compared fairly. Gravel, tracks, residential streets and anything under about 6 miles are left out.
What this does not tell you: how nice the scenery is, how good the surface is, how busy the road gets, or whether it is closed for snow. Check before you go, especially in the mountains and in winter. Then ride it and see for yourself.
Turn it into a ride
Open the MotoRidez planner and link a few of these into a loop, or hit Surprise Me and let it pick a twisty route from wherever you are. Every ride you record is remembered, so next time it can send you down roads you have not tried yet.
Questions riders ask
What is the twistiest motorcycle road in Tennessee?
Calderwood Highway in Blount County. It is 16 miles long and bends more for its length than any other named paved road of that size in Tennessee.
How do you work out which Tennessee roads are twisty?
We measure how much each road bends along its length from its shape on the map, then rank roads by bends per distance. Gravel, tracks and residential streets are left out.
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