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3.5 out of 5 Rider Rating 3.5
2 Reviews

Road to Oz

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By Brainsprain (36 McR Points) on Feb 29, 2016

Rider Reviews

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Jim823
209 McR Points
December 15, 2020
Ok ride, nice scenery.
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Latham
15 McR Points
May 22, 2021
Im so glad to hear that this road has a name. My…
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Written Directions

Begin at Banner Elk, NC and take route 184 north toward Beech Mountain. 184 eventually turns into Beech Mountain Parkway and then to Village Road. Take that till it T's into N. Pinnacle Ridge Road where you want to take a left. Stay on that and after you pass Winter Road (on the right) the road will change names to Oz Road and take you to the "Land of Oz".

Scenery

This route is the only way up to Beech Mountain Resort. The weak part is all the development. The strong part is the beautiful views and that you get to the Land Of Oz at the top (note: Land of Oz is currently listed on Google as "defunct" and only open to the public one weekend in the fall). We were late in the day at dinner time for deer and saw many doe with twins and triplets.

Drive Enjoyment

The road has some sweeping curves and many switchbacks and hairpins that are not too difficult going up but coming down need care. The road is quite steep in places but this is the road to a resort community and ski area so cars and buses do it quite a bit. Dragons Back has nothing on this road. I didn't think to count the curves but I'll bet there are more than 318. Near the top there is a section of gravel road of about 1/4 mile. Then back to pavement.

Tourism Opportunities

You can get anything you want on the mountain. We were there in August so some businesses were closed but plenty of places to eat and some shopping. Gas is also available in and around the business district of Beech Mountain. We decided not to pursue a beer until we got back down. It is not a road to ride with any alcohol in you.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

At the top you will find the Land of OZ which is no longer open to the public except one weekend in the fall. Now it is a special events venue. However, there are homes that take advantage of the idea. One had the talking tree. We do not know if it actually talked. Another had a long brick sidewalk painted yellow. My girlfriend's daughter is a OZ nut so we had to see it. She walked the sidewalk photographed a doe with her triplets on it and had an exciting time. Nobody came out and charged us with trespassing.
 

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Jim823
December 15, 2020
209 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
Ok ride, nice scenery.
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Latham
May 22, 2021
15 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
Im so glad to hear that this road has a name. My husband and I just got back from staying on Beech Mountain and could not get over this road! Everytime we took it we kept saying how awesome it was. We stayed on Beech Mountain so coming and going we did this road. GPS kept trying to reroute us 40 mins/ 20+miles around round it, we stuck to the 7miles to the cabin and only a few minutes down. There are some monster switch backs at a 13% grade. Going down wasnt bad but going up was a little scarier. It is a mostly residential area, but there's a general store, a couple pizza places and other restaurants and the ski resort. The view is gorgeous! We highly recommend not only the ride on this road but staying on Beech Mountain. The Beech Mountain police are even nice! The water pump went out on our bike and we were limping it back to the cabin when it went ka-put on the side of the mountain. Beech Mountain police came by and gave us a ride to our cabin so we could get our truck and trailer. They offered to help get us loaded or anything else we needed. Officer Jason Brown couldn't have been nicer, especially since we're probably distant relatives on my Grandmother's side. Definitely worth the ride!
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