Whip It Good—Ride the Devil’s Whip in North Carolina

If a problem comes along, you must whip it. That sucks for the devil, though, because he forgot his whip in North Carolina.

The Devil’s Whip, officially designated SR 80, is a 26-mile stretch of twisty two-lane asphalt slithering its way through the Pisgah National Forest in a more or less north-south direction. Its starting and/or ending points lie in Micaville in the north and on US 70 near Marion in the south.

For motorcyclists, there are two very good reasons to roll down to see Old Nick’s lost instrument of punishment. The first are the curves and the second is the location.

Climbing more than 2,500 feet in elevation, the Devil’s Whip presents riders with a full platter of delightful curves and switchbacks. In particular, I have to highlight the four-mile section just south of the intersection with Blue Ridge Parkway, where the twists come in a continuous series one after another.