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I have done some travel on Route 66 several times in the past. It felt very nostalgic. It reminded me of what it was like to be on trips with my family when I was a kid or when I first started to drive; before freeways and massive traffic, before major shopping centers and big box stores. It reminded me of the Burma Shave signs along the side of the road. There are stops along Route 66 that attract a fair amount of traffic. But, it's nothing like most tourist attractions. Another trip down Route 66 is definitely a "bucket list" item for me. I completely avoid Chicago and Los Angeles. They ruin a very pleasant drive. Check this out: https://independenttravelcats.com/2-week-route-66-itinerary-ultimate-american-road-trip/
A little inspiration for UT 12 near Calf Creek, though this doesn't show how beautiful the view to the sides is. It does show why this section of asphalt is the coolest.
I can vouch for the Hogback being a very, very cool road. It is a narrow stretch of pavement with no shoulder or guardrail (no room for either) with a 1000' drop off both sides. It was an act of courage (extreme vertigo if you looked off to the side) to turn around and drive back through that section, which required another u-turn and a 3rd cross to keep headed west. It was an unpaved trail until 1940, Escalante was last town in the USA with mail delivery by mule.
There is a very cool place to stay with luxury yurts in Escalante, just west of the Hogback.
We road-tripped 9K miles from Atlanta to Los Angels between February and June this year. Avoided interstates, visited 8 national parks and discovered some awesome roads while passing through GA. NC, TN, MS, LA, TX, NM, CO, UT, NV, CA. It was a great way to appreciate all those flyover states. Never knew there were amazing National Parks named Capital Reef and Escalante.
Most memorable drives were the Tail of the Dragon, Natchez Trace (google it), the Hogback, Hwy 141 from Dove Creek to Gateway, CO (stay at the resort there, it is spectacular), the 60 mile gravel road from Gateway to Moab (we were in a Macan GTS), the roads accessing the box canyons on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada (especially Mt Whitney Portal west of Lone Pine) and Hwy 4 (Alpine Highway over Ebbetts Pass in Northern CA Sierras)...well, PM me if you want more detail. Oh yeah, in SoCal, drive the Angeles Crest to get from Riverside to Burbank. It is awesome. Also, the entire section of the Pacific Coast Highway between Big Sur and Cambria opened after the big slide closed it two winters ago. A detour off that route onto Nacimiento Road is also an epic drive.
Our trip was a continuation of our Euro Delivery (3500 miles in the Alps), a search for great scenic secondary roads and avoidance of winter weather on our summer performance tires. I could write a book on both the Euro and US sections of the trip. Not being in a hurry allowed daily planning and itinerary refinement along the way.
I have done some travel on Route 66 several times in the past. It felt very nostalgic. It reminded me of what it was like to be on trips with my family when I was a kid or when I first started to drive; before freeways and massive traffic, before major shopping centers and big box stores. It reminded me of the Burma Shave signs along the side of the road. There are stops along Route 66 that attract a fair amount of traffic. But, it's nothing like most tourist attractions. Another trip down Route 66 is definitely a "bucket list" item for me. I completely avoid Chicago and Los Angeles. They ruin a very pleasant drive. Check this out: https://independenttravelcats.com/2-...can-road-trip/
Thanks. Cant spend 2 weeks there but will try and hit some of this route on the way down or back. Favouring the southern route at the moment
Originally Posted by Liste-Renn
I can vouch for the Hogback being a very, very cool road. It is a narrow stretch of pavement with no shoulder or guardrail (no room for either) with a 1000' drop off both sides. It was an act of courage (extreme vertigo if you looked off to the side) to turn around and drive back through that section, which required another u-turn and a 3rd cross to keep headed west. It was an unpaved trail until 1940, Escalante was last town in the USA with mail delivery by mule.
There is a very cool place to stay with luxury yurts in Escalante, just west of the Hogback.
We road-tripped 9K miles from Atlanta to Los Angels between February and June this year. Avoided interstates, visited 8 national parks and discovered some awesome roads while passing through GA. NC, TN, MS, LA, TX, NM, CO, UT, NV, CA. It was a great way to appreciate all those flyover states. Never knew there were amazing National Parks named Capital Reef and Escalante.
Most memorable drives were the Tail of the Dragon, Natchez Trace (google it), the Hogback, Hwy 141 from Dove Creek to Gateway, CO (stay at the resort there, it is spectacular), the 60 mile gravel road from Gateway to Moab (we were in a Macan GTS), the roads accessing the box canyons on the east slope of the Sierra Nevada (especially Mt Whitney Portal west of Lone Pine) and Hwy 4 (Alpine Highway over Ebbetts Pass in Northern CA Sierras)...well, PM me if you want more detail. Oh yeah, in SoCal, drive the Angeles Crest to get from Riverside to Burbank. It is awesome. Also, the entire section of the Pacific Coast Highway between Big Sur and Cambria opened after the big slide closed it two winters ago. A detour off that route onto Nacimiento Road is also an epic drive.
Our trip was a continuation of our Euro Delivery (3500 miles in the Alps), a search for great scenic secondary roads and avoidance of winter weather on our summer performance tires. I could write a book on both the Euro and US sections of the trip. Not being in a hurry allowed daily planning and itinerary refinement along the way.
Enjoy your trip.
Wow, sounds like an awesome road trip! I will probably hit the same amount of miles by the time i get back.
As mentioned above, am favouring a more southerly route at the moment given the time of year. I thing i will plan for UT 12 on the way back in the early spring - looks too good to pass up!
Will hit the Tail (although i hear good and bad things about it) and the Natchez Trace south from Nashville through MO (found this on a "best driving roads" article). Also thinking the Blue Ridge Parkway which gets me close to the Natchez Trace going down. And something called Tellico Plains which is also between Blue Ridge and the Trace.
Will do the Alpine, Slow Mo route when i get closer to Phoenix.
Will check out some more of your reco's and will PM with questions.
12-12-2018, 03:50 PM
