Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S.
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-18-2010, 08:16 PM
 
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
10,721 posts, read 23,642,132 times
Reputation: 14561

Advertisements

I-5 through the Siskiyou Mountains on The Oregon/California border is remarkably beautiful. It transitions from semi arid California to evergreen forests and damp climate of the Pacific Northwest past some impressive snowcapped mountain peaks like Mount Shasta. Quite the spectacle.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-19-2010, 08:07 AM
 
Location: ADK via WV
5,991 posts, read 8,974,334 times
Reputation: 2493
I-77
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-19-2010, 09:36 AM
 
Location: Southeastern Tennessee
711 posts, read 1,138,093 times
Reputation: 383
Interstate 59.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-20-2010, 12:05 PM
 
Location: Huntington Beach, CA
5,888 posts, read 12,941,918 times
Reputation: 3973
Quote:
Originally Posted by GottaHerdOn View Post
It's actually true, but wasn't just because of the Russians, for the entire rest of the world.. ha ha
snopes.com: Interstate Highways as Airstrips
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-20-2010, 12:17 PM
 
2,756 posts, read 12,936,109 times
Reputation: 1521
In truth, interstate highways are rarely all that scenic, partially because they have to destroy much of the scenery to put them in. Case in point: much of I-70 in Colorado -- I-70 has to be the LEAST scenic highway through the Colorado Rockies and they had to dynamite through solid granite to make the highway straight.

There is one major exception on I-70, though -- Glenwood Canyon. Not only an engineering marvel, it's one of the few sections of interstate highway that's sensitive to its surroundings, and probably my favorite section of Interstate Highway in Colorado, or indeed, on the entire Interstate system.

To answer the question of the best INTERSTATE highway drive, despite what I said I'd probably have to say I-70 because of Glenwood Canyon alone and the views around Vail Pass. (Note that there are many other highways I'd prefer for scenery, but the question is limited to those on the Interstate highway system).

Plus I actually like the long, desolate stretches along I-70, especially the final section through southern Utah (noted for containing a 101 mile stretch of no motorist services of any kind). Contrary to what nearly everyone else says, the 400 mile desolate section through the high plains (from Salina, KS to the outskirts of Denver, CO) is actually a favorite of mine. True, there's almost a complete lack of any highway services or really scenery of any kind until the Rockies come into view east of Denver. Even so, something about the endless fields of wheat and sunflowers unbroken by development is very peaceful to me.

I'll admit that I don't know too much about the I-70 east of about St Louis through IL, IN, OH, PA, and MD. I think I've made that drive maybe once or twice and my memory is kind of fuzzy.

My LEAST favorite Interstate has to be I-95, especially that part of the highway from Richmond, Virginia northwards. No fun to drive, it's traffic choked even at the best of times, and essentially navigates through an endless sea of interchangable suburban and occasionally urban development for over 600 miles.

Last edited by tfox; 12-20-2010 at 12:43 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-23-2010, 02:09 AM
 
Location: Houston
483 posts, read 1,215,180 times
Reputation: 325
I'd have to give my vote to I-80. Although I have not driven the entire length; only from it's terminus in Fort Lee, NJ to Salt Lake City. Would love to "finish" the drive and make it to San Francisco one day.

I-70 through the Colorado Rockies is also a very beautiful and fun drive, especially in the winter.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-23-2010, 10:17 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,739 posts, read 40,793,232 times
Reputation: 61988
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlander View Post
If you could drive any interstate highway from end to end, which one would you choose, in terms of sheer, scenic beauty?

Any interstate highway is fine, be it north/south, east/west, etc.

Interstates only, no routes, state roads, etc.
Truckers like I-40 in Tennessee. They consistently rate it their favorite stretch of highway.

Parkways are usually more scenic than Interstates. I-81 is nice (Virginia, Tennessee) with no gas stations (or tolls) on the Interstate. The Blue Ridge Parkway is pretty in the Fall. Can't remember the name of it but the road that goes along California's coast is nice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > General U.S.
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top