Actually, the Black Mountain climb from Old Fort toward Asheville is steeper than Fancy Gap I-77 climb.
- Black Mountain: average 6% grade for 5.5 miles
- Fancy Gap: average grade 3.9% for 6.2 miles.
The Fancy Gap average is a little misleading. It is more gentle at the top and steeper at the bottom. The last 4 miles has an average grade of 4.5% to 5%.
The Pigeon River Gorge from North Carolina into Tennessee is much gentler - 3.5% grade over 20+ miles.
The I-40 route is 130+ miles longer than the I-77 route, but doesn't have tolls. Part of I-77 in West Virginia is a toll road.
We've done both directions and prefer I-40 to I-75. But we're usually in no hurry.
Tom
