Here are a few driving locations around the globe that are worth
making the trip. These perfectly meld glorious views, exotic locales,
and of course, challenging roads to make such experiences worth every
second you can spare.
Here are our top 10 favourite driving roads in no particular order …
Completed in the mid-’30s, the Cabot Trail boasts some of the most
spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean in all of Canada. It packs
together 300 kilometres of fishing villages, nature preserves, coastal
views, cliffs and challenging drives with the most incredible scenery
compressed in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park, which takes up
most of Nova Scotia’s eastern tip.While those who wish to camp can
stretch the Cabot trail over four days, it is possible to do the best
part of the run – from Margaree Forks on the North side around Dingwall
to Baddeck near the middle comfortably in a day. The roads themselves
range from horribly bumpy to baby-bottom smooth, but never get boring.
The Eastern portion features numerous switchbacks as you climb and
descend around and through several bays and fjords. The Western leg sees
more open, sweeping two-lane roads that parallel the
coastline.Canadians should be proud…
Built in the 1960s to handle the traffic heading to the burgeoning ski trails at the now-renamed Whistler Mountain, British Columbia started a project to extend Highway 99 from Vancouver through Squamish to the ski hill and beyond to Pemberton. However, because of space issues, most of the two-lane Sea to Sky was left without any guardrails, which adds to the excitement, but means many have plunged off the road in bad conditions.
However, as a part of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Sea to Sky was vastly improved, with extra lanes, guardrails and concrete barriers. The work hasn’t dulled the impressive scenery at all, with glaciers, and forests all fighting for your attention along the two-hour drive. The city of Squamish sits mid-way along the route and is a great place to take a quick breather.
Perhaps one of the most famous roads in North America, the Pacific Coast Highway is only a portion of the similarly incredible California State Route 1 that runs the whole of Cali’s western coast. The section dubbed PCH starts near Capsitrano Beach in Orange County, and travels through all those mega-rich towns you’ve heard of but never had the privilege of visiting: Laguna Beach, Crystal Cove, Newport Beach, and Corona Del Mar. There’s so much money around, you’ll think you’ve drowned in dollar bills.
As you head north out of Los Angeles, you’ll meet the charm of Santa Barbara’s red-tile roofs and the 165-room Hearst Castle in San Simeon – definite checkpoints along the way.
While PCH never gets truly challenging, it is certainly entertaining, if only to see the dramatic California coastline and the other cars on the road with you. Oh, and the Beautiful People, of course. If you’re up for a challenge, Mulholland Drive and the Topanga Canyon areas are both easily accessible from PCH, and provide wonderful challenges to your reflexes.
The best part is that you can sample the highway in bits and bites. SR1 continues without the PCH moniker through San Francisco up to Big Sur, before becoming Route 101/Oregon Coast Highway No. 9, and on through Washington State.
Does the Col de Turini ring any bells? If you’re a rally fan, it’s Mecca. A mountain pass in the French Alps, it served as the most notorious stage in the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, with impossibly tight roads, questionable weather conditions, and thousands of fans watching. The 32-km road runs between Sospel and La Bollène and at some points rally cars can hit upwards of 180 km/h.
There are 34 hairpin turns over this undulating piece of tarmac, which means you’ll need something small with quick steering and decent power to enjoy the experience fully. Perhaps even a Mini Cooper S, in honour of the marque’s three consecutive victories in the late ’50s. No matter what you choose, make sure it has good brakes!
Calling the Stelvio Pass one of the most challenging pieces of road known to man isn’t an overstatement – just look at the photo! Built in the early 1800s to link old pieces of the Austrian Empire, the road now joins Italy to Switzerland. It features 60 – yes 60 – hairpin turns with minimal guardrails, and the scenery is intensely beautiful.
Because of the high altitude, a normally aspirated engine will suffer some power loss. But given its location, something Italian and exotic would seem a perfect choice. Something with 12 cylinders and no roof, perhaps?
Alright, some might consider this cheating because the Nürburgring was designed as the ultimate race track – and still is some weekends – but it is primarily a German toll road, and any vehicle with an up-to-date licence and registration can tour its 22-km of taxing pavement. That means Porsches dodging around Ducatis darting around busses and campers. Chaos, but worthy chaos. The toll is around $25 per lap, which given the track’s length and challenge, seems a bit of a bargain.
If you don’t want to use your own car, there are many local outfits ready and willing to rent you anything from a European hot hatch, to a track-prepped Alfa Romeo 75 to a full-blown Porsche GT3 RSR. Just bring your chequebook, and don’t crash!
But this is definitely one trip any serious petrol-head will have on their Bucket List.
Can a small portion of US129 that crosses from Tennessee into North Carolina be considered one of the best in the world? With a claimed 318 curves over 18 km, it sure can. The Tail of the Dragon at Deal’s Gap has a speed limit of only 50 km/h, but is so twisty you can enjoy it at that moderate pace. This one is perhaps less spectacular to sightsee, but the roller-coaster thrills make up for it.
Those familiar with the road urge newcomers not to get tempted into short-cutting corners. Since it is an active highway with the associated truck traffic that goes with it, this can be a seriously dangerous move. But because of its compact length and no cost, you can make runs back and forth all day to really come to grips with your ride.
While its name might be unimpressive, TF 436 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, is very impressive to drive. Starting in Santiago del Teide in the shadows of the Tiede volcano the lane-and-a-half road twists up and around the mountainous terrain, with blind turns galore. The village of Masca is worth a stop, if only to see this village literally perched on the side of a mountain, and it provides a good place to stop and catch your breath.
The second half through La Vica, Los Carrizales, Las Portellas, and down through El Palmar features switchbacks, desert terrain and perfectly paved roads. You finish in Buenavista del Norte, which is much cooler than the rest of the tropical island. While only 22-km long, this one will definitely leave an impression. But watch out for busses and trucks! Every part of Tenerife is accessible by public transit …
While the Ice Fields Parkway might be a more relaxed drive than some of the others on this list, the scenery more than makes up for it. Essentially running the spine of the Canadian Rockies, the 230-km Parkway runs from Banff, Atla. to Jasper. Along the way, you’ll find mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes and valleys with countless ‘did you see that?’ moments along the way.
This is a perfect opportunity to turn a drive into a week away, with hiking, skiing, ice climbing and winter camping all offering ways to stretch your legs. Might as well bring the family along, so maybe rent an RV to keep your costs down.
Finally, the Grand Pacific Drive in New South Wales, Australia certainly lives up to its name. This 169-km route from Sydney to Wollongong features everything you could ever want, including beaches, wildlife parks, rain forests, coastal villages and more, all with the glorious weather and laid-back attitude that symbolizes life Down Under. Bald Hill provides some of the most spectacular lookouts along the way.
Since Australia still produces some of the most amazing V8-powered muscle cars from Holden and Ford, finding a suitable steed won’t be difficult. Perhaps a Ford Falcon XR8 or Holden Commodore SS? Getting used to driving on the ‘other’ side of the road might be more stressful, though.
Here are our top 10 favourite driving roads in no particular order …
1. The Cabot Trail
2. Sea to Sky Highway
Built in the 1960s to handle the traffic heading to the burgeoning ski trails at the now-renamed Whistler Mountain, British Columbia started a project to extend Highway 99 from Vancouver through Squamish to the ski hill and beyond to Pemberton. However, because of space issues, most of the two-lane Sea to Sky was left without any guardrails, which adds to the excitement, but means many have plunged off the road in bad conditions.
However, as a part of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the Sea to Sky was vastly improved, with extra lanes, guardrails and concrete barriers. The work hasn’t dulled the impressive scenery at all, with glaciers, and forests all fighting for your attention along the two-hour drive. The city of Squamish sits mid-way along the route and is a great place to take a quick breather.
3. Pacific Coast Highway
Perhaps one of the most famous roads in North America, the Pacific Coast Highway is only a portion of the similarly incredible California State Route 1 that runs the whole of Cali’s western coast. The section dubbed PCH starts near Capsitrano Beach in Orange County, and travels through all those mega-rich towns you’ve heard of but never had the privilege of visiting: Laguna Beach, Crystal Cove, Newport Beach, and Corona Del Mar. There’s so much money around, you’ll think you’ve drowned in dollar bills.
As you head north out of Los Angeles, you’ll meet the charm of Santa Barbara’s red-tile roofs and the 165-room Hearst Castle in San Simeon – definite checkpoints along the way.
While PCH never gets truly challenging, it is certainly entertaining, if only to see the dramatic California coastline and the other cars on the road with you. Oh, and the Beautiful People, of course. If you’re up for a challenge, Mulholland Drive and the Topanga Canyon areas are both easily accessible from PCH, and provide wonderful challenges to your reflexes.
The best part is that you can sample the highway in bits and bites. SR1 continues without the PCH moniker through San Francisco up to Big Sur, before becoming Route 101/Oregon Coast Highway No. 9, and on through Washington State.
4. Col de Turini
Does the Col de Turini ring any bells? If you’re a rally fan, it’s Mecca. A mountain pass in the French Alps, it served as the most notorious stage in the legendary Monte Carlo Rally, with impossibly tight roads, questionable weather conditions, and thousands of fans watching. The 32-km road runs between Sospel and La Bollène and at some points rally cars can hit upwards of 180 km/h.
There are 34 hairpin turns over this undulating piece of tarmac, which means you’ll need something small with quick steering and decent power to enjoy the experience fully. Perhaps even a Mini Cooper S, in honour of the marque’s three consecutive victories in the late ’50s. No matter what you choose, make sure it has good brakes!
5. Stelvio Pass
Calling the Stelvio Pass one of the most challenging pieces of road known to man isn’t an overstatement – just look at the photo! Built in the early 1800s to link old pieces of the Austrian Empire, the road now joins Italy to Switzerland. It features 60 – yes 60 – hairpin turns with minimal guardrails, and the scenery is intensely beautiful.
Because of the high altitude, a normally aspirated engine will suffer some power loss. But given its location, something Italian and exotic would seem a perfect choice. Something with 12 cylinders and no roof, perhaps?
6. Nurburgring Nordschleife
Alright, some might consider this cheating because the Nürburgring was designed as the ultimate race track – and still is some weekends – but it is primarily a German toll road, and any vehicle with an up-to-date licence and registration can tour its 22-km of taxing pavement. That means Porsches dodging around Ducatis darting around busses and campers. Chaos, but worthy chaos. The toll is around $25 per lap, which given the track’s length and challenge, seems a bit of a bargain.
If you don’t want to use your own car, there are many local outfits ready and willing to rent you anything from a European hot hatch, to a track-prepped Alfa Romeo 75 to a full-blown Porsche GT3 RSR. Just bring your chequebook, and don’t crash!
But this is definitely one trip any serious petrol-head will have on their Bucket List.
7. Tail of the Dragon
Can a small portion of US129 that crosses from Tennessee into North Carolina be considered one of the best in the world? With a claimed 318 curves over 18 km, it sure can. The Tail of the Dragon at Deal’s Gap has a speed limit of only 50 km/h, but is so twisty you can enjoy it at that moderate pace. This one is perhaps less spectacular to sightsee, but the roller-coaster thrills make up for it.
Those familiar with the road urge newcomers not to get tempted into short-cutting corners. Since it is an active highway with the associated truck traffic that goes with it, this can be a seriously dangerous move. But because of its compact length and no cost, you can make runs back and forth all day to really come to grips with your ride.
8. TF 436
While its name might be unimpressive, TF 436 in Tenerife, Canary Islands, is very impressive to drive. Starting in Santiago del Teide in the shadows of the Tiede volcano the lane-and-a-half road twists up and around the mountainous terrain, with blind turns galore. The village of Masca is worth a stop, if only to see this village literally perched on the side of a mountain, and it provides a good place to stop and catch your breath.
The second half through La Vica, Los Carrizales, Las Portellas, and down through El Palmar features switchbacks, desert terrain and perfectly paved roads. You finish in Buenavista del Norte, which is much cooler than the rest of the tropical island. While only 22-km long, this one will definitely leave an impression. But watch out for busses and trucks! Every part of Tenerife is accessible by public transit …
9. Ice Fields Parkway
While the Ice Fields Parkway might be a more relaxed drive than some of the others on this list, the scenery more than makes up for it. Essentially running the spine of the Canadian Rockies, the 230-km Parkway runs from Banff, Atla. to Jasper. Along the way, you’ll find mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes and valleys with countless ‘did you see that?’ moments along the way.
This is a perfect opportunity to turn a drive into a week away, with hiking, skiing, ice climbing and winter camping all offering ways to stretch your legs. Might as well bring the family along, so maybe rent an RV to keep your costs down.
10. Grand Pacific Drive
Finally, the Grand Pacific Drive in New South Wales, Australia certainly lives up to its name. This 169-km route from Sydney to Wollongong features everything you could ever want, including beaches, wildlife parks, rain forests, coastal villages and more, all with the glorious weather and laid-back attitude that symbolizes life Down Under. Bald Hill provides some of the most spectacular lookouts along the way.
Since Australia still produces some of the most amazing V8-powered muscle cars from Holden and Ford, finding a suitable steed won’t be difficult. Perhaps a Ford Falcon XR8 or Holden Commodore SS? Getting used to driving on the ‘other’ side of the road might be more stressful, though.
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