Overall Route Rating
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4.8 out of 5 Rider Rating 4.8
20 Reviews

Devil's Triangle - (New River Highway to Frost Bottom Road)

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By wideglide_01_25 (5 McR Points) on Aug 17, 2011

Rider Reviews

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Mid Life Crisis
37 McR Points
July 13, 2014
Best ride EVER! We road the Devil's Triangle…
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GIJoe
January 2, 2012
We always called this route, the Devil's Triangle…
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Written Directions

Note: this route was originally referred to on McR as "" yet later, the route had taken on the formal/quasi-official name of "Devil's Triangle" (https://devilstriangletn.com/). State Route 116 in Tennessee runs from its junction with State Route 62 at its southwestern end between Wartburg and Coalfield in Morgan County, to its northeastern end at Caryville, Tennessee in Campbell County. From its southwestern terminus it heads northeast and passes through the town of Petros and past Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Continuing northeast into Anderson County, the highway then passes through remote mountainous country known for its many former coal mining villages, some of which were company towns and are now essentially ghost towns. Among them are the towns of Fork Mountain, Buffalo, Devonia, Braytown, Rosedale, and Charley's Branch. The Devonia post office which served this entire region was closed in 1975. Once the mines in these towns closed down with the resulting loss of population, the towns' schools were closed and remaining students were consolidated into the Rosedale school, which saw steadily falling enrollment and was closed in the 1990s. This section of Route 116 parallels the New River and the former line of the Tennessee Railroad. There are many abandoned underground coal mines, coal tipples, and railroad yards and sidings along this section of Route 116. Despite the end of most underground mining and the demise of the towns along this portion of the highway, a great deal of strip mining continues however. Route 116 briefly passes into Campbell County and then turns southeast back into Anderson County. From there it passes through the village of Stainville and continues southeast through some remote, sparsely populated mountains to Laurel Grove. There it turns northeast again at the junction with Frost Bottom Road, since 1982 designated as State Route 330. This section of the highway parallels Walden Ridge to the immediate southeast, and a former spur of the Norfolk Southern Railway (now closed), and passes through Briceville, Fraterville which was the site of a 1902 mine explosion, "The Wye" near the former mining camp of Beech Grove, and finally through a gap in Walden Ridge to enter Lake City.

Scenery

From gentle country road sweepers to gnarly steep switchbacks; from serene straights to Dragon like twisties with guard rails of death; from gentle pull-offs to three foot deep rock strewn gullies just inches from the pavement; from peaceful farmsteads to sections of rutted roadway right out of a horror movie.

Drive Enjoyment

Country road sweepers to gnarly steep switchbacks. Road quality is fairly good, has some patch work in a few areas.

Tourism Opportunities

Very few areas to stop to grab something cold to drink or something to eat. Best place is in Oak Ridge or in Petros before you start heading up the mountain.
 

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Mid Life Crisis
July 13, 2014
37 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
Best ride EVER! We road the Devil's Triangle counter clockwise and had a great ride. The switchbacks are intense and while we did one of them in the rain, it was a fantastic ride. Very technical riding the switchbacks, several within a few mile radius. The rain held off for 85%, of our ride with mostly clear skies, but being in the mountains, the rain seemed to hang around in one area so we rode through it. The section of 116 turning south to 62 from the north was the most enjoyable than all the switchbacks. It had sweeping turns and some tight 180's that keep your attention. We had four riders and felt this was the best ride of our trip, which included, the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway.
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3 riders found this road review useful
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GIJoe
January 2, 2012
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
We always called this route, the Devil's Triangle, by adding the lower route, which is just a nice TN Backroad. Can be ridden clockwise or counterclockwise, I've only ridden it counterclockwise, and I can tell you there are a couple turns that will increase your pucker factor by about 8 to 9 points!! NOT for the weak hearted, great route and not as well known as it's cousins to the South!
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2 riders found this road review useful
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Guest
April 30, 2013
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Cruiser
Just returned from a beautiful Spring afternoon ride along SR116/SR330 from Petros in Morgan County to Oliver Springs, which sits at the corner of Morgan, Roane and Anderson counties.

The description of this route here on the site is pretty accurate. Running the route clockwise from Petros, you gain nearly a thousand feet of elevation while navigating some of the most technical road in the area. The town of Petros sits around 1,350ft and the crest of the mountain is just shy of 2,200ft. SR116 "straightens" out once your descended the other side of Brushy Mountain and begin riding along New River.

Road quality is great. Though, there are some areas where some patchwork has been done, so be careful as some of those areas are located in turns. Also watch out for gravel in the corners and mining and logging trucks and even though this road is not a "high traffic" one, those who do drive it often like to cut corners and cross over into the other lane around turns. Just be careful and vigilant and you should be OK.

Once SR116 meets up with SR330, you can either follow SR116 northeast to Lake City via Briceville, or head southwest on SR330 to Oliver Springs. The route shown on this site has you traveling toward Oliver Springs. SR330 is a nice two-lane stretch of highway with several straights and quite a few long, sweeping curves as it runs parallel to the northern side of Walden Ridge.

Once you come into Oliver Springs on SR330, turn left to go to Oak Ridge or right to head back toward SR61/SR62.

Overall, SR116 is a highly technical road and is not for the novice rider. As far as technical curves, this road puts the Tail of The Dragon to shame.
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