Road Trip! – Five Great Driving Roads
May 19, 2021
Following on from our very own Jim Blackstock’s pick of motorcycle riding routes I thought I would compile a similar list of great driving roads for those who prefer life on four wheels. Swap bike for car though and those must-rides would certainly qualify for inclusion here too, no doubt about it, but for the sake of originality and diversity and with the world hopefully opening back up again in the not-too-distant future I shall be exploring further afield for this particular line-up.
Furthermore, I’ll be lending some authenticity to proceedings too and speaking from my own personal experience when it comes to enjoying what I believe to be great driving roads – roads forever lodged in the old hippocampus that still make me smile to this day and so every route you see here I have actually traversed and can humbly vouch for its worthiness as a “great driving road”.
1) Stelvio Pass, Italy
This bad boy regularly pops up on these types of lists and for good reason because it is quite simply stunning. There are so many amazing roads to choose from in this particular corner of the globe and it was a toss-up between this, the San Bernadino Pass and the Hahtennjoch Pass but for pure driving pleasure the Italian Stelvio just takes the biscotti in my opinion. Much like the NC500 in Scotland the Stelvio Pass has unfortunately become a bit of a tourist trap thanks in part to those Top Gear lot exclaiming that it was the greatest driving road in Europe, so you’ll have to get up pretty early to avoid any potential traffic jams. I myself got stuck behind a caravan on the way through the 48 switchbacks on the northern side and there is little opportunity for passing, opting instead to pull over and wait for the great white despair to progress far enough ahead for me to continue my enjoyment of this iconic drive. Slow moving traffic aside however the road itself is fantastic.
It’s a visually spectacular, Jekyll and Hyde monster with those famous, dramatic, back-to back hairpin turns on one side and more sweeping, open bends on the other – there’s something for everyone and it’s a real challenge to boot. Experience dictates that approaching from the north east at Trafoi is preferable, heading south west to Bormio. This way takes you up through the woods on some seriously narrow tarmac and then all of a sudden you pop out above the tree line and it’s on to the notorious “twisty bit”. The views here are remarkable and it really is a beautiful drive, but you’ll be far more concerned about getting your braking points right in between the straights, trying to cultivate the perfect drive into and out of the next switchback than what’s whizzing past your passenger window. And those severe, technical turns just keep on coming, as will the smiles on your face as you consummately nail the next hairpin exit. And that’s what this road is really all about – getting it right. As you summit make sure to peel off to the Albergo Ristorante Tibet for “that” photo and then it’s off down the other side, a much gentler, sweeping affair but still bags of fun, giving you time perhaps to not only reflect on what you have just experienced but also to pull over for some truly so-good-you’ll-frame-them photos. It really is a great road and a must-drive for any petrol head but get the timing wrong and it can honestly be a bit of a nightmare. A ‘Strange Case’ indeed.
2) Milford Road, NZ
As it turns out I had to literally travel to the other side of the world to experience one of the best roads I have ever driven. The Milford Road is a 74 mile stretch of the imaginatively titled State Highway 94 on New Zealand’s south island between Te Anau and Milford Sound, deep in the heart of the country’s Fiordland National Park. The scenery here is nothing short of breath-taking so when planning your journey it’s important to take into account the sheer number of times you’ll be stopping to take in the views. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot but there are ample opportunities to pull over and even enjoy a short walking trail or two. Beginning at Te Anau and heading north the road passes through the steep rock faces of Eglinton Valley (The Eglinton mountains famously feature in Peter Jackson’s Lord of The Rings; The Fellowship Of The Ring movie adaptation) where it then passes the acclaimed Mirror Lakes where on a still day you can see the Earl Mountains reflected perfectly in their waters.
As you continue on past Lake Gunn the road bears west and begins to rise as it winds its way through the mountains en route to the Homer tunnel, a 1270 metre, dead straight hole hacked out of solid granite. At this point it should be noted that visiting in spring is advised as not only will the road be a lot safer (it suffers regular closures and carrying snow chains is mandatory during the winter months) but you’ll also be treated to hundreds of mini, snow melt waterfalls emanating from the rock faces as you ascend, as if the stone itself is weeping, lamenting the passing of winter. Heading through the tunnel marks the beginning of your descent to the frankly awe-inspiring Milford Sound – the icing on this particularly beautiful cake and whilst the drive is more of a visual feast, nay, banquet than a technically demanding excursion it’s still a “sweet as” driving road, as the Kiwis would say.
3) Pacific Coast Highway, USA
As iconic roads go California’s Highway 1 is right up there with Route 66 but unlike the nearly four thousand kilometre “Mother Road”, the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to San Diego can be done in a fraction of the time if you’re not too fussed about stopping along the way, but that kind of defeats the whole object and I would recommend at the very least a two day jaunt to take in the sights as well as some of the more interesting locations en route. The official start of “California State Route 1” is north of San Francisco near Leggett, off of US 101 but most people use San Francisco as a jumping off point. From there it’s plain sailing all the way down to San Diego, winding past rugged coastline, scenic beaches, caves, coves and headlands. There are many points of interest along the way including Santa Cruz, Carmel, Big Sur and the Bixby Creek Bridge to name a few but the beauty of this road is that you can pull off pretty much anywhere to soak up the incredible views.
It is designated an All-American Road meaning that it possesses at least two of six intrinsic qualities: scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological, and recreational and boy does it deliver. My journey ended in LA which did seem like a natural conclusion, but the road continues down to San Diego where you can choose to carry on into Mexico should the mood take you. The only downer is the 55MPH speed limit, but you’ll be too busy gazing out of the window to worry about that – like the Milford Road in New Zealand, this is more of a lazy, sweeping road – one for leisurely cruising and sightseeing. Incidentally my steed of choice did come equipped with a monstrous V10 engine but then again it was in a thirty-foot, relocation rental Winnebego.
4) B500, Germany
Meandering through the Black Forest (insert hackneyed cake joke here) and rising over 1000 metres above the Rhine the B500, or more difficult to pronounce Schwarzwaldhochstraße, is a beautiful stretch of black top between Baden Baden in the north and Freudenstadt in the south that evokes memories of old childhood fairy tales. With fast, wide, sweeping bends through picturesque, rolling landscapes as well as sections of forest-ensconced switchbacks it has a lot going for it and although it’s less demanding than, say, the Stelvio Pass it is certainly not to be dismissed as boring. Whether attacking from the north or the south (why not do both?) it remains 100% enjoyable and there is a very real compulsion to put your foot down and open things up so be sure to keep one eye on the speedometer.
It would be incredibly easy to stay too long in one of the myriad pretty villages along the way and pick up in the morning where you left off and there are ample viewing locations for photos, especially when up around the road’s highest point and the Hornisgrinde nature reserve. The road can get busy during holiday periods so consider travelling outside of peak times to make the most of driving here and if afterwards you find yourself wishing you were in a 300 SL or 930 Turbo then a visit to the nearby Mercedes and Porsche museums in Stuttgart should definitely be a part of your itinerary.
5) Valley of Fire Highway, USA
I conclude my list with another U S of A entry, this time nestled in the Mojave Desert. Swathing a path through the Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada it’s the shortest road on the list at just over twenty miles long but by no means does that make it any less exciting than those listed above. Driving the Valley of Fire Highway really does feel like you’ve left planet earth and are snaking your way through a Martian landscape. It was even used as a location when filming Total Recall, the classic 1990 Schwarzenegger sci-fi blockbuster that heavily features the red planet. Coming from the west you’ll be turning off Interstate 15 at exit 75 onto the Valley of Fire Road by the Moapa River Indian Reservation around 30 miles north east of Las Vegas so it’s perfect for a day trip if you’re visiting the city and makes renting a car a doddle. If this is indeed your modus operandi then may I suggest the rather clichéd trope of forking out for a muscle car?
There’s something to be said for the sound of a thunderous V8 echoing off of the rocky outcrops along the way and I myself made this trip in a Hemi Dodge Challenger which really did elevate the whole experience, personally speaking. The road finishes in the east at an intersection with Northshore Road nine miles south of Overton. Travelling in either direction is good, depending on the time of day and whether you want the sun at your back or in your eyes, but rest assured the red sandstone rock formations burn bright regardless of the direction of travel and the significance of the road’s name will become crystal clear. Make sure to stop off at Atlatl Rock around the halfway point where you can see 3000-year-old Native American petroglyphs carved into the giant boulder. There is a $10 per vehicle fee to gain access to the park but it’s well worth it so to paraphrase Arnie, get your ass to Nevada.
