Wolf Pen Gap is a notch in the Blue Ridge of north Georgia, and the road that goes through it is a favourite of southern motorcyclists, with good reason. Georgia 348, the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway, climbs out of the valley of the Chattahoochee watershed in a tight series of bends, shaded by hardwoods and rhododendron, then drops down the other side toward Suches. At around 900 metres, the gap is not high by western standards, but the road feels a lot more serious than the number, because the curves come quickly, one after another, with little straight in between.
The highway is named for a long-serving senator from Georgia, and it forms part of a scenic byway through the Chattahoochee National Forest, which spreads for hundreds of thousands of acres across the southern Appalachians. The forest is rich: oak, hickory, tulip poplar, hemlock and white pine, with laurel thickets, mountain streams and, in spring, flowering dogwood. Black bears live here, as do white-tailed deer, so dawn and dusk need care. Fall colour peaks in October, and the whole range turns a patchwork of reds and golds.
On the road, take it carefully. The bends are tight, some are blind, and the surface can be damp and leaf-strewn, with gravel washed onto the apex after rain. In the warm months, the road draws plenty of other riders, and a few sections have been the scene of crashes, so traffic can be unpredictable. Cars cut corners, and so do bikes, so keep to your side and take the line you would be happy to be seen taking. Early morning on a weekday, when there is mist in the hollows and no one about, is the best time.
The area has history, too. In 1828, gold was found near Dahlonega, setting off the first major gold rush in the United States, years before California. The Cherokee had lived in these mountains for centuries before they were forced out in the 1830s on the Trail of Tears, and their story is part of the landscape. Dahlonega, with its town square, gold museum and wine tasting rooms, is a good place to spend a quiet hour.
Services are scarce up here. Suches has a little community and a small store, but do not rely on fuel on the mountain. Blairsville, around twelve kilometres away, and Dahlonega, twenty-six, have proper stations, so fill up in one of them. Cell signal drops out in the hollows, so carry a map.