There are more than 4 million miles of road int he United States. Can you imagine trying to pick just one as the best? I’m glad the Hagerty media team took on that task in our first ever “Road of the Year” selection because I don’t think I could.
Like most drivers, I’ve cruised hundreds if not thousands of highways, byways, roads, routes, lanes, boulevards, and streets. There are many that I love dearly and can call to mind when I need to escape for a moment. Great roads stay with us, ready to be recalled for a needed burst of joy. (None of us gets to drive great roads as much as we’d like to, right?)
In truth, we all know there isn’t merely one road to rule them all. Picking a single favorite road is like picking a favorite child. But I love the exercise. I think the magazine staff’s selection of California State Route 33, about two hours north of Los Angeles, is a clever choice for our inaugural Road of the Year, not because it’s the greatest in the country but because it’s one that many driving aficionados have experienced and can agree on. It is, indeed, a stunning road in a state full of them.
Some will disagree, no doubt passionately. To them, maybe California State Route 33 isn’t a great choice because it’s well known for being a hidden gem, if that makes sense, and thus somewhat obvious. I would disagree with that assessment, but the whole point of such an article is to stimulate conversation. I enjoy debating (to badly paraphrase the great Willie Nelson song) “all the roads I’ve loved before.” But I also like hearing about roads I’ve never had the pleasure to have known. Our annual choice, whatever it may be, will be added to many a driving bucket list.
With that in mind, I have decided to jump boldly into the fray and risk your ire by listing a few roads that are meaningful to me, starting with M-22, a stretch of rural highway in Michigan’s pinkie that winds along the Lake Michigan shoreline for 116 glorious miles. I prefer the interior sections that take me past woods, dunes, lakes, farms, and so forth. There’s a magic to M-22 that’s hard to define. It’s the perfect blend of stunning scenery and smooth, serpentine roads, especially on a perfect blue-sky summer day or a crisp fall afternoon with the trees ablaze in color.
Colorado’s Pikes Peak is a completely different—and far more challenging—driving experience. In 2016, I took on all 19 miles and 156 curves of it behind the wheel of my red 1967 Porsche 911 S. It was breathtaking and even a bit terrifying at times since there are spots where your tires are just a few feet from a sheer drop-off. But it was satisfying, too. It can really test you as a driver, and there aren’t too many roads like that. You end up paying so much attention to what you’re doing that it can be draining. But when you get to the top, wow, what a vista. You feel like you’ve truly accomplished something. Because you have.
Another route that is dear to me, for similar reasons, is the Tail of the Dragon. It’s an 11-mile stretch of U.S. 129 in the Smoky Mountains with 318 curves. That’s not a misprint: 318. Many consider it a touring road, which in a sense it is, but it’s no Sunday drive. It is not for the faint of heart or inattentive. According to dragonawareness.com, there have been 29 deaths on the Dragon in the past 11 years, most of them involving motorcycles. It can be crowded and dangerous. Drive accordingly.
I have many other roads I would love to share with you, but that will have to wait for another column. Until then, onward and upward!
