Devil's Triangle
Three back-roads in a closed loop through the Cumberlands. Forty-five miles. Narrow, technical, almost no traffic.
The Road
Three back roads — TN-116 and its connectors — form a closed loop through the Cumberland Mountains north of Oak Ridge. Forty-five miles of narrow pavement, blind crests, and switchbacks through old coal country. Almost nobody drives it.
This is the technical road of the catalog. Lanes are tight, guardrails are occasional, and a few grades are steep enough to ask for second gear in both directions. It rewards precision more than speed.
When to Drive
Dry days, spring through fall. The surface is rougher than the park roads, and fallen leaves sit on the corners in late autumn. Go in daylight; there are no services on the loop.
Drive It with Raines Routes
We run the Triangle with experienced groups who want the region's hardest road — usually as the second half of a full day, after a warm-up somewhere friendlier.