Comments on: Question of the Day: What’s Your Favorite Road?

By: joeaverage

joeaverage — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:45:55 +0000

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…

By: AJ

AJ — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:43:40 +0000

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!

By: Detroit-Iron

Detroit-Iron — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:13:42 +0000

@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.

By: matt

matt — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 20:55:58 +0000

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.

By: jjdaddyo

jjdaddyo — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 19:29:23 +0000

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.

By: golden2husky

golden2husky — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:18:17 +0000

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.

By: cynder

cynder — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 11:04:39 +0000

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.

By: ctoan

ctoan — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 01:11:47 +0000

Not a lot of Pennsylvania folks here, eh?
I like PA-286 east of Pittsburgh.

By: shane800

shane800 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:46:23 +0000

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.

By: Eric_Stepans

Eric_Stepans — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:16:47 +0000

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

By: stevejac

stevejac — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:32:47 +0000

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.

By: kjc117

kjc117 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:05:30 +0000

PC1, I plan to drive it from AK to SD. It’s on my “to do list” before you die.

By: peteski

peteski — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:19:15 +0000

The Pulaski Skyway

a close second is Rt.22 (btwn Newark and rt. 202)

By: briandfromo.p.

briandfromo.p. — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:16:07 +0000

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).

By: yankinwaoz

yankinwaoz — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:13:02 +0000

Italian Hwy SS163, the Amalfi Coast, south of Naples.

By: RoweAS

RoweAS — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:09:26 +0000

Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Valley is a magnificent scenic drive when you are in the mood to just relax and enjoy.

By: ttacgreg

ttacgreg — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:08:54 +0000

I’d bet the Nurburgring would be tons of fun too, stop to think of it!

By: ttacgreg

ttacgreg — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 15:03:44 +0000

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!

By: TEXN3

TEXN3 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:56:05 +0000

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.

By: mfgreen40

mfgreen40 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:49:45 +0000

Someone could compile the above information into a piston heads travel guide booklet.

By: lprocter1982

lprocter1982 — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 12:28:08 +0000

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.

By: capeplates

capeplates — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:02:36 +0000

Any road that is wide, straight and free of traffic including the cops. Let’s have a burn up!

By: Stein X Leikanger

Stein X Leikanger — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:06:13 +0000

@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.

By: xargs

xargs — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:03:00 +0000

@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.

By: Jeff Puthuff

Jeff Puthuff — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:45:46 +0000

A little traveled logging road that follows the top of a ridge in the Sierra Nevadas.