If you find yourself traveling the United States or overseas, here are ten roads that you should seek out if you want to experience some of the most exhilarating driving the world has to offer.
1. Highway 1
Highway 1, also known as “Big Sur,” located on the central California coast, runs between San Simeon and Carmel. The road is known for amazing views that are seen when driving on perilous cliff locations. You get to see the white-capped ocean waves of the Pacific as you look out over these high-perched areas. The waves rush in toward dark, jagged rocks.
2. Deals Gap
This road, also called “Tail of the Dragon,” is a stretch of road along U.S. Route 129 in Tennessee. This road offers some interesting twists and turns with over 318 bends within an 11-mile stretch. This segment of the highway has no intersections or stops, and drivers are surrounded by verdant forests on either side.
3. Nurburgring Nordschleife
This stretch of road is perhaps the most famous among racers, and it serves as the benchmark for sport and race performance and handling. Race driver Jackie Stewart famously nicknamed the road “the green hell” for some of the perilous features that require expert skill to navigate correctly. This 12.9-mile racetrack also serves as a toll road that commuters can traverse if they’re willing to shell out 24 Euros for the privilege.
4. Route 40
The next stop on our tour is in the South American country of Argentina. Route 40 is one of the longest highways in the world. It traverses the Andes Mountains and cuts through 20 national parks. It could take quite a while to travel the entire 3000-mile length of the road. You could enjoy the experience more by avoiding the high-traffic southern portions of the highway.
5. San Juan Skyway
This famous Colorado stretch of road offers breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains in a 236-mile stretch. The most amazing views are along the “Million Dollar Highway” portion of the road with challenging hairpin turns and some perilous areas with no guardrails.
6. Conor Pass
If you should find yourself in Ireland, this is one of the memorable scenic places to drive. You will enjoy driving just about anywhere in Ireland, as long as you stay on the left side of the road. Conor Pass offers legendary views of mountain lakes and green pastures.
7. Great Ocean Road
This road is similar to Big Sur in its views of the ocean coast and interesting rock formations. Vacationers to the land down under can get an occasional glimpse of the exotic wildlife.
8. Touge Roads of Mt. Fuji
The twisting roads that ascend Mt. Fuji are the place where the Japanese art of drifting was born. There is no place on earth to test your ability to scale twists and turns like this road.
9. Karakoram Highway
Also known as the “Friendship Highway,” this road that links China and Pakistan is one of the highest paved highways in the world as it traverses the Karakoram Mountains.
10. Stelvio Pass
Our last stop is in Italy at the Stelvio Pass that features a dense pack of 48 switchback turns that will test your driving skills and your car’s handling.
