Favorite lesser known mountain roads

[Roadrunner75]

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.

Not far away from you is the road to the top of Washington Rock, off US 22, here:
https://www.google.com/maps?ll=40.61291,-74.472451&spn=0.000004,0.00327&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.61291,-74.472964&panoid=Cx1m6Xcoi8hsB4mpJFfvWg&cbp=12,127.67,,0,4.22
This is a nice ride, surrounded by an otherwise densely populated area.  I used to come up here sometimes when I was at Rutgers and hang out at the top.

Also, in Reading, PA, the ride to the top of Mount Penn to the Pagoda overlooking the city is great too:
https://www.google.com/maps?ll=40.336586,-75.905&spn=0.000004,0.00327&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=40.336586,-75.905513&panoid=o35oKZRxM723N8sF4OfIOw&cbp=12,214.69,,0,-6.52

Interesting item about this mountain and the Pagoda:  Charles Duryea was an automotive pioneer (first American gasoline powered car) who used the road to the top of the mountain to test his vehicles for hill climbing.  There are several ways that wind to the top, and the ride along Skyline Drive is very scenic.  There are clubs that sponsor races to the top of the mountain every year:
http://www.readingpagoda.com/pagodaduryeahillclimbs.html
Here's a Youtube video of one car going up (they go one at a time on timed runs).  There are many other videos for this out there as well:

[renegade]

The Oh-My-God Road, which runs generally north of Idaho Springs to Central City, Colorado, and I believe has been replaced by the Central City Parkway.  Steep, unpaved, no guardrails ... Lots of fun!

[froggie]

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 would vote as well for VT 108.

Lesser known than VT 108 would be VT 105 between Jay and Richford.  Better yet would be VT 58 through Hazen's Notch...but better bring 4WD or AWD and not try it in the winter or spring.

There's a slew of backroads near me with pretty wicked mountain views and even wickeder driving.  Several locations where one can see Mt. Washington from ~50mi away, and there's at least one spot on southbound 91 south of Barton where one can also see the Presidential Range on a clear day, as well as from an overlook on US 2 in Danville.  There's a spot barely a mile from our house where we can see Killington...75 miles away.


US 211 across the Blue Ridge can be pretty crazy, especially on the eastern side (several switchbacks and a 35 MPH speed limit).  Always enjoyed going through the mountains along and west of the Blue Ridge in western Virginia and eastern West Virginia.

Out West, we enjoyed US 89 in northeastern Utah as well as US 30 in southeastern Idaho/southwestern Wyoming.

[dgolub]

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.

In that general area, there's US 9W, which goes up and down Storm King Mountain.  There's also NY 218, which goes between Storm King Mountain and the Hudson River.  It's supposed to have great scenery.  I've never been on that part, though, because the time I tried it was closed due to storm damage from Hurricane Irene.

[1995hoo]

froggie mentioned US-211 over the Blue Ridge. I like that road as well and I often use it as an alternative to I-81 and I-66 on my way back from Harrisonburg unless it's snowing heavily. Scenic drive and, aside from the twisty parts over the mountains, it's more relaxed than the Interstate.

A drive that's more in the foothills is Freezeland Road/Fiery Run Road (secondary route 638) in and near Linden, Virginia. Nice drive with some good scenic views, and you have the bonus of two very good wineries located on that road (Fox Meadow Vineyards, which has a spectacular view to the south, and Linden Vineyards).

Nova Scotia's Cabot Trail is well-known in Canada but seems less so in the United States. Great road everyone should drive once, although its isolation makes it one most of us will never be able to travel all that often because of the time it takes to get there. The portions on the east and west sides of the Cape Breton Highlands are absolutely magnificent. I've been on that road twice during summer and I'd love to go back in early fall sometime, although the falling leaves might make finding my ball on the Highlands Links (outstanding golf course in Ingonish Beach) even more difficult. 

[hbelkins]

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).

I've done all of those and I agree.

Here's one you would like, Laura. From Monterey, Va., take US 250 west into West Virginia, then WV 92 south to White Sulphur Springs. Or, for that matter, US 220 on north into Maryland.

Also mentioned upthread, US 33 from Elkins to Harrisonburg is a fun and scenic drive, as is US 250 from Elkins to Monterey.

I'm not that big of a fan of US 219 south from Elkins through Marlinton to Lewisburg.

[vdeane]

NY 73 (which lies entirely in the Adirondacks) remains my all-time favorite NY state highway.  NY 74 is fun too.  NY 431 is a mountain drive, but doesn't fit the criteria of the tread (Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway is pretty well-known).

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.

In that general area, there's US 9W, which goes up and down Storm King Mountain.  There's also NY 218, which goes between Storm King Mountain and the Hudson River.  It's supposed to have great scenery.  I've never been on that part, though, because the time I tried it was closed due to storm damage from Hurricane Irene.

NY 218 is awesome.

[Pete from Boston]

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.

In that general area, there's US 9W, which goes up and down Storm King Mountain.  There's also NY 218, which goes between Storm King Mountain and the Hudson River.  It's supposed to have great scenery.  I've never been on that part, though, because the time I tried it was closed due to storm damage from Hurricane Irene.

Palisades to 9W to 218 is a great drive (with a suggested detour up Bear Mountain, and another over the Bear Mountain Bridge and down 6 to Peekskill).  I prefer 218 to 9W over Storm King because it's smaller and quieter, allowing a nicer pause at the overlook, and it's lower down and thus puts you more in the middle between river and mountains. 

You can really make a day of it with Seven Lakes Drive and 6 across Harriman State Park. 

It pains me a little to describe all this because when I lived near there and then had a family base nearby for years after, these were all my favorite Sunday drive locales.  People in Greater New York are truly lucky to have these kinds of places so close in to the metropolitan core.

[froggie]

A drive that's more in the foothills is Freezeland Road/Fiery Run Road (secondary route 638) in and near Linden, Virginia. Nice drive with some good scenic views, and you have the bonus of two very good wineries located on that road (Fox Meadow Vineyards, which has a spectacular view to the south, and Linden Vineyards).

I'm more a fan of SR 635 (Hume Rd) between US 522 and SR 647, which has a couple wineries of its own...Desert Rose Ranch and Rappahannock Cellars.  In fact, I'd often head west by taking 66 to Marshall, picking up SR 647, then taking SR 635 to US 522 to US 211 West.

Since Highland County, VA was mentioned, my favorite road in that county is SR 640, especially north of Hightown, which happens to sit right on the drainage divide between the South Branch Potomac River (which begins just to the north) and the Jackson River (James River basin to the south).

[texaskdog]

I thought this was a cool topic then realized I created it.  Thanks for giving it the 3-year bump!

[1995hoo]

A drive that's more in the foothills is Freezeland Road/Fiery Run Road (secondary route 638) in and near Linden, Virginia. Nice drive with some good scenic views, and you have the bonus of two very good wineries located on that road (Fox Meadow Vineyards, which has a spectacular view to the south, and Linden Vineyards).

I'm more a fan of SR 635 (Hume Rd) between US 522 and SR 647, which has a couple wineries of its own...Desert Rose Ranch and Rappahannock Cellars.  In fact, I'd often head west by taking 66 to Marshall, picking up SR 647, then taking SR 635 to US 522 to US 211 West.

....

I've only used a portion of that. A couple of years ago Ms1995hoo had bought a Groupon (or similar voucher, don't remember which company) for a tasting at Narmada Winery in Amissville. We wanted to go to Linden Vineyards afterwards, so we went up 522 to Hume Road and followed that east to Fiery Run Road, which turns to a rather bumpy gravel road at some point but brings you out just down the road from Linden Vineyards. I know Hume continues east to Leeds Manor, but I've never had any reason to go that way. (I do use the other portion of Leeds Manor, the segment north of I-66 that runs past Naked Mountain Winery, fairly frequently if we're headed to Middleburg after a trip to Fox Meadow. We're members of the wine club at Fox Meadow, so we visit every other month or so.)

I keep thinking about finding my way down from Fox Meadow via the back route down to Howellsville Road or to Morgan Ford, then heading north to Route 50, but the timing never works out well and I invariably head back down Freezeland Road all the way to Route 55. The route from the hairpin on Freezeland to Khyber Pass Road and on across is somewhat convoluted to follow and it's easy to miss the turns.

[bugo]

Oklahoma US 259 from Broken Bow to Page
AR 123 north of Hagarville
AR 21 north of Clarksville
AR 375 south of Mena (why this isn't a scenic byway is beyond me)
AR 27 from Mount Ida to Danville

[jp the roadgeek]

MD 77 is a fun ride from US 15 to MD 64.  Very winding and twisting as it passes through Catoctin Mountain Park. 

[Roadrunner75]

MD 77 is a fun ride from US 15 to MD 64.  Very winding and twisting as it passes through Catoctin Mountain Park.

I will second this.  We've driven this a few times and have stopped at Cunningham Falls along the way.

[yankee.peddler]

Sunshine Highway (County Route S1) in eastern San Diego County remains one of my favorites.  It provides stunning vistas of the Laguna Mountains and the Sonoran Desert, where the elevation suddenly drops several thousand feet and the viewer can have both Jeffrey Pines and ocotillo in his field of vision.

Usually, Sunshine Highway doesn't carry a ton of traffic unless a weather system drops snow above 5,000 feet and folks from greater San Diego flock for a day of sledding.

[allniter89]

One of my favorites is the Cherohala Skyway in SE TN. We were there in the winter, we didnt see more than 5 cars the entire trip. I'm not sure how busy it is in the summer. It runs from Tellico Plains, TN to Robbinsville, NC. The Skyway is 40+ miles and elevations range from 900' to 5400'. IIRC a shallow river runs along side the road. The scenery was spectacular especially at the parking lot at the summit.
I havent traveled DE 896-PA 896 in 30 yrs. Then it was a fun two lane hwy, the fun part was the "hoop de do" of the roadway. Apparently the builders didnt level the ground so the effect is like mini jumps (hoop de dos) and it was great fun to drive fast in a VW Bug. If anyone has driven the road lately, I'd be interested if they improved the hwy at all.

[keithvh]

One of my favorites is the Cherohala Skyway in SE TN. We were there in the winter, we didnt see more than 5 cars the entire trip. I'm not sure how busy it is in the summer. It runs from Tellico Plains, TN to Robbinsville, NC. The Skyway is 40+ miles and elevations range from 900' to 5400'. IIRC a shallow river runs along side the road. The scenery was spectacular especially at the parking lot at the summit.

The Skyway is awesome.  I have driven it twice in summer and didn't see much traffic --- I do think it does get "relatively low traffic counts" because of the nearby Dragon.  The Dragon's much well-known but I honestly like the Skyway better.

[xcellntbuy]

NY 73 (which lies entirely in the Adirondacks) remains my all-time favorite NY state highway.  NY 74 is fun too.  NY 431 is a mountain drive, but doesn't fit the criteria of the tread (Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway is pretty well-known).

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.

In that general area, there's US 9W, which goes up and down Storm King Mountain.  There's also NY 218, which goes between Storm King Mountain and the Hudson River.  It's supposed to have great scenery.  I've never been on that part, though, because the time I tried it was closed due to storm damage from Hurricane Irene.

NY 218 is awesome.

Agreed on all accounts!  Its been more than 30 years since I have been to any of those Adirondack routes, but they have always left a tremendous impression.

[jas]

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.

CR 579 along the Musconetcong Mountain in Warren County, NJ offers a beautiful of Easton, PA and the eastern portion of the Lehigh Valley.

[Beeper1]

In the Adirondacks, Essex CR-84 (aka Blue Ridge Road) from North Hudson to Newcomb is a really fun, twisty scenic drive if you're heading to the central 'dacks.   

ME-113 through Evans Notch is a really nice drive, as is NH-26 through Dixville Notch.

The Arlington-West Wardsboro Road across the Green Mtns in Vermont is quite the adventure.  Not sure if has been reopened though, as most of it was washed out by Hurricane Irene.

[cpzilliacus]

(1) Blue Ridge Parkway is nice at any point, but my favorite section is between Asheville and Cherokee.

(2) Having just driven it, I-70 across the San Rafael Swell in Utah is well worth the trip.  And I-70 across the Rockies in Colorado isn't bad either.

[SectorZ]

I don't know if this was discussed, but NH 118 between 25 and 112, which goes through an unnamed pass that is 2500' or so high is quite nice. The road was in pretty rough shape 3 years ago, so maybe it's been repaved since.

In Massachusetts, there aren't a lot of mountain roads. But, many are quite scenic and quite hilly. 112 in Huntington, 8A in Heath, 2 thru Whitcomb Summit, and 57 from 8 to 10/202 are great hilly roads. But, by no means mountain roads. Great for cycling and motorcycling especially.

[froggie]

I don't know if this was discussed, but NH 118 between 25 and 112, which goes through an unnamed pass that is 2500' or so high is quite nice. The road was in pretty rough shape 3 years ago, so maybe it's been repaved since.

Not as of early July.  Was still very bumpy, washed out pavement then.

[Pete from Boston]

Vermont 17 over/next to Camel's Hump just west of Waitsfield.  Nice view, a few switchbacks, short drive overall.

[cl94]

Agree with the New York examples so far. Few more I'll add:

-NY 30 south of NY 28. Anything but flat and straight.
-NY 9L north of NY 149. Like its sibling 9N, but less development
-Warren CR 11 between I-87 and NY 9 (entire length). Great views of the Adirondacks and several curves and hills.
-NY 28A. Winds along the shore of the Ashokan Reservoir.
-Saratoga CR 24 east of Corinth. Love the section over the Hudson River.
-Glens Falls Mountain/Luzerne Rds between Warren CRs 16 and 58 in/near Queensbury, NY. Known by few, crosses what is known locally as West Mountain. Drive it EB and the last mile or so is all sharp curves on a steep downgrade