Friday, July 23, 2010

The World’s Most Spectacular Roads

Not to be confused with the famous Milford Track trekking route, the Milford Road State Highway 94 passes through the Southern Alps of New Zealand’s South Island.
The roads of western Ireland are narrow, flanked by green, and sometimes charmed.This is the only road getting reprised from the original post. It seems to deserve it.Mývatn is a volcanically active region in northern Iceland. This road will take you there.The only route through Glacier National Park was featured in the opening scenes of “The Shining.”Roads through the desert oasis of Liwa, Abu Dhabi, stretch long.Another great coastal road, this one just 15 miles south of Cape Town.Winter means greater accessibility in northern Canada. This frozen road runs up the Northwest Territories.Southern France’s Millau Bridge is the tallest in the world — taller, actually, than the Eiffel Tower.
The Colorado River, of Grand Canyon fame, carved this canyon billions of years ago. The U.S. government built the 12-mile, $490 million interstate route through it, which was only completed in 1992.
Wrapping around northern Nova Scotia’s Cape Breton Island, the Cabot Trail is mountainous and windy with near-constant ocean views. I recommend biking it.
Tehran is connected to the northern city of Chalus via this road through the Alborz Mountains.
48 hairpin turns up to a 2757m (9045ft) pass in the Italian Alps, and Top Gear’s pick for “greatest driving road in the world.”