The World’s Most Spectacular Roads, Vol. 2
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The World’s Most Spectacular Roads, Vol. 2
Lovely pics at the link
http://matadortrips.com/photo-essay-...ar-roads-vol-2
Photo Essay: The World’s Most Spectacular Roads, Vol. 2
07/5/10 Print This Post 271 Comments Popular Written by Hal Amen
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The original edition sparked so much debate among readers that we had to revisit the subject.
[Editor's note: This list is based almost entirely on reader comments from the original post, The World's Most Spectacular Roads. Plus a couple of my personal favorites.]
1. Milford Road, New Zealand
Not to be confused with the famous Milford Track trekking route, the Milford Road State Highway 94 passes through the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s South Island.
Photo: macronix
2. Stelvio Pass, Italy
48 hairpin turns up to a 2757m (9045ft) pass in the Italian Alps, and Top Gear’s pick for “greatest driving road in the world.”
Photo: Damian Morys Foto
3. Great Ocean Road, Australia
This coastal road in Victoria runs for 241km, between Torquay and Warrnambool. The car-less might consider the Great Ocean Walk as an alternative.
Photo: Stas Kulesh
4. Chalus Road, Iran
Tehran is connected to the northern city of Chalus via this road through the Alborz Mountains. Check this site for more images.
Photo: ninara
5. Cabot Trail, Canada
Wrapping around northern Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, the Cabot Trail is mountainous and windy with near-constant ocean views. I recommend biking it.
Photo: kennymatic
6. I-70 at Glenwood Canyon, Colorado
The Colorado River, of Grand Canyon fame, carved this canyon billions of years ago. The U.S. government built the 12-mile, $490 million interstate route through it, which was only completed in 1992.
Photo: Payton Chung
7. Millau Bridge, France
Southern France’s Millau Bridge is the tallest in the world — taller, actually, than the Eiffel Tower.
Photo: tibchris
8. Karakoram Highway, Pakistan
The “highest paved international road in the world” connects Pakistan with Xinjiang, China. It is currently closed at the Hunza Valley due to a massive landslide.
Photo: Umair Mohsin
9. Mountain road, Snowdonia, Wales
Mountainous northern Wales is traversed by many of these ancient, narrow, stone-walled roads. I’ve experienced the challenge of navigating them at night. With oncoming traffic. Car renters beware.
Photo: Richard0
10. Ice Highway, Canada
Winter means greater accessibility in northern Canada. This frozen road runs up the Northwest Territories.
Photo: madmack66
11. Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa
Another great coastal road, this one just 15 miles south of Cape Town.
Photo: Raveesh Vyas
12. Mountain road, central Peru
Most mountain pass roads in Peru qualify as “spectacular.” This one runs north from the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo and is part of the car route to Machu Picchu.
Photo: ThiagoJ
13. Liwa, UAE
Roads through the desert oasis of Liwa, Abu Dhabi, stretch long.
Photo: Luca Assen
14. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana
The only route through Glacier National Park was featured in the opening scenes of “The Shining.”
Photo: Colin Gregory Palmer
15. Mývatn, Iceland
Mývatn is a volcanically active region in northern Iceland. This road will take you there.
Photo: Francesco_G
16. Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys
U.S. Highway 1 runs for miles over the water, connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland. It includes this long span of bridge.
Photo: milan.boers
17. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland
Traveling north from Italy into Switzerland, you’ll come to Gotthard Pass, which you can cross on either the new, straightforward road, or the old roller coaster above. My money’s on the latter.
Photo: Mikael Miettinen
18. Tichka Pass, Morocco
I recently drove over the 2260m Tichka Pass on my way to Zagora to ride a camel. The pass was cooler. No offense, camel.
Photo: cliffwilliams
19. Pacific Coast Highway, California
This is the only road getting reprised from the original post. It seems to deserve it.
Photo: tibchris
20. Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
The roads of western Ireland are narrow, flanked by green, and sometimes charmed.
Photo: ktylerconk
Photo Essay: The World’s Most Spectacular Roads, Vol. 2
07/5/10 Print This Post 271 Comments Popular Written by Hal Amen
Yahoo! Buzz Stumble It ShareThis
Share
3977
The original edition sparked so much debate among readers that we had to revisit the subject.
[Editor's note: This list is based almost entirely on reader comments from the original post, The World's Most Spectacular Roads. Plus a couple of my personal favorites.]
1. Milford Road, New Zealand
Not to be confused with the famous Milford Track trekking route, the Milford Road State Highway 94 passes through the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s South Island.
Photo: macronix
2. Stelvio Pass, Italy
48 hairpin turns up to a 2757m (9045ft) pass in the Italian Alps, and Top Gear’s pick for “greatest driving road in the world.”
Photo: Damian Morys Foto
3. Great Ocean Road, Australia
This coastal road in Victoria runs for 241km, between Torquay and Warrnambool. The car-less might consider the Great Ocean Walk as an alternative.
Photo: Stas Kulesh
4. Chalus Road, Iran
Tehran is connected to the northern city of Chalus via this road through the Alborz Mountains. Check this site for more images.
Photo: ninara
5. Cabot Trail, Canada
Wrapping around northern Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, the Cabot Trail is mountainous and windy with near-constant ocean views. I recommend biking it.
Photo: kennymatic
6. I-70 at Glenwood Canyon, Colorado
The Colorado River, of Grand Canyon fame, carved this canyon billions of years ago. The U.S. government built the 12-mile, $490 million interstate route through it, which was only completed in 1992.
Photo: Payton Chung
7. Millau Bridge, France
Southern France’s Millau Bridge is the tallest in the world — taller, actually, than the Eiffel Tower.
Photo: tibchris
8. Karakoram Highway, Pakistan
The “highest paved international road in the world” connects Pakistan with Xinjiang, China. It is currently closed at the Hunza Valley due to a massive landslide.
Photo: Umair Mohsin
9. Mountain road, Snowdonia, Wales
Mountainous northern Wales is traversed by many of these ancient, narrow, stone-walled roads. I’ve experienced the challenge of navigating them at night. With oncoming traffic. Car renters beware.
Photo: Richard0
10. Ice Highway, Canada
Winter means greater accessibility in northern Canada. This frozen road runs up the Northwest Territories.
Photo: madmack66
11. Chapman’s Peak Drive, South Africa
Another great coastal road, this one just 15 miles south of Cape Town.
Photo: Raveesh Vyas
12. Mountain road, central Peru
Most mountain pass roads in Peru qualify as “spectacular.” This one runs north from the Sacred Valley town of Ollantaytambo and is part of the car route to Machu Picchu.
Photo: ThiagoJ
13. Liwa, UAE
Roads through the desert oasis of Liwa, Abu Dhabi, stretch long.
Photo: Luca Assen
14. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana
The only route through Glacier National Park was featured in the opening scenes of “The Shining.”
Photo: Colin Gregory Palmer
15. Mývatn, Iceland
Mývatn is a volcanically active region in northern Iceland. This road will take you there.
Photo: Francesco_G
16. Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys
U.S. Highway 1 runs for miles over the water, connecting the Florida Keys to the mainland. It includes this long span of bridge.
Photo: milan.boers
17. Gotthard Pass, Switzerland
Traveling north from Italy into Switzerland, you’ll come to Gotthard Pass, which you can cross on either the new, straightforward road, or the old roller coaster above. My money’s on the latter.
Photo: Mikael Miettinen
18. Tichka Pass, Morocco
I recently drove over the 2260m Tichka Pass on my way to Zagora to ride a camel. The pass was cooler. No offense, camel.
Photo: cliffwilliams
19. Pacific Coast Highway, California
This is the only road getting reprised from the original post. It seems to deserve it.
Photo: tibchris
20. Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
The roads of western Ireland are narrow, flanked by green, and sometimes charmed.
Photo: ktylerconk
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,460
Likes: 251
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Great pictures.
Some of these roads, especially the Karakoram Highway, are so high that you would probably need oxygen to drive them safely.....and normally-aspirated vehicles would be sapped of a lot of power in the thin air. In aviation, for example, the crew either goes on oxygen or pressurization between 10,000 and 12,000 feet.
The Pikes' Peak Road could probably also be added to this list. I mentioned that in a similiar thread we had on this subject a few months ago.
Some of these roads, especially the Karakoram Highway, are so high that you would probably need oxygen to drive them safely.....and normally-aspirated vehicles would be sapped of a lot of power in the thin air. In aviation, for example, the crew either goes on oxygen or pressurization between 10,000 and 12,000 feet.
The Pikes' Peak Road could probably also be added to this list. I mentioned that in a similiar thread we had on this subject a few months ago.
Last edited by mmarshall; Jul 10, 2010 at 09:17 AM.
Those are some beautiful scapes, for sure. I wonder about this one, though:
I realize it's a bit steep to go straight down next to the mountain, but are all those curves necessary? Makes me wonder if they do that just to screw with truck drivers to make them take another path. Can't imagine trying to maneuver a loaded down vehicle around some of those hairpins...
Big Mack
I realize it's a bit steep to go straight down next to the mountain, but are all those curves necessary? Makes me wonder if they do that just to screw with truck drivers to make them take another path. Can't imagine trying to maneuver a loaded down vehicle around some of those hairpins...
Big Mack
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,460
Likes: 251
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
I realize it's a bit steep to go straight down next to the mountain, but are all those curves necessary? Makes me wonder if they do that just to screw with truck drivers to make them take another path. Can't imagine trying to maneuver a loaded down vehicle around some of those hairpins...
Big Mack
Big Mack
Our own National Road (U.S. 40) was more or less like that, for many years, across the Appalachian Mountains of MD and PA, before it was straightened and levelled some in the 1940s and 50s, and U.S. 50, running parallel to it just a few miles south across the mountains of WV, is still like that today.
A few very steep areas of U.S. 40 still exist, though. I posted one, a few weeks ago, on the sharp 3.5-mile-descent into Uniontown, PA.....the specific stretch where I learned the art of downshifting/mountain braking.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 22,608
Likes: 105
From: Waiting for next track day
Those are some beautiful scapes, for sure. I wonder about this one, though:
I realize it's a bit steep to go straight down next to the mountain, but are all those curves necessary? Makes me wonder if they do that just to screw with truck drivers to make them take another path. Can't imagine trying to maneuver a loaded down vehicle around some of those hairpins...
Big Mack
I realize it's a bit steep to go straight down next to the mountain, but are all those curves necessary? Makes me wonder if they do that just to screw with truck drivers to make them take another path. Can't imagine trying to maneuver a loaded down vehicle around some of those hairpins...
Big Mack
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