Best “roller coaster” roads

[twinsfan87]

Hi everyone,

My kids love what we call "roller coaster"  roads... ones with sharp inclines/declines and plenty of curves. We are planning a road trip, and it got me to thinking about planning a slightly longer trip to get off the beaten path and have some fun on a hilly road or two. I didn't see any past topics on this, so I thought it would be fun to start one. What are your favorite roller coaster roads?

I'll start: my kids and I enjoy driving on Wisconsin Highway 65 between St Croix Falls and New Richmond, WI.

[I-55]

I-24 between Monteagle and Kimball, TN. Truck speed limit of 40 mph, 6 percent grade. Plenty of turns, 3 lanes each way, 4 miles of road.

[Max Rockatansky]

CA 245, almost constant curves and little traffic in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

[Dirt Roads]

The original two-lane US-522 just south of the West Virginia border seemed like the best "roller coaster".  Typical of VDOT, those lanes remained after completion of the parallel lanes, but I think they have since been reconstructed.

[kenarmy]

CA 49,  I would love to drive that route someday.

[sprjus4]

Any repavement job completed by the city of Chesapeake, VA.

[andrepoiy]

Forks of the Credit Road in Caledon, Ontario.

[hobsini2]

There are 2 I can think of.
Bluff Rd in Romeoville and Lemont, IL - https://www.google.com/maps/@41.6817164,-88.0357972,15z?hl=en
Between Joliet Rd and Lemont Rd, this road has a huge incline and decline as it goes under I-355 and very sharp S curve that you need to slow to 10-15 to make.

Hwy A, Tichora Rd, Hwy N near Markesan, WI - https://www.google.com/maps/@43.7416299,-88.9652601,13z?hl=en, https://www.google.com/maps/@43.6937844,-88.9554883,3a,75y,1.3h,82.52t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdGZr5q2VqLVmDIChKeaBrA!2e0!7i3328!8i1664?hl=en
Between Hwy I and Hwy K, as you start on Hwy A, you go downhill to the Grand River and Hwy S. Follow Tichora Rd ahead when A swings northeast to find several hills will deep drops on the country road. As you cross Hwy 44, Tichora becomes Hwy N and continues with the hills all the way to just south of Green Lake at Hwy K.

[wanderer2575]

I haven't driven it myself (yet), but for decades Car and Driver magazine has used a 13-mile loop along OH-56, OH-374, and OH-664 in Ohio's Hocking Hills area for a lot of vehicle testing.  South Bloomingville is the westernmost point of the loop.

[bing101]

Road to Hana in Maui, Hi scenic and meets the thread criteria.

[webny99]

The one that immediately comes to mind is somewhere north of San Antonio... I think it's Ammann Road between Boerne and US 281. My memory isn't quite vivid enough to confirm with 100% certainty, but you can see in the Street View link that there's a lot of small rises and dips that you can get air from, so I think that's it. A fun ride that will have your stomach jumping. Not a lot of curves, though.

[dkblake]

Hi everyone,

My kids love what we call "roller coaster"  roads... ones with sharp inclines/declines and plenty of curves. We are planning a road trip, and it got me to thinking about planning a slightly longer trip to get off the beaten path and have some fun on a hilly road or two. I didn't see any past topics on this, so I thought it would be fun to start one. What are your favorite roller coaster roads?

I'll start: my kids and I enjoy driving on Wisconsin Highway 65 between St Croix Falls and New Richmond, WI.

You are lucky. My six-year-old gets carsick on any road that's curvy and hilly, and I live in Vermont 

I'll second US 522 in northern Virginia; that one is fun. It also gets you to the northern Blue Ridge Parkway, which is another great roller coaster road.

[Revive 755]

I'm thinking something in Missouri should be in the higher tiers - perhaps parts of US 160?

[keithvh]

US-95 in California, from between the Nevada Border and I-40 ..... this should NOT be a roller-coaster.  It is fairly flat terrain in the desert.

But for whatever reason, California can't even grade the road straight, there are a number of swells and valleys.  And it's annoying, especially given the lack relative lack of shoulders and good degree of traffic on a 2-lane road.

[Max Rockatansky]

CA 49,  I would love to drive that route someday.

Lots of history on CA 49 but most of it isn't a "roller coaster."   Some of the segments that are would include:

-  The Merced River Canyon
-  North of Placerville through the confluence of the American River to Auburn
-  North of Grass Valley over Yuba Pass

[kenarmy]

CA 49,  I would love to drive that route someday.

Lots of history on CA 49 but most of it isn't a "roller coaster."   Some of the segments that are would include:

-  The Merced River Canyon
-  North of Placerville through the confluence of the American River to Auburn
-  North of Grass Valley over Yuba Pass

i should've looked more into that, i was particularly talking about the route north of Placerville.

[Ga293]

Probably a little far to drive from Minnesota, but AL-176 and Cherokee County 275 on the west side of Little River Canyon in northeast Alabama. It's not for the squeamish. The pavement quality does leave a little bit to be desired on the county maintained sections. At one point, the pavement switches to grooved concrete due to how steep the road is.

[Dirt Roads]

The best one I've ever seen on video was posted a while back on the Georgia thread.  Shout out to David Carson for posting this classic from Freewayjim.

Atlanta Toller Coaster  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=204.msg2387968#msg2387968

[ftballfan]

Probably a little far to drive from Minnesota, but AL-176 and Cherokee County 275 on the west side of Little River Canyon in northeast Alabama. It's not for the squeamish. The pavement quality does leave a little bit to be desired on the county maintained sections. At one point, the pavement switches to grooved concrete due to how steep the road is.

Found the grooved concrete section: https://goo.gl/maps/J6fahEu8S4aDe7au7 and https://goo.gl/maps/Dg7mudSkJ2XtysKc9

The original two-lane US-522 just south of the West Virginia border seemed like the best "roller coaster".  Typical of VDOT, those lanes remained after completion of the parallel lanes, but I think they have since been reconstructed.

I've been on that road and it's obvious to tell which side was the original at some points (steeper hills, driveways, etc.)

[jmacswimmer]

MD 4 between Prince Frederick & Bristol comes to mind...like the US 522 example upthread, it's usually obvious which roadway is the original (here's one example just south of where MD 2 splits off for Annapolis).

[plain]

When I saw this thread title I instantly thought of Riverside Dr here in Richmond, especially the portion between US 1/301 and VA 161.

The best one I've ever seen on video was posted a while back on the Georgia thread.  Shout out to David Carson for posting this classic from Freewayjim.

Atlanta Toller Coaster  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=204.msg2387968#msg2387968

I want to drive that soooooo bad!! But it isn't EZpass compatible.

[roadman65]

US 211 over the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

[Henry]

I-24 between Monteagle and Kimball, TN. Truck speed limit of 40 mph, 6 percent grade. Plenty of turns, 3 lanes each way, 4 miles of road.

I-70 west of Denver is also similar, plus you have that tunnel along the way.

[tman]

Within a day of MN, lots of Missouri's lettered secondaries would be good bets, particularly those in the southern half or two-thirds of the state. I drove much of the height of MO on these once and some are, well, roller-coaster-y. MO is hilly, and these are designed to what seems to be a lower standard in terms of geometry, meaning there are tons that would seem to fit the bill. The two-lettered ones (e.g.., TT) are often even more secondary secondaries, so you might have good luck seeking those out.

[SectorZ]

You are lucky. My six-year-old gets carsick on any road that's curvy and hilly, and I live in Vermont 

I've been there before. Not as the parent, but as the carsick kid. Thankfully I grew out of it by about that age.