That's my stapler - Driving
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Scenic Drives
A listing of my favourite roads that I have driven in my travels.
Criteria for my list are sports car drivability, scenery and minimal traffic.
Calgary/Banff - Alberta
- Old Banff Coach Road
A local road that winds it's way out of Calgary on the westend, through a couple foothills to the outskirts and executive acreages. In the early evening, you'll find several motorbikes cruising up and down this twisty stretch. Urban sprawl and a few drivers who try to navigate this twisty circuit too fast are sure to make this road unusable for a quick evening cruise soon. - Highway 1A
This is the backroads way to Banff from Calgary and a great alternate route when the number of tourist buses on the Transcanada increases in the summer. Best time is the late evening on a weekday. No need to speed or push your car too hard on this road, just enjoy the serenity and lack of tourists' buses and RVs. - Tunnel Mountain Road - Banff
A narrow mountain road on the edge of the Banff townsite that is only open in the late spring to early fall. The scenery on this route is best viewed with a convertible! Not recommended for passengers who get a little squeamish.
- Kootenay Lake Highway 3a from Creston to Nelson
This is the windiest piece of road I have seen in Canada. From Creston, home of the Kokanee Beer brewery, you'll drive north along the east edge of Kootenay Lake - up to Crawford Bay, where my parents live. At Crawford Bay you have to take the "longest free ferry" across the lake to Nelson - a quiet mining town that is now focused on tourism.
Do not try this road in the summer time. Americans in their large RV's bring travel on this road to a near standstill, even with places for them to pull over. However, with minimal traffic in the spring/fall, you can traverse this 80km of road in a little over an hour. Locals can do it in less time, but they will cross over the median, so watch out for them if they're on-coming or pull over if they look like they want to pass.
- The Going-to-the-Sun Road is a spectacular 52 mile drive through Glacier National Park. Due to the number of switchbacks and tight corners, the maximum length of vehicles allowed is 21 feet. On a summer day, don't plan on making the trip in less than a couple hours. For sheer 'wow' factor nothing beats the views of the valley at the top! Of course, this road is only open in the Spring and Summer.
- Garden Of The Gods are towering peaks of red sandstone. Not much to the drive to get there from Colorado Springs, but the view of these monolithic formations at sunset are unbelievable. If your car is up to it, a cruise up to the top of pike's peak is in order.
- Columbia River Highway is a scenic drive through southern Oregon, past Mount Hood along the Columbia River.
- US Highway 101 - Pacific Coast Scenic Byway
The Pacific Coast Scenic Byway follows the Oregon coast along Highway 101. There are many points of interest, including lighthouses, sandy beaches, spectacular views and the aquarium at Newport. The Oregon Coast Aquarium ranks among the top aquariums in the nation.
- Blue Ridge Parkway Interstate 81
The Parkway follows the Appalachian Mountain chain and provides views of many different parallel mountain ranges and scattered hills ranging in elevation from 649 to 6,047 feet.
- Overseas Highway from Miami to Key West - US 1
Highway 1 has 37 bridges over 113 miles and passes over a series of islands (the Keys) from Key Largo to Key West. The Keys vary in size, most being very small, and apart from Key West they largely have a rural, old-world boating atmosphere.
The drive is generally scenic and interesting. One highlight is the seven mile bridge just west of Marathon. Stay in Marathon or Key Largo rather than Key West if you prefer somewhere less crowded, less expensive and less commercialized.
- posted by Steve @ 7:00 AM 4 comments
