Great drives

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There have been many posts on this forum about various driving tours, describing routes, places to stay and places to visit on the way. But what are the best bits of road you've driven on for the pure enjoyment of being on that road?

I'd find it difficult to put any sort of preference to my selection, so here in no particular order (other than when I first experienced them) are some of the roads I've gained most driving pleasure from:

  • California's Highway 1 from San Francisco down to LA (best in that direction because you're on the Ocean side of the road so better views)
  • The Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia (great to drive but you have to stop in some places for the best views)
  • The Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff in the Canadian Rockies (both directions are jaw dropping)
  • The Sea to Sky Highway (Route 99) from Vancouver to Whistler in British Columbia, Canada (resurfaced for the 2010 Winter Olympics so super smooth now)
  • Stelvio Pass in the Italian Alps (best just after it's opened in late spring because less traffic and still amazing snow-covered views)
 
Muscat to Nizwa Oman, with a detour to Jebel Akhdar and on to Jebel Shams.
 
In the UK, the Bealach na Ba
Also a back road over the Pyrenees from France to a small town called Isaba in Spain. Stunning views, and a great driving road.
 
OK, a few suggestions:
  • The D120 from St-Agreve to Privas (France)
  • The D290 from Vallon-Pont-d'Arc to St-Martin-d'Ardeche (France)
  • The climb up the D N8 from Le Beausset to the Circuit Paul Ricard (France)
  • The fast and forgiving Col du Bonhomme (D415) from Fraize to Kaysersberg (France)
  • The Route Napoleon (N85 / D4085 / D6085) from Digne-les-Bains to Grasse (France)
  • The N502 from Avila to Arenas de San Pedro (Spain)
  • The EX203 from Madrigal de la Vera to Plasencia (Spain) - NB: Losar de la Vera is a completely mad, topiary-filled village on this road!
  • Pretty much any of the passes in the Dolomites (Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Campolongo, Falzarego, etc.)
  • The descent from the Timmelsjoch (Austria) through San Leonardo in Passiria to Merano which has stunning views down the valley
...and dozens more!
 
The 120 from Sonora, California, through Yosemite national park, going up to over 6000 ft in the mountains and then down to bishop. Great road and some truly amazing views
 
The road to Sa Calobra in Mallorca. In a Seat 600. In the late '70's.

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The Route Napoleon (N85 / D4085 / D6085) from Digne-les-Bains to Grasse (France)

:thumb:
Did that one last year in reverse on the way back from Monaco with Mrs KE driving so I managed to enjoy even more of the beautiful views.
 
The 120 from Sonora, California, through Yosemite national park, going up to over 6000 ft in the mountains and then down to bishop. Great road and some truly amazing views

:thumb:
Only managed half that route the first time I tried because some of it was closed because of the snow. Drove it all a few years later and agree that the views are glorious.
 
This year we're off on a trek from San Francisco to Denver, via Yosemite, Sequoia, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon plus some other parks. All in all a 3 week jaunt.

Any must sees / roads not to miss ?
 
Had a nice run out a few weeks ago on some lovely roads.

Basically I had an unplanned day off work, so decided to go on a cigarette run. Set off from Toulouse and went down to Pas de la Casa in Andorra, which is about a two hour drive though I've done that one many times and it's abit tedious.

As it was still only 0930 I thought I'd have a play about, so decided on a run to Spain from there. I looked at Google Maps on the phone, and planned a little route out. All the way through Andorra on the old road over the mountains and not just via the boring tunnel, through Andorra la Vella and onto the Spanish border. Through customs (just waved through, no interest in me unlike the French side) and then had an option of turning left towards Barcelona, or right towards the mountains and ultimately Bossost and back into France. I turned right.

Absolutely incredible roads, hardly any traffic at all. Headed towards Sort on the N260, which is one of those roads with all the hairpin bends you see on various motoring TV programmes, then basically turned right at Sort and headed towards Vielha on the C13/C28. This was the road which stood out. Long fast stretches combined with loads of 180 hairpins. Picturesque villages every few miles and the scenery was incredible. Once I got to Vielha, it was basically another right turn and follow the signs for France, heading through Bossost to the Tabac in Les where I did my top-up shop. :)

It got a bit dull from there as it was just single and dual carriageway on the N125 up to the E80 which took me back to my starting point, though there were still some spectacular views to be had.

A total of just over 500Km and it took the best part of 7 1/2 hours, including stops.

My one regret was that I wasn't in my own car, but in a 1.2 Opel Corsa, which was not the best way to experience driving roads like these. I was down to first gear going up some of the roads, and careful going down them as I think the brakes would have started to cook had I gone at the speeds I wanted to.

Next time round I may try it in the Merc. ;)
 
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This year we're off on a trek from San Francisco to Denver, via Yosemite, Sequoia, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon plus some other parks. All in all a 3 week jaunt.

Any must sees / roads not to miss ?

Sounds great. Everywhere in Yosemite is beautiful. The Tioga Road (a turn off to the left soon after entering Yosemite when coming from San Francisco) is a good scenic drive and probably the road you'd take to Sequoia. But spend a bit of time in Yosemite and visit the valley before taking a drive up to Glacier Point with its stunning views.

Death Valley is mostly easy driving but can of course get very hot. I'd recommend Dante's Peak and Natural Bridge Canyon for great views. Artist's Palette is a worthwhile 9-mile scenic loop drive through volcanic rocks and sediment hills.

Las Vegas has all the hotels and casinos on the Strip that are free to visit (don't miss the indoor canals in the Venetian). Loads of outside shows too (Belagio fountains, Mirage volcano, etc) More entertaining at nighttime is the Freemont Street Experience at the top end of the Strip. Park in one of the casino carparks nearby, collect a free ticket in the casino then walk straight out into Freemont St. It's not to be missed. Places to visit nearby include Red Rock Canyon about 5 miles west of LV and the stunning Valley of Fire about 50 miles north.

On the way to the Grand Canyon stop at Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam for a few hours. Further on (at Kingman) you can take a detour onto the old Route 66, but it's not particularly impressive.

The West Rim at the Canyon is the closest so where all the helicopter trips from LV go to (including the bottom of the canyon). But it's not as spectacular as the South Rim (about 280 miles from LV). Best to stay overnight near the South Rim for early amazing views at the canyon - but book well in advance.

Everywhere you drive will be easy, but some of the roads do seem long with little change in the scenery. Just stick with it because the places you'll be visiting are stunning. The traffic in Las Vegas is horrendous so allow plenty time to get around there. Depending on when you're going, make sure you check that the roads you want are open - some in Yosemite, the Sierra Nevada and Grand Canyon close in winter. Have a fabulous trip.
 

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