Awesome Roads in the World You May Want to Drive In Your Lifetime

There is nothing quite a road trip in the summer time. Taking a road trip with family and friends really tops most of our favorite past-times. Sometimes you don’t need a specific destination to go to, just the road and scenery is enough to deserve the trip. Check out these scary yet amazing roads in the world you may want to drive in your lifetime.

Denali Highway, Alaska

The Denali Highway opened in 1957 as the first road to allow access to Denali National Park, the history of the road as a route of adventure through the wilderness is a fabled tale in the history of Alaska. The Denali Highway connects Paxson to Cantwell, Alaska although winter snow closes the highway to through traffic from about October to about mid-May, depending on the weather. Traveling the Denali Highway today is truly a path through awesome wilderness that links travelers to Alaska’s prehistoric past and gold rush history. Denali Highway is a true wilderness region where the animals have a natural, healthy avoidance of human presence therefore you must work to see them.

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The Susitna River and the Talkeetna Mountains south of the Denali Highway in late autumn in Southcentral Alaska. Morning.

Tianmen Mountain Road, China

The Tianmen Mountain Road also called Tianmen Shan Big Gate is a road located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in northwestern Hunan Province, China. For people to get there, you need to drive up Tongtian Avenue which has 99 turns symbolizing that heaven has nine places. There are a lot of curve to tackle with only a few feet separating you from deadly plunge down the slope. This road has been heralded as one of the most spectaculars roads in the world by the dangerousroads.org users. This road which spirals rapidly upwards from 200m to 1300m above sea level, offers a view of a long winding road which looks like a dragon ascending from the mountains.

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Col de l’Iseran, France

The Col de I’Iseran is a mountain pass in France, the highest paved pass in the Alps. This road is open only in summers, from May or June to October. With such a high summit altitude the road can be closed anytime due to snowfalls. The zone is prone to heavy mist and can be dangerous in low visibility conditions.  On certain summer days, the road from Val d’Isère to the Col d’Iseran is closed to all traffic except cyclists. The pass is traversed by the scenic Route des Grandes Alpes. This road is open only in summers, from May or June to October. With such a high summit altitude the road can be closed anytime due to snowfalls. The zone is prone to heavy mist and can be dangerous in low visibility conditions.

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Credits to Val d’Isere. Foto. Agence Nuts.fi

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Stelvio Pass, Italy

The Stelvio Pass in Italy is one of the highest and most dramatic mountain passes to drive in the European Alps. It is located in the municipality of Bormio and marks the border with the province of Bolzano. Bormio, Trafoi and Sta Maria, represent the myth for the cyclists around the world. The main road SS38 of the Stelvio pass is closed in the winter months from November to May.

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Rohtang Pass, India

The Rohtang Pass in India is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3,979 m (13,054 ft) above the sea level, located on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. The pass is closed half a year and each season road crews use GPS to find the road and dig it out again. However, massive and deadly landslides continue, giving the pass its name, which translates to ground of corpses. This road has humbled many egos. It’s not for the sissies and shouldn’t be attempted by novice drivers. The road is in dreadful condition and requires strong nerves to negotiate it. It remains off-limits from the rest of the country for over five months due to heavy snow deposits on the road. This pass is an ancient trade route between the people on either side of Pir Panjal.

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Atlantic Road, Norway

The Atlantic Road in Norway is in the midwest part of the Norwegian coastline and the Atlantic Road is one of the most scenic drives in the world. Driving along this road is like teetering on the edge of the sea. The curvy road dips and arches over the brutal waves of the Norwegian Sea that often crash over the pavement during storms. This unique highway will bring you out to the very farthest point where the land ends and the ocean begins. Atlantic Road has been foreshowed as one of the most spectaculars roads in the world by the dangerousroads.org users. It links the towns of Kristiansund and Molde, the two main population centers in the county of Møre og Romsdal in Fjord Norway.

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Milford Road, New Zealand

The Milford Road in New Zealand provides the only road access to one of New Zealand’s favourite tourist attractions the Milford Sound. No other highway in New Zealand climbs to the same altitude as this one which at its highest point is 940 metres above sea level. It is regarded as one of the most scenic roads in New Zealand, and with a peak elevation of 940 metres and the country’s third highest highway after the Desert Road and the Lindis Pass.

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Furka Pass, Switzerland

The Furka Pass is a high mountain pass located in one of the snowiest regions in Switzerland. It’s one of the world’s most iconic, exhilarating and exciting drives, through the Swiss Alps. The road is very wide and perfectly surfaced. The second part of the climb includes much more straight forward road, but it’s also less steep.

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White Rim Road, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

The White Rim Road loops around and below the Island in the Sky mesa top and provides expansive views of the surrounding area. Trips usually take two to three days by four-wheel-drive vehicle or three to four days by mountain bike. The White Rim Road has long rocky stretches, deep sand, and little shade so it is suggested to bring 1 gallon of water per day.

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Valley of Fire Road, Nevada

The Valley of Fire road in Nevada is where you can find beautiful red stones looking as if they are on fire when under the sunlight.

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Hana Highway, Hawaii

The Road to Hana is more than just a great drive through a beautiful area of Maui. The Hana Highway is a long stretch of Hawaii Routes 36 and 360 which connects Kahului with the town of Hana in east Maui. The Hana Highway is a popular tourist attraction in Maui. Some of these attractions lie within or through private property and will often have “no trespassing” signs posted or even signs claiming that the attraction does not exist. All beaches in Hawaii are public.

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A82 Road, Scotland

The A82 road is a road in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Inverness by way of Fort William. The road passes close to some of the most notable landmarks in the Highlands, including Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, Ben Nevis, the Commando Memorial, Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. The road is the second longest A-road in Scotland, after the A9, and has been described as the “slower but more scenic route” of the two.

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Karakoram Highway, Pakistan

The Karakoram Highway is one of the highest paved international roads in the world. The Karakoram Highway, also known as the Friendship Highway in China, was built by the governments of Pakistan and China. It was started in 1959 and was completed and opened to the public in 1979. The highway is connecting the Gilgit–Baltistan region of Kashmir to the ancient Silk Road.

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