On day two of the Dragon trip we started with the Neck of the Dragon, which was just a short drive from where we had spent the night. The Neck, Rt. 56, is a scenic stretch of road that runs between Vesuvius, VA to Tyro, VA. With 220 curves in 12 miles this is a perfect motorcycle road. There isn’t much information out there about the Neck of the Dragon aside from an out-of-date Facebook page, but do not let that stop you from checking it out is is absolutely beautiful.
After the Neck of the Dragon we made our way towards the Back of the Dragon. Along the we stopped at Natural Bridge and the East River Mountain Overlook. Natural Bridge is a a natural arch within a limestone gorge formed by Cedar Creek. It is located at the junction of U.S Route 11 and State Route 130 in an unincorporated community in Rockbridge County Virginia named after the arch itself, Natural Bridge, VA. The arch can actually be driven across via U.S. Route 11.
The Natural Bridge is 215ft high, 40ft thick, 100ft wide and spans 90ft between the gorge walls. The arch contains 450,000 cu ft of rock weighing 36,000 ton and is estimated to be at least 500 million years old. At it’s peak, the bridge is 1,160ft above sea level.
On July 5, 1774, Thomas Jefferson purchased Natural Bridge and 157 surrounding acres for the equivalent of about $2.40.
Tickets must be purchased to view see this landmark, but they also give you access to the full Natural Bridge State Park. During on our visit we only took the trail to the arch and did not take in all the other sites of the park. It was a hot day and we were dressed for the ride, not the hike. I was glad we stopped and at least made the hike to see the Natural Bridge though….it was worth the sweat haha. I would like to go back and check out all that the Natural Bridge park and area has to offer. More information can be found here.
The East River Mountain Overlook is located in Bluefield, West Virginia. The overlook is on top of East River Mountain on Rt. 52, which was the main route south from the region before Interstate 77 was completed in 1974. Before Interstate 77 opened and the flow of traffic across the mountain dropped the overlook was home to the Ridge Runner, the “smallest railroad in the world,” The Ridge Runner was purchased and moved to the Bluefield City Park by the City of Bluefield in 1984. In September of 2022 the overlook officially became part of the Coal Heritage Trail with signage that also tells the site’s history.
The overlook not only offers a beautiful panoramic view of Bluefield and the surrounding mountains it also has a picnic area tucked in amongst the trees. Although we didn’t have a picnic with us on our visit it was a nice spot to stop to take in the view, then get out of the sun and relax for awhile in the picnic area.
After taking a little break at the overlook we headed towards the Back of the Dragon. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains the Back of the Dragon lies between Tazwell and Marion, Virginia on Route 16. The road crosses three mountain ranges and offers 32 miles of switchbacks, sweeps, and hairpins. The curve tally is widely varies…between 260 to over 400 depending on what source you reference.
The Back of the Dragon winds through Hungry Mother State Park, and parts of Washington and Jefferson National Forest offering absolutely breathtaking views.
Whether your ride starts or ends in Tazwell make sure to stop in the Back of the Dragon shop. Here you can pick up some great BOTD merchandise, have a craft beer, or if coffee is more your style they have that too. The shop and their website also document the interesting history of the Back of the Dragon.
At various times throughout the the week/weekend there is also a photographer along the road that will capture you riding the Back of the Dragon, then you can purchase them from their website, BOTDPix. Unfortunately, I was not able to find much information about when and where the photographer would be during our trip, so we did not get any of these. If we go again I will contact the Back of the Dragon shop to get more information on the time and locations so we can plan accordingly.
On day two we traveled over 290 miles, and I took over 200 pictures.
Check back for part three of the Dragon.
For a lot of my trips I use Roadtrippers to lay them out. You can find the ones related to this post below.
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