What is Your Favorite Driving Road?
Roads give us freedom. They take us to our destination, whether that’s an actual place or a metaphorical reference to the thrills and fulfillment of the perfect combination of automobile and path. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a miles-long straight, a gravel farm road, mountain pass, or canyon asphalt, we all have at least a few favorites on our lists.
So we humbly ask members of the Hagerty Community one question to help us celebrate next week’s special award: What is your favorite driving road?
This is normally where your humble author chimes in with a suggestion in hopes of spurring conversation. But good driving roads are over an hour away from me, and I rarely get the chance to drive that far just to drive some more.
Don’t Look At Me
Instead I have this monstrosity, the Katy Freeway, just a couple of miles from me. I admit the flyovers can give you a giddy little thrill sometimes, but otherwise my life as a car enthusiast revolves around visits to other places with better roads, smaller highways, elevation changes, and a lack of streets designed around a grid.
So help me out here, Hagerty Community, and tell me your thoughts on the matter. What are some good driving roads, and what is your favorite driving road?
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Hwy 9 from Saratoga, CA to Skyline to Alice’s Restaurant, Mecca for nice cars and bikes. Grab lunch and take 84 to Hwy 1 south along the Pacific coast to Davenport.
Agree…..Hwy 9 is killer….Bear Creek Road off it in Boulder Creek down to Hwy 17 is really fun too….esp w MANUAL.
Winding road to Cana Island in Door County WI.
I loved driving that road in the early 80’s in my Formula Firebird. I would chase Porsches and when we would pull over our faces would hurt from the grins.
The Tail of the Dragon
Absolutely!
US 129 in North Carolina. 300+ curves in 11 miles. It’s an annual event for my GTO club.
The Three Twisted Sisters in the Texas Hill Country is what I’d recommend. FM 335, 336 and 337 give you some great twists and turns as well as some fantastic scenic views. All in all it’s about 150 miles and makes for a great day trip with plenty of restaurants and even a motorcycle shop to stop at along the way.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Living in San Antonio gives us access to all of the great roads in the Texas Hill Country, The Sisters, Hwy 16 from SA to Fredericksburg, little curvy back roads to Medina Lake, Willow City Loop which have huge bursts of bluebonnets and other flora, and a lot of other hidden gems too numerous to list.
The “Hawks Nest” near Port Jervis NY. For a short, quick spin, Moore Rd in Charlotte NC, and Mayes Rd in Cornelius NC.
For the folks who don’t know this one; they don’t make them much better than this.
The Hawk’s Nest is a scenic location outside Port Jervis, New York high above the Delaware River on New York State Route 97. Its name is derived from the birds of prey that nest in the area. The location is also known for its winding roads and scenic overlooks in the Delaware River Valley.
While the Tail of the Dragon (US-129) is likely on a lot of people’s bucket list, it’s not a great road to drive, heavily patrolled with heavy fines for speeding or crossing the centerline. But it can lead to a very fine drive on the Cherohala Skyway, including one bit that is a mile high. Living in East Tennessee gives car folks a lot of opportunities to drive fine roads, but the Cherohala Skyway is one of the best.
Cher-o-ha-la
…. for those who’ve “experienced” the T-of-the-D enough times to realize the joy just isn’t there anymore
Mo. highway 94 from Weldon Spring to near Jefferson City is a great driving road… lots of switchbacks, decreasing radius curves and grades up and downhill.
I made this trek often when I lived in St Louis and my dad had retired to Lake of the Ozarks. This was a joy with lovely scenery through the hilly wine country of Missouri.
Route 66 in Arizona. The “Mother Road”
Arizona Highway 89A from Prescott to Jerome. My absolute favorite on a bike or in a car.
Keep going to Flagstaff through Oak Creek Canyon…..
Just drove Oak Creek Canyon. It’s not a driver’s road, too many slow tourists in Subarus or RV’s. Prescott to Jerome is much better.
Rt. 7 from New Milford, CT, north to Lime Rock Park. Very light traffic (unless it’s a race weekend, then moderate) with twists and turns just right for my ’64 Morgan.
Sights along the way and maybe a brief stop in Kent, CT for breakfast, but a real drivers road.
Just watch out for deer further north and an occasional cattle crossing but otherwise -super.
Many great roads to drive out there, but I’d say A1A S St Augustine and south – just beautiful.
Back in the day, early 70’s, drove several times in a ’66 Buick Wildcat and then on Motorcycles. Tool months to clean off the love bugs!
Easterners missing aa bunch of great roads out West, I’d vote for Hwy 49 South of I-80, gold discovery country & great wineries for your companions.
Shhhhh…
YES!
Highway 14 from Victoria BC towards Sooke. Turn on to Gillespie Road. So many twists and turns ups and downs I was getting car sick and I was driving in a rented minivan! My brother in law lived out there. When we took the family I had to drive slow or else kids would be puking everywhere!
I am very lucky to live in Idaho with many great back roads. They are not in great shape but you can’t buy the turns, hills, and scenery.
I live in the foothills so no matter what route I take from home I go through roads with down-hill turns, 90 degree plus corners and more. These aren’t high speed roads, they are “swift” roads as Jay Leno would say. It dawned on me what an impact they had on my restoration project recently. I have a 66 6cylinder manual shift mustang with upgraded suspension, braking, tires and more. I’ve been less motovated to upgrade the rear end, horse power or other items a freeway focased restoration would have. The light weight, lack of power, and limited tranny makes the hills and corners that much more fun.
The mountain drives are hard to believe as well. I take my 2018 GT 350 the “long way” to Sun Valley atleast once a year. You get gorgeous and frightnening turns through the mountains with rock slides and cliffs without gaurd rails. (We can’t possibly spend money on gaurdrails in idaho.) Then you go through the same large expansive straights, turns, and grades they run The Tour De Force each year. All to end up in a world famous ski town on the off season to enjoy.
Flesher Pass between Lincoln and Helena, MT is a fun one when bare and dry. Not so much in the winter.
Arizona Highway’s AZ 666 or AZ 366
Passengers with motion sickness beware.