What's the best stretch of highway in America?

[JaySherman]

I love I-81 through VA. When I drove through it was a straight ride with very little traffic and views of the Blue Ridge Mountains were breathtaking.

I always enjoyed the drive across I-70 in eastern OH, too.

[camero]

1. I70 in Utah

Between Grand Junction and Green River UT. My second would be I70 between Denver and Grand Junction CO.

[7th_Sephiroth]

14. between indianapolis and Michigan

there is a stretch of highway where every sunoco has both Bawls And Jones' Soda Co's Whoop-Ass energy drink

[tridim]

15. I-70

in the rockies is by far the best. It's a stunningly beautiful drive, especially in the summer with the top down.

[LTR]

45. Breathtaking!

Some of the most beautiful scenery in America.

I drove cross-country from LA to Minnesota once, and spent the night off the freeway parked in a field overlooking a valley (got a few hours of sleep in the car - no motels around). Woke up at 5:30 to one of the most beautiful sunrises ever.

[havocmom]

2. The stretch that takes you home

where ever home may be

[oxymoron]

3. I love the Pacific Coast Hwy

Hwy 101 down the beautiful Oregon Coast and California.

[gyopsy]

5. Oh, I've heard that's beautiful

n/t

[JaySherman]

7. Always wanted to drive that.

It's on my to-do list for when I get back to the States.

[mac1000a]

24. When you do

Be sure to take the "Avenue of the Giants" detour. It's about 30 miles south of Eureka, and it'll take you right through a stretch of old growth Redwood alongside the Eel River. It's one of the reasons why I decided to live here. Beautiful. You can get right back on the freeway at the end of it.

[JaySherman]

27. Noted. I will definitely do that.

Thanks! :hi:

[kodi]

55. gets my vote, especially around pt reyes lighthouse in ca.

.

[gyopsy]

4. I would imagine somewhere in Alaska

Everywhere else is so damn crowded.

[displacedyankeedem]

6. I-279 into Pittsburgh

Means I'm almost home, and the view after you come through the Fort Pitt tunnel is amazing, especially at night.

[Lauren2882]

21. I agree about that view...

I've been away from Pittsburgh for 5 years, and that view catches my breath every time I come home.

Especially at night is also astute, since most of the time during the day it's too cloudy to look breathtakingly beautiful!

[JVS]

22. Oh, so you are a Pittsburgher!

279 coming from the north isn't bad either.

On may way to Montreal a couple of weeks ago I went across some of I80 going East (we had to pick up a buddy in the boonies) there was a very nice and smooth stretch on I-80

[displacedyankeedem]

26. Yup

I used to live in Natrona Heights, across the Allegheny from New Ken. I miss my Primanti Bros.-A LOT!

[JVS]

28. I grew up in Penn Hills, not far from Oakmont on the river

I now live in Squirrel Hill.

[RobinA]

65. Used to Have Friends

from there circa late '70's. My college roomate was from New Ken, went to St. Joe's High School in Natrona. Spent some good times in that neck of the woods.

[JaySherman]

25. Western PA in general is nice.

Too bad navigating a lot of those highways is like zig-zagging an obstacle course. Especially I-70/76 south of Pittsburgh. I never get to relax and enjoy the ride.

[displacedyankeedem]

29. Pittsburgh is the largest city without a beltway

Now there's a project that would make the Big Dig look easy.

[VeniceBeat]

30. With a Beltway in Pittsburgh

yins couldn't go dahntahn 'n' back arahn no more!

[displacedyankeedem]

Yeah, but think.....

of the boatload of jobs a project like that would generate! If Boston can do it, so can we.

[VeniceBeat]

33. How about improving the public transportation system?

More funicular railways!

Boston's Big Dig was a scandalous boondoggle helmed by Bush Crony Andrew Natsios.

[HuckleB]

41. Yeah, the big dig is scorned by everyone I know from the Northeast.

It's definitely nothing for a city to aspire toward. It's a great example of how to waste a lot of money for very little.

[HuckleB]

42. Dupe.

[VeniceBeat]

34. Yeah, but

so would installing a monorail or more streetcars or bicycle lanes like in Holland or a water taxi system. Jobs is jobs; why ape Boston?

Of course, the Boys in Youngstown would lose all that profit to their concrete businesses.

[JaySherman]

31. If they started construction tomorrow...

They probably still wouldn't finish in our lifetimes.

[burrowowl]

8. The old ones paralleling the

new ones.
Sections of 66 are more picturesque the I40 and the train from ABQ to El Paso, once upon a time, no train no more, much prettier than I25 and I think 85, not sure.

[LosinIt]

9. Agreed, I81, but from Syracuse to H20town, snowbelt supreme

It can be sunshine in both Syracuse and Watertown, but total whiteouts in between. That's what I like, a ride with excitement.

[JaySherman]

10. Yeah that's a great ride too.

For some reason I-81 is a really nice drive in general. At least the parts I drove. Maybe it's location. There's not all the traffic there is on most other roads.

[stevedeshazer]

11. Oregon 218

From Fossil to Shaniko.

Desert scenery, the Cascade Mountains as a backdrop, open road with little traffic, the John Day River and the smell of sagebrush.

Watch out for pronghorns.

[HuckleB]

40. Nice choice.

Incredible drive.

[oldleftguy]

12. This may surprise some folks...

...the drive around Belle Isle in the Detroit River holds fond memories for me.

The Columbia Gorge I84 and the Sunset Highway 26 from Portland Oregon to the coast is a great drive. :bounce:

[WilliamPitt]

13. Pacific Coast Highway from Sonoma to San Francisco

The Kankamangus Highway in New Hampshire is also pretty spectacular.

[ironflange]

16. Does this include Canada?

If so, the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper kicks all other roads' asses.

[camero]

17. Never been on that one

For Canada I would say, Hwy 16 between Edmonton and BC 95. Also Hwy 1 from Calgary to Vancouver.

[ironflange]

61. Those are both nice

But you still can't beat the Icefields. The Kootenay Parkway is nice, too, or was until most of it burnt last summer.

[HuckleB]

63. Hwy 1 offers a wonderful plethora of landscapes. Simply awesome.

Especially if one starts the trip on 9 from the Badlands, near Calgary, and then takes 99 from Cache Creek into Vancouver.

Hwy 1 and 19 along the east coast of Vancouver Island is a wonderful drive, as well.

[HuckleB]

48. Nice choice.

[SmileyBoy]

18. Highway 61 on the North Shore in Minnesota.

It's truly God's Country.

[TahitiNut]

19. California's Hwy 1 from Carmel to Morro Bay.

Big Sur is awesome. I give this my #1 rating.

My second place rating would go to Hwy 179 and Hwy 89A through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, south of Flagstaff in Arizona. On a sunny day in late December with a little snow on the ground it's totally awesome.

Maybe #3 is the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, Oregon.

For Fall foliage, absolutely nothing can beat the Kancamagus Scenic Byway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in late September/October. The colors made want to take Windex to my eyeballs.



For any of these, and more, here's a good website: http://www.byways.org/

[mac1000a]

20. My home zone

California's 101 from the Oregon border down to Willits. It's nothing but redwood forest, pure paradise on Earth. I live in Humboldt County, right in the heart of it all. Mmmm....

[strategery blunder]

23. Two possibilities

1. The Alaska Highway between Anchorage and Fairbanks (drove it during the summer; that would make a difference)

2. The highway that goes from Anchorage to Seward (don't remember the name of the highway or its route number, though)

US 101 on the Pacific coast is also way up there, but it's a bit more developed.

[Lindsey]

32. Pacific Coast Hwy and the 1 up the California coast

is the most beautiful I've ever seen. Fortunately, I've done that strip a lot since I live out here.

[AlCzervik]

39. PCH

I moved to california 4 years ago and i love the pch. IMHO i think going north is a beeter view, heading up to Mendicino and Fort Bragg.

[Dees]

35. Take the Blue Highways and back roads.

I like PCH around Big Sur, CA. Route 66 from Chicago to LA is an interesting ride.

[Bridget Burke]

36. I-87 up the Hudson River

(I think that's the right # for the highway.)

Of the routes I've personally driven, this is the best. Craggy mountains, lush forests, scenic vistas & historic old towns.

[felonious thunk]

37. Rt 29 in central Virginia

The drive on 29 from the Manassas Battlefield to Lynchburg is beautiful. Rolling hills, mountains to the west, Charlottesville, the wineries, horse country. Same goes for Rt 15, 17, and 50 through the Virginia piedmont area.

[radwriter0555]

38. Pacific Coast highway, north of Malibu along the coastline at sunset

is perhaps the most lovely sight on the planet.

[YNGW]

43. Blue Ridge Parkway

Great ride on a Motorcycle. Ridden it several times and am always in complete awe.

Also, Natchez Trace Parkway a good MC ride, as is Pacific Coast Highway and Rocky Mountain National Park.

[Padraig18]

44. I-57 from I-64 south to the Ohio River.

Beautiful, rolling hills, lakes, rivers, etc. . :)

[XNASA]

49. Ah, yes. The Shawnee National Forest.

Driven that many times. The Mrs. is from Mt. Vernon so we get down that way once in a while.

It's not the most spectacular setting, but it sure is pretty.

[Padraig18]

51. Yes, the foothills of the Ozark Mountains.

Not as breathtaking as some vistas, but with a definite understated beauty uniquely its own. :)

[gold_bug]

46. the loneliest highway in America

Route 50, Nevada.

[HuckleB]

47. Mt. Hood loop, Old Scenic Hwy/I-84 through the Gorge, up 35 & 26 'round...

Mt. Hood. Simply incredible. And Hwy 101, with the three capes loop from Cannon Beach to Pacific City, in Oregon, is as good or better than any stretch of the PCH.

There are many others, but I'd have to check the maps for numbers. Haven't had coffee yet.

[oxymoron]

50. I have to second that.

The Mt. Hood loop in Oregon is also lovely. The Old Scenic Hwy thought the Columbia Gorge is absolutely amazing. Some of the most beautiful waterfalls I've ever seen.

[EstimatedProphet]

52. I-70 through Missouri

Very pastoral. Lots of "See Seven States From Rock City" signs on barns and such.

[Burma Jones]

53. The Taconic Parkway

Between Westchester and Albany - lovely and fun to drive.

Also, the Pacific Coast Highway, all of it.

I 70 in Colorado

US Route 1 in Maine

I 10 in Mew Mexico

[bearfan454]

54. I like I-35

I have driven it 3 times to take my son fishing in NW Ontario from Austin Tx. It goes all the way to Duluth Minn from here. I like it.

[IronLionZion]

56. US route 1 through the Florida keys

awesome

[liberalitch]

57. Colonial Parkway

The scenic streach that conects the historical areas of Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown in Va.

[hatrack]

58. US 19 in Southeast Missouri OR US 128 in Utah

19 turns off US 63 at the little town of Winona, and winds south through mile after winding mile of mountains and pine-oak forests. You can also stop along the way to drink from spectacularly beautiful Greer Spring (220 million gallons per day), or drop a line in the Eleven Point River and go after some trout.

128 is also amazing - you leave I-70 and make your way across some miles of sun-blasted sagebrush and abandoned rangeland, then turn and drop into the Colorado River canyon on your way to Moab. We entered the canyon right at sunset, and I'm still surprised that I didn't drive off the road, what with all the awestruck, dropped-jaw staring the drive produced!

[mobuto]

59. The Midtown Expressway in Manhattan

Its the most beautiful, because it was never built. And thank God for that.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

60. I-80 in Pennsylvania

[ElsewheresDaughter]

62. I-40 down through the Shanandoah(ms) Valley & state road 23A from Hunter

to Oneonta NY

[HuckleB]

64. How could I forget the 101 loop around Washington's Olympic peninsula?

Awesome!

Also 20, cutting through North Cascades NP's two sectors is nice, and the Hwy through Glacier NP in Montana is not to be missed.

[RobinA]

66. Beartooth Highway

in Montana. Don't know the number. Not for those afraid of heights.

[VelmaD]

67. In the spring-time, when the wildflowers are blooming...

there is no place on earth prettier that the overpass where you turn to go to Commerce on I-30 between Greenville and Sulphur Springs. The whole area is covered in bluebonnets and buttercups and a patchwork quilt of colorful little wildflowers. They fill up all the medians and hang down from the overpass and there are all these little hills covered in flowers.

[LynneSin]

68. The road that leads to my house

Because at the end you get to see ME!!!!