I am going to be in the Andrews / Murphy Tsali area in a month and wanted to get in 2 or 3 nice/challenging gravel rides. Maybe in the 40 - 60 mile range. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated! Also, maybe a comment on the best tire/wheel setup as well. I can either bring a hardtail 29er or a CX bike, but it only takes up to a 35c tire.
I swear I posted something about a year ago in the Southeast forum about graveling from the same location. From Andrews, there are tons of gravel roads a bit north (<20 miles) starting at Robbinsville and around Lake Santeetlah. You're also at the eastern end of the Cherohala Skyway and there's lots of gravel riding on the TN side of the skyway all the way to Tellico Plains.
My experience is that the gravel is bigger on the NC side as opposed to TN. You notice the difference when you cross the state line. My gravel bike also only takes 35c, and that was lacking for NC but not TN the two times I went into NC. I would err on the side of caution and take the hardtail. Even for TN. The hardtail could also be good for a ride at Tsali.
