Motorcycle Ride Planner · Routes · United States
The Snake 421 (Holston Mountain Pass)
United States · US-421
Carving across two distinct mountain ranges and through the high agricultural hollow of Shady Valley, The Snake packs 489 curves into 33 miles. The western leg climbs Holston Mountain with relentless off-camber hairpins and switchbacks through Cherokee National Forest, drops into the historic Shady Valley General Store crossroads, and then immediately climbs Iron Mountain before descending into Mountain City. It features tighter, more technical sequences than the Dragon with active farm access, occasional gravel washouts on blind downhill apices, and sudden elevation changes.
The Snake 421 (Holston Mountain Pass) runs 33 miles between Bristol / Holston Valley, TN and Mountain City, TN. We count about 489 corners along it, which is relentless. A hard road that rewards experience and punishes bravado.
Tank-bag quick reference
- StartBristol / Holston Valley, TN36.5412, -82.1023
- High1,750 ft - 3,800 ftelevation range
- EndMountain City, TN36.474, -81.8051
T-CLOCS before you go: tyres and wheels, controls and cables, lights and electrics, oil and fluids, chassis and stand.
Somewhere to stop
- 9 miShady Valley Country Store (The Snake 421)Shady Valley, TN
- 37 miThe General Francis Marion HotelMarion, VA
- 48 miSwitzerland Inn & Diamondback Motorcycle LodgeLittle Switzerland, NC
- 51 miBack of the Dragon Welcome Center & Tazewell BreweryTazewell, VA
More in United States
- California Route 36 - '140 Miles of Curves'140 mi · 1800 corners
- Blue Ridge Parkway (Virginia Ridge & Peaks of Otter)176 mi · 620 corners
- Blue Ridge Parkway (Southern High Peaks Section)129 mi · 580 corners
- Coronado Trail (The Devil's Highway)92 mi · 460 corners
- Lolo Pass (Lewis and Clark Highway)132 mi · 450 corners
- Back of the Dragon (VA-16 Tazewell to Marion)32 mi · 438 corners
Questions riders ask
- How long does The Snake 421 (Holston Mountain Pass) take to ride?
- About 33 miles. At an unhurried pace with stops that is roughly 1 hour of riding, longer if you are stopping for photographs.
- Where does The Snake 421 (Holston Mountain Pass) start and end?
- It runs between Bristol / Holston Valley, TN and Mountain City, TN. Either end works as a start; the route reads the same in both directions.
- Is The Snake 421 (Holston Mountain Pass) a twisty road?
- We count about 489 corners across 33 miles, which is relentless.
- Is there a GPX file for The Snake 421 (Holston Mountain Pass)?
- Yes. The GPX is free, there is no account, and the planner will build a route that includes this road alongside others nearby.
Where these numbers come from
Distances and corner counts come from the route's own geometry, not from ratings or votes. Nothing here is crowdsourced and nobody paid to appear.