Roads that weren't what you expected

[empirestate]

I'll go first: Skyline Drive (in Shenandoah NP).

I clinched it during the past week, and while it's certainly tranquil and scenic, and the views from every overlook are majestic, I must admit I didn't expect the road to be essentially forested throughout. I don't know why, but my expectation was that the road ran literally along the ridgeline of relatively treeless hills, with long views in every direction from the road itself. Of course that doesn't make a lot of sense, since being a conserved areas, it is obviously not (or no longer) clear-cut. But for whatever reason, that's what I was expecting!

[JayhawkCO]

WY211 (between Cheyenne and Chugwater (the long way)).  I basically just took the road so that I could start getting all of SE Wyoming clinched, and I expected it to just travel through some flat ranchland.  But, I drove it right after Memorial Day so everything was nice and green and it was actually a pretty road.

Chris

[SkyPesos]

I-70 in MO. Note that I've been on it a long time ago, but two weeks ago was my first time driving it myself between StL and KC.

Expectation (from this forum): Bumper to bumper trucks on both lanes, very unlikely to drive even a bit above the speed limit of 70 mph.

Reality: Frequent passing opportunities, though there's still a lot of trucks compared to other rural interstates, was able to cruise control at 78 mph most of the way.

[sprjus4]

^ I've had the same experience with I-70 recently, along with I-40 across Arkansas. Granted, they were both evening time, so traffic would be less, but I was mainly able to hold cruise at around 80 mph throughout with only slowing down a few times because of trucks.

[kphoger]

In Kentucky, I drove through Land Between the Lakes, and it wasn't scenic at all.  Of course, the fact that it was during the middle of a drought could have something to do with that...

[Max Rockatansky]

US 129/The Dragon was nowhere as beastly and curvy as what I had driven out west.  It really was tame compared to US 191 over the Coronado Trail in particular. 

[Roadgeekteen]

US 2 in Northwest Vermont was more boring than I expected.

[Rothman]

US 129/The Dragon was nowhere as beastly and curvy as what I had driven out west.  It really was tame compared to US 191 over the Coronado Trail in particular.

Hm.  Wonder if there's an objective way of comparing the two, like number of curves within a certain distance or something like that.

[Max Rockatansky]

US 129/The Dragon was nowhere as beastly and curvy as what I had driven out west.  It really was tame compared to US 191 over the Coronado Trail in particular.

Hm.  Wonder if there's an objective way of comparing the two, like number of curves within a certain distance or something like that.

I'm sure it can be measured.  US 129 on The Dragon segment definitely has more curves per mile.  The Coronado Trail is far longer with somewhat straight segments interlacing the numerous curvy parts.  What really pushes the Coronado Trail over The Dragon for me is the remoteness and the surprisingly high elevation of the White Mountains.  The Coronado Trail is one of the few US Route segments that felt to me like a true remote mountain back road.  I feel like the only other US Route segment I can only say the same is the Beartooth Highway segment of US 212.  US 550 in Red Mountain Pass is close but the crowds blunt the experience if you want something ominous feeling.

For context; the first time I did The Dragon segment of US 129 was alone on a snowy day.

[achilles765]

When I took my first couple of road trips to New England with a couple of friends a few years ago, I was not expecting I 95 in New York to be only six lanes and in such bad shape. Coming from texas, it was a shock because the roads looked more like Louisiana than what I expected from the largest city in the country.
Interstate 93 in Boston also wasn't as cool as I expected. The big dig was cool enough but I expected something else. I don't know what exactly but it wasn't what I was thinking it would be like.
Interstate 81 in Pennsylvania was more interesting than I expected though. And so were 95 and 76 in Philly.

[thspfc]

US-27 in Lake County, FL; actually kind of pretty, especially compared to the Turnpike which is one of the dullest freeways in the nation.

I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, WY; expected more of the same gently rolling grassland, like western Nebraska, but it's quite mountainous.

A short stretch of US-45 near Mass City, MI; almost all of US-45 is flat, but the stretch between Burma Road and M-38 is hilly, especially the near the Ontonagon River.

WI-60 between I-39/90/94 and Lodi; only about 20 miles from where I live, but it always surprises me just how quickly the terrain gets more vertical once you get west of Madison. Same thing with US-12, US-14, and US-18/151 westward from Madison.

Getting into extreme irrelevancy: Loveland Road, which connects WI-22 and US-51 near Poynette, has this view right here, which surprised me: https://www.google.com/maps/@43.3762499,-89.3553292,3a,53.8y,286.44h,84.22t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPzyBjrDrmmNS-xkpu0cjbw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
GSV doesn't really do it justice though.

I'm pretty sure that I was only on that road in the first place due to US-51 being closed for resurfacing in early October 2020.

[US 89]

I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, WY; expected more of the same gently rolling grassland, like western Nebraska, but it's quite mountainous.

Of course, that’s the most mountainous part of I-80 in all of Wyoming. Most of 80 through the rest of the state is either flat or gently rolling hills - especially around where it crosses the continental divide, where you might expect the biggest mountains to be!

[thspfc]

I-80 between Cheyenne and Laramie, WY; expected more of the same gently rolling grassland, like western Nebraska, but it's quite mountainous.

Of course, that's the most mountainous part of I-80 in all of Wyoming. Most of 80 through the rest of the state is either flat or gently rolling hills - especially around where it crosses the continental divide, where you might expect the biggest mountains to be!

I've driven I-80 westbound across Nebraska three times. Two of them I split onto I-76 at the Colorado border, the third I continued on I-80 to near Laramie. The drive across Nebraska is infamous to begin with, but I couldn't imagine doing effectively two I-80 Nebraskas back-to-back, as it has almost as much mileage in Wyoming - but also fewer cars, fewer services, and no cities to the scale of Omaha or Lincoln.

[SEWIGuy]

For some reason, I thought Alligator Alley would be more interesting than it is. 

[Roadgeekteen]

For some reason, I thought Alligator Alley would be more interesting than it is.

It's a swamp what do you expect

[kphoger]

Lots of alligators crossing the highway, I imagine.

[Max Rockatansky]

Lots of alligators crossing the highway, I imagine.

Which can be found (I wouldn't say "lots"  though) on any of the following:

-  US 41/Tamiami Trail
-  Everglades Loop Road
-  Main Park Road

In general I think most people are expecting something far more aggressive with alligators and not the sedentary reality. 

[empirestate]

Another I'll add in the category of scenic byways: Kancamagus Highway.

Maybe the weather wasn't quite the best, or I did it too long after peak foliage, but it didn't seem particularly more impressive than many other New England mountain drives. I guess it was, but just not to the scale of the publicity it receives.

[Rothman]

Another I'll add in the category of scenic byways: Kancamagus Highway.

Maybe the weather wasn't quite the best, or I did it too long after peak foliage, but it didn't seem particularly more impressive than many other New England mountain drives. I guess it was, but just not to the scale of the publicity it receives.

What are you comparing it to that is better?

[SEWIGuy]

For some reason, I thought Alligator Alley would be more interesting than it is.

It's a swamp what do you expect

Something more interesting obviously.

[Bruce]

US 101 in Washington: The inland sections were fairly boring and not all that much different from driving a foothills road closer to home. I do not regret diverting to SR 109 for the full coastal experience.

[formulanone]

Georgia's SR 190 seems to have a miniature mountain range; I wasn't expecting that so far south in the state.

Similarly, Alabama's SR 187 is quite hilly, narrow, and curvy; it seems to be the very last part of the Cumberland Plateau.

[Roadgeekteen]

For some reason, I thought Alligator Alley would be more interesting than it is.

It's a swamp what do you expect

Something more interesting obviously.

I've seen it on street view it's unique I guess.

[SEWIGuy]

For some reason, I thought Alligator Alley would be more interesting than it is.

It's a swamp what do you expect

Something more interesting obviously.

I've seen it on street view it's unique I guess.

This was 20 years ago.

[empirestate]

Another I'll add in the category of scenic byways: Kancamagus Highway.

Maybe the weather wasn't quite the best, or I did it too long after peak foliage, but it didn't seem particularly more impressive than many other New England mountain drives. I guess it was, but just not to the scale of the publicity it receives.

What are you comparing it to that is better?

Nothing (other than my preconception of it). I'm comparing it to roads that are, if not as impressive, then substantially closer than I'd have guessed. For example, I'm not sure the Kanc is much more spectacular than US 302 or the Franconia Notch Parkway. And while it might be twice as nice as VT 9 in the Green Mountains, it isn't, say, four times as good.