Favorite lesser known mountain roads

[texaskdog]

US 14A in Wyoming west of Sheridan is one of my favorites.  Didn't know it was a high pass.  Also 14 east out of Yellowstone to Cody. 

[agentsteel53]

Colorado state highway 149 is pretty obscure compared to its neighbors like US-50, 160, and 550.  But it does follow the Rio Grande and afford some spectacular views.

[Ian]

New York route 9N between Lake George Village and Hague in the Adirondacks. That stretch is very twisty and fun even though the part south of Bolton Landing is lined with lakefront motels, campgrounds, and private drives.

[corco]

14 east out of Yellowstone sucks but only because of the quantity of traffic and the 50 MPH speed limit.

Wyoming 296 is really nice and gets obscured by the nearby Beartooth Highway.

Oregon 3/Washington 129 is a really fun drive- no traffic and very, very scenic.

Same with Wyoming/Utah 150- although, again, tourists (not nearly as bad as 14 to Yellowstone though).

Moffat County, Colorado Route 10N is a lot of fun too from the Wyoming line (where it meets WYO 430) down to SH-318. Should I ever meet the girl of my dreams, I've got the spot picked out to propose and it's right along that route.

[Brandon]

Brockway Mountain Drive, Keweenaw County, Michigan, near Copper Harbor.  Great views of Lake Superior and the ridges that form that part of the Keweenaw Penninsula.  I have some photos to upload...

[wriddle082]

I've always liked VA 16 between Marion and Tazewell.  I haven't been on it south of Marion, but I would imagine it is similarly scenic.

[ftballfan]

Very little experience with mountain roads for me, but Monteagle Mountain is my favorite (three of my four trips through there were at night).

[hbelkins]

I've always liked VA 16 between Marion and Tazewell.  I haven't been on it south of Marion, but I would imagine it is similarly scenic.

I haven't done that one yet. I have a friend who used to commute that route every day!

The Pine Mountain crossings in Kentucky are interesting -- US 119 (has had truck lanes added as a stopgap until it can be tunneled under), KY 160 and US 421. There's also a Pine Mountain crossing that is a very narrow four-digit Kentucky state route that is fun, but a bit of a challenge.

[hobsini2]

Seeing as i have not driven in the mountains all that often, i will say that US 33 in WV and VA between Elkins and Harrisonburg is quite pretty.

[xcellntbuy]

NY 23A west from Catskill, NY through Palenville, Hunter and Tannersville to Lexington, NY and then follow NY 42 south to Shandaken at the intersection of NY 28.  NY 23A twists and turns through very old Catskill Mountain ridges and NY 42 makes a long continuously slow decline nestled between the intersecting folds of big old mountains.  Peaceful and quiet.

[drummer_evans_aki]

OR-3/WA-129.. Absolutely GORGEOUS. Though you might want to be careful. There's a nice view off the cliff near the Oregon/Washington border.

OR-140 .... Between Klamath Falls and its western terminus in White City, Lake Of The Woods Highway is very beautiful.

US-26 Mount Hood Hwy, Oregon ... While I do think that corridor should be a freeway, the drive through there is quite scenic as is and has a nice close up of Mount Hood.

OR-31 ... Man, I really don't know what to say. That highway is absolutely gorgeous. If you're in Oregon, check that highway out. Picture Rock Pass is pretty cool with the pictures in the mountain.

OR-19 .. The John Day Highway has some pretty nice scenery along the two passes. And some pretty cool towns to stop in. Nice folks out there too.

OR-22 east of Salem is a pretty nice drive through Detroit Lake. And if you really want an adventure, check out Breitenbush (sp?) Road, which eventually becomes OR-224.

[texaskdog]

So, drummer, youre saying we should visit Oregon?  Go Ducks!

[vtk]

ID-33 / WY-22 from Victor, ID to Jackson, WY is cool.

There's also Rich Mountain Road / Old Cades Cove Road from Cades Cove to Townsend, TN.

Or if you want something really obscure, try this route, beginning at some scenic falls on the Snake River, traversing Skyline Road (from which the Grand Tetons can be seen on a really clear day), and ending at Palisades Dam:
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=43.3182351,-111.5411339+to:43.18151,-111.15722+to:43.267747,-111.2235686+to:Bear+Creek+Rd&hl=en&ll=43.300197,-111.339569&spn=0.360798,0.699692&sll=43.436405,-111.363215&sspn=0.022499,0.043731&geocode=FQS8lgIdIMVc-Q%3BFdv7lAIdcwRa-SlL6kn_EZpUUzE1srk0fgkF4Q%3BFcblkgIdHOBf-SlRFXxHsFlTUzHEyCGpy9fdEQ%3BFaM2lAId8Nxe-Skrif1PSF5TUzF8EZYoOdZYrw%3BFfk0lQIdzT1f-Q&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=15&via=1,2,3&z=11

These National Forest roads recommend 4WD vehicles.  If it hasn't rained in a while, you could press your luck with the family minivan.  Google says it takes 4 hours; it may actually be more, depending on how often you stop for scenery, or whether you get stuck in a flock of sheep.

[texaskdog]

ID-33 / WY-22 from Victor, ID to Jackson, WY is cool.


Good one!

[MeanMeosh]

SH-17, SH-118, and SH-166 through the Davis Mountains in West Texas.  17 from Fort Davis to the McDonald Observatory is particularly cool.  Also, the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway east of Ashton, Idaho.

[drummer_evans_aki]

So, drummer, youre saying we should visit Oregon?  Go Ducks!

Why not?

OR-62 passing Crater Lake is gorgeous as well. I recently drove that and I wish I got pictures. OR-138 (N. Umpqua Hwy) is also a beautiful drive.

One thing I love about Oregon is the name of their little unincorporated areas. There's one called Nimrod and another called Idiotville. Just a little funny tidbit there.

[corco]

SH-17, SH-118, and SH-166 through the Davis Mountains in West Texas.  17 from Fort Davis to the McDonald Observatory is particularly cool.  Also, the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway east of Ashton, Idaho.

Ooo- that reminds me. Idaho 77 from Malta to Declo is an excellent back way from Salt Lake to Burley. I-84 is sort of scenic but boring if you're already used to that terrain, but Idaho 77 is awesome. It's a subtle awesome- not like some of the big mountain scenic drives in  Idaho that are HOLY CRAP LOOK AT THAT SCENERY-like, but more like the scenic Nebraska kind of scenic. It's a neat drive.

[texaskdog]

So, drummer, youre saying we should visit Oregon?  Go Ducks!

Why not?

OR-62 passing Crater Lake is gorgeous as well. I recently drove that and I wish I got pictures. OR-138 (N. Umpqua Hwy) is also a beautiful drive.

One thing I love about Oregon is the name of their little unincorporated areas. There's one called Nimrod and another called Idiotville. Just a little funny tidbit there.

Big Ducks fan.  Ready for football season!  They could be the last pac10 champ & the first pac12 champ!  Big game on 9/3

[Laura]

I'm resurrecting this thread because I can.

My favorite lesser known mountain drive is from Montvale, VA to Buchanan, VA on VA 695 and VA 43. I love the way it goes from the valley up to the mountains - at the highest point of the route is the intersection with the Blue Ridge Parkway - and then back down again with gentle and sharp curves down to Buchanan.

I also really like US 220 from Roanoke up to Highland County, VA. Also, VA 39 and 42 are also great mountain roads in this area (take VA 39 from just west of Lexington to Goshen, and then VA 42 down to Clifton Forge).

While not at all "lesser known", I really did enjoy US 16 A through the Black Hills, particularly all of the cool pigtail curves and views of Mount Rushmore along the way.

[Dr Frankenstein]

New York route 9N between Lake George Village and Hague in the Adirondacks. That stretch is very twisty and fun even though the part south of Bolton Landing is lined with lakefront motels, campgrounds, and private drives.

9N is awesome.

I don't know if those are lesser-known, but the Smugglers Notch on VT 108 is the most fun I've ever had driving. I wish it was longer. On that same day, I drove MA 2 between the NY state line and I-91... awesome.

[Arkansastravelguy]

New York route 9N between Lake George Village and Hague in the Adirondacks. That stretch is very twisty and fun even though the part south of Bolton Landing is lined with lakefront motels, campgrounds, and private drives.

9N is awesome.

I don't know if those are lesser-known, but the Smugglers Notch on VT 108 is the most fun I've ever had driving. I wish it was longer. On that same day, I drove MA 2 between the NY state line and I-91... awesome.

I would vote as well for VT 108. I was asp surprised how scenic I-99 was. ME 26 through Grafton Notch is beautiful.


iPhone

[adventurernumber1]

I'm sure this would be a very lesser known mountain road, but US 76/SR 282 from Ramhurst (just south of Chatsworth) to Ellijay, GA. Beautiful drive, climbing the mountain, then slowly going down, but then when you reach Ellijay the mountains in the distance are a beauty.

[SD Mapman]

SD 473 is unsigned, but breathtaking when you look back down the valley.
Also, UT 14 is quite beautiful.

[KG909]

I'm going to say CA 2, but that's one of the only ones I've been on so I don't have much variety

[Zeffy]

While I'm sure these are known, the Palisades Interstate Parkway provides great scenery along the Palisades in New Jersey and New York. Also, there's not really a road for it, but several county roads in Hillsborough and neighboring Hunterdon and Mercer Counties traverse the Sourlands Mountains, and on a clear day, you can actually see the skyline of Lower Manhattan from a point on top of the mountain!

Of course, these are the only mountainous roads I've been on so... not much here.