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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For a road near a major metropolitan area, Lime Creek Road in Austin isn’t bad at all.
It’s not fun anymore. It’s really has not been for years. Lots of guys on bicycles, neighborhoods that did not exist 15 years ago full of lazy drivers and then whatever car club decides they want to do a run on it. Great combo for frustration.
True, but if you have the day off on a weekday, between the rush hours, you can still have a nice drive.
Hey good morning people.
I love driving (obviously) but unfortunately I reside in florida. When I say I love to drive that means I went to North Carolina to the tail of the Dragon and I cannot wait to do that drive again. But if I want to find somewhere in Florida does anyone have any recommendations for a nice Road, or Roads?
TIA
Also Consider the Frank Miller highway in Muskoka Ontario, absolutely wonderous winding road abuts lake, river, creeks, winding canopied road with changes in elevation and great curves, annual destination of the Porsche Regional Club ENJOY
The “back” road down Mt Teide on Tennerife to Santiago del Teide. It’s a “bob-sled run” or maybe more like a luge run due to how narrow it is – with lots of switchbacks. I enjoyed it and my wife was white-knuckles all the way.
Northeast end of Toronto has Twyn Rivers rd, a small but beautiful valley pass surrounded by a network of rolling, twisting country roads. Plug Hat rd, Old Finch rd … if you are a Toronto area car guy, you probably know this area. Pop out on a quiet summer evening, drive a new mixture of roads for an hour, every visit is something new.
I had a lucky break, living on the north end of Toronto. Discovered I could quickly get to either Huntington rd or McNichol st, and breeze across the northeast end, right up to Twyn Rivers. Sure I could take the highway and save 15 minutes, but I never enjoy that drive. The quiet side streets made the entire drive enjoyable.
The best road in Southern California is the Angeles Crest Highway, Hwy 2! It is more than 120 mile loop twisting and turning through the Angeles Forest and San Gabriel Mountains from La Canada to Wrightwood. Come back around from behind the mountains on Mt. Emma Road to Pearblossom Highway and you have one of the greatest drives you can imagine just a few miles outside downtown LA. Liberal state that is hard to live in but the roads can be magnificent…
Yes, that is a great driving road, also anywhere on the Pacific Coast from Sourthern Cal to Northern Cal. and Muholland Drive because… it’s Mulholland Drive.
Two short and sweet rides I do in CNY near Syracuse. Cedarvale Rd below Rt 173 aply named 13 curves. 2 minutes of fun especially in the uphill direction. In 10 minutes your back in the city of Syracuse. To the east of Syracuse, Rt 13 from Casenovia to Chitinango, a 15 minute fun ride. Home in 20 minutes.
My 1974 911S Targa is 50 yrs old this year so some of your suggestions may be on my anniversary trip this Fall.
State Route 515 In Holmes County Ohio. The roads down there are based on old Buffalo trails that the are indians used hundreds of years ago.
the pioneers came in and used them and as we progressed they were paved over for roads. Lots of turns, hills and curves. You have to take care for the Amish buggies but these are really well kept and fun roads to drive.
The driving loop I love is in WV. You get off at Wallback exit of Interstate 79 take Rt 36 to Rt 4 to Clay WV. Keep going following the Elk River.
Then you it Ivydale. You take off and run Rt16 to Interstate 79 again in Duck WV.
These road are in some real mountains and on 36 then 4 is flat between two mountain ranges following the river bends. Then 16 back to mountain roads.
This is the tail of the Dragon with no traffic. One curve is banked as much as the speed way in Charlotte NC.
You can really get rolling but beware the locals know the road better and a old beat up pick up may pass you on a blind curve. There are spots if the car boke through the guard rail they would just leave it. The drop is that much,
I have others I love in southern Ohio that I like. The Corvette team has learned of them and are now testing C8 Corvettes regulalry in the area.
State Rt 139 in southern ohio will always be my favorite from Nwe Boston to Jackson
Make a run across the river and once in the mountains there is undiscovered treasure roads.
Just ignore the boy playing banjo in the tree. lol.
I must add I did the PCH from San Diego to San Fran. In a 911 Carrera. beautiful drive. The bad part is when you get going then you get stuck behind a camper.
We came back I5 and there in the valley we could run 100 mph for long periods of time. Nothing but vegetable trucks that you could easily pass.
Yes, TAIL-OF-THE-DRAGON is a super adventure in a Corvette!
But….my overall FAV drive in my Corvette is California Pacific Coast Hway….without a doubt the best drive in the globe….and I live in Toronto Canada, and have driven it 3 times in C5, C6 and C7 Corvettes over the years….WOW !
Enjoy it while you can! That road just doesn’t want to be there anymore!
(landslides)
Tail of the Dragon was my first true riding experience on my brand new 2004 HD Road King Custom. Beautiful area!
My wife and rode the Tail on our H-D Ultra’s. When we discussed what we thought was the best part of the ride we came to the conclusion that we were so focused on being in the correct lane position we missed a lot of terrific scenery.
Your right about staying in your lane.And looking out for the motorcyclists (racers)that use this for a practice track. I talked to a group of them taking a rest after making the run.
I agree, the Tail of the Dragon, in Western North Carolina, is a really fun drive in a manual-transmission car. And Highway 1 in California is still a great scenic road. Personally, I’d love to see the Blue Ridge Parkway closed off for ONE DAY, to allow Northbound traffic at thirty-minute intervals. It would be a BLAST!
Yes! As a resident of North Carolina, I can attest to Tail of the Dragon and the Blue Ridge Parkway as “must drive” roadways in Western NC!
It is legit a drive I live close by have done it many times.
I’m considering a move here, in part, because of the Blue Ridge Parkway and my VW Beetle convertible. Love a beautiful drive where people aren’t going 80mph.
Now THAT is a good idea.
I live near Asheville with a Mini
And here I thought you would say your favorite Corvette ride was chasing a red C6 on highway 40 into Laughlin NV at 80-100 mph in a driving rain. Go Flyers!
The World-Famous Tail of the Dragon (TN/NC) is 318 curves in 11 miles. As soon as you come out of one curve, you start preparing for the next one. Hard to beat this for driving adventure and scenery.
If you look around there are as good less traveled roads out there. They are more enjoyable as no tourists.
I love The Tail of the Dragon. Unfortunately, it has now become infamous, and all the morons who think they know how to drive run it at stupid speeds. Just this week alone, there have been three serious accidents on it already, and it’s only Wednesday!!! I think my Dragon slayer days are over…. I’ll find other, better roads where some Moron with more car than brains won’t kill me…
I think what you are referring to is a day at the track. No other way to really push our cars safely.
Living in NC, I avoid the Dragon like the plague. It was fun 20 years ago before the Youtubers found it. A better choice in NC is…….Sorry. Not telling.
We’re lucky to live in western NC. Have been on the Tail twice (once on bike, once in car), that’s enough. We have easily a half dozen comparable roads in the area with dozens of other good rides as well, plus 9-10 months of decent driving weather. As a good alternative, try Back of the Dragon, VA 14, from Marion, VA to Tazewell, VA.
Surprised, and pleased, to see you mention Ohio SR515. My mother’s family has lived in that area since the mid-1800s. Stop in at Trail Bologna in Trail for a great snack along the way!
As decades pass, and population / traffic grows, the old “fun” roads become somewhat less enjoyable.
Here on Long Island, we’re blessed with quite a few, whether on the hilly North Shore or the flatter South Shore.
One of my favorites is also quite an historical one: the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanderbilt_Motor_Parkway
As a new driver, I got to use its Eastern segment very regularly — having no car of my own, I’d drive Mom to work, and then use the car for the day. She worked one block from the Parkway’s end.
Motor Parkway has a good many twists, turns and hills. I once filmed some of it with an 8mm movie camera pointed out the windshield.
Though I haven’t been on it in years, (I don’t need to go in that area;) I’d definitely revisit, should I find myself behind the wheel of a Porsche, XKE, NSX, or even a well-sorted Miata.
Michigan 119 between Cross Village and Harbor Springs (near the ring finger of the mitten), also known as the Tunnel of Trees. 137 curves as the road travels 20 miles alternating between forest and the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. Lots of elevation changes. Drive it in both directions.
You can’t really drive it very fast, it’s a narrow road with trees inches from the shoulder, lots of blind corners, and there are vacation homes on the road so there are cyclists and pedestrians, but even driving it at a brisk pace is huge fun.
Agreed–I’ve done this drive three times, and have enjoyed it every time. The scenery is magnificent, and for the most part is lightly travelled.
No, no nothing to see on M 119. Stay home, head somewhere else……
I’ve done this road both as a cyclist and driver. Fantastic. Try Legg’s in when you get to Cross Village. Authentic Polish food and a fabulous beer selection. And life size stuffed animals native to the area.
Forget about it during color tour season, its a bumper to bumper parade. Try a Wednesday in the spring or summer.
There really are too many good drives in my area to list and especially to choose as the “favorite”. However, it’s pretty hard to ignore the Highway 55 from Boise to the Banks-to-Lowman Road and then back to Boise via Highway 21. This takes you north through sagebrush-scrub hills up into the timber alongside Class III whitewater on the Main Payette River. Then, eastward from Banks along some Class IV water and through Garden Valley and up and over some great climbs. Watch out for deer, elk, and wild turkeys along this route. Over Grimes Pass, you descend into Lowman and turn back south through Idaho City, along Mores Creek and Robie Creek until it empties into Lucky Peak Reservoir, and then along the Boise River into town. This is an extremely popular ride for motorcycles in the summer, but doing it in a classic car and making a few stops (picnic spots, cafes along the river, hot springs/pools) is also a ton of fun.
This is a great loop. Another vote for this one.
Yes, that’s a great drive, but I think it’s great all the way up to the top, then through Stanley and follow the Salmon River down to Challis.
If you are a photo buff, there is little that can compete with the Sawtooths, the meadows around Stanley and Challis, or a vista across Redfish Lake, that is for sure!
Thanks for this suggestion! I’m close enough to give this one a try sometime during the future, so I’m saving the route information.
Or just Google “Lowman Loop”!
We are driving from Coeur de’Alene back home to Houston, Texas in July and plan to take the Banks-to-Lowman Road from Hwy 55 to Hwy 21 to Boise. Thanks for the suggestion. We may just have to live with the motorcycles but that’s OK.
Little too cold and wet for bikes up there just now – you’ll likely be fine. Enjoy and have a safe trip home to Texas (and Sajeev Country)!
B-T-W, if you’ve been visiting Coeur d’Alene, you’ve been seeing some OTHER great driving roads and scenery, I’m sure. It’s one of my favorite places, but a little too far from here in the Treasure Valley to get to very often for a Sunday drive! 😛
Oh, wait, you said July? Yeah, the motorcycles will definitely be roaring up H-55 past my place by then. Sorry!
I have the benefit of living in south south Jersey which is very rural (surprise). Maybe not middle-of-nowhere Kansas rural but rural. With the exception of a few main drags, roads are lightly trafficked and windy. Too many to pick a favorite
I’d go with 347 south through the pines into Cape May Court House (off season only)
I’m more on the west side of the state, but I do occasionally get out that way
In my experience, winding is a relative term when it comes to NJ roads. I have yet to find anything that even comes close to the Tail of the Dragon, but then I haven’t explored the southwest part of our state very much. If you have any specific suggestions for that area, I’d love to hear them.
I’m up by Philadelphia on the Jersey side. We like taking the bike or the old Galaxie up the Delaware River from Lambertville on up and then down the river on the Pennsy side to New Hope and stopping for dinner.
Social media has destroyed a lot of my favorite roads.The best roads are the ones you discover by just driving around aimlessly. So, get out there and get lost.
Exactly – my two favorite roads are no longer fun – when I find new ones I’ll keep it to myself.
I think the most fun I’ve had on a road is 84 out to Alice’s Restaurant in CA. I was driving the chase Dodge minivan on a Viper trip with 13 lead acid batteries strapped to the floor for hot start testing. Amazing just how well minivans handle, especially with some ballast.
Hey Dean you were almost there, Taking a turn south out of La Honda, you would be on Alpine Road to Pescadero Road. Makes 84 Seem straight and wide. Cheers
Whenever we travel to California and the San Francisco/San Jose area we always have to drive Skyline and the La Honda area roads…………EPIC!
……….and remember to stop in Pescadero for the BEST Artichoke bread around. In 2015 when we went to the Porsche Rennsport V at Laguna Seca a fellow with Canepa told us to make sure we stop in Pescadero for their bread………..been there 3 times now.
Pescadero is where we had the nest coleslaw ever. Lots of great roads in the Peninsula too but timing your drive to avoid traffic, including cyclists, is a must. I live in Mendocino County where there are many great driving windy routes. Arguably even better ones in Sonoma County but those have a ton of pesky bicyclists.
Currently living in the Houston area, good driving roads nearby are very scarce. But my many years in Colorado provided some great roads.
The best is Hwy 550 called “The Million Dollar Highway” in southwestern CO between Durango and Ouray over Coal Bank, Molas and the bad boy, Red Mountain Pass. Not for the faint of heart if you don’t like 300’+ drops off the side with no guard rails. Drove it many times, summer and winter.
The million dollar highway is great for sightseeing, not for thrilling driving – too many RVs and trucks. Try Cottonwood Pass between Buena Vista and Taylor Park Reservoir on a weekday. But if you’re in the area of 550, catch CO 141 from Naturita to Gateway. For deserted sweepers, it’s hard to beat. Another fav is Guanella Pass between Georgetown and US 285.
My favorite “road”…Road America!
Finally…a mention of one of the greatest, Carl. County roads around Elkhart Lake and the Kettle Moraine are favorites, too.
Sea-to-sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler, British Columbia. Spectacular vistas
Yes, the road to Whistler in British Columbia is a very fun road!! I really need to go there again!
Duffy Lake d beyond Whistler is even better…then past Lillooet down the Fraser Canyon.
Then try the roads in the Kootenays…then….
Issues with The Sea to Sky include frequency of RCMP.
Hardly any straight or flat stretch the entire way. Needed a drink when I got to Whistler !!!
Really interesting when you leave Whistler at 4:00 AM and drive back down to Vancouver to catch a flight and it is only your second time on the road !!! I tried to stay in touch with another car ahead so i knew what was coming, but they left me in the mist.
Hwy #87 between Plattsburgh, NY and Lake George, NY was at one time voted one of the most scenic in the nation
The pre-Olympic road was the best. When skiing was my religion drove it frequently in old 912e. Now Audi TT eats up the road between Campbell River and Gold River.
Thats just the start Bob
Keep going past whistler and you will find Pemberton BC to Lillooet BC.
Beautiful ribbon of twisties for most of the 60 miles whether your touring in you pickup truck or stitching it together in your favorite sporting machine.
Fairfield Road in Lake County Illinois. Winging road passing much trees and ponds. Aproximently 12 miles of road>
Isn’t this pretty straight? What makes this a good drive?
Route 169 in Northern Connecticut and Southern Massachusetts. Beautiful tree-lines road with historic old homes.
The Overseas Highway from Key Largo to Key West (In a top down Miata).
Skyline Drive
Back of the Dragon
Another vote for back of the Dragon!
What a great place to see and be seen. With a stop off at MM 17 for a Southernmost Car Club show.
Pigtails, Highway 87, Black Hills SD but in shoulder seasons before or after it’s too full of tourists.
The Litchfield Hills in N.W. Connecticut. Beautiful twists and turns, vineyards, covered bridges, rolling hills and endless pastures. Love pushing my AMG C63 S Cabrio, with the top down, through some of some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.
Second that! The Northwestern corner of Connecticut is flat out gorgeous. So please….stay away!!
LOL…Agreed!!!
That part of Ct. is beautiful especially in October. And how I would love to spent a weekend on the track at LimeRock.
I did my first AMG Driving Academy up there and work the IMSA race every year. One of Americas classic road courses.
Yes, we like the drive along route 7 to Kent Falls