Image via Complex Original
Cars can be some of the most fun devices in the world, but sometimes it seems like society is trying its best to prevent us from enjoying them. Traffic is awful, most roads offer little to no interesting corners, and many places are saddled with artificially low speed limits that further reduce the potential for fun. Going to a race track is awesome, but that requires a very healthy-looking bank account to afford.
Luckily, there are great roads for enjoying your car out there, and some of them haven’t even been completely over-hyped. It seems like everybody is talking about the same two roads sometimes (PCH and Denali), despite that fact that there are tons of fun places to enjoy a car throughout the state. With that, here are 10 Incredible American Driving Roads You Don’t Know About.
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Route 135 from Nashville to Mauckport, Indiana
From a driver’s point of view, most of Indiana’s roads don’t offer much. There are pot-holes, the occasional slight bend, and lots of corn. There’s some hoonage to be found on roundabouts, but apart form that you’re stuck dropping a ton of cash to go play on a track (trust me, I know from personal experience). There is, however, one shining exception: Route 135. If you head South from Nashville, Ind.—yes, there’s a Nashville in Indiana, too—135 will take you through forests and state parks on a great winding road. It’s not the most challenging thing in the world, but it is a great drive.
Going-to-the-Sun Road, Mont.
Mountains are a driver’s best friend. They create the kind of restrictions on road-builders that result in fun things like hairpin turns. They also create some pants-wettingly terrifying drops, but that’s all part of the fun, no? Going-to-the-Sun Road passes through Glacier National Park, winding through some of the most amazing scenery our country has to offer.
Blue Ridge Parkway from Cumberland Knob Heading Southwest in North Carolina and Virginia
There are a million things to do along the Blue Ridge Parkway, if you can be bothered to stop enjoying the drive. It’s a perfect place for a road trip through a large expanse of protected wilderness. While the driving is great in the summer, the road usually gets pretty torn up in the winter, so it might be wise to give the crews some time to repair it before embarking upon your great trip.
San Juan Skyway from Ouray to Silverton, Colo.
Colorado’s San Juan Mountains are probably best known from postcards received from travelling family members, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t amazing roads hiding in them as well. This is one of those perfect spots where there just isn’t reason for tons of traffic, so get out there can enjoy what your car can do in the Red Mountain Pass.
Ortega Highway from San Juan Capistrano to Idyllwild, Calif.
Yes, we know that the Pacific Coast Highway is one of the greatest roads known to man, but California is chock full of other great places to wear your tires out quickly. Take the Ortega Highway. Head east from the mind-numbingly boring I-5 to Idyllwild via the Ortega Highway and you’ll be very pleased. Be warned though, the Google autocomplete for “Ortega Highway” is “dangerous.”
Route 7 from Kent to Lime Rock, Conn.
Two lanes, virtually no other cars, and tons of fun corners make for an absolutely fantastic moment of pair bonding between you and your automobile. This one is good enough to consider making a pilgrimage to, especially since it will take you right up to the amazing Lime Rock Park road course. Think of Route 7 as a warm-up for the track.
Route 1 from Brunswick to Ellsworth, Maine
Coastlines usually make for fantastic driving. Being products of nature, they’re not straight, and it’s much easier to build a road to fit the contours of the coast than it is to rearrange the edge of the continent itself, so the roads end up being brilliant. Take Route 1 up the Maine coastline to start, and then realize that off of this road branches countless other roads you’ll want to fling your car around on.
Taconic State Parkway, N.Y.
New York City is an awful, awful place to drive a car. We actually tend to make a distinction between driving and commuting, and we’d argue that driving is impossible in New York City. The state, however, offers plenty of smiles to the lead-footed. Head through Dutchess County from Westchester if you’re beyond ready to escape from the constant horn-honking and 5 mph traffic that is the city.
Just About Any Road Around Fallingwater, Penn.
Our first piece of advice is that you should go see Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece: Fallingwater, but don’t spend the whole day there. Once you’ve marveled at the creative and bizarre design, just go explore the vicinity, which is virtually nothing but brilliant roads. The Mason Dixon Highway and Route 30 are both good bets.
Coronado Trail from Alpine to Clifton, Ariz.
Arizona has some pretty dull roads; arrow straight and surrounded by nothing but animals that want to kill you, plants that want to kill you, and sheriff’s deputies that might want to kill you, but will settle for writing you a speeding ticket instead. However, between Alpine and Clifton there is some fantastic terrain that makes for two fun roads. US-180 is good, but the Coronado Trail (US-191) is even better. Start in Alpine, drive down one and back up the other and you’ll be very happy. Just remember to keep an eye on your engine temperature; this is Arizona, after all.
