Back to Highway 91

The Road

US 421 is newly paved from the Johnson County line to the Mountain City side of Iron Mountain. One section was completed in 2001 and the other in 2002. The section in Sullivan County is older road, but it is smooth and in good condition. For the most part it is a relatively safe road. Most curves offer some sort of runoff, and many of the really tight switchbacks offer a view of oncoming traffic. A shoulder on each side of the road provides some space between embankments and drop-offs. Twelve miles of the twistiest sections are in the Cherokee National Forest and have no intersecting roads at all. The few intersections are either gravel roads or driveways and can be seen well in advance. There are several places on both mountains where you can pull well off the road to take a break. Even in the most hot and humid weather, conditions on the mountaintops are cool and shady.

The Traffic

421 is a busy highway on the northern end of Holston Mountain and on the southern end of Iron Mountain; however, things calm down dramatically once the road goes from four lanes to two. Our favorite section normally has light, mostly local traffic. Unfortunately, there are tractor-trailers to worry about. Most aren’t local trucks, and the drivers are lulled into a false sense of security by the modern four lanes at either end. The warning signs are too close to the twisty part, and by the time they get there, they don’t have much choice but to proceed. This presents several problems; most importantly, it’s dangerous to oncoming traffic because the trucks take up both lanes of road. They get their trailer tires off the road into the runoff area and then track gravel back into the roadway as the trailer is pulled back onto the road. If you look closely at the shoulder in the tighter curves, it’s not uncommon to see trailer tire tracks several feet off the roadway. The county highway department does a good job of keeping the gravel left by the trucks and heavy rainfall cleaned off of the road; it is usually pretty clean. Most trucks drivers will only make one trip through these mountains; they often stop at one of the stores in Shady Valley to calm down, only to find out that they still have one more mountain pass to make. I’ve heard that they would drive a hundred miles out of their way to avoid this road the next time. Some trucks are local traffic since there is no other way to make deliveries into the valley. For the most part, if they are pulling trailers, they are the shorter ones that make navigating the tight switchbacks easier. The local residents don’t like the truck traffic; they have caused accidents and they occasionally get stuck (although the runoff areas in the curves usually prevent this). It goes without saying that the riders don’t like the trucks. I am not aware of any serious bike accidents involving the tractor-trailers, and this may be because truck traffic is lighter on the weekends: two or three trucks on Saturdays, usually none on Sundays, an average of four or five during the weekdays.

Other Hazards

Other obstacles to watch for, besides car and truck traffic, are deer and other wildlife. Since most of 421 passes through the Cherokee National Forrest, wildlife is abundant. Rabbits and squirrels are common, but the growing population of deer is especially troublesome. I have seen several this year, and I know of one crash that was caused by a collision with a deer. There are a couple of short straight stretches on Iron Mountain that are bordered closely by guardrails; deer are seen here pretty frequently, so be careful and keep the speeds down. A collision with a deer and then a guardrail could be deadly.
Also keep an eye out for gravel. The road is generally pretty clean but we usually make the first run at a slower speed to check out the conditions. As mentioned above, trucks are responsible for most of this, and, since they are fairly common on the mountains, it’s best to be more cautious the first time through.

The Locals

The residents of Shady Valley are some of the friendliest people you will ever meet, and in the South, where we are known for our hospitality, that’s saying a lot. For the most part, the hordes of motorcycles that invade their community on the weekends are welcome, and the local 421 riders are working to keep it that way. Although we don’t want to preach, we ask that you keep the speeds and the revs down in the valley, give slower cars a chance to pull over (locals will often pull off and let you around), and stay in your lane all of the time. The local riders try to follow these unwritten rules, and so far, we have been very well received in the community of Shady Valley.

Please Be Careful

We have a pretty good record of safety on 421. There occasionally are crashes, but most are minor with minimal injuries. There have been serious injuries and even some fatalities. Please always ride within your abilities, leaving some room for error.