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Driving In The USA And Canada - Mountain Roads And Mountain Passes

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Probably the easiest "mountain road" (it hardly qualifies for the name) is I-15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, which goes over a pass called Mountain Pass. There is a steady climb of a very moderate gradient and the road is virtually straight. One hardly realises that it is a pass at all.

The most frightening mountain road I have driven is Independence Pass, Co 82 between Aspen and US24. When we drove it, some years ago, there were enormous drops with totally unguarded edges. I've received a couple of email messages saying that this road still has very few guards.

The other major factor with mountain roads is of course the weather. A road which is completely safe in dry, summer weather can be extremely dangerous in heavy rain or when there is ice and snow on the road surface.

Traffic levels also greatly affect safety, especially heavy trucks travelling well over the speed limit and car drivers overtaking recklessly.

Provided you exercise care there is no reason to be fearful of most of the paved mountain roads in the USA and Canada. Many of these are among the most scenic roads in the world. The vast majority of these roads are well designed and well maintained, with very low traffic levels. The numerous tight hairpin bends (switchbacks) found on most of the Alpine passes in Europe are very few and far between in the USA and Canada, as are the long queues behind lorries and coaches.

However, some mountain roads are relatively steep, narrow or involve tight bends, making them unsuitable for long or wide vehicles such as large RV's (recreational vehicles, i.e. motorhomes).

Unpaved mountain roads are not recommended unless you exercise extreme care. They are especially dangerous in bad weather. Remember that most car rental companies forbid you to drive their cars on unpaved roads. All the roads in the following table are paved unless otherwise stated.

The following table describes some mountain roads in terms of how frightening they are on a scale of 0 to 5, where 0 is a non-event (not frightening at all - but in many cases still extremely scenic) and 5 is terrifying (mainly due to huge unguarded drops). Please bear in mind that these ratings are based solely on my own recollections and are only meant to be a rough guide. The ratings are based on driving a normal car in good weather with low volumes of traffic and drivers behaving sensibly. Drivers who are particularly nervous of mountain roads might be well advised to avoid those roads with the higher ratings.

Remember that the absolute height of the summit of a pass or other mountain road above sea level does not usually give a good indication of its relative height above the points where the climb commences on each side.

In terms of how frightening they are, I would rate the heavy traffic at high speeds on the M25 round London, England, on the busier sections of the German Autobahns and on the freeways near San Francisco, California and in Montréal, Canada as considerably more terrifying than any of the above roads when driven in good weather in summer.

These ratings are based on driving a normal sized car. For drivers of larger vehicles such as RV's (recreational vehicles, i.e. motorhomes), buses and trucks the gradient, width of the road and the tightness of the bends will naturally be much more significant factors.

These ratings are inevitably subjective. If you disagree with any of my ratings or would like to suggest ratings for any additional mountain roads, please email me using the link at the bottom of this page.

Road Name	State/Province	Road Number	Location	Height of Summit Above Sea Level	Rating (0 - 5) and Comments
Angeles Crest Highway	California	Ca 2	Northeast of Los Angeles, over the San Gabriel Mountains		1
Badger Pass	Montana	Mt 278	Between Jackson (Montana) and Dillon	6760 ft	0
Beartooth Highway	Montana and Wyoming	US212	Northeastern approach road to Yellowstone National Park	10,940 ft	4 Closed in winter (as are all roads through Yellowstone National Park except for the road between the North Entrance near Gardiner and the Northeast Entrance near Cooke City, which remains open year-round)
Big Hole Pass	Montana	Mt 278	Between Jackson (Montana) and Dillon	7360 ft	0
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park	Colorado		Near Montrose		The road along the south rim 0 The road from near the south rim entrance down to the river 1
Blue Ridge Parkway	North Carolina and Virginia		From the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee		0
Bow Pass (also called the Bow Summit)	Alberta	Highway 93	On the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper	6785 ft	0 Comment received from Maurice Drew: Fairly steep incline, therefore deserves a higher rating for RV's
Ca 168 and Nv 266 (photograph; 39KB)	California and Nevada	Ca 168 and Nv 266	Between US95 south of Tonopah and Big Pine on US395 south of Bishop		1 The western end of this road has a series of tight bends
Cabrillo Highway	California	Ca 1	The Pacific Coast Highway between Monterey and Morro Bay		2
Capulin Volcano National Monument (road to the summit of)	New Mexico		Northeastern New Mexico		2
Cayuse Pass	Washington State	Wa 410	On the eastern side of Mount Rainier National Park	4675 ft	1 Closed in winter (as is the adjacent Chinook Pass) See also Mount Rainier National Park on this page
Cedar Breaks National Monument	Utah	Ut 148	East of Cedar City		0 Closed in winter
Chief Joseph Pass	Montana	Mt 43	Very near the Lost Trail Pass Over the Bitterroot Mountains	7264 ft	1
Co 67 south of Cañon City	Colorado	Co 67			0
Co 69	Colorado	Co 69	Southwest of Cañon City		0
Co 96	Colorado	Co 96	South of Cañon City		0
Coal Bank Summit	Colorado	US550	Between Durango and Silverton on the Million Dollar Highway (photograph, 37KB) and the San Juan Skyway	10,640 ft	3 or 4
Coquihalla Highway	British Columbia	Highway 5	Between Hope and Kamloops		A good four lane road. However, it has two extremely steep long grades where many vehicles "cook". (Comment kindly supplied by Maurice Drew)
Craig Pass	Wyoming		In Yellowstone National Park	8262 ft	0 or 1 All roads through Yellowstone National Park are closed in winter except for the road between the North Entrance (near Gardiner) and the Northeast Entrance (near Cooke City) which remains open year-round
Crowsnest Pass	Alberta and British Columbia	Highway 3	West of Lethbridge, between Pincher Creek and Sparwood Close to the US border; the southernmost pass over the Rockies in Canada	4580 ft	0 Comment received from Maurice Drew: This is a winding road in places with steep inclines [I would not agree with this. In my opinion it is a good, fast road with no sharp bends or severe gradients - JC]
Cumbres Pass	Colorado	Co 17	Between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico Parallels the route of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad	10,022 ft	2
Dallas Divide	Colorado	Co 62	Between Ridgway and Placerville On the San Juan Skyway	8970 ft	1
David Thompson Highway	Alberta	Highway 11	Between Saskatchewan River Crossing on the Icefields Parkway and Rocky Mountain House		0
Douglas Pass	Colorado	Co 139	Between Grand Junction and Rangely (on Co 64 south of US40)	8268 ft	2 or 3
Dunraven Pass	Wyoming		In Yellowstone National Park	8859 ft	0 or 1 All roads through Yellowstone National Park are closed in winter except for the road between the North Entrance (near Gardiner) and the Northeast Entrance (near Cooke City) which remains open year-round
Fall River Pass	Colorado	US34	On the Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park	11,796 ft	2 The entire Trail Ridge Road is closed in winter The Trail Ridge Road is the highest through road in North America
Galena Summit	Idaho	US93	North of Ketchum In the Sawtooth National Recreation Area	8701 ft	0
Going-to-the-Sun Road	Montana		In Glacier National Park (Montana)		See Logan Pass on this page Closed in winter
Grand Mesa Byway	Colorado	Co 65	Between US50 at Delta and I-70/US6 Over the Grand Mesa		1
Granite Pass	Wyoming	US14	Over the Bighorn Mountains	9033 ft	1 or 2
Guadalupe Pass	Texas	US54	Through Guadalupe Mountains National Park		0
Hell's Backbone Road (also called Posey Lake Road)	Utah		Between Boulder and Escalante		5, according to a description by Gary Hicks. See article for details.
I-80 over the Sierra Nevada Mountains	California	I-80	Between Reno/Sparks and Auburn		1
I-84 in the Blue Mountains between LaGrande and Pendleton in northeastern Oregon	Oregon	I-84	Between LaGrande and Pendleton		3 For an Interstate this road has a very severe and lengthy gradient with tight curves. Northbound it is a descent, southbound an ascent. On both occasions I have driven it there were wrecked trucks on their sides partially blocking the road, having failed to negotiate the descent due to excessive speed.
Icefields Parkway	Alberta	Highway 93	Between Lake Louise and Jasper		Mostly 0 See also Bow Pass and Sunwapta Pass on this page
Independence Pass	Colorado	Co 82	Between US24 and Aspen	12,095 ft	5 Closed in winter
Kicking Horse Pass (photograph, 111KB)	Alberta and British Columbia	Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway	Through Banff and Yoho National Parks between Lake Louise and Golden	5404 ft	0
La Manga Pass	Colorado	Co 17	Between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico Parallels the route of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad	10,230 ft	2
Lizard Head Pass	Colorado	Co 145	Between Dolores and Telluride On the San Juan Skyway	10,222 ft	1
Logan Pass	Montana		The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park (Montana)	6646 ft	3 Closed in winter
Lost Trail Pass	Idaho and Montana	US93	Between Salmon and Missoula Over the Bitterroot Mountains	7014 ft	1
Marias Pass	Montana	US2	On the southern edge of Glacier National Park (Montana)	5280 ft	2 or 3
Mesa Verde National Park	Colorado				The drive up from the entrance to the mesa top 1 The roads on the mesa top 0 The road to Wetherill mesa 0
Milner Pass	Colorado	US34	On the Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park	10,758 ft	2 The entire Trail Ridge Road is closed in winter The Trail Ridge Road is the highest through road in North America
Moki Dugway	Utah	Ut 261	Between Mexican Hat and Natural Bridges National Monument		I haven't driven this road, hence I cannot provide a rating See article for description Unpaved
Molas Divide	Colorado	US550	Between Durango and Silverton On the Million Dollar Highway (photograph, 37KB) and the San Juan Skyway	10,910 ft	3 or 4
Monarch Pass	Colorado	US50	Between Gunnison and Salida	11,312 ft	2
Monida Pass	Idaho and Montana	I-15	Between Idaho Falls and Butte	6823 ft	0
Mount Diablo	California		East of San Francisco		This road is reported as being very scary but I haven't driven it myself
Mount Evans Byway	Colorado	Co 5	Colorado State Highway 5 runs from I-70 at Idaho Springs west of Denver to the summit of Mount Evans; Colorado State Highway 103 runs from I-70 between Idaho Springs and Denver to join Highway 5 roughly half way along its length.	Mount Evans 14,264 ft; altitude may cause dizziness	4 to 5 Toll $6 per vehicle The highest paved road in the USA Steeper than the Pikes Peak Toll Road Closed in winter (Rating and comments kindly supplied by Dale Urish of Scranton, Kansas)
Mount Hamilton	California	Ca 130	East from San Jose to I-5		This road has been described as being the crookedest and most dangerous road in the USA; I have not driven it myself
Mount Rainier National Park - road along the southern side of the park via Paradise Visitor Centre	Washington State	Wa 706			2 See also Cayuse Pass on this page
Mount St Helens National Volcanic Monument	Washington State	Wa 504	East from I-5		0
Mountain Pass	California	I-15	Between Barstow and the California/Nevada line	4726 ft	0
Muddy Pass	Colorado	US40	East of Steamboat Springs	8772 ft	0 or 1
Newfound Gap Road	North Carolina and Tennessee	US441	Between Cherokee and Gatlinburg Through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park	5048 ft	1 The spur road from the Newfound Gap Road to Clingman's Dome also rates 1
Nv 266 and Ca 168	California and Nevada				See Ca 168 and Nv 266 on this page
Pacific Coast Highway	British Columbia, California, Oregon and Washington State	US101 and Ca 1			Mostly 0 In places 2 See also Cabrillo Highway and Shoreline Highway on this page
Panther Pass	Texas		The road into the Basin area in Big Bend National Park		1
Persimmon Gap	Texas	US385	The northeastern approach road to Big Bend National Park		0
Phantom Canyon	Colorado	Co 67	Between Victor and Cañon City		3 Extremely narrow Tortuous tight curves Not particularly steep No drop-offs Unpaved
Pikes Peak Toll Road	Colorado		From US24 at Cascade, about ten miles northwest of Colorado Springs, to the top of Pikes Peak	Pikes Peak 14,110 ft; altitude may cause dizziness	4 to 5 Upper half is unpaved No guardrails Toll $10 per adult (summer 1999) The highest road in the USA Less steep than the Mount Evans Road Closed in winter (Rating and comments kindly supplied by Dale Urish of Scranton, Kansas)
Powder River Pass	Wyoming	US16	Over the Bighorn Mountains	9666 ft	1 or 2
Rabbit Ears Pass	Colorado	US40	East of Steamboat Springs	9426 ft	0 or 1
Rainy Pass	Washington State	Wa 20	Between Winthrop and Sedro Woolley Near the North Cascades National Park The North Cascades Highway	4855 ft	1 Closed in winter
Red Mountain Pass	Colorado	US550	Between Silverton and Ouray Part of the San Juan Skyway	11,008 ft	4 or 5
Rogers Pass	British Columbia	Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway	In Glacier National Park (British Columbia) between Golden and Revelstoke	4341 ft	0 or 1
San Juan Skyway	Colorado				See Coal Bank Summit, Dallas Divide, Lizard Head Pass, Molas Divide and Red Mountain Pass on this page
"Scenic 7"	Arkansas	Ar 7	Through the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains and National Forests		1
Scotts Bluff National Monument (the road to the summit)	Nebraska				1 or 2
Sea to Sky Highway	British Columbia	Highway 99	Between Vancouver and Whistler		At least 2 with a car and at least 3 with an RV. It is an extremely dangerous piece of road between Vancouver and Whistler due mainly to poor/fast drivers. The road is winding with possible rockslides. From Whistler to Highway 97 near Cache Creek where it ends, it is good road, but very winding and in places quite scary. (Rating and comments kindly supplied by Maurice Drew)
Sequoia National Park	California				Mostly 0 or 1 In places 2 Some spur roads in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are closed in winter
Shoreline Highway	California	Ca 1	The Pacific Coast Highway between San Francisco and Leggett		In places 2 The northernmost section from the coast to Leggett is one of slowest, most twisting and most undulating roads in North America; even along the coast the road is mainly slow and twisting
Silver Thread Byway	Colorado	Co 149			See Spring Creek Pass and Slumgullion Pass on this page
Sinclair Pass	British Columbia	Highway 93	Near Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park	4876 ft	0
Skyline Drive	Colorado		Near Cañon City		4 or 5 Extremely narrow with drop-offs on both sides in places One way road
Skyline Drive	Virginia		Through Shenandoah National Park		0
Slumgullion Pass	Colorado	Co 149	Between US160 at South Fork and US50 at Gunnison The Silver Thread Byway	11,361 ft	2
Snoqualmie Pass	Washington State	I-90	Between Ellensburg and Seattle	3022 ft	4 or 5 (but 0 or 1 with light traffic levels) I've received several comments saying that this rating is too high. Although this road is an Interstate with no unguarded drops it does have (for an Interstate) relatively severe gradients and tight bends, although it is certainly not unique in these respects. However, whenever I've driven it this road it has had extremely heavy truck traffic travelling well over the speed limit in every lane and dominating the road, making it very frightening. With light traffic levels it would present no problems so perhaps I've just been unlucky.
Sonora Pass	California	Ca 108	North of Yosemite National Park	9628 ft	1 or 2
Spring Creek Pass	Colorado	Co 149	Between US160 at South Fork and US50 at Gunnison The Silver Thread Byway	10,901 ft	1 or 2
Sunwapta Pass	Alberta	Highway 93	On the Icefields Parkway between Lake Louise and Jasper	6677 ft	0 or 1
Targhee Pass	Idaho and Montana	US 20	West of West Yellowstone and Yellowstone National Park	7072 ft	0 or 1
Tehachapi Pass	California	Ca 58	Between Bakersfield and Mojave The southernmost pass over the Sierra Nevada Mountains	3793 ft	0
Teton Pass	Wyoming	Wy 22 (leads into Id 33)	West of Jackson	8429 ft	3 (1 or 2 with light traffic levels) This is one of steepest passes we have encountered (on both sides of the summit), but it has no hairpin bends. Local drivers often take this road at reckless speeds and overtake slower vehicles dangerously - this is a problem that the local police could address more actively.
Tioga Pass	California	Ca 120	Through Yosemite National Park		Mostly 0 1 or 2 in places Closed in winter
Togwotee Pass	Wyoming	US26/US287	Between the Grand Teton National Park and Riverton	9658 ft	0
Trail Ridge Road	Colorado	US34	Through Rocky Mountain National Park	Above 12,000 ft	2 The entire Trail Ridge Road is closed in winter The Trail Ridge Road is the highest through road in North America See also Fall River Pass and Milner Pass
Tx 118	Texas	Tx 118	Over the Davis Mountains between Kent and Fort Davis		1
US ALT14	Wyoming	US ALT 14	Over the Bighorn Mountains		1 or 2 The unpaved spur road from US ALT14 up to the Indian Medicine Wheel rates 3
Vermillion Pass	British Columbia	Highway 93	Through Kootenay National Park	5381 ft	0
Washington Pass	Washington State	Wa 20	Between Winthrop and Sedro Woolley Near the North Cascades National Park The North Cascades Highway	5477 ft	2 Closed in winter
Wolf Creek Pass	Colorado	US160	Between South Fork and Pagosa Springs, east of Durango	10,850 ft	1
Yellowhead Pass	Alberta and British Columbia	Highway 16, the Yellowhead Highway	Through Jasper National Park West of Jasper	3711 ft	0
Yellowstone National Park	Wyoming				Mostly 0 In places 1 See also Craig Pass and Dunraven Pass on this page All roads through Yellowstone National Park are closed in winter except for the road between the North Entrance (near Gardiner) and the Northeast Entrance (near Cooke City) which remains open year-round
Yosemite National Park	California				Yosemite Valley 0 The road to Glacier Point 2 (closed in winter) See also Tioga Pass on this page

Other Frightening Roads

California State Highway 99 south of Sacramento which is all flatland would have to be rated 5 for sure! It is a terrifying piece of road with short access roads, narrow lanes, more trucks than you will find on most any other freeway on the West Coast, most travelling over the speed limit.

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Most recently modified 6-Feb-06