Most Interesting / Fun Road You've Driven

[wizard124]

Hello from Madrid! I had a recent drive that had me wishing I was in my Fiat with the top down I found this old thread so I thought I would add to it.

The drive (in a rented MB van with 6 off us. But at least it was a stick shift!) was north out of Jaca, Spain. Highway N 330 took us across the Pyrenees mountains into southern France and the town of Oloron-Ste Marie. The road is 2 lane and winds its way along a river valley through the longest tunnel I have ever experienced. The mountains were spectacular, the scenery splendid. The pastures all green and lush; the small farm houses and towns so picturesque! Indescribably beautiful trip. The only way it could have been better? In my Fiat!

Warren

[johndemar]

Not strictly a Fiat thing, but a driving thing: last week She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO) and I took a week vacation in Arizona. We booked a room for our first and last night and otherwise we just wing it. Mid-week found us driving from Apache Junction, just east of Phoenix / Mesa across the Superstition Mountains to the Roosevelt Dam. The eastern half of this is upaved (dirt) with hairpin turns, no guardrails mostly and thousand foot sheer drops. After you get down the worst / best hill you see the wrecks of cars that didnt make it (or which thieves pushed over?). The scenery was incredible when you could risk tearing your eyes from the road. I think it is the most memorable drive (in a good way) I have ever had.

What was yours?

T

Had you gone a little further east to Clifton you could have taken AZ 666 (the devils highway) to Alpine. Lots of curves, but it's paved so you can use all 5 gears. Goes from desert to ponderosa pine, although they did rename it AZ 191 a few years back.

And I will second CA-49. Wish I was driving the spider.

[seabeelt]

A couple of places. One is the Acadia National Park loop and climb to Cadillac mountain. The other is over the border, taking the Ferry to Nova Scotia and following that two lane twist turn up and down road to Halifax.

[SunnySideUp]

+1 on Highway 191 from Clifton to Alpine, Arizona. The drive up to the Kitt Peak Observatory complex from AZ-86 is fun. For those in the Tucson area - Catalina Highway up to Mt. Lemmon is a favorite.

Drive up to Mt. Lemmon in a Spider: https://youtu.be/Dhu_2-t_2ww

[Frog2Spider]

Hyway 299 - Redding to Weaverville in Northern California.

You need to be careful driving this road because the surrounding beauty can distract you from the much needed attention this road and it's multiple curves demand.

Continuing west, 299 heads to Eureka on the coast, and is also a nice drive, but without the demands of the earlier 45 miles.

[JTBernhardt]

I'd have to say that the drive from Fort Bragg to LA down highway 1 is amazing in a Fiat Spider. It's twisty, it's turny, the camber of the road is nearly perfect and the speed limit is usually 55mph (which isn't possible at times). There's also Highway 20 through the red woods, similar perfect camber, silky smooth roads, and 55mph speed limit. Highway 128 through Wine country near Lake Berryessa is also a beautiful drive.

I second that highway 49 is a beautiful drive. There's also tons of twisty back roads in my home town, Foresthill. As a Spider owner, I've been spoiled with fun roads daily.

[RoyBatty]

Hyway 299 - Redding to Weaverville in Northern California.

You need to be careful driving this road because the surrounding beauty can distract you from the much needed attention this road and it's multiple curves demand.

Continuing west, 299 heads to Eureka on the coast, and is also a nice drive, but without the demands of the earlier 45 miles.

When I lived in Redding, and "before kids", we would go to Eureka for auto-cross events with the Redwood Sportscar Club.
On one trip, when we got done with an auto-cross we then had to leave Eureka and travel the width of Nor-Cal on 299 Eastbound out to Cedarville in Modoc County to visit the out-laws. THAT was a fun trip. I had a 72 RS Camaro with stiff springs, big sway bars and a 350 stroked to a 383 running thru an M21 to a 2.73 limited slip diff.
So yeah, 299 is a great drive on both sides of Redding.
And I just realized, I kinda miss that old Chevy.

[azruss]

Western oregon has a plethora of twisties. Going sw out of Eugene, you just take any road you want and have fun. The scenery is hilly green farmland and not well traveled. The most challenging is Wolf Creek road west of Lorane. The mackenzie river highway out of Eugene is spectacular scenery but has lots of traffic. During the summer months, you can take the old Mackenzie river highway deteor. Very narrow with a minimum of guard rail protection with severe consequences if you make a mistake. The 101 from Tillamook to Eureka is impressive with countless breathtaking view of the ocean. Hard to find a good time of year when its not jammed with RVs.
In Arizona, as already mentioned, hyway 88 from Apache Junction to lake Roosevelt is a great test of skill with life threatening consequences. Unfortunately it is only paved from Apache Junction to just outside Tortilla Flats, and even that part is very rough. The remaining is washboard dirt that will loosen every bolt on the car as well as your fillings.

[Redline]

The Flüela and Julier passes in eastern Switzerland. Unlike the popular but rather monotonous Stelvio, these are relatively traffic free, especially on a foggy autumn morning, and they have a great combination of 2nd, 3rd and 4th gear corners. The Flüela was part of Top Gear's best roads episode. It's an odd moonscape at the top, as you're above the treeline.

[Curly]

We have an event down here called Targa Tasmania. It's a closed-road, special stage tarmac rally held over 6 days traversing the most scenic and challenging roads that can be found in our island state, Tasmania - and it's all magnificent . It's difficult to chose just one road, but the Hellyer Gorge Stage is one of my favourites. It begins on an elevated plateau, but then begins to drop down into the gorge through dense moist forests full of tree ferns and native eucalypts. The road twists and turns on the run downhill with short straight sections that gives the engine and then the brakes a really good workout, the 6km descent ends at the bottom of the gorge where you cross a concrete bridge over the Hellyer River and then begin a similar length climb up the other side through what seems like an unending series of long tight corners, fast kinks and short straights which gradually get faster and more open as as you approach the top.
As a competition stage, there's no speed limit and no traffic going the other way, just one car 30 seconds ahead of you and another 30 seconds behind trying to reel you in. Even on a normal day, the road isn't subject to much traffic, so it can be enjoyed by anyone looking for a spirited drive - and you don't have to break the 100km/h speed limit to do it

[Frog2Spider]

RoyBatty wrote:
" ........ So yeah, 299 is a great drive on both sides of Redding"

Yes, and up to 89 and then down through Lassen National!

[aevansgatech]

While Tail of the Dragon and the Blue Ridge Parkway get all the acclaim, I found a better road in the Smoky Mountains. Pisgah Highway just West of Asheville, NC in the Pisgah national forest has tight turns, significant elevation, great views, and most importantly.. No traffic!

[SpiderJunkie]

Hwy 99 Whistler to Lillooet, British Columbia, full of steep grades, hair pins and switch backs. Had my wife on the edge of her seat screaming slow down, and I wasn't really going that fast

[TX82FIAT]

Don't think they rank among some of the roads I have seen here.

1. State road 125 in Pennsylvania between Harrisburg and Allentown is a fun drive. Careful, the police know sports cars and motorcycles like to tool around these hills and switchbacks.

2. The Devils Backbone just north of San Antonio in the Texas Hill country is a ranch road that rides on top of a ridge line with a great view and dips down to some low water crossings. Careful, you may have to drive your Spider through a slow moving stream at the right time of year. A few turns but truly a scenic event for our vintage cars where stopping at the vineyards is on the menu.

[wizard124]

I had a drive yesterday which kept me smiling All in West Marin county......

I left Fairfax on Bolinas Rd. Curvy, 2nd and 3rd gear kind of road up over the costal range (Mt. Tamalpias). Drops down onto coastal Hwy 1 near Stinson Beach. Not the best for pavement but the revving and shifting and braking keeps you busy.

Then, north on 1 through the town of Olema and Inverness. Into Pt. Reyes National Seashore, out to the lighthouse. New asphalt on 1 made this a delight, gentle turns and 50 to 65 speeds. The seashore's pavement was a rough in spots but the rural beauty and ocean/beach views made it enjoyable. Looked over to see some Tule Elk bulls in velvet laying in the cow pasture!

Through the town of Pt. Reyes Station, back on Hwy 1 for a few more miles. Made my way onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd and drove through the redwoods via Samuel P Taylor State Park. New asphalt here also, joy, joy...and smell the redwoods This road leads back into Fairfax. Total loop of maybe 100 miles. Great way to kill an afternoon