Most "frightening" road you have driven on?

[jakeroot]

Never experienced "white knuckle" driving before, but probably the Kahekili Highway south of Kahakuloa on Maui. Most of the Kahekili is pretty tame, but it drops down to single lane for quite a while. Which is no issue. I've driven plenty of single-track roads in my time. But there was a lot of blind corners, where your only options are to slow way down, open a window and listen, or blow the horn and proceed at a decent but able-to-stop-quickly pace. The Hana Highway seemed much tamer in comparison, despite how much more publicity it gets.

[texaskdog]

Mount Evans Road, Colorado; US 550, Colorado; Moki Dugway, Utah;  Trail Ridge Road, Colorado; Beartooth Highway, MT/WY; Going to the Sun Road, MT.

[Max Rockatansky]

I drove CA 130 over Mount Hamilton for the second time today.  The first time was westbound and in a really dense fog with light rain.  The road was difficult and narrow but it wasn't really apparent today how on the edge you are until the clear weather today.  Considering I passed only two cars after I got to Mount Hamilton Road I wouldn't say it was the most "frightening" state highway in California but it is closer to CA 4 over Ebbetts Pass than I thought. 

[jp the roadgeek]

Mine had to be the BQE through Brooklyn.  Was driving from Long Island to Woodbridge, NJ one night, and took the LIE to the BQE.  Naturally, it started raining, so a combination of the rain, heavy traffic (including an accident), and the dark of night, made for a harrowing experience.  I was exhausted as I got across the Verrazano onto Staten Island, which was a delight to drive by comparison.

Second place goes to the stretch of US 6/202 leading up from Peekskill to the Bear Mountain Bridge.  5 miles of twisting turning road.  One wrong move once you get out of the woods onto the upper palisades of the Hudson, and it's all over. 

[ZLoth]

I drove CA 130 over Mount Hamilton for the second time today.

Drove that once. Also a challenging road. However, I did stop by the "The Junction" restaurant for a bite to eat too. I also recall assisting a motorcycle rider who had a solo accident thanks to a pothole.

[Roadgeekteen]

Mount Washington auto road.

[Jardine]

I have an ATV trail behind the house here with 2 stretches of 57% grade.  First several traverses of it were pretty scary, I'm still quite cautious going up or down it.

I'll admit it's fun to surprise a visitor with a ride on that trail.  Going down it one is put in mind of plunging off a cliff.

[catsynth]

The first time I drove CA 17 it was pretty frightening, but I quickly got used to it as it was part of my commuting route for about 10 months (yikes!).  CA 9 between Santa Cruz and Felton was somewhat unnerving for me, too.  Interestingly, I was never that scared on the Devil's Slide (CA 1).  I think forests scare me more than ocean cliffs 😄

Another one that was disconcerting was CA 108 over the Sierra Nevada.  Much windier and narrower than the Tioga Pass, and it seemed like it went on forever.

[triplemultiplex]

the teenagers did get caught and are facing adult charges. They even went to a McDonald's to eat after doing this.

That's fucked up.  It should be illegal to prosecute minors as adults.  Their actions afterward clearly indicate there were not doing that rock throwing with appreciation of consequences.

Digression complete...



I'm not too freaked out by mountain roads or tall bridges.  I have driven through a few two track roads with an unnerving amount of deep mud and massive puddles; the kind of thing where if one loses the momentum, that's where the vehicle is going to be until someone else shows up with a tow strap.

I think "frightening" would be another anecdote about driving through flooded roads.  This was in Canada after several days camping where it rained constantly all week.  The one road out had water flooding over it in multiple places, sometimes half a km at a time.  Now that's frightening to not see where the flooded road ended.  I even got out and walked in front of the vehicle where the water was turbid just to verify that there was still a road beneath the murky waters and to keep the driver on the crown of the road.  I'm certain the sides were all mush and we would've gotten stuck for sure.  Fortunately, it was only ever as deep as my knee-boots and we got outta there just fine.

[Flint1979]

Mount Washington auto road.

I can imagine what that road is like. I've never driven on it myself but looking at it on Google Maps it looks pretty eery in places.

[Max Rockatansky]

The first time I drove CA 17 it was pretty frightening, but I quickly got used to it as it was part of my commuting route for about 10 months (yikes!).  CA 9 between Santa Cruz and Felton was somewhat unnerving for me, too.  Interestingly, I was never that scared on the Devil's Slide (CA 1).  I think forests scare me more than ocean cliffs 😄

Another one that was disconcerting was CA 108 over the Sierra Nevada.  Much windier and narrower than the Tioga Pass, and it seemed like it went on forever.

108 has a huge climb from the western flank of the Sierras.  Pretty much every state highway has a shallow climbing up the western flank followed by a big drop on the eastern crest.  108 has a brief section on the eastern flank of Sonora Pass that is listed at a 26% grade, but is way more easy to handle than Ebbetts Pass on 4 up to the north.  4 is over Ebbetts has two huge drops, is a single lane, and is listed with a 24% downhill grade. 

I drove CA 130 over Mount Hamilton for the second time today.

Drove that once. Also a challenging road. However, I did stop by the "The Junction" restaurant for a bite to eat too. I also recall assisting a motorcycle rider who had a solo accident thanks to a pothole.

The first time I drove it there was a dense fog above 2,000 feet.  I didn't think the roadway was all that bad but that was largely due to not being able to see how high the cliffs were.  I can't think of any other roads that aren't in the Sierras that on the absolute knife edge like 130 is.

[mrcmc888]

Hard to say but probably Going to the Sun Road. Most won't understand unless you drive there.

That's the only time I can recall being actually scared of a road.

TN 165/NC 143 is pretty unpleasant, but nothing like Glacier.

[hbelkins]

the teenagers did get caught and are facing adult charges. They even went to a McDonald's to eat after doing this.

That's fucked up.  It should be illegal to prosecute minors as adults.  Their actions afterward clearly indicate there were not doing that rock throwing with appreciation of consequences.

Why? These things are typically done on a case-by-case basis. The Marshall County, Ky. school shooter is 15, but is going to be prosecuted as an adult. Do you disagree with that? Most teenagers have an appreciation of right and wrong.

[sparker]

Most frightening due to topology:  CA 168 over Westgard Pass through the White Mountains between US 395 and CA 266.  Single lane through bottom of canyon (the road is the bottom of the canyon!), no room to pass for anything larger than a Camry; always feels like flash-flood bait!

Most frightening for traffic: a tie: the BQE/I-278, particularly the portion between the Prospect Expwy. and the Brooklyn Bridge exit -- to me, an alley masquerading as an Interstate (and I'm accustomed to the Arroyo Seco Parkway!).  The other is ONT 401 -- I thought Boston drivers were self-aggrandizing maniacs until I had occasion to drive 401 just before rush hour.  I've never seen so many lanes crossed in as short a distance by so many vehicles as this particular facility.

Most frightening for topology and traffic combined:  CA 17, Scotts Valley-Los Gatos.  See the CA 17 thread in SW for details.

[jay8g]

Definitely this road in Iceland. Super narrow, windy, and steep (the rental car we had on that trip was a manual Chevy Spark, and it needed to be in first gear in several segments to make it up the hill). Also, the top was snowy even in the middle of summer, and most of the uphill side was foggy when we were there, to the point where we wouldn't have been able to tell if there was an oncoming car. Thankfully, we didn't see anyone else driving across it.

Very close runner-up: this nearby one-lane tunnel. There was quite a bit of traffic there, and there's no formal traffic control to separate the directions of travel.

[triplemultiplex]

the teenagers did get caught and are facing adult charges. They even went to a McDonald's to eat after doing this.

That's fucked up.  It should be illegal to prosecute minors as adults.  Their actions afterward clearly indicate there were not doing that rock throwing with appreciation of consequences.

Why? These things are typically done on a case-by-case basis. The Marshall County, Ky. school shooter is 15, but is going to be prosecuted as an adult. Do you disagree with that?

Yes.
The real question is why do you want to treat someone with a sub-adult brain as an adult in a court?

Most teenagers have an appreciation of right and wrong.

My observation is for most teenagers, this is still a 'work in progress'.
And any way, it's not about right vs. wrong, but an appreciation of long term consequences of actions.  Teenagers don't have that fully developed yet.  That's why teens do so much dumb shit.

[Flint1979]

the teenagers did get caught and are facing adult charges. They even went to a McDonald's to eat after doing this.

That's fucked up.  It should be illegal to prosecute minors as adults.  Their actions afterward clearly indicate there were not doing that rock throwing with appreciation of consequences.

Why? These things are typically done on a case-by-case basis. The Marshall County, Ky. school shooter is 15, but is going to be prosecuted as an adult. Do you disagree with that?

Yes.
The real question is why do you want to treat someone with a sub-adult brain as an adult in a court?

Most teenagers have an appreciation of right and wrong.

My observation is for most teenagers, this is still a 'work in progress'.
And any way, it's not about right vs. wrong, but an appreciation of long term consequences of actions.  Teenagers don't have that fully developed yet.  That's why teens do so much dumb shit.

At their age they are old enough to know right from wrong.

[Max Rockatansky]

Most frightening due to topology:  CA 168 over Westgard Pass through the White Mountains between US 395 and CA 266.  Single lane through bottom of canyon (the road is the bottom of the canyon!), no room to pass for anything larger than a Camry; always feels like flash-flood bait!

Most frightening for traffic: a tie: the BQE/I-278, particularly the portion between the Prospect Expwy. and the Brooklyn Bridge exit -- to me, an alley masquerading as an Interstate (and I'm accustomed to the Arroyo Seco Parkway!).  The other is ONT 401 -- I thought Boston drivers were self-aggrandizing maniacs until I had occasion to drive 401 just before rush hour.  I've never seen so many lanes crossed in as short a distance by so many vehicles as this particular facility.

Most frightening for topology and traffic combined:  CA 17, Scotts Valley-Los Gatos.  See the CA 17 thread in SW for details.

Funny that 168 has more or less come up twice.  Good ole Kaiser Pass apparently was intended to be part of a full Trans-Sierra Route if memory serves from what was discussed on Pacific Southwest.  Even the portion west of Bishop isn't exactly the tamest road ever. 

And poor 17....really that road like you guys said is engineered to the fullest extent it can be without tunnels.  The only other expressway that has a similar feel to it off the top of my head might be CA 60 in the bad lands east of Moreno Valley.

[roadman65]

Try entering the Pulaski Skyway from the center ramps.   Though the Skyway is more of a bridge than a road, its still counts as one on the ground as its so long.

There is such a bad sight distance and no merge lane, with drivers going 60 mph or better its scary pulling out and continuing at a calm pace.

[jakeroot]

At their age they are old enough to know right from wrong.

At 18 you can assume that. But not before then. There's a reason that 18 is an important age.

The only time I can see children being tried as adults is for aggravated murder. The Marshall County shooting would count, but the Flint overpass rock-tossing incident would not (since there was no intent to murder).

[sparker]

Most frightening due to topology:  CA 168 over Westgard Pass through the White Mountains between US 395 and CA 266.  Single lane through bottom of canyon (the road is the bottom of the canyon!), no room to pass for anything larger than a Camry; always feels like flash-flood bait!

Most frightening for traffic: a tie: the BQE/I-278, particularly the portion between the Prospect Expwy. and the Brooklyn Bridge exit -- to me, an alley masquerading as an Interstate (and I'm accustomed to the Arroyo Seco Parkway!).  The other is ONT 401 -- I thought Boston drivers were self-aggrandizing maniacs until I had occasion to drive 401 just before rush hour.  I've never seen so many lanes crossed in as short a distance by so many vehicles as this particular facility.

Most frightening for topology and traffic combined:  CA 17, Scotts Valley-Los Gatos.  See the CA 17 thread in SW for details.

Funny that 168 has more or less come up twice.  Good ole Kaiser Pass apparently was intended to be part of a full Trans-Sierra Route if memory serves from what was discussed on Pacific Southwest.  Even the portion west of Bishop isn't exactly the tamest road ever. 

And poor 17....really that road like you guys said is engineered to the fullest extent it can be without tunnels.  The only other expressway that has a similar feel to it off the top of my head might be CA 60 in the bad lands east of Moreno Valley.

I think it's pretty certain that SSR 168 was indeed intended to not only cross the Sierra but cross into Nevada; the original east end of that route (LRN 76) N and E of Bishop was 168 prior to US 6 being extended into the state in the late 30's. 

As for CA 60 between Moreno and Beaumont -- it certainly is an underpowered highway considering its high level of traffic (and the main access to Riverside from WB I-10 and the Coachella Valley) but it isn't quite as bad as CA 17; at least it doesn't have 40mph unbanked curves.  But, like the topology encountered along CA 17, CA 60's "badlands" environment isn't particularly amenable to expansion either (at least without very considerable expense).

[Flint1979]

At their age they are old enough to know right from wrong.

At 18 you can assume that. But not before then. There's a reason that 18 is an important age.

The only time I can see children being tried as adults is for aggravated murder. The Marshall County shooting would count, but the Flint overpass rock-tossing incident would not (since there was no intent to murder).

There was intent to do damage to cars passing by. To sit here and think that I travel that stretch of I-75 a lot kind of bothers me that things like this happen. When I was 14 years old I knew it wasn't wise to throw rocks at cars from a freeway overpass.

[jakeroot]

At their age they are old enough to know right from wrong.

At 18 you can assume that. But not before then. There's a reason that 18 is an important age.

The only time I can see children being tried as adults is for aggravated murder. The Marshall County shooting would count, but the Flint overpass rock-tossing incident would not (since there was no intent to murder).

There was intent to do damage to cars passing by. To sit here and think that I travel that stretch of I-75 a lot kind of bothers me that things like this happen. When I was 14 years old I knew it wasn't wise to throw rocks at cars from a freeway overpass.

No doubt the kids are a couple of c***s. But wanting to damage a car, and wanting to kill the driver of a car, are two different things.

On my way to work a few months ago, I had a kid throw his blanket at my car while I was driving by. He was much younger than these boys, but there's an important similarity. They were both looking to have fun, perhaps piss off a couple people. But by no means was there any intent to kill.

[Flint1979]

At their age they are old enough to know right from wrong.

At 18 you can assume that. But not before then. There's a reason that 18 is an important age.

The only time I can see children being tried as adults is for aggravated murder. The Marshall County shooting would count, but the Flint overpass rock-tossing incident would not (since there was no intent to murder).

There was intent to do damage to cars passing by. To sit here and think that I travel that stretch of I-75 a lot kind of bothers me that things like this happen. When I was 14 years old I knew it wasn't wise to throw rocks at cars from a freeway overpass.

No doubt the kids are a couple of c***s. But wanting to damage a car, and wanting to kill the driver of a car, are two different things.

On my way to work a few months ago, I had a kid throw his blanket at my car while I was driving by. He was much younger than these boys, but there's an important similarity. They were both looking to have fun, perhaps piss off a couple people. But by no means was there any intent to kill.

They did more than want to damage a car, they did damage several cars, had about 20 rocks and just threw them at cars going by at 75-80 mph.

I can remember several years ago I was driving down Mackinaw Street in Saginaw and had already passed Arthur Hill High School which had open campus meaning that students were free to leave the campus during the day instead of being closed campus students wouldn't of been allowed to leave freely. Well during their lunch hour I was driving down Mackinaw and had someone throw a glass bottle at my truck. No damage or anything but it's something I've always remembered for some strange reason.

[ET21]

Needles Highway in the Black Hills (SD Route 87)