Motorcycle Ride Planner · Routes · United States
The Backbone & Iron Mountain Pass (TN-133)
United States · TN-133 / VA-133
The northern wing of The Snake motorcycle network, connecting Shady Valley to Damascus ('Trail Town USA') across Iron Mountain along Beaverdam Creek. The route carves through The Backbone Rock Recreation Area, featuring 'The Shortest Railroad Tunnel in the World' drilled through a razor-thin rock cliff directly over the highway. The pavement features rhythmic, banked river sweepers tightly enclosed by rock overhangs and rhododendron thickets, with virtually zero runoff room on the creek side.
The Backbone & Iron Mountain Pass (TN-133) runs 15 miles between Shady Valley, TN and Damascus / Whitetop Mountain, VA. We count about 120 corners along it, which is relentless. Demanding, and not a road to meet in the wet.
Tank-bag quick reference
- StartShady Valley, TN36.5204, -81.9298
- High1,920 ft - 3,200 ftelevation range
- EndDamascus / Whitetop Mountain, VA36.6337, -81.7832
T-CLOCS before you go: tyres and wheels, controls and cables, lights and electrics, oil and fluids, chassis and stand.
Repair within reach
- 54 miWytheville PowersportsWytheville, United States
Straight-line distance from the start of the route, not driving distance.
Somewhere to stop
- 0 miShady Valley Country Store (The Snake 421)Shady Valley, TN
- 31 miThe General Francis Marion HotelMarion, VA
- 47 miSwitzerland Inn & Diamondback Motorcycle LodgeLittle Switzerland, NC
- 47 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
- The Snake 421 (Holston Mountain Pass)33 mi · 489 corners
- Coronado Trail (The Devil's Highway)92 mi · 460 corners
- Lolo Pass (Lewis and Clark Highway)132 mi · 450 corners
Questions riders ask
- How long does The Backbone & Iron Mountain Pass (TN-133) take to ride?
- About 15 miles. At an unhurried pace with stops that is roughly 1 hour of riding, longer if you are stopping for photographs.
- Where does The Backbone & Iron Mountain Pass (TN-133) start and end?
- It runs between Shady Valley, TN and Damascus / Whitetop Mountain, VA. Either end works as a start; the route reads the same in both directions.
- Is The Backbone & Iron Mountain Pass (TN-133) a twisty road?
- We count about 120 corners across 15 miles, which is relentless.
- Is there a GPX file for The Backbone & Iron Mountain Pass (TN-133)?
- 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.