Route to Harlan question

bronco slim

bronco slim

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2006
Location
High Point
I've taken the 77 to 81 route up and back but was looking at the map and wondered if 77 to 21 thru Sparta then west on 58 is a decent route. Map Quest dosen't even offer this route as an option but it sure looks easy and shorter. We're leaving the Winston area at 4 AM Thursday with about 6 tow rigs in a convoy so time of day shouldn't be an issue. Any thoughts on the route thru Sparta?
 
bronco slim said:
I've taken the 77 to 81 route up and back but was looking at the map and wondered if 77 to 21 thru Sparta then west on 58 is a decent route. Map Quest dosen't even offer this route as an option but it sure looks easy and shorter. We're leaving the Winston area at 4 AM Thursday with about 6 tow rigs in a convoy so time of day shouldn't be an issue. Any thoughts on the route thru Sparta?
Click to expand...

Unless you want to add several hours to your trip, don't go that way.
 
rockmafia said:
Unless you want to add several hours to your trip, don't go that way.
Click to expand...

Because of traffic, stop lights, or tight roads? Just curious.
 
just curious, where is the problem areas with that route? I'm fine with the interstate route especially with a convoy but the map looked enticing
 
SFAZR2Dave said:
Because of traffic, stop lights, or tight roads? Just curious.
Click to expand...


Look closer at the map, for one thing it's not much shorter than going 77/81. The road is squigly as hell, 2 lane, goes through towns, and is in the most mountainous part of VA. IIRC there are sign through there saying no big trucks as well.
 
According to Google maps it's 19 miles shorter to go 21/58 however the drive time is the same. I've not tried that route but I have tried many different ways to get from Greensboro to Harlan and no way is as good as 77/81 IMO. I sure wouldn't want to fight traffic, towns and two lane roads when I could be taking it easy on interstate highway.
 
Thanks for the input guys. Ya'll made my mind up, 77 to 81 is the way to go. The map I was looking at really didn't show detail to see the curves on 58.
 
I met a truck tractor with a big dry trailer on 58 once...not too far east of the entrance to Grayson Highlands...just sitting there idling because he got to one sharp turn he couldn't make, and he couldn't back it out. Young guy didn't have a clue what to do. I gave him a ride down a few miles to a house where there were a couple of road tractors I had seen on the way up....luck had it the guy was an older trucker...he got a good laugh, then loaded up the kid in his pickup and went on up the hill. I guess the old-timer had to back it down for him. The old guys house was just about the first real place he could possibly back it in and turn around -- a looong way down the hill.
 
Yea, I was just looking for a way to shorten the drive up but we'll stick to the interstate. It sounds like the road up to Crawfords. There's a couple of tight turns once you leave the interstate and they kind of sneak up on you too. Thanks for all the input. Slim
 
FYI - The 'best route to Harlan' has been covered a few times.

If you look in the complete list of legal places to ride post in Important Information area there are the 2 main paths listed.

I take I81 into Kingsport and NOT 421 off I81 Thats all windy curvy backroads...
 
Yea, I have to agree on getting behind a pokey. That usually sends me into road rage, so with a convoy of rigs there will be too many witnesses when I push somebody off the mountain. That's the best part of being a driver on a fire engine is laying on the air horn and Q and watch people run off the road or run up on a curb. There will be enough 2 lane driving once we leave the interstate so I don't want to add any more to the trip. I saw a thread some time back that ya'll talked about not going to Harlan thru Boone so I took 77/81 last year.
 
Back
Top