The
American Great West
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- AZ, eastern border of state, US route 666 [a.k.a Route
192] from Clifton to Alpine
(runs north-south), 99 miles: "The Devil's Highway." This is a killer
road through spectacular mountain country. we drove it in a rainstorm even though a local
biker warned us not to: "1800 turns in 100 miles. watch out for elk on the
road." pushing hard it was difficult to get above 45 mph. several hairpin turns are
~10mph. passes one of the largest open pit copper mines in the world. we also saw elk.
- AZ, south-central, AZ83 from US10 south of Tucson to
AZ82 in
Sonoita. 25 miles. Well maintained wide two-lane highway with armco in key spots.
5 miles straight and flat across the desert, 15 miles of 4000' elevation rise, and then 5
more miles straight and flat across range grass land to Sonoita. Fast sweepers with plenty
of opportunity to probe top speed on the long straights. IMHO, some of the most beautiful
scenery in Arizona. Watch for locals trying to pass on short straights with double yellow
lines. There weren't any double yellow lines until tourists started splattering themselves
a few years back. Not too many DPS's (Arizona's Highway Patrol). Occasionally there are
pre-production GM and Nissan cars getting flogged on this road. To continue on to Nogales,
go West on AZ82. To continue on to Tombstone, go East on AZ82.
- CA, Southern, Angeles Crest Highway.
Take the 134 East/North to the 210 West (SanFernando) to the Angeles Crest Highway
(Highway 2) exit. It is highy recommended that you turnleft and gas up at the Shell
station because there are no gas stations on the crest. After gassing up,Turn right and
continue up the mountain. Newcombs Ranch (restaurant/bike hangout) will be onyour left
(about 27 miles up the mountain from the freeway off ramp). (mg)
- CA, Southern, Mulholland Dr. Take the 101 Exit at
Topanga Canyon South and follow the road to Mulholland Drive, turn right then left at the
first stoplight onto Mulholland Highway. Follow Mulholland Highway until you come to the
Rock Store. After stopping at the Rock Store for some bike-watching, continue up
Mullholland. Turn right at Encinal Canyon Rd. and take it all the way to the PCH. (mg)
- CA, Bay Area - Morgan Territory Road, Vasco Road loop from
Livermore. Take theNorth Livermore Road exit from I580 and go North. Road
makes a sharp left bend at mile 3.8 (allmiles measured from I580). At mile 4.3 make a
right turn onto Morgan Territory Road. The roaddrops to 1 lane and begins to climb the
Eastern shoulder of Mt. Diablo at mile 5.1. As you climb,look behind for a view of what
California must have looked like 50 years ago. At mile 10.2 theroad drops into the woods
and gets narrower and twistier. Lots of tight turns and hairpin bends asyou descend and
almost no traffic. Back to 2 lanes and scattered houses at mile 16.5. MorganTerritory
tee's into Marsh Creek Road at mile 20.1. Turn left to go to Concord (restaurants, gas
stations, freeways), or turn right for more open country. The road forks at mile 30.9,
continue straight onto Camino Diablo to Walnut Blvd. at mile 32.4. Turn left on Walnut
Blvd. for Brentwood to pick your own cherries/apricots/etc. or turn right to return to
Livermore. The valley you are traveling through will be flooded in a few years as the site
of the Los Vaqueros resevoir. You return to I580 at the Vasco Road interchange at mile 47.
(dl)
- CA, Bay Area, Route 9 from Saratoga to Santa Cruz. About 35 miles.
This is a great road to take to or from Santa Cruz instead of the regular, crowded 17.
There are a few small towns on the way. An attraction just off the road worth visiting is
the Henry Caldwell(sp?) Redwoods State Park. It has good trees and good trekking and
biking routes. It's a few miles out of Santa Cruz. The road has great curves! Be mindful
of the posted speed limits on turns since on some turns they really mean it, especially if
you don't know the road. It goes right up into the hills and down on the other side to the
sea. There are a number of vista points. You get good views of sceneries and a good view
of Silicon Valley at night from the Saratoga side of the hills. (cg)
- CA, Bay Area, Skyline Drive/Hwy 1 (from San Francisco):
Take Highway 1 south through Pacifica, past Devil's Slide, down to Half Moon Bay, and turn
inland onto Hwy 92. Continue on 92 until Skyline Drive, where you turn south and head down
through the trees. Watch out for cops and bicyclists on this road. You have several
options on Skyline: (1) turn left onto King's Mountain Road (lots of twisties, but be very
careful about bicycles) and go down to Woodside Rd., where you have the option of going
left to Hwy 280 and back to SF or going right and continuing back up Woodside to La Honda
Rd. to Skyline; (2) Take Skyline to La Honda Rd., stop at Alice's Restaurant for lunch
with all the other motorcyclists, then take La Honda Rd. right, back down to the coast and
come back up Hwy 1; (3) Go left on La Honda Rd. from Alice's and head back down to
Woodside Rd. and the 280; (4) continue on Skyline south from Alice's all the way to
Highway 9 and down to Santa Cruz; or any combination of the above. (as)
- CA, north-central, CA25 from US101 in Gilroy to CA198 near
Coalinga. About 100 miles? Well maintained two-lane highway. Once you're
south of Hollister, which is ~15 miles south of Gilroy, the traffic disappears and the fun
begins. Lots of fast sweepers intermixed with occasional straights and sections of tight
curves. Great scenery makes it worthwhile even if you aren't into high speeds and curvey
roads. Provides the only access to the east side of Pinnacles National Monument. If you're
coming from the south via CA198, be warned that the turn-off is barely marked. From the
East look for a sign that refers to Pinnacles, from the West I don't know if there is a
sign at all. (bc)
- CA, central, CA198 from US5 past CA25 to US101. 50 miles?
Amazing two- lane highway connects US5 to US101, and provides access to CA33 (a
low-traffic alternative to US5) and the southern end of CA25. Light traffic, great road
conditions, and almost non-stop curves make it a blast on a motorcycle, especially the
section between Coalinga (from CA33) to the turn-off to CA25, which is approximately 30
miles. (bc)
- CA, central, Indian Valley Road from CA25 @ CA 198 to San Miguel @ US101, ~35miles. The CA25 route can be extended
on the southern end by taking Indian Valley Road. The roaditself is of fair quality, and
has no lines for most of the length. Access from the S at San Miguel is tricky. The great
scenery and low level of traffic is similar to CA25. (sa)
- CA, North Coast, Stewarts Point to Geyserville,
Skaggs Spring. Rd, 50mi. No cars. Perfect new pavement. Rolling hills. Lots of Armco. Will
leave you speechless. (pt) An update: the section from Stewart's Pt. to about 20 miles
inland is very narrow and has very poor pavement (as of 12 Feb 96), running to gravel in
spots. It's quite slow, and runs through a dark redwood forest. The section from
Geyserville (actually, the Lake Sonoma dam about 10 miles from Geyserville) to the redwood
forest is far nicer, with fast swoops and lots of elevation changes. Beware of streams
running across the road if it's been raining recently (like in the last few days). (jam)
- CA, North Coast, CA128 from Navarro Pt. to Cloverdale. Many parts of 128 are very nice, but this is the best part by far. Flat,
with medium-speed turns. Runs along the Navarro River/Stream/Creek along here, ducking in
and out of very dark redwood forests. Sometimes more traffic than one would like (and few
places to pass), but the road itself is wonderful. (jam)
- CA, Central Coast, Cambria and Cayucos, Santa Rosa Creek Rd,
25 mi. This rural, relatively lightly-traveled road runs east out of Cambria through
valleys and farms along California's central coast. Usually no centerline, some broken
pavement, but usually clean. Lots of tight turns (<45 mph) near Cambria, but wide open
sweepers nearer Cayucos (120+ mph) descending to the coast. Road is listed on local AAA
maps. (ab)
- US, CA, CA49 from Sattley to Grass Valley. 77 mi. Widely varied road
from tight sections running along a river (great scenery, if you go slow enough to see it)
to medium sweepers. Pavement is good to excellent. Lightly traveled. A great diversion
from I-80 between Reno and Sacramento. Intersects CA89 at Sattley, which will take you to
I-80 at Truckee. (jam) Update: 49 continues south of 80 for quite a ways, and is pretty
nice most of the way. Some towns, and traffic, but got for a long ride. The section from
80 to Grass Valley is pretty dull, but the part past Grass Valley is well worth it.
- CA, Norris Canyon Road, Alameda & Contra Costa Counties (near San
Francisco). This is somewhat off the beaten track, but I like it because of the twisties.
OK, how to get to it. Eastbound on RT 580 from Oakland, till just after the intersection
with RT 238. Then take the Crow Canyon Road exit, and follow the signs to Crow Canyon
Road: Left at the set of lights at the end of the offramp, cross the freeway, right at the
next set, down the hill, and left at the set at the bottom: now you're on Crow Canyon.
Stay on Crow Canyon till the speed limit jumps up to 50 (from 35) - that's about 2 to 3
miles. There's a long straight stretch, then a couple of curves, and then the next
intersection to the right is Norris Canyon. Gently round the first two curves, then open
it up and let it rip. It's about 5 miles all up. You can also get into the other end: get
on RT 680 and aim for San Ramon (south from Walnut Creek, or north from San Jose). Take
the Bollinger Canyon Exit, head west (turn left at the end of the offramp if you were
going north on 680, turn right if you were going south. Go through all the lights, and
then look for a four way stop, it's maybe half a mile after the last light - the lights
are real close together. Turn left at the four way stop, and you're in at the other end.
Don't sweat speed traps - this is so quiet I don't think the police know it exists. There
are a couple of areas that have some houses, so I tend to take it easy through those,
because if there were some kids playing in the road it could get really messy. (dg)
Update: this road has been characterized as "uninteresting" recently (early
1997).
- CA, The Bay Area, I280 running between San Francisco and San Jose.
About 45 miles, but ~5 miles at each end is not as beautiful. Four- lane highway with
execellent maintanenace. It's a commuters' road so you don't want to be driving on it
during the rush hours. Nevertheless, if you can get up early on weekends, it is a very
nice road to drive on. You'll see a very different scenery than the (coastal) US Highway
1: picturesque hills by Stanford, $1M mansions, reservoirs, and may vista points. Be sure
to drive in both directions, because you'll definitely get a different perspective. (ik)
- CA, North-Central, Mosquito Ridge Road Running from Foresthill Rd (itself
quite nice for a bit) just east of Auburn, this road ends up at French Meadows Reservior,
about 35 miles from the start. A very, very twisty road (600+ turns [yes, we counted
them]) a good average speed is 40-45mph) tucked up against a ridge. It climbs from about
1500ft to 5500ft. The very top is closed by snow to all but 4x4s with brave owners from
about October to May. Fabulous road, but very unforgiving of mistakes (lots of
no-guardrail dropoffs several hundred feet high). Used for logging, this road has bad
traffic during the week, but is nearly empty on the weekends. (jam)
- CA - For Southern California, which is known to
be a mecca for motorcyclists, this may be "the" motorcycling road. An historic
stage route through the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles Crest Highway reaches
elevations of over 7,000 feet as it wends its way to Wrightwood, CA, a popular ski resort.
Always challenging, never predictable, and sometimes downright sinister, this road will
tax even an expert rider's skills right to the limit. Sixty-two miles, from La Canada to
Wrightwood. Not to be missed if you are in the Los Angeles area.
- CO, CO145 from Dolores to Placerville with
side trip to Telluride,
about 75 miles. Dolores is in SW CO just N of Cortez. A twisty ride along the Dolores
River and over Lizard Head Pass. Not much traffic. I think everyone else is going to
Telluride via the Million Dollar Highway. Can be taken very fast. Beautiful scenery with
mountains and river views. It is one of those roads that will make you want to turn around
and do it all over again. Be sure to go into Telluride and walk around and see the town.
- CO, CO149 from just W of Gunnison to
Baxterville (through imfamous Lake City), must be over 125 miles. The best part
of this road is from Spring Creek Pass (el. 10901) to Baxterville. This part runs through
a very (!) large and incredibly beautiful valley. Seems to be lightly traveled and can be
taken fast. Stop in Creede, another Historic Mining District. The ride from Gunnison to
Lake City is not too good. May be better to do this ride from Baxterville northward. Then
you get to turn around and do it again. This road is also known as "The Silver
Thread" and is only open "in the better parts of the summer...The scenery is
absolutely amazing...Lots of great places to stop."]
- CO, CO82 from Aspen to US24
about 50 miles. Over Independence Pass (el. 12095). What else do you need for a
recommendation!
- CO, US50 from Pueblo to Grand
Junction. 226 mile
tight runs with long climbs and exhilarating runs up and down the
Rockies. Lots of switchbacks and more than a few no-guardrail drop-offs (100's of ft). Be
careful of fallen rocks and debris on the road.
- NM, US-64 between Tres Piedras and Taos.
From Santa Fe, you can approach this road one of two ways. For both routes, first take US-285 to Espanola.
From there, you can take:
- US-84 towards
Chama. Approximately ten miles before Chama, you will enter the village of Tierra
Amarilla. In Tierra Amarilla, turn east onto 64. The road will start up through a series
of great turns toward the top, which lies at about 10,000 ft. From the rest area at the
top, you can look back at Jawbone Mountain and the valleys below. Continuing on toward
Tres Piedras, you will pass Hopewell lake, a nice place for a picnic. Past Tres Piedras,
64 leads into the west side of Taos.
- State road 68 through the Rio Grande valley and Taos. Riding 68 north
toward Taos, you can stop at numerous sites along the way and watch the
white-water rafters go down the river. While in the canyon, keep an alert eye for rocks in
the road, as the walls are very steep and this is a regular event. Passing through Taos,
turn west on 64 toward Tres Piedras. West of Taos, stop and enjoy the view at the Rio
Grande Gorge bridge. After the bridge, continue on to Tres Piedras and the reverse of
route #1. A side trip on route #1 could include the ten miles to Chama, where you can see
the Cumbres and Toltec railroad, with restored steam locomotives.
Be sure to note that if the weather permits, 64 between Tres
Piedras and Tierra Amarilla is spectacular during the last part of September,
when the aspens and oaks are in full color.
- NM, NM152 One of the favorite rides of
Southern New Mexico riders is State Route 152 through the Black Range. On the Eastern side
start off of Interstate 25 by Caballo. Ride from the Rio Grande valley up the desert and
into a twisting road. First stop is Hillsboro, like all the other towns an old mining
community. There is an interesting old museum and a great little bakery about two miles
West. From Hillsboro continue West heading into the mountains on what becomes a very
twisty and beautiful road. Keep you eyes out for falling rock and stray cows are a
possibility. Emory Pass is at the top of the road and affords some great views of where
you have been. From there continue West towards Silver City or if you want to head South
Route 61 is another beautiful valley road that leads towards Interstate 10.
As an alternate, if one doesn't want to stray to far off I25 go to Hillsboro and then
head South on State Route 27. Big sweepers, no traffic, a few free ranging beasts, ghost
towns, a great ride. To head back to I25 take Rte 26 to Hatch the Chile capital of the
world.
- NM, Rt 4, Santa Fe to Jemez
Pueblo. Mostly tight twisties, including a few reverse-camber launchpads, and a
lot of elevation change. Watch for hikers and bicyclists, and be patient with flatlanders
holding onto a rented steering wheel for dear life. Beware the microwave money harvest in
Los Alamos, any pueblo, and Rt. 44 from the Rt. 4 junction to Albuquerque. Canyons, trees,
forests, and (by local standards) a river. Well-maintained but don't count on it being
open "over the top" in winter.
- A short trip through NM. Start in Las
Cruces. Take state
highway 70/82 across White Sands missile range. Look out for the flashing lights
that indicate the range is in use. They close the highway for up to an hour! Stop at the
White Sands national monument, half way to Alamogordo. After passing through Alamogordo,
take a right on highway 82 up to Cloudcroft. You'll pass through the only tunnel in the
state of New Mexico. You'll also go from high desert (5000') to high mountain (9000+').
Break out the windbreakers in Cloudcroft, it gets cool in the evening. Take a right just
before Cloudcroft and head towards the Sunspot National Observatory, where you can walk
around the labs and see the researchers working with the telescopes. In Cloudcroft, you
can spend the night in The Lodge. It's an old railroad lodge that has been converted into
a hotel. Make sure you ask for the key to the tower room just before sunset. Bring a drink
up to the tower room and enjoy the view over the valley below. The next day, follow
highway 24 over to
Ruiodoso. If it's summer, you should be able to catch the horse races at the
track. If it's winter, there's skiing on a nearby mountain. The mountains are great, the
curves are a blast.
- NM, AZ, US 180 from Deming, NM to
Holbrook, AZ. A road you could drive fast, but which I drive for scenery and
relaxation. It begins with about 30 miles of pencil-straight desert two-lane, then climbs
into the Gila Mountains at Silver City. There you can indulge a classic Western touring
experience mentioned elsewhere on this page -- gaping at a mining pit of stupendous size
while your girlfriend wonders what she ever saw in you. Not to worry; you'll soon be in
for 200 miles of beautiful mountain and high-grasslands scenery, including some of the
surprising amount of tall timber in the desert Southwest. For some previews of the Gila
Cliff Dwellings and other detours, see the Western NM
University homepage and the resources put up by (jtc)
- NV, US50 from Ely to Fallon. 294mi.
Included only because of its oddity (and its usefulness in avoiding I-80). Marked as a
"scenic road", the only scenery evident is scrub brush, salt flats and the
occasional cattle guard. Long straight stretches broken by infrequent (but really nice)
mountain sections. Called "The Loneliest Road in America" for good reason. You
might see 15 other cars along the entire length. Once upon a time, you could go very fast
along this road, but Neveda recently equipped their Highway Patrol with 5.0 Mustangs, and
their once lenient attitude towards speed is history (Don't ask how I know this). Get gas
at every opportunity, especially on a bike. Obey the ridiculous speed limits in the towns
or you will get nailed.
- NV 266/CA 168 from Housetrailer of
Ill Repute, NV, to Big Pine, CA. Two very different roads, cf. William Least Heat
Moon's comment in Blue Highways about how state lines were so often drawn along
physiographic boundaries. NV 266 offers lawless scoundrels an opportunity for classic
"both feet on the floor" Western driving, to borrow Gordon Baxter's line, with
just enough wide sweepers to keep things interesting. CA 168 is a completely different
kind of Western classic: steep and twisty with few if any cops, other drivers, guardrails,
or emergency medical services: just you and Goodyear against Newton and Darwin
Westbound -- the downhill direction -- is highly recommended; eastbound looks like a
slow, brutal grind in first and second with the smells of Prestone and clutch lining
competing for the annihilation of your mood. There seems to be some 4WD/dirt-bike activity
near the bottom. I don't recall gas or services being available anywhere on either road,
so tank up in Goldfield or Beatty, NV. Afterwards? In winter, be prepared to ponder how
the Sierra Nevada got its name as you make a long run up or down US 395 after
reaching Big Pine; in the summer there are more-direct options. As always when
barnstorming the "American outback," be mindful of cattle or game in the road;
neglected road surfaces; and the waddling war wagons of the Winnebago tribe.
- UT, UT12
For pure red-rock, abstract Shoenbergian beauty, there is no road in
the world that equals Utah State Highway 12. The road begins on U.S. Highway 89
(itself very possibly the most gorgeous long highway anywhere) about six miles of the
small town of Panguitch, and heads east into Red Canyon, on the western edge of the
Paunsagunt Plateau. Red Canyon is the little brother of Bryce Canyon, which lies a few
miles further along. Red is so remarkable that there are stories of occasional tourists
mistaking it for Bryce and turning around after seeing it. Big mistake! Bryce is about
five miles further along, and there is nothing like it in the world. The main area of the National Park lies a
bit off of Hwy. 12, but it definitely worth the side trip. Most of the park lies
on a high, forested plateau. The "canyon" is actually a series of amphitheaters
in its eastern edge, which contain thousands of weird, dazzlingly colored spires,
pinnacles, walls and windows formed of orange, pink, and white limestone.
Further along, the highway passes through three small towns and near the aptly named
Kodachrome Basin State Park and Grosvenor Arch. It then twists and winds for almost an
hour through a series of red- and white-rock canyons until it reaches the town of
Escalante (there's a small petrified forest nearby). Beyond Escalante, the spectacular
highway does the unimaginable and becomes even more spectacular, winding through terrain
so rugged that it's amazing there is even a road there. Stop and see Calf Creek on the way
if you have time. A two-hour hike along the bottom of a desert canyon brings you to a
spectacular waterfall. Beyond Calf Creek the road follows the top of a narrow rock ridge
and eventually comes out into the town of Boulder, home of Anasazi State Park. Next the
road becomes alpine, climbing over the top of Boulder Mountain (actually a high plateau).
Plenty of alpine hikes and fishing here, along with stupendous views of the road's
ultimate destination, Capitol
Reef National Park. Capitol Reef lies slightly beyond the end of 12, but is part
of the experience of the road. The reef is a hundred mile long cliff with narrow gulches
and canyons indented into it. Wonderful hiking and sightseeing for beginning and advanced
outdoor types.
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