# BEST drives in the US/Canada **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 12, 2015, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483 "2015-04-12T14:08:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/41 "2015-04-14T14:48:08Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > In Ontario, the north shore of Lake Superior (Highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder bay, then Highway 61 to the Minnesota border). The best sections are from the southernmost addition to Lake Superior Provincial Park up into the original park, and from Marathon to Terrace Bay. The entire circuit around the Great Lakes (that includes the area you mentioned) is well worth the time and effort. We took our boys one summer when they were 8 and 10. It took us a week, factoring in time to stop and explore, but was well worth it for all four of us. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/42 "2015-04-14T15:46:14Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Several years ago when my family was crossing the US, a friend who grew up in Colorado told me a side trip to make off of 70: > Take 82 toward Aspen, go over Independence Pass, then go up 24 past Leadville and reconnect with 70. > > It sure is a beautiful drive, but I don’t think it’s a year-round activity. It’s not - Independence Pass closes for the winter. Agreed - it’s a beautiful drive and I try to do it at least once a year. (From [cotrip.org](http://cotrip.org)): Each year, the two-lane, 12,095-foot pass closes for the winter for the safety of the travelling public and CDOT maintenance crews. The closure typically occurs on or near November 7 and the highway is almost always re-opened on the Thursday prior to Memorial Day each May. Please check [www.cotrip.org](http://www.cotrip.org) as the pass will be posted under “Alerts and Restrictions” if it is closed to travel. ---
**Author:** ![Belrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@Belrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belrix)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/43 "2015-04-14T15:52:25Z")
Oh… and I came here to mention the Million Dollar Highway (Ouray CO), Going to the Sun Road, and Beartooth Pass in MT/WY and they’ve already been done. I’ll add Trail Ridge Road, the road from one side of Rocky Mountain National Park, CO to the other. It’s the highest paved through-road in the USA. For sheer sphincter-challenging, end-of-the-cliff driving, you can drive up Pikes Peak to 14,110’ elevation. It’s not quite as exciting since they paved it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/44 "2015-04-14T17:07:49Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Florida state road A1A through the Keys. I’ve driven it several times, once in a rented convertible, which was awesome. The section of A1A that runs between Palm Coast and St. Augustine is also quite lovely. I drive from Orlando to Jacksonville for work quite frequently and I’ll take a 20-minute detour from I-95 to drive it on a pretty day. ---
**Author:** ![CoastalMaineiac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@CoastalMaineiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoastalMaineiac)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/45 "2015-04-14T18:13:56Z")
Route 201 from Fairfield to Jackman, Maine. The terrain is varied, and there’s a good chance you’ll see moose or deer. You follow the Kennebec River for almost the entirety of the trip. It’s the only place I’ve been that has rumble strips in the road to alert you to the presence of [this sign](http://www.usa-traffic-signs.com/v/vspfiles/photos/w-moose_s-2.gif). Driving through some of those towns is like going backwards in time. There’s also a dirt road up north called the Golden Road. It goes from the Canadian Border to Millinocket. It’ll take about five or six hours to travel the whole length of it. Moose sightings are almost guaranteed. When last I was there, you had to pay per passenger for access, since it was a private road. I don’t know if that is still the case now that the Millinocket paper mill is out of business. You’ll want at least eight-ply tires for this one, else you risk having multiple flats in the middle of nowhere, many miles away from help. The Mooshead Trail from Belfast to Moosehead Lake as well. You’ll see many quaint rural towns of Maine along the way. I never tire of driving through [Plymouth Pond](https://www.google.com/maps/@44.761183,-69.203698,3a,75y,325.96h,78.89t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sXE3vn3rRbmx1K2KzThi2_w!2e0) on that road. A lot of people fail to realize that there is so much more to Maine than the coast. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/46 "2015-04-14T18:49:03Z")
I like the Niagara River Parkway that stretches from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Short but vey scenic. Get a sober friend to drive (by offering to pay all expenses for a day out), and go with some friends - hit the various wineries along the way, stop to look out over the Niagara river gorge from time to time. We did that, and it was an awesome way to spend a summer day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/47 "2015-04-14T19:06:51Z")
I’ll nominate Highway 14A from Spearfish to Deadwood in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Then you can take Highway 385 from Deadwood to Hot Springs for another scenic foray. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/48 "2015-04-15T00:46:19Z")
Driving what was then US 666 (and apparently is now US 461) from Gallup to Shiprock, N.M. was one of the most interesting drives this never-lived-outside-of-the-EST guy has ever done. Desert, spectacular rock formations, the endless sky. Next day was even more spectacular: US 160 from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona to US 191, through Many Farms and Ganado, then Arizona 264 to Window Rock. I stopped for gas at a trading post in Teec Nos Pos, and said “Yah te hey” to the guy behind the counter. He looked at me like I was an idiot; it only just now occurred to me that he might not even have been Navajo. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/49 "2015-04-15T05:01:28Z")
Texas FM170 from Presidio to Study Butte (the river road). Window Rock, Arizona to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon via Tuba City. I-80 from Wendover to Salt Lake City in the middle of the night with a full moon. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2015, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483/50 "2015-04-15T07:25:46Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > In Ontario, the north shore of Lake Superior (Highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder bay, then Highway 61 to the Minnesota border). The best sections are from the southernmost addition to Lake Superior Provincial Park up into the original park, and from Marathon to Terrace Bay. Good call, and this is what I came in to post. It’s a long drive from Thunder Bay to Sault Ste. Marie, but a very scenic one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-drives-in-the-us-canada/717483.md?page=2)