Rome Loop

Smith County, TN, US

Route Overview

31 mi.

2,036 ft.

While 31 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing may not seem that intimidating, the climbing packs a punch with plenty of double-digit grades. But conquering the challenge of these steep pitches is well worth it. You'll be rewarded with some fantastic stretches ranging from narrow tree tunnels to wide-open farmland to ridgeline vistas.

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Route Details

**Potential Route Modifications:** This route can be shortened to 23 miles with 1400 feet of climbing by taking a left onto @point[Mitchell Road](d,20844.48) at mile 12.4. While this route can be ridden in either direction, we’ve mapped the route counterclockwise to save the best parts for last and to have you riding downhill on the busier and least interesting sections.

## Getting Started:

We would have liked to have started the ride in Lebanon, just east of Nashville, but we wanted to avoid potential traffic issues as much as possible, so we moved the start to @poi[Rome](124045825), a little farther east. While this provides almost immediate access to the backroads, it doesn’t offer much in the way of amenities. However, as with almost every small town in the South, there’s a @poi[Dollar General](109841544), offering snacks, drinks, bathrooms and parking. Just be sure to park as far away from the door as possible and make a purchase as a courtesy for using the parking lot.

From the Dollar General, head west on the shoulder of Hwy 71. While this is not the most exciting start to a ride, you’re only on it for less than a mile and the shoulder is plenty wide. Just before you reach the one-mile mark, turn right onto Hiwassee Road. Hiwassee is an easy rolling road for the first couple of miles, but then it tilts up with a proper half-mile climb.

After a mile descent down the other side, you’ll be faced with another half-mile climb. As you crest this second climb, the pavement quality gets a bit rougher, so watch your lines as you come bombing down the other side. In addition to a change in pavement, the landscape will also change from farmland to woods, and you’ll pass by a number of rural residences. Though bumpy and not terribly scenic, you'll be rolling downhill through this section and it will pass quickly.

The scenery will get markedly better in a mile or so, as you make your way out of the woods and into some wide-open farmland. Unfortunately, the pavement does not improve at this point and actually gets a little worse. You can distract yourself from the bumpy chipseal by focusing on the nuclear cooling tower that starts to come into view about this point in the ride. The tower is part of a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant on the Cumberland River, which Hiwassee Road parallels (although the river is out of sight for the most part).

Soon after entering the farmland, the road will bend hard to the left and then wind around a bit before launching onto a half-mile climb. While a climb may not be especially welcome, you should be glad to see it, as it means the end of the chipseal is near! After cresting the climb, you’ll be greeted with smooth pavement and some nice views. The road name will also change to Cedar Bluff Road.

The views get even better as you work your way along a series of dips and climbs, and at one point you’ll actually get to see the Cumberland River far below the ridge. Around mile 11, after descending from another short climb, look for Ward Hill Road on your left.

After turning left onto Ward Hill, you’ll roll through more farmland (though not as wide-open and without the sweeping vistas of Cedar Bluff), going up and over a small rise before launching onto a serious climb of almost a mile. Though mild at first, the climb hits a wall of double-digit grades as it goes straight up for the last quarter-mile. There’s a reason the road is named Ward HILL!

The road ends at a stop sign with Providence Road, where you’ll turn left and do a little more climbing (at a considerably easier grade) before Providence heads downhill for the next mile and a half, changing names to Speck Road in the process. Though you should be rolling at a good clip down this stretch, you’ll still want to stay to the right side of the road and keep an eye out for traffic, as Speck may have a few fast-moving cars on it.

After this nice long downhill, Speck brings you to Hwy 141. While the highway does have very fast traffic, it also has very wide shoulders. So carefully cross over to the other side of the highway and turn left onto the shoulder and ride it uphill for about a mile. The grade isn’t steep, but it’s enough for the highway to have a climbing lane.

At the top of the climb, look for a right turn that will take you over to Ford Road, where you’ll turn left and go up a short climb before launching down a fun descent of close to a mile. Ford is a beautiful wooded road that makes for a nice change of pace from the farmland scenery that characterizes the majority of the ride. After going up and over a short rise, you’ll face a seriously steep half-mile climb that winds around before ending at Beasleys Bend Road.

Turn left onto Beasleys Bend and you’ll be rewarded for that last climb with a mile of smooth downhill. Be advised that Beasleys Bend may have some fast-moving traffic so stay to the right as you roll down it. After a mile, look to your left for Johnson Road. Turn left onto Johnson and you’ll continue to head downhill for a bit before rolling back to Hwy 141.

Unlike your last experience with this highway, this time you only need to go straight across onto Centerville Road. Centerville rolls for about a mile through a mix of rural residences and farmland before ending at Goshen Road, where you’ll turn left. Goshen is a predominantly residential road with a good surface and may have some traffic on it, so use caution as you turn onto it.

After three-quarters of a mile, turn left off of Goshen onto Mitchell Road, which is even smoother than Goshen but with less traffic. All the same, stay to the right and use the shoulder when there is one. Mitchell is a rolling road, but it trends uphill, which you will definitely notice at this point in the ride.

After a couple of miles, Mitchell changes names to NE Young and then bends hard to the right and heads downhill. Don’t get too excited with the downhill though, as half a mile later you’ll need to slow down and turn left onto Center Hill Road. After riding super smooth pavement for the last few miles, Center Hill will seem considerably less civilized, but it will also feel refreshingly rural and relaxed.

Center Hill starts off in farmland with an easy uphill. The easy gets a little harder and steeper in about a mile as the road winds up through a beautiful mix of woods and grassy hills. The worst is over in less than a mile, and soon enough you’ll be rolling along a ridgeline with some fantastic vistas. At one point, you can even see the top of the nuclear cooling tower.

Although Center Hill will change names to Spar Mine, and to Conaster a little later, you won’t notice. It’s a gorgeous stretch of road, but it is very narrow and the pavement is not the best, so watch your lines as you roll along.

As you start to come off the ridge, look for a sharp righthand bend and be prepared for a super steep descent through a tree tunnel. While it will be hard not to rocket down the hill, feather the brakes and look for Walter Morris Road on the left a quarter-mile after making the righthand bend.

Turn left onto Walter Morris and you’ll come out of the trees and back into civilization as you pass through a residential area on your way back down to Hwy 71. While the terrain is a bit rolling, this two-mile stretch trends downhill and you’ll be back at the highway in no time. Just watch your speed and your lines, as the pavement is still bumpy and the road is still narrow.

Once back at Hwy 71, turn left and it’s less than a mile back to the Dollar General. From there, it’s only 15 minutes down Hwy 71 to Lebanon, where you’ll find plenty of choices to refuel and celebrate the ride!

## Important Reminders
Bike TN routes often include roads with car and truck traffic. Although the Bikeways are routed on low-traffic and low-speed roads whenever possible, most are designated for cyclists who are comfortable riding in some amount of traffic.

## More Resources
[Experience Greater Nashville](https://www.nashvillesbigbackyard.org/)

Rome Loop

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