Art & Inspiration Most Beautiful Drive in America, what's your favorite?

1. Anywhere on HWY 1, pacific coast highway.
2. Along the delta on the levey road on the way to billetproof from Sacramento.
3. The road that traverses the rocky mountains in Rocky mountain national park.

 

I did Trail Ridge Road about 10 years ago. Absolutely amazing. The old man was driving i was riding shotgun (my view was straight down). This is the scariest drive i have ever been on. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

I agree, and the section of San Juan Mountains from Durango Co to Silverton, and Ouray. first time was on a greyhound bus (switchbacks were fun on the bus!) then went back yrs later with wifes Montero, some cool old mining ghost towns up above Silverton, and driving her car on the ridge above 10,000' beautiful country.

 

I've driven about 80% of the roads listed, missing many of east coast drives. My favorite is still the old hiway up the Columbia River Gorge from Portland to The Dalles, my old home town.
Curves, tunnels, elevation changes, orchards [great smells] and always a panoramic view............the only thing close is 101. Anywhere on 101.
But, yaknow? anywhere with your hotrod is just fine.

 

Rocky Mountain National Park.

 

Hana Highway

 

A Four Wheel Drive '40 Chevy?? No way!!!

:O) ) ;o)

JG

 

I too grew up on that waterway and every morning I take a peek at the Dalles Dam via the road cam at The Dalles bridge. As found on the official community web site for Lyle, Washington. Take a look.

 

The trip over the mountins in a Jeep is a gas. It was raining the day me and the wife drove it. I got stuck in some nice clay gumbo by one of the old mines for about an hour after having the jeep for only 45 minutes. That sucked. Seeing a rew old vehicles that had rolled down the side of one of the montains was a little scary. The road was just a little niche with some gravee one it. BIG granite chunks.
Still a beautiful drive in the end.

 

I know the feeling. Hard to top it. A lot of my cruises have been on motorcycles. My rod is a coupe but I sure would like to build a roadster. The best of both worlds.

 

I met Bob Seger and his then girlfriend, now wife, on that "highway" many years ago, 1984ish. One lane at the time, all dirt, no guardrail, ALOT scarier back then as opposed to now days. Anyway, he was driving a Mustang convertible and me and a girlfriend were in a 4x4 jeep Wrangler, no top of course. We had been driving for hours wihout anyone or anything in site and came upon a house that someone converted the front to a convience store so we stopped for something to drink. I was sitting on the front lai and up he pulled and walked up. I asked him if anyone ever mention that he looks like Bob Seger and he said never heard of the guy and walked inside. I turned to my girlfriend and ask her "What country do you think he's from that he's never heard of Bob Seger". He heard me and came out laughing and said you girls must be from Detroit huh? We said of course, introduced ourselves, took photos, hugs, chatted about his upcoming tour, etc. Made the "Road to Hana" an adventure I'll never forget.

 

17 mile drive in Pebble Beach
or
when Ark-Ok area Talimena Scenic Drive along the top of the Ouachita, Winding Stair, and Rich Mountains. Start in Mena.

 

My folks are in Tucson in the winter. I gotta get down there.
I love that part of the country. Been to Globe many years ago. Went thru Springerville and Showlow. It was about 1965.
The northern half of Arizona. All beautiful too.
Love your Avatar too.

 

2wd, but it cleared everything okay - the road was a little washboard like - almost the whole length.

 

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PIKES PEAK HIGHWAY is especially neat if you've got something with a LOT of horsepower and good traction!

Check this out: (Turn your speakers UP!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-K1B4sTX4o

JG

 

there are so many ! was a truck driver for 25 yrs , long haul . saw some of the very best ! GLACIER PARK , YELLOWSTONE , YOSIMITE , THE ROCKIES , NEW MEXICO , YES HWY 1 IN CA. + HWY 20 IN CA. i could go on all day & still miss some . when you are a "PROFESSIONAL TOURIST" , you get it all . even NOGALIS has its good points . like i said , on & on !!
now the jungle has its points also . the high canopy is totally kool ! .. steve
HAWAII has some awesome roads . we are very lucky to be here !

 

There is a lot of really nice drives up and down the coast of California, but the two places I really remember driving are in WA and CO.
The drive from the Tri-cities in Washington to the Portland, Vancouver area along the columbia is at the top of my list for really pretty views, esp if its misty and foggy, I love it.
My second favorite drive was going from Phoenix to Denver and were driving non-stop trading off on behind the wheel and we go into the lower part of Colorado and it was about 2am, the stars and desert sky was unbelieveable, there wasnt any city light around, but more stars than Ive ever seen. We had to pull over just to look around.

 

Oh yeah! Thats a good one too..
Its a pretty gnarly drive with narrow and winding roads but the waterfalls at the top make it all worth it.

 

Nowdays the Road To Hanna is too well traveled and overrun with sightseers. Look to the other side of Maui and drive highway 340 from Honokahau to Waiehu. There are places on that road that if you meet another vehicle somebody has to back up to the closest wide spot and sometimes that means uphill. The views however are fantastic. We enjoyed this road more that the Road To Hanna. We didn't see many other people out there and that was only 3 years ago.

 

Rt 10 from the Penn boarder to Hamilton county NY,or Rt 87 from Lake George to Keen Vally and then the road to lake Placid NY.Then theres the spookiest road Rt 666 in north west Penn.

 

Hard to beat the pacific coast in ca. did that trek in my 41 chevy when i got out of the service. love to do it again some time. maybe in the 36 ford this year.

 

I'm getting ready to drive home for the weekend. That's a pretty good one.

 

PCH is always a nice ride. This trip was from Monterey back to OC PCH the entire way.

 

Pearson's junk yard is gone? Is the race track still there?

 

Right, Trail Ridge Road, I mis-spoke and called it Skyline Drive. Anyway, yeah, it's awsome. We did it in the pickup pulling the motorsickle trailer on the way to the Rocky Mtn National Park, it seemed so steep some of the time all I could see was the red hood and blue sky! At one point my wife grabbed the dash and the door, she wouldn't look anywhere but straight ahead and absolutely refused to ride the bike back up the next day. As I recall, the Panhead didn't run for shit at anything over about 8500 ft elevation, and I didn't shut it off to take a photo in front of the summit elevation marker.

That entire trip was awsome, we also loved the Tetons, and any driving around Jackson Hole was spectacular. Great by bike, next time, we roadster it!

Brian

 

That's a great story!

Brian

 

There IS a Skyline Drive in Colorado, but it is near Canon City, just off US 50. It runs along a hogback, and it is only ONE lane, running West to East. I drove that about ten years ago with the wife and kids, and it is one cool, and a bit scary, road! it's all paved, but there are sheer dropoffs on BOTH sides of the hogback that will get your attention!

 

100% agree........and in that Roadster any drive would be awesome.

 

A long story about the scenic beauty of Dinosaur Canyon.

My brother and I took my just bought '66 GT350H on a trip out west in 1978. I bought it from a friend for 3400.00. That's when they weren't such a big deal. We started in Wichita, Ks and headed for Colorado. You haven't lived until you drive a black on black car with 4:11 across western Kansas in the summer time. Hot, windy and noisey. Of course I was 23 and my bro only 15. We went thru Fort Collins. Into the mountains. Steamboat Springs. All beautiful.

Go to one fine day in Dinosaur Canyon Thread.

I moved this to it's own thread it got too dang long and far off topic.
Mark My bad. Sorry

 

It's a great road trip story, thanks for sharing.
In 2007 after we left Speed Week at B'ville we were planning on doing that Green River loop drive that I think you are talking about (at least in the same area I think). Anyway we kinda ran outta time and went north off I80 to Jackson Hole, then into Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Black Hills, etc. I do believe we will be trying to make it to that area again this year on our way home from Speed Week this year.

Thanks again for sharing your adventure

(I think you just made a mistake not leaving the whole story here. More will read your post here on this thread and enjoy it for years to come because of the search function, then moving it to another thread)