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Post Your Favorite 'Off The Beaten Path' Routes
We all have our favorite drives that we do once a week, month, or any chance we get to - but what about those hidden gems that we really love! Share some of your favorite 'off the beaten path' routes to help everyone explore various areas around them. If you want to get a head start on some of the best drives, check out Butler Maps - they're already well known within the motorcycle crowd and offer some of the best routes all over the US. |
pashnit.com was always my go to
Cliff notes, nice pavement between Auburn and Placerville in Northern California on 49, Route from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe, or visa versa, pretty drive either way. The repaved a lot of Route 49 between Placerville and Auburn, so parts of that are nice. There are a lot of groovy roads in California. They redid a lot of roads around Yosemite not too very long ago. Whenever Tioga Pass 9941' is open, that is a nice drive, bordering on spectacular. Where 120 comes out of the park to Lee Vining is nice, especially after huffing and puffing over the pass, a lot of downhill, you want brakes. Mono Lake is nice to look at, you can grab a pic with your phone and make it look like Ansel Adams took it. Take 395 N, through Bridgeport to the tiny town of Topaz. Hang a left on 89 to Monitor Pass 8314' go through Markleeville then take 88 when you come to the fork in the road. 88 goes into Nevada, left on 206 then left on 207, 207 AKA Kingsbury Grade over Daggett Pass 7344' This takes you to South Lake Tahoe. If you do make this drive, think about the road between Topaz and Markleeville. Now think about doing it on a bicycle, no seriously, they do that. This is up and down steep ass roads at high altitude, you want solid brakes and a good cooling system. |
Finding the Secret Roads
Are you serious? If I chime in they won't be secret anymore!!http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1561565923.jpg
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My wife and I leave the Thursday before Labor Day and spend until the Sunday after Labor Day driving around. We leave having no plans on where to go. Do we want to turn right or left? Last year we ending up in Banff Canada, headed west to the coast and south into Oregon before we headed back home to Utah. We have done this type of trip many times and have a great time. The past few years we have taken our 911 and this year we might take the Cayenne (lots of range).
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New England:
1. For longer day drives, I like Route 119 from Westford MA until it ends in Brattleboro VT 2. Longer still (and backed my Road &Track most beautiful drives) is VT Route 100 from just outside MA until almost the Canadian border. 3. Off season, I also like Route 1 from MA well into Maine. I've yet to drive it into Canada but it's a goal. |
Dont know if you can call rte 50 "off the beaten path" but its a nice spring and fall drive when i go visit my brother in NOVA
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Highway 530 North to Suiattle river road. Several spots to test suspension travel, cornering and braking abilities.
Then there's the Mt. Baker Hiway... not a beaten path on weekdays! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563205204.jpg Also north on hiway 9 up near the Canadian border http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563205204.jpg |
May 2019 @ Nuerburgring Classics Germany
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Passo di Gavia @ Italian Alps near to Passo Stelvio
This is now much more off the beaten path ;)
Ride between Switzerland, Italy, Austria in June 2019. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563382551.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563382551.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563382551.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563382551.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563382551.jpg |
Lost Man Trail.....inland from Orick CA. Tallest Redwoods on earth.
Makes "Avenue of the Giants" look like saplings! http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1563580270.jpg |
Keep em coming...we're taking notes :D
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I was going up out of Azusa up the 39 to East Fork Rd., to Glendora Mt. Rd, to Glendora Ridge Rd, to Mt. Baldy Rd back down to Claremont where there are some nice places to stop for refreshments (all kinds) before I took the Pelican group (gruppe?) up there one day. You can stop in Mt. Baldy Village but if you're early (as in before 10am) you won't find much open to the public. At least we didn't. That was in 2004.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/34.1481789,-117.9089762/34.1212912,-117.7071362/@34.1901778,-117.8185728,11.55z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m10!3m4!1m2!1d-117.8513617!2d34.2369749!3s0x80c3216bc13c942b:0x5d e82e4165f347f9!3m4!1m2!1d-117.7937402!2d34.20959!3s0x80c3246f79ac86b3:0xc000 9f9b72585ce1!1m0!3e0?hl=en |
Pines to Palms Highway (Hwy 74) into Palm Desert. This is where the opening scene from It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World was filmed.
http://st.automobilemag.com/uploads/...-7-scenary.jpg https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5347/3...c66e6b6e_o.png https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5662/3...4b205c10_o.png https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/1...924/cTgULG.jpg |
Needle-nose Pete....
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The world's best roads have grass growing in the middle ;)
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1564138729.jpg |
^^^Concur.
However, here is a route I have used a bunch. It is a good combination of getting off the interstate and some really beautiful country, with cool small towns. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1564143944.jpg The drive from Socorro to Show Low is one of my favorites...lots to see and nearly zero traffic. After Show Low depends on where you are headed;) |
One more.
This one is a little more interesting route. The route is dirt roads from, flat and through a really neat pass, I40 to Wikieup, AZ. Check the AZ road conditions website to make sure the road is open. I recommend 4WD just in case. The good news is that there is cell coverage the whole way and Waze works. I have done this drive multiple times both ways. I love it. It is 30 minutes longer than the interstate way and a hundred times more interesting. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1564144775.jpg The drive to Prescott is paved and a real pleasure. Then drive from Prescott to Jerome: Spectacular! |
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You drive right by the Very Large Array... west of Socorro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Large_Array You MUST stop and check it out. |
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That may have changed since 9-11, though. I don't go by as often, am in Colorado more than Albuquerque / Arizona now. I watched the movie 'Contact' recently partly just to see it all again. |
CA 58 from McKittrick to Atascadero.
Will be trying CA 95 through Fraizer Park from the Grapevine to CA 166 on my way from Scottsdale to Carmel this year. When I lived in NoVA drove VA 231 from Sperryville to Madison. |
There are a ton of fantastic roads in rural Arkansas. The Pig trail, Hwy 23 is fun on non football game days. There are more fun roads in Arkansas than I can list. Most of them end up in nowhere Arkansas, so you need another long road out of there.
From chatting with some motorcycle guys, there are analog books with maps on fun roads in Arkansas. I refuse to mention my favorites on line. I don't want them turned into the dragons tail type of cluster fudge of traffic. We drove for over an hour one time and did not see another car at all on roads way more fun the dragons tail. |
I hope I am not giving away anything, but I rode this route with my old XO from VX-1, a former HAL pilot in Vietnam and one of the best guys we'll ever meet. Great pilot who taught me a lot about flying and life.
He threw me a helmet and pointed me to an old Honda motorcycle while he got on his new BMW. "You'll be fine, let's go." Route 88 to Route 1 to 249 South, then 63/8 back to his farm. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1565105910.jpg |
Still one of my favorite drives:
SR4 from Longview, WA heading west. Lots of twisty roads along the river; go visit Astoria or Long Beach or .... |
Oakville Grade in the Wine Country, go in the middle of the day on a week day, take a picnic lunch
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Road America route:
Around Milwaukee on 894 to 45N 45N to 28 at Kewaskum 28 to "S" North on S and follow Kettle Moraine Scenic drive to 23, then to RA Great fall drive. And, lots more nice 2 lane twistys off this path if you know the area |
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Hey guys! Looking to revive this thread while everyone is looking for ways to stay busy in this global lockdown. Who has been driving as their therapeutic release during these times and what were some of your best adventures?
Let us know where you have been exploring and share pictures from your travels! |
I'm on the road all day long, so a nice relaxing route to wind the day down is US 90 from Luling to Seguin, TX. 20 miles that is totally uneventful because it runs parallel to IH-10, and hardly anyone is on it. It's exactly what I need some days.
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Oh man, too many to choose from.
26 from Dubois WY into the Tetons, south at Moran to Jackson or north into Yellowstone, all of the two lanes are beautiful around there. 89 from White Sulphur Springs up to Riceville MT is beautiful and way off the beaten track. Going to the Sun Hwy in Glacier Nat'l Park then hopping over to 17 into Waterton in southern Alberta is amazing. Biggest challenge I've driven between beauty and skill, US 12 from Lolo MT to Kooskia ID. Take the route used by Lewis and Clark on their westward journey to the coast. 134 two lane miles full of turns, beautiful scenery, mountain streams and just fun managing the twisties. CO12 from just west of Walsenberg around to Trinidad is a beautiful valley run. I did CO17 from Antonito CO to Chama NM with my Dad a couple of weeks ago. Two beautiful passes, a vintage steam train and a C-130 doing a low low level, what an experience. 160 out of Pagosa Springs over Wolf Creek Pass is a great jaunt. You could have one helluva 3 day weekend driving around southwestern Colorado, there are no bad two lane roads there. 550 from Durango to Silverton then over to Ouray CO is really gorgeous. Finish it off by taking CO62 then CO145 into Telluride, a little touristy but in a beautiful valley. |
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My son and I did it a few times. Lots of turn-off and chances to hike the river. Beautiful. |
some great roads already mentioned. @gogriz91, I'm sure you are talking about southwestern CO, met up with 30 of my closest friends for a 4 day excursion on many of the roads you mention, Pagosa Springs, Our, Durango, Silverton, great great stuff.
@flatbutt mentioned the WV routes I've done a bunch of times, September is a great time to be there, leaves changing, great weather, cool but no snow yet at elevation.....most of the region has no cell service or any other radio activity to speak of...due to the National radio quiet zone and the green bank observatory. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_National_Radio_Quiet_Zone --this makes it a challenging place to get help in case of a breakdown or worse. the northeast has some great roads, too, if you escape the metropolitan areas. I frequent Mount Washington, and love the Kancamagus Pass, but you really can't go wrong up there as long as you avoid the frost heaves in the early spring and the tourist season in the summer |
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