Do you like to drive? Seek adventure on the road? Check out these five wild roadways that you’ll not want to explore!
Some experiences are better suited for books and film – and not for real life. If you enjoy travel and want to check out these crazy highways. You’ll discover that you’re better off becoming an armchair traveler and reading about it or watching a video from the safety of your living room couch. Otherwise, buckle up because you’re in for a wild ride.
The Karakoram Highway, which cuts through mountains and canyons between China and Pakistan, is the world’s highest paved international roadway. Sudden blizzards, heavy fog, and flooding each makes this roadway a most challenging drive. And, as if that isn’t enough, it’s been reported that terrorists and bandits hideout along the route seeking their next vulnerable target. The mountainous highway is so high above sea level that altitude sickness is not uncommon due to the thin air.
A mountain pass in the Andes that connects Chile and Argentina has recently gained recognition on social media and in the news. Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, also called Cristo Redentor, is considered one of the most difficult roads of the world to travel, and the zig-zag pattern is especially jaw-dropping to see from the air. The roadway features 29 terrifying hairpin turns along a steep incline. At the summit sits the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer of the Andes statue, unveiled in 1904 to celebrate the resolution of the border dispute between Chile and Argentina. The road is best traveled in the summer months, as it often closes during snow and inclement weather.
France’s Passage de Grout is a 4.3Km seemingly innocent-looking flat stretch of road that links the French mainland with the Atlantic coast Island of Noirmoutier. And, for those who even time it right, the drive is said to remain a challenge due to the slick seaweed that covers the road’s surface and can make cars skid right off into the sea. The danger heightens as the tide moves in and causes the entire roadway to vanish underwater a twice-a-day occurrence.
In some places, Taiwan’s Highway No. 8 is carved into and through extreme mountainous terrain. Erosions and landslides due to rain and earthquakes make the maintenance of parts of this highway a nightmare. The narrow passageways and numerous blind spots along the route are added to the roadway challenges, leaving drivers to shiver with fright over what’s around the next bend. On this highway, one driver error can send one plunging over a rocky cliff. So, be sure to get that life insurance policy before you go.
America also possesses some wild roads. Alaska’s chilling Dalton Highway stretches 400 miles through remote forests, tundras, and over the Yukon River. It begins at the Elliott Highway, north of Fairbanks, and ends at Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean. But you’d better gas up as there’s a 240-mile stretch of road which features no gas stations, restaurants, lodgings, or basic services. Plus, the steep grade makes the road prone to avalanches, which might put a literal roadblock on your travel plans.
Across the world, there are thousands upon thousands of roadways that look fun to drive, can take you to great places, and offer stunning, unmatched skyline views. However, when you combine elements such as steep and treacherous terrain, narrow hairpin turns, or long boring stretches of desert highway that can leave riders stranded or cause driver’s fatigue, you may want to rethink that drive. Have you experienced a wild ride in your lifetime? Please share your story in the comments below!
