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A few weekends back, while putting a few (hundred) miles on an Audi Q7, my wife and I went into the Blue Ridge Mountains in north Georgia. When I programmed our address into the GPS for the return trip, it directed us down the Unicoi Turnpike (part of Georgia Highway 75), which turned out to be full of switchbacks, twists, hairpins and everything else that makes a road fun, along with some beautiful scenery. The map showed other roads in the area that looked even more fun. We didn't have time to explore them then, but we're already planning a trip back to check them out. So what about you? What is your favorite road for becoming one with your car and having pure unadulterated fun while driving?
58 Comments on “Question of the Day: What’s Your Favorite Road?...”
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Route 2 in Massachusetts, once you get past 495 and into the sticks. Nice twisties, no police and beautiful scenery.
I’d agree with the Route 2 area in Western MA. Fun to drive and lack of police. The views are nice, too, especially in autumn.
There are so many, I can’t begin to do it justice!
Some nice backroads in and about Indianapolis, Indiana, outside of San Diego, California, in the Appalacian foothills in Southern Ohio, and just about any segment of A1A on the Atlantic coast of Florida; even with traffic lights! There are so many others, throughout the Carolinas, Georgia, and many many more.
Whether it’s cornfields in Indiana, Llama or Ostrige farms in Ohio or Illinois, the hills of Kentucky, mountains of Colorado, the rising sun over the Atlantic, or the setting of the sun over the Gulf of Mexico, nearly every place in the USA has “some” nice driving roads!
The Autobahn were there is no speed limit.
The Icefields Parkway, Highway 93 between Lake Louise and Jasper, Alberta.
Not only is this road one of the most fun to drive I’ve been on, the scenery is mind-bogglingly stunning.
I’ve read that the Cabot Trail along the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia is also to die for, but I haven’t made it there yet.
If you can ship your car to Scotland, the drive from Broadford to Portree on the Isle of Skye is pretty impressive. Unfortunately, I had to drive it in an ’07 Vauxhall Zafira and not my ’07 Accord. At least the Vaux had a stick, but it was certainly not my Honda’s stick.
I’m not telling.
–chuck
http://chuck.goolsbee.org
In BC, highway 99 north of Pemberton to Lilloet is spectacular, although the pavement is in rough shape. It is a legendary motorcycle road in these parts. Carrying on the same road from Lilloet to Lytton is almost as good.
I just got back from a week riding down to San Fran on my motorcycle, and California Hwy 36 running from Hwy 101 on the coast to the I-5 is downright spectacular. Save for the fact you have to be anywhere near the town of Red Bluff and the I-5 to get to/from it.
Skyline Blvd south of San Fran is very nice as well.
Last March (!) I drove Northern Norway along the fjords from Tromso to Alta and back with some snow cover. Drove a Skoda Roomster 1.4 TDI with a 5 speed. Totally LOVED that drive.
As for here at home, there are several roads I love, and I would hate to see more cars in front of me, so how about I just don’t tell you which they are. Okay?
For Sports cars and motorcycles its got to be The Tail Of Dragon, 318 curves in 11 miles. Lots of others close by also. Tenn. Georgia, north Carolina borders.
mfgreen40
For Sports cars and motorcycles its got to be The Tail Of Dragon, 318 curves in 11 miles. Lots of others close by also. Tenn. Georgia, north Carolina borders
The picture shows a small portion of The Tail of the Dragon.
I’ll third those comments about Rt. 2 in Massachusetts — not sure if it’s my favorite roadway, but their observations are accurate. A resident of New Hampshire’s Monadnock region, I occasionally elect to drive the long way to my once-per-week adjunct instructing gig at Boston University. I could just go through Nashua, the shorter route by at least a half hour. But that wouldn’t be nearly as fun as going the “long way,” which takes me through those very legs of Rt. 2 that hawver and Toscha are talking about.
Frank, I agree about GA hwy 75 (The Helen Hwy, where I’m from) – I think it’s a fantastic and very underrated stretch of twisties.
There’s a group of roads close by in and around Dalohnega, GA – parts of hwy 52, hwy 9 towards Suches, etc – that make for exciting driving. Even in a dog F150 with an I6 and 2.73 gears.
For Sports cars and motorcycles its got to be The Tail Of Dragon, 318 curves in 11 miles. Lots of others close by also. Tenn. Georgia, north Carolina borders.
The first time I did the Dragon it was by accident. I was hung over, nauseous, driving a lowly Forester, and I wanted to take a more “scenic” route home. Hell. Pure hell.
“What is your favorite road for becoming one with your car and having pure unadulterated fun while driving?”
I’ll be damned if I’m telling any of you. Except maybe Lieberman; he seems like he might be okay.
Anything I haven’t been on that isn’t a limited access hiway. I love to explore!
I don’t think any road is fun in my current car but there are a few nice roads in the Hudson Valley NY.
Tantalus road leading uphill from Punchbowl Crater through the highlands behind Honolulu. Always enticed enthusiastic, aggressive driving, even in plain rental cars with auto transmissions. Even better when my stick shift car arrived on the boat.
The Autobahn, of course.
Highway 82, Independence Pass in my home state of Colorado.
The paved road to the top of 14,000 + ft Mount Evans west Denver, as much for the high rpm inducing thin air, steep grades, and switchbacks, as for the amazing scenery and terrain.
Blue Ridge Parkway N.Carolina.
Highway 1 up the Cali Coast.
I-80 through Nevada is just plain pleasant too, hills curves, smooth high quality surface, moderate traffic volumes, and wide open places where excessive speed is at low risk for getting caught, as well as for actual safety at such speeds.
And like Chuck said . . . There are a few secrets I’m not sharing ;) .
89A in Arizona going south between Flagstaff & Sedona. Where a convertible really makes a difference.
California route 33, North from Ojai. Put it into manual and get the paddles ready :)
I’m not sure of a specific road, but my favorite “drive” is as follows:
For those living in and around Setauket/Stony Brook, NY *Suffolk County, LI): start: Stony Brook Mill Pond, take Harbor Rd, at end make right onto Shore Rd, becomes Cordwood path, take to end, make right onto Moriches rd (WARNING: do not speed at all on Moriches – village cops!), make a left onto Nissequogue River Rd (you may return to your normally scheduled speeding), End: 25/25a in Smithtown.
Enjoy …
I live at the north end of Decker Canyon Road.
Route 9W in New York from just north of Highland Falls/Fort Montgomery to Cornwall, on the other side of Storm King, is everything that the moronic 30-mph Tail of the Dragon isn’t. I drive it every day, often at triple-digit speeds in a 911: huge sweepers, not pissant little hairpins.
And if you want to truly top out your car, turn off westbound onto empty 293 at West Point, a largely straight road from nowhere to nowhere, where I routinely wind out high-performance cars I’m testing. (Given a friend with a Motorola at the other end of the road, you could run a Veyron to the limit on this road at 0500 on a summer morning. Seriously.)
Or, at the same turnoff, go east on 218, the classic Old Storm King Highway high above the Hudson. I don’t go particularly fast on it–too many stone walls–but it’s incredibly scenic.
The best thing is, this is exactly where I live.
There’s a quarter-mile stretch of the Jackie Robinson parkway in Brooklyn between exits 5 and 6 that is chock full of twistyness. Hit that road late at night or early in the morning, and it’s nothing but bliss.
There’s also the Palisades parkway that starts in Fort Lee, NJ and ends at Bear Mountain, NY. Then there’s the roads in and around Bear Mountain.
@ B.C.: I’m no more than 30mi from you in west Springs, if it’s the same Deckers. And, if so, shame on you for telling. ;-)
Starting outside Patterson, California at Interstate Five head west on Del Puerto Canyon Road through the twisty hills of the Coast Range.
Depending upon the season it can be either green with babbling brooks or the hot dry brown dead grass where the tarantulas, rattle snakes, scorpions and occasional cougar makes its home.
At the end of Del Puerto take a left or right at the T intersection.
Left takes you through more barrenness but the elevation allows a few trees. Eventually you reach Mt. Hamilton observatory and farther still drops you down near the famed Silicon Valley.
A right at the T intersection mentioned before takes you, eventually, to the Livermore Valley.
Either turn is two-lane paved twistyness and very rural areas. In winter the routes can be fearsome when it rains. The fairly rare snow CAN accumulate, at times, at elevation and during cold snaps.
I recommend the green of spring after a winter with ample rain. Around March or April.
For being relatively close to a major metropolitan area the extreme ruralness of the area is impressive.
Route 2 in Massachusetts. Anyone who’s saying “west of 495” or “past the Boston suburbs” is eating the fat and grisle and leaving the steak. That road gets good past Greenfield with a good section from Charlemont to Florida, including the world-famous four-black-dot hairpin. This is all twisty stuff, but there are tourists and I have seen a cop once in Shelburne Falls. Then west of Williamstown comes a terrifying, two-state run out to Petersburg. None of those turns are THAT tight (all signed as 30, about 1g lateral at 65) but the hills mean every last MPH of exit speed matters…
Route 20 in Massachusetts. Only the section between Huntington and Becket is fun. Looks tight on the map, is tighter on the road and the heavy banking bottoms out suspensions.
Route 197 between Woodstock CT and Southbridge MA. You’d miss this one on Google Maps if you were looking for twisty stuff, but it is exceptionally narrow and off-camber, steeply descending left-handers don’t look like much on paper.
Interstate 295 between Stillwater and Simmonsville RI. Now that the two-shades-of-blue cars have caught onto the Italian tuneups on Interstate 190 north of Worcester, this is where the deep-triple-digit stuff gets done. Robert, sorry if I blew your cover – if I did I’ll give you a new section to make up for this.
Thompson Pond Road between North Spencer MA and Leicester MA. This is good for the Andretti stuff, heel and toe, smooth driving through large speed and condition changes. Note – only good on weekday nights before midnight. By day it’s residential, by weekend, it’s recreational due to the lake, by early morning a drunk driver on a tight turn will kill you.
These are five roads in my top 20 or so. I’m showing you the house, not giving you the farm. I’d really, really rather not give away my not-even-the-diehards-know-about-it 40-mile long country road whose entire length I’ve driven without seeing another car in either direction, or the New England Nurburgring (though that may be famous enough already), or the mountain road that starts half a mile from my house, or the squiggly line from East Jesus, MA to Nowheresville, VT. It’s just too dangerous, I’d go to prison if a cop saw me; removing the temptation for me to do “ultimate road trips” is the main reason I got my kart.
One more thing; if you want great roads seek out the areas Lyndon Johnson wanted to help. I haven’t been impressed by the roads nominated by TTACers and I’m surprised by this; either you’re keeping your secrets even tighter than I or you’ve never been to the Appalachians, the Alleghenies, the Taconics, the Berkshires, the Green Mountains, or the White Mountains, and that’s just east of the Mississippi where a 5000-foot mountain is huge.
Give me a location and five minutes with Google Maps and I’ll give you a road that’s worth a detour to find. I’ve even been able to do this for Nebraska.
For the more international driver the North Island of New Zealand offers (sealed) State Highway 43; Fast, uphill, downdale all sorts of bends and wet a good deal of the time even the odd stray animal. unsealed the full Motu WRC stage.
In the south island SH1 between Blenheim and Kaikoura is good (look out for the seals!)and SH6 between Hokitika and Wanaka then drop into Queenstown via the Crown Ridge Road.
Southeastern Ohio has tons of great roads. The state routes around Hocking Hills are favorites of Car and Driver for doing comparos, and I concur that many of them are quite fantastic. Hard to drive properly there on the weekends though, too many tourists on the road who’ve never heard the word apex before.
Personally, my favorite in Ohio is SR 78 between Nelsonville and I-77. Best scenery in the state, tons of elevation changes, huge sweeping banked turns as well as tight ones, tons of variety, and very little traffic. SR 26 out of Marietta shows a lot of promise too, but I haven’t had enough time to explore it properly.
Several of the state roads around Athens area are fantastic driving roads with little traffic, although many of them have some nasty surprises awaiting the too-eager out-of-towner. Several roads seemed to be built before the invention of the road grader, resulting in turns banked the wrong way, curves with ever-changing radii, and sudden changes in direction after blind humps in the road. Keeps you on your toes though.
When the Prez isn’t in town, 77 near Thurmont MD.
@ USAFMech: Doesn’t seem like it, haven’t heard of a West Springs around here. It’s the road in Southern California referenced in the Mustang GT Convertible review. :-)
No point in keeping it a secret … the boys bring their toys here at dawn, and I memorably had to pull over for a Porsche GT3 chasing an Aston.
Well highway 12 heading west out of Missoula goes over Lolo pass and then for 50+ miles without so much as a gas station curves along the way. Just sweeping curves, a beautiful river, great fishing and a wonderful road that actually is a delight for all 215 miles to Lewiston Idaho. That has to be my favorite road in the western US.
Of course being out here there are LOTS of great roads, it just depends on what you want – there’s a terrific road called Oregon 53 that leads from the coast at Nehalem back to the more major Highway 26, and in that 12 miles has over 115 real curves. Great for ruining a set of tires or getting a passenger carsick…
A little traveled logging road that follows the top of a ridge in the Sierra Nevadas.
@obbop: Mines Road, turning into San Antonio Valley Road at the Junction (the restaurant at the T intersection).
I’ve been riding/driving this road for over 15 years, and it’s truly a challenge in every sense of the word.
Rough pavement, gravel laid down on the leeward side of Mt Hamilton once a year or so, a single lane for miles towards Livermore… It’s brilliant!
Rural nothingness only a few miles from the Bay Area proper, an amazing drive.
For more fun, make a loop of Calaveras Road (between Sunol and San Jose) and Felter. Better for bikes, but certainly fun in the right car. WRX or similar at stockish ride height would do nicely.
@chuck
That brought back memories – used to spend summers driving about Europe in an E-type.
The Danes are brilliant at enjoying life (they’re on top of the world’s happiness index), and their recommended routes show you why.
There’s one called the Marguerite Route (named after a flower), which is a latticework of scenic, wonderful, narrow roads that you can spend weeks exploring. And there are a large number of castles, manors, inns and restaurants along the route whenever you wish to stop.
If flowery routes are not your thing, then they have another they call the Schnapps Route – say no more.
Both routes cannily avoid anything that looks, smells or feels like a highway.
Any road that is wide, straight and free of traffic including the cops. Let’s have a burn up!
Highway 99 through the interior of BC is hell. However, the Icefields parkway is really cool along the spine of the Canadian Rockies. And I love the roads anywhere between the Rockies and Ontario at night – no trees, no turns, just road and sky… it’s amazing.
Someone could compile the above information into a piston heads travel guide booklet.
Locally, I very much enjoy ID-21 from Boise to Stanley. Beautiful views, very twisty, not much traffic, pavement isn’t too worn. But come winter, it’s pretty much closed down especially when you get above 7000′. Then you reach Stanley, and take ID-75 through the Galena summit, hit some beautiful ranchlands along the Salmon river and get into Sun Valley to relax at the cabin.
Another way to enjoy it, bring your flyrod and do a little fishing along the way.
I always relish a drive up US-281 in the hill country of Texas.
Greetings HEATHROI
Thanks for your entry, I am heading off tomorrow for a few weeks in Queestown, 1st NZ visit. How might SH6 be in the winter time?
Looking forward to my first driving on the “wrong” side of the road and car!
I’d bet the Nurburgring would be tons of fun too, stop to think of it!
Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Valley is a magnificent scenic drive when you are in the mood to just relax and enjoy.
Italian Hwy SS163, the Amalfi Coast, south of Naples.
Does it have to be paved? If not, Imogene and Mosquito passes (among others) in Colorado. My other favorites are in the mountains of my home state of Wyoming, but if I disclosed them here it would defeat the purpose and reasons for being a favorite (very little traffic).
One notable mention for the scenery is Hwy. 130 between Centennial and the Ryan Park area of southern Wyoming (closed in the winter).
The Pulaski Skyway
a close second is Rt.22 (btwn Newark and rt. 202)
PC1, I plan to drive it from AK to SD. It’s on my “to do list” before you die.
My favorite road? CA 120 across Yosemite, the ‘Tioga Road’. You can’t drive fast (rangers with radar) but with scenery like this, taking your time is worth it.
If you’re traveling between the SF Bay Area and the Los Angeles area, most people either take I-580 out through Livermore/Tracy, or take US-101 down to Gilroy, then take CA-152 over to Los Banos where it intersects I-5.
Instead, the enthusiast should stay on 101 (assuming you don’t have time to do the US-1 coast route) until a few miles south of King City.
There, CA-198 takes you over to Coalinga in the Central Valley. It’s 45 minutes of pure driving pleasure.
Also, I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Natchez Trace Parkway…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natchez_Trace_Parkway
I’ll second the Icefields Parkway between Jasper the Banff, but at the same time, nominate a bit of a detour. The Bow Valley Parkway connects Banff and Lake Louise, generally following the route of the Icefields, but takes a twistier, hillier path.
Not a lot of Pennsylvania folks here, eh?
I like PA-286 east of Pittsburgh.
I’m surprised no one mentioned the Seward Highway in Alaska.
You wind your way around the Cook Inlet where you can watch a bore tide arrive, then through the Chugach mountains and into Seward on Prince William Sound. Beautiful, deadly and fun–just what you’d want to test your Subaru or Audi.
Route 9N in Lake George in NY State. This road parallels the lake on the west side. Beautiful scenery, serious sweepers, tight turns, awesome. Best at night so you don’t encounter any boats being towed.
In the same neck of the woods (North GA), Rte. 60 from Blue Ridge to Suches into Dahlonega, is a nice twisty ride with lots of elevations changes. It crosses the Appalachian trail at one point, so that will let you know that it’s off in the boonies.
Hwy 89 through North Arizona through the Grand Canyon National Park. Absolutely amazing. There are a bunch of great back roads outside of Memphis, as well as a great road up and down a hill/mountain in Huntsville, AL that is amazingly good. Though I must say that Germany seems to have us Americans beat in terms of great twisty roads with nice scenery.
@matt
89 is a great road. I may or may not have been in a C32 AMG attempting to determine if AMGs were governed to 155 like other Benzes. Results: inconclusive. The test vehicle ran out of road at 160 and had to slow down.
Highway 70 from Encampment to Baggs, Wyoming. It’s a paved two-lane mountain pass with a lot of turns, is only open during the summer, and has very, very little traffic. It’s great for a sports car!
But just be careful and make sure your brakes work as it’s open range!
Different roads for different driving moods:
I liked driving the Appian Way from Naples to Rome and back a few times. Scenic. Lots of little towns and Roman ruins to stop and visit.
Parco Abruzzi Natzionale was really nice and generally empty.
I like the downtown Naples roads for driving like Ronin. We drove like idiots and still couldn’t better the locals… Wrong way on one ways. Sidewalks for avoiding large buses. Red lights are decorations. Sometimes the challenge is not how fast you can go but how lost you can get or how narrow a space you can pass your car through. Smacked mirrors with a Volvo in my Beetle one time. Remember the Beetle had those fenders hanging out on the sides…
I liked the Costeria Amalfitana south out of Naples for the view but the road was narrow and the traffic heavy so it was best to pick an off-day or an off-season to drive it with the least amount of hassle. The roads south from there are just as challenging without the traffic because you are beyond the tourist zone.
I like all of the southern Autostrada b/c we could run flat out without fear of the local law. They didn’t care unless the driver was being reckless by speeding in dense traffic, fog, rain, snow, etc. 100mph/1.8 liter/90HP US Spec VW GTI/Rabbit ‘verts are fun…
Drafting with a Merc in front and a BMW in back with a 40HP Beetle at 80 mph+ for 20 miles with tunnels, Jersey barriers and one lane late at night was fun too.
Closer to my current are dozens of empty TN roads full of curves, hills and bridges. These roads are smooth and empty and get the smallest amount of mention in the big road atlas. Just as fun as the “Dragon’s Tail” in east TN but without the police or the crowds.
Just remember that you have to share the road with the locals, stray cows, and 40 mph pickups. Oh – and sometimes you are a long way from a hospital…