Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains on Virginia’s famed Route 16 lies Back of the Dragon…32 miles of exhilarating winding curves and unparalleled excitement. Spanning from Marion to Tazewell, Virginia riders from around the world unite for the experience of a lifetime. Back of the Dragon offers over 400 curves for the thrill-seeking knee draggers, a two-lane ribbon road for the sports car aficionado’s and breathtaking views of the expansive 3 mountain range for all riders. Route 16 runs North to South. The 3 mountains (Big Walker, Brushy and Clinch) run East to West. This formation reminded people of the humps on the back of a mediaeval dragon, and so it was named.
While all of this sounds amazing and action-packed, it was not always that way. Beginning in the late 1800’s Tazewell, Virginia was founded and immediately became a thriving coal and mining town with businesses spanning both sides of Main Street. There was not an empty store front in sight. For over 90 years Tazewell remained the source of endless opportunity bringing workers and their families to the small town, but that all began to change with the slow dissolution of the coal industry. The once flourishing and prospective Main Street became an eerie ghost town. Today people come to this area to enjoy the beautiful views on the Back of the Dragon. This cache location is at the start of the trail, so grab this cache and take in the scenery!
Requirements to log this virtual geocache:
1. How many toes total does the dragon have? Please message me the answer--do not put it in your log or it will be deleted.
2. Please take a picture with yourself (or your GPS) in it with the dragon in the background and post it in your cache log! Please make sure that your photo doesn't include spoilers to the question.
Congrats to testanton for the FTF!
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.