2025 Season Opener

The 2025 Tail of the Dragon Season is HERE!

With snow on the ground around much of the country, it’s hard to believe that road trip season is just around the corner. Here at Tail of the Dragon, we are hard at work preparing for a season you won’t forget. We’re making sure the store is in tip-top shape for you to rest up and get all your dragon souvenirs. Keep an eye out for our new merchandise this season!

We share with heavy hearts that our co-founder, Ron Johnson, passed suddenly in late January. We’re grateful for the road he forged, the memories shared and the tremendous impact he made on the riding and driving community. We hope you’ll join us in honoring his legacy as we make memories on the hill together in 2025. For those who have reached out, Nancy is tremendously grateful for the kind words and unmatched support. Hearing your memories and stories about Ron has been an enormous comfort.

As you start your engines in 2025, we can’t express enough gratitude for continuing to choose the Tail of the Dragon as the place you come to be with friends, family, and make bucket list memories.

KILLBOY Update on the Current Road Conditions
This winter we saw an increase in 18-wheeler traffic due to the I-40 closure from Hurricane Helene. Thanks to better signage expressing length restrictions, the truck traffic has tapered off. There are some visible scrape marks around “Swift Corner” at about mile marker 4.7 on the TN side, but the rest of the road is in good shape. NCDOT announced a March 1st reopening date for the closed section of I-40 with traffic limited to one lane in each direction at a reduced speed – this should further reduce any chance of 18-wheeler traffic on the Tail of the Dragon.

NCDOT crews have been clearing trees on the North Carolina side of Highway 129 (NOT the Dragon) – specifically, Hwy 129 south of our T-shirt Shack to Tapoco Lodge, and on Moonshiner 28 between the T-shirt Shack and Fontana Village. Once completed, the road should quickly clean up after a few rain showers.

Finally, we want to reassure those concerned about the impact Hurricane Helene had on our area. Everything is open and operating as usual. Most importantly, the local tourism economy is eager for your support. Please note, areas of the Blue Ridge Parkway were heavily damaged by the storm. Sections of the parkway will be closed for repairs for some time. Here is a link to the NPS map showing current closures: https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/helene-impacts-and-recovery.htm