Scenic roads you didn’t find so scenic

[TheHighwayMan3561]

They don't have to be officially designated, but what purportedly amazing roads that people and publications raved about did you not find so exciting?

[webny99]

I'm actually not disappointed by roads that often, but US 219 between I-80 and Bradford, PA, has got to be up there on the list - I thought maybe it had a historic or scenic designation of some sort, but I could be misremembering.

Also, this corridor is a truly despicable gateway to the Smoky Mountains, and a tremendous letdown when you think you're getting off I-40 and heading into the mountains. I'd rather tunnel under the whole mess at this point. Who would have thought Upstate NY could offer a more authentic mountain experience than eastern Tennessee? 

[Max Rockatansky]

CA 152 west of I-5 to the top of Pacheco Pass in the Diablo Range.  Said corridor is designated as a scenic by the State and the only real element of note is the San Luis Reservoir.  Most of the time the reservoir is half empty and the mountains are dry two thirds of the year.  I'm not saying it's ugly but it feels like the State wanted to celebrate an infrastructure project with the scenic designation.  CA 198 and CA 25 are also in the Diablo Range, both are far more scenic than CA 152.

[ozarkman417]

I can see why the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway is designated as such, as it's probably the most scenic drive in Kansas. But Kansas being Kansas, it's not that scenic.

[Roadgeekteen]

My randmcnally marks MA 3 as scenic. I don't get it.

[index]

The Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (SC 11) doesn't look particularly spectacular to me. It's got >some< decent looking views but they're absolutely nowhere near justifying calling it a scenic byway. A lot of the good stuff people mention about it isn't even on the road either, it's near it and you can't see it from it.

[Verlanka]

My randmcnally marks MA 3 as scenic. I don't get it.

Probably since it's near the ocean, but I could be wrong.

[sparker]

CA 152 west of I-5 to the top of Pacheco Pass in the Diablo Range.  Said corridor is designated as a scenic by the State and the only real element of note is the San Luis Reservoir.  Most of the time the reservoir is half empty and the mountains are dry two thirds of the year.  I'm not saying it's ugly but it feels like the State wanted to celebrate an infrastructure project with the scenic designation.  CA 198 and CA 25 are also in the Diablo Range, both are far more scenic than CA 152.

As far as the "scenic" aspect of the CA 152 expressway around San Luis Reservoir is concerned -- if it's early spring and the lake is reasonably full, then it might be scenic -- but only in relation to just coming off I-5 from SoCal.  One of the major year-round issues with that route is that one is battling heavy truck traffic on a pretty significant gradient, particularly westbound -- and taking eyes off the road to enjoy what scenery there is isn't often an option!  I suppose one could make the case that the west side of the pass in Santa Clara County is actually more scenic -- but the traffic issue is even more problematic on that very steep and narrow 4-lane-plus-K-rail segment than on the east side with its gentler curves and lines of sight.  Unfortunately, probably the only way to ameliorate the situation would be to throw a truckload of money at the problem and realign the western grade -- money Caltrans doesn't have.  So for the time being those of us who use the pass several times a year will just have to ignore what scenery there is and grind our way over the top.  But 152 has had the scenic designation since at least the mid-70's (built ca. 1965 when the San Luis Reservoir inundated the original route), so Max is probably correct in guessing that it was a more or less gratuitous designation based on the lake being full most of the time -- sort of the "look at what we did (for you)" PR effort common during the major period of CA freeway construction (approx. 1953 to 1975).

[deathtopumpkins]

I can see why the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway is designated as such, as it's probably the most scenic drive in Kansas. But Kansas being Kansas, it's not that scenic.

Even as someone from a state known for its scenery, I though the Flint Hills were very scenic driving through on I-70 in the snow. And looking at K-177 in streetview I'd definitely agree with its designation as a scenic byway. It passes through both the Flint Hills and the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (which is a landscape we have very little of left in the US).

[Terry Shea]

This may be a little off topic, but I've seen a few scenic pull offs/turnouts where I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be looking at that was scenic.