Even during a season of high gas prices, these remarkable roads beckon summer travelers. Grab the keys, top off the tank and be prepared to pull over at every opportunity to drink in the sights on these impossibly scenic highways.
California State Route 1 twists and turns dramatically — sometimes seeming to teeter right at cliff’s edge — especially between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Drivers have their choice of views: on one side, the sparkling Pacific and peaceful beaches; on the other, redwood forests and fantastic homes and mansions.
- Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
The Overseas Highway (U.S. 1) is aptly named: It hopscotches 150 miles from mainland Florida near Miami through the Florida Keys (a chain of 1,700 islands) until it reaches Key West. South of Marathon, drivers can cruise over historic Seven Mile Bridge, one of the world’s longest bridges, which cuts between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
Driving the Seward Highway from Anchorage to Seward is 127 miles of pure Alaska. How long it takes to drive the highway depends entirely on how often you brake for the scenery. You’ll skirt the Chugach Mountains and the cold, blue waters of Turnagain Arm while cruising past glaciers, alpine meadows, mountains and fjords. Keep an eye out for waterfalls and beluga whales. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
The 56-mile drive from Rockport to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas is a great choice for birders, who can spot whooping cranes and pelicans, just two of the nearly 350 bird species at the refuge. Most of Texas' Gulf Coast is treeless, but live oaks grow on the shore near Rockport; the state’s largest live oak, the Goose Island Oak, can be seen near St. Charles Bay. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
Maui’s Hana Highway is blessed with 600 hairpin turns and 54 one-lane bridges that force day trippers to slow down and enjoy the unparalleled scenery. Follow the sinuous path along the coast at sunrise for awe-inspiring views. Along the way, you’ll have a chance to see waterfalls, a cavern system created by an ancient lava flow and, of course, stunning ocean views. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
No matter your choice among the three parallel highways rising from the French Riviera, you will be rewarded with vibrant views. These are corniches ( a French word meaning “a road built along a coast and especially along the face of a cliff”), where forest green gives way to golden limestone, which bows to the blue of the sea and sky. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
Ireland’s Ring of Kerry is an area where Gaelic is still spoken, ancient crosses and Stone Age ruins still stand and the relentless Atlantic still crashes and foams against the black rocks of the shoreline. Be sure to look inland for the small Kerry Bog ponies. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
Who could resist driving to the Cape of Good Hope, near where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet off the coast of South Africa? The drive to Cape Point, about 30 miles south of Cape Town, offers the eye-popping turmoil of crashing waves that led early explorers to call this rocky headland the “Cape of Storms.” A funicular leads to the old lighthouse, set 780 feet above sea level. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
Italy’s Amalfi Coast, just south of Naples, has long been the playground of society types. Little wonder: Nothing matches the breathtaking views of the beach or around the bends of the cliff-hugging highway that snakes between ancient towns such as Praiano and Amalfi and the deep blue Mediterranean Sea. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
Prince Edward Island, the smallest of Canada’s provinces, is big enough for three major coastal roads and compact enough to drive all of them in a leisurely few days. You’ll wind past old sandstone cliffs, lovely sand beaches, golf courses and lighthouses, all of which will give you a grand overview of life in the Maritimes. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
The scenes of life Down East await drivers on the Acadia Byway, which rambles along the coast of southeastern Maine and through Acadia National Park. You could emerge from the mist to see lobster boats coming and going and sailboats harnessing the wind, and you might spot moose. Along the way, enjoy the charm of a quintessential Maine town. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
Tasmania’s Eastern Trundle runs from Launceston past Australian fishing towns and historic homesteads to Hobart. You’ll treasure the sights of the rugged coast and enjoy the muscle of the fishing boats and the grace of the yachts at sea. Just before reaching Hobart, visit the Richmond Gaol, built in 1825, and ponder the lives of the convicts sent here by the English. - posted on 06/23/2008
Two hundred miles of barrier islands make up the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and a drive along Highway 12 reveals a region steeped in maritime history (Blackbeard the pirate was killed in Ocracoke Inlet). It’s also where the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk and where the English attempted to start their first colony in the New World. No trip here would be complete without a visit to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the lighthouse that stands sentry there. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 06/23/2008
曾在东西两岸的一号公路上都开过。东边的从 Miami 到 Key West, 西边从 LA 到 SF. 还开过从 Virginia 到 Maryland 的 Chesapeake Bay Bridge,28 公里。
现在杭州湾大桥通车了,36 公里。希望啥时候能开一次。 - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 03/07/2009
- Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 03/07/2009
No mention of the Romantic Road in Germany? I'm glad my favorite road is on the top. I see the title now, coastal drives. - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 03/07/2009
liaokang wrote:
No mention of the Romantic Road in Germany?
这段路咱走过,从法兰克福开车到慕尼黑,中间在一个农场的 B&B 住宿,路过 Rothenburg, 一个中世纪古城,南端直到 Neuschwanstein Castle.
在莱茵河里坐船也很有美,两边有很多美丽的小镇和中世纪的古堡,还经过罗蕾莱(Lorelei),传说中一个美女的歌声让水手们丧命的河边巨石。 - Re: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 03/08/2009
阿姗 wrote:
Maui's Hana Highway (2009.02.29)
阿姗上那个死火山顶了吗?上面很壮观,还有一个天文台。 - RE: The World's Most Spectacular Coastal Drivesposted on 03/04/2013
Reply Julyti
Please paste HTML code and press Enter.
(c) 2010 Maya Chilam Foundation