2026 Rally Location Ideas

[The A-man]

Here are some ideas about Murphy, NC, one major caveat being that I've only personally ridden on about half of the routes that I'm suggesting, but... I know that several other rally-goers have experiences in this area to contribute also.

First, Murphy is located about 75 miles further west from our 2022 rally in Maggie Valley. It's near the intersections of far western NC, northern GA, and far eastern TN, on the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway. From here, you can reach numerous "famous" motorcycle roads: Cherohala Skyway, Moonshiner 28 (the portion south of 74 that we didn't ride in 2022, the Wayah (county road 1310), and, of course, the Tail of the Dragon is within easy reach. Additionally, there are attractions like Suches, GA (in the Chatahoochee-Oconee Nat'l Forest, the quaint mountain town of Highlands, NC (with a famous waterfall that you can walk behind the wall of water), Bald River Falls, Fontana Dam, Nantahala Outdoor Center, and Deal's Gap Motorcycle Resort that would either be on a planned route, or within easy reach if some riders want to strike out on their own.

I did just enough cursory route planning to convince myself that there's a week of riding from here, with loops mostly around 125-140 miles that would be "rally-worthy".

There's a Holiday Inn that looks suitable in Murphy, and suitable dinner venues. As a contingency, the town of Andrews is only about 15 miles further East, and I have stayed there, so I know it to be acceptable in terms of hotel and eateries.

There are also suitable "rainy day" or non-riding day activities/attractions as well. Cherokee is about 55 miles away, with it's Casino, Cherokee Indian Museum, and numerous t-shirt shops, etc. Highlands is an absoutely picturesque mountain town with a historic "feel" about it's downtown.

Bottom line is that I think we could construct a great rally out of this area, assuming we're not all "burning out" on the Appalachain mountains. If we decide on this area, I'll be glad to put some more effort into researching it.

[the Ferret]

Personally, and it's just me, I have been to NC and ridden all the roads mentioned so many times over the last 20 years that the area holds no attraction for me anymore. I wanna experience something NEW. However .... if that's where most of the rally riders want to go..................

[misterprofessionality]

I could agree on the "NEW" imperative, though I think there's a ton at least in North GA that would be really new to a lot of people. Pikeville too, but I would take a wild guess that you've been all over there too Ferret, considering it's proximity to your home.

Would you say WI is the most unexplored area for you?

[Mtneers]

Personally, and it's just me, I have been to NC and ridden all the roads mentioned so many times over the last 20 years that the area holds no attraction for me anymore. I wanna experience something NEW. However .... if that's where most of the rally riders want to go..................

Mickey:

Re: NC I’ve ridden in that area every year since 2006-twice that year. The first time was my first trip crossing state lines…the second time was in October  to attend the inaugural “Smokey Mountain Bike Festival” at Fontana Village where I literally froze just getting there.  I never get tired of riding in that area…so much to offer. Even Emptysea indicated repeating routes is acceptable if there are good roads and scenic.

Pikeville…I come  thru that area when riding back from NC. Haven’t explored much beyond the route home…Pikeville is a mere two hours away. I’m not even sure I would tow that close to home.

Driftless Area….for most of us..new riding experiences. I’ve ridden in Wisconsin but not extensively.  It also means more miles, motel, other  travel costs since it would require several of us two more days of travel to/from the rally location.
It’s a 600+ mile trip for me…even more for those further east. One benefit is the possible attraction of new rally attendees residing closer than previous eastern locations, especially the Canadian contingent.
There also the great possibility of waning enthusiasm as the date approaches when the mileage numbers and projected costs come to mind.
I know Emptysea and Cheryl would be great host.
At the end of the day, it’s basically the same core group that attends anyway….at least since I started coming in 2018.

These are some of the thoughts I had when I suggested a poll. 

It could be a three-sided coin flip.

[emptysea]

My perspective on the travel distance to Wisconsin. 

Yes, for most of the regular attendees, this would be the longest trek to a rally and, yes, it would involve an extra road day on each end of the trip.  The distance must be a consideration, but it needn’t be the only consideration nor should it be viewed in an entirely negative light. 

Two examples of multi-day trailering trips:
Ex1, our trip from Illinois to Maine (about 1200 miles).  We decided to break this into 3 days which gave us an opportunity to take an 80 mile ride in Utica New York on Day 2.  Ran into terrible weather on Day 3 or we’d have had plenty of time (and energy) for an afternoon ride in Rockland, ME. 

Ex2, Ferret’s InhouseBob’s and my East Coast Ride of Wonder (880 miles Chicago to DC via Cincinnati).  This might be more typical of what a Wisconsin rally might look like.  This was a “let’s get there” trip out to DC, but was relatively stress free for both days - not crazy-long hours behind the wheel. 

Looking back at these two trips, I do not regret taking an extra day (two days, round trip) because we were able to visit a spot on the map that would have added at least one extra day of traveling had we rode the whole way.  In the Maine trip, we made the “commute” its own driving trip of a sort -  found some points of interests along the route, found some nice places to eat, etc.  The ECRW was more utilitarian, but I enjoyed the company on the drive.  In both cases, we arrived relaxed and ready for several days of riding motorcycles in new-to-us places.

I was fully employed for both trips, but I will be semi-retired by Rally 2026.  That will allow me to get to the Driftless Area a day or two ahead of the group.  Many of our regular attendees are already retired and might want to consider making the rally part of a longer tour.  They could certainly stay longer to explore Wisconsin, but maybe some would take a few extra days to trailer to the U.P. Of Michigan, or to the Great River Road, or to some other motorcycle destination between Spring Green WI and their home. 

Sure, towing a trailer for two or more days is not as fun as riding, but it does not have to be drudgery, either. 

Cheryl and I would love to host you all in our “backyard”.  We think you will enjoy the roads and we know you will enjoy the area. 

Finally, we will host a dinner for early Rally arrivals at a “Wisconsin supper club” (google that).  It’s the least we can do for making the long drive to Cheeseland.

[emptysea]

Speaking of "distance". Here's a route that would be one of the longest routes of the Driftless Rally. The bad news - it's 217 miles. The good news - it includes homemade pie and a ride on one of the last remaining car ferries on the Mississippi River! Good News Part II - curvy and very enjoyable ride to the river. Good news Part III - C9Y in Iowa is a beautiful road that meanders its way up high above and with stunning views of the 4th longest river in the world. C9Y is part of The Great River Road National Scenic Byway, is curvy if not twisty, and you'd get to ride it most of it twice. This route would check off Iowa on your "States Ridden" Bingo card.

After pie (and possible lunch. or both) and taking in the views, we'd continue along the Great River Road north for a bridge crossing at Prairie Du Chien (unless folks want to take the Cassville Ferry back into Wisco). Along the way, we would pass Pike's Peak State Park which also has beautiful vistas and might be worth a stop. We'd follow WI60 along the north bank of the Wisconsin River to get back to Spring Green. Nothing fancy about 60 and that's by design -- just a pretty and comfortable ride the last quarter of the route.

There are ways to shorten this ride and I'll look at that before the day (if there is a day). Cheryl and I, along with our riding friends Glen and Laura, have ridden nearly this exact route many times and have never felt like we rode over 200 miles.

Hope this loop shows up for folks. I do not use Google Maps for direct navigation so my apologies if I didn't lay the way points properly

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kY6xJN7sXChY8Agu8

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Bored at work so I plotted a route to Wildcat Mountain State Park which contains neither mountains nor as far as I know wildcats. It does surround WI33 which is a good road anywhere, but shines within the the boundaries of the park with the only switchbacks in the area. Lots of curvy and pretty county "Alphabet" roads winding through the Kickapoo River Valley on this route and some of my favorite to ride in all of Wisconsin. There was a burger stand in Ontario called "The Paddle Inn" (because it's close to the river...get it??), but that closed probably due to Covid-related economics. We'd probably have burgers, brats, hot dogs, chicken, cheese curds, or the like at the similar, but not so creatively named Hillsboro Drive-In.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cxAzKmkNf6U9v4qZ8 Let me know how this looks.

I have planned (in my head if not on paper) shorter morning rides that could be done solo before a group ride and shorter, but fun rides rides to specific points of interest like the International Crane Foundation (the birds, not the construction equipment) or Taliesin - Frank Lloyd Wright's studio, turned museum. Rainy days, if any, might include a cage trip to Baraboo for a lunch or dinner and a tour of the Driftless Glen Distillery and/or the Ringling Brothers Circus Museum. I would try to book our closing dinner at a classic Wisconsin Supper Club (not dissimilar to the Chop House in Kingsport in ambiance).

Anyhow, I felt it important that I not undersell the Driftless Area as a legitimate motorcycle destination so I thought I'd give you some routes and some background about the area and how the week might look. We'd love to see you there!

[misterprofessionality]

Small update to the Kentucky idea:

After some research and thought, I've determined that the actual best spot in this area might be Prestonsburg, not Pikeville. This conclusion came after really looking over available hotels. What's more, the proximity between these two towns is actually really quite short, similar to Kingsport/Johnson City. We'd have access to food and amenities from Prestonsburg, Pikeville, and paintsburg. If it were up to me I'd call this the 3P Rally!

Furthermore, as an alternative to traditional mid-tier hotels like Comfort Inn, there's a really cool place called the May Lodge, which seems to be in a beautiful location and is made for events like ours.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/zMJ4WhNEuEAgfe8T7

Another fun bit of information I've come across is some of the History of the area. Apparently, right nearby in the direction of the WV border you'll find what's known as the Hatfield & McCoy area. This is the land where the famous conflict of the same name took place. Lots of neat landmarks and history about the very real events dotted all over the place with great roads to get there.

[rdprdp01]

I adjusted the poll to show the updated Kentucky location

[tdbru]

Wisconsin might be doable by us west coasters as compared to NC.

if you want twisties, consider Lolo Pass in Idaho. 99 miles of switchbacks.

Oregon has a ton of twisty roads too, but the problem there is like NC for us, all the way across the country for many.

any thought about the Dakotas?

best to you all,
tdbru