October 21, 2024
If you Google “Best Motorcycle Roads in the world”, you’ll get a number of pages featuring a lot of different opinions on the subject. Depending on whose list it is, it may focus on highway-only riding on a touring bike, or slant more towards the offroad enthusiast. Everyone has their own personal criteria that determines what is the “best” motorcycle road for them. For some, it is smooth pavement and fast twisting curves. For others it may be steep mountain climbs with sharp switchbacks. For many, regardless of the elevation change or surface, a stunning scenic view is as important as the road.
For us, it’s often necessary to add that it must be in, or lead to, a place that is quiet, peaceful, and uncrowded. This criteria can be difficult, as many of the “Top 10 Motorcycle Roads” lists are mostly limited to places that are so popular that it’s almost impossible to not ride in traffic or be stuck in a crowd at the scenic vistas.
Last July, as I was riding the Transalpina Road in Romania, I began to think about these rides and all of the places we’ve seen across the last eight years of riding around the world. And again the following morning, as I rode the Transfagarasan Road, I kept thinking about the various internet articles I had read that called it one of “The Best” motorcycle roads in the world, and what criteria made it qualify.
We have certainly not covered even a decent percentage of roads in the world, but we have ridden through 63 countries now, and we’ve come to have some favorite roads. So here are our “Top 15 Favorite Motorcycle Roads In The World So Far” and a bit about the good and bad of each, in our opinion, of course.
15. Stelvio Pass, Italy
Stelvio Pass is a motorcyclist favorite; for us not so much, because while the climb and the view of the road from the top is pretty awesome, the switchbacks are very tight and you have to compete with tour buses and RVs, which can make it physically and mentally exhausting. The top is a tourist mecca; in other words it is crowded and anything but peaceful. Many riders and locals will tell you that Stelvio is the tourist trap…there are many other passes that are less crowded, just as scenic, and more fun.
Much of the Alpine roads in Austria, Switzerland, and northern Italy just can’t be missed. I could spend a couple of months just riding this area (in July and August perhaps, due to the elevations and snow other times of year). Spend time talking to the locals, and you’ll inevitably hear “There are better passes than Stelvio”. We agree.
14. Old McKenzie Highway, Oregon
Officially Highway 242, the portion of this road from the McKenzie River up to the Dee Wright Observatory is one of those roads that can feel like you’re in another world. It’s fairly narrow, lush with trees and dense foliage, and has very little traffic. The climb up to the observatory has plenty of tight twists and turns. It’s not a fast road, so you’re in it more for the scenery and technicality. The observatory at the top was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps out of black lava, and sits in a 65 square mile field of black lava at an elevation of 5,187 feet. As you approach the top from the west and head down toward Sisters, Oregon, the scenery is vastly different than on the western side.
This ride would be much higher up our list, but it’s fairly short; the western climb from the McKenzie River to the Observatory is about 23 miles, and it’s another 15 miles to Sisters.
13. Road 7A, Romania
From Brezoi on the east end to Obarsia Lotrilui on the west.
The 7A road, west from E81 to the “T” intersection at the Transalpina (67C) marked by the stickered-up sign (above), is a beautiful road of about 65km or 40 miles, and as far as I’m concerned is comparable to a 40 mile long version of the Tail of the Dragon in the US (which is 318 curves in 11 miles). Similar to the Dragon, 7A is flowing curves in mostly forest as it passes by Lake Vidra. It doesn’t have a place to stop and take a photo looking down into a valley of spaghetti-shaped roads, but it is some of the nicest riding I experienced in Romania.
12. Carretera Austral, Chile
This one is for the scenery, as there isn’t a lot of elevation change or twisties. Much of the road is still dirt, though portions are paved. It reminded me of a Southern Hemisphere version of Alaska. The only downside is that in the summer (the only time the road is fully clear and passable), portions of it can be swarmed with tourists, backpackers, and campers. Still, it’s worth the ride if you’re in Chile or headed to Ushuaia and have the time. If you are heading further south from here, there is a great dirt road (X-83) just north of Cochrane that will take you across the border from Chile to Argentina and onto Ruta 40. It’s about 100 miles across, and there is a border control checkpoint on the dirt road and the two border guards there were extremely friendly and welcoming when I crossed (they also probably hadn’t seen anyone for hours or days).
11. Transfagarasan and Transalpina, Romania
I combined these two because you can make a loop out of them.
The Transfagarasan (DN7C) is a nice, scenic road, and the pass on the north side of the tunnel at the top is another photo-worthy stop, similar to the Stelvio Pass. However, while the Transfagarasan can be busy with both cars and bikes in the summer, the curves and switchbacks aren’t as tight and flow better than the Stelvio, which means you won’t find yourself having to stop in an awkward spot to wait for a tourbus to do a three-point turn to get around a switchback, and there’s less chance (though still somewhat likely) of someone running all the way into your lane around the curves. The crowd at the top can be as bad or worse than Stelvio, and there are two pay-to-park lots at the summit (though there is also room to park bikes without having to enter these lots).
The Transalpina is less famous, but what it might lack in Instagramability, it makes up for with a “Mulholland Drive Rock Store” vibe, where there is a restaurant and lots of food and souvenir vendors set up, making for a place to stop and check out the other bikes (and cars) that have come for the curves.
If you are in or near Romania, these are definitely a “must-ride”. I highly recommend spending a night or two at the cabins at Camping Arges; it’s the perfect staging point for a couple of days riding the Transalpina and Transfagarasan, and the owners are great people and riders as well.
10. Mae Hong Son Loop, Thailand
This is a long (600km) loop starting and ending in Chiang Mai. Portions of it are better than others, of course, but overall the scenery, the twisty roads, and the stops along the way make this a loop worth doing. Many (if not most) tourists are backpackers doing it on rented 150cc scooters, but you will run across locals on Harleys and big BMWs also. We rented a Honda 500 since we were 2-up, but the 500 is unnecessarily large for this part of the world.
Referred to by some as “the most dangerous road in Morocco” (a catchy phrase used a lot by people who don’t normally venture far from their living room or office). A combination of dirt and paved road, there was some construction when we were there which made for some muddy spots, but overall it’s a fairly easy climb and very much worth it for the cliff-hanging distant views as you climb up.
8. Beartooth Highway, Montana, USA
A portion of US Highway 212 between Red Lodge and the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park, Charles Kuralt once called this “the most beautiful road in America”. Those same people mentioned above in #9 have sometimes called this “The most dangerous road in America”, which is kind of why Diana wanted to go there. Like anywhere else, it’s a road. It’s only as dangerous as your approach to it. We met a 90-something year old couple at the top of Beartooth Pass in their Ford F350 pickup that didn’t seem to have any problem driving it. Great climbs and beautiful vistas.
7. Pacific Coast Highway, California
No “Most scenic roads” list would be complete without PCH. The tourist traffic can be frustrating (the long lines of RVs especially), and finding a place to camp anywhere around Big Sur can also be difficult (best to plan six months in advance if possible), but the gentle curves, ocean views and great temperatures year-round make this one well worth it.
Colombia and Peru have a lot of beautiful dirt roads in the Andes mountains and it’s hard to pick just one or two. In Colombia I fell in love with Route 60 from Villa de Leyva to Puerto Boyaca. Of all of South America, this is still one of my favorite rides, mostly because of the remoteness and the scenery.
5. Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska
If you’re headed north to Alaska, or from Alaska south, a stop in Stewart or Hyder should be a requirement. Especially if you’re headed north, because you’ve probably already been in the Rockies. The mountains here are like that, but on steroids. Bigger, steeper, more dramatic.
R704 From Agoudal to Boumaine Dades, Morocco: this is the western half of a loop that runs up from Todra Gorge on Road N12 to Agoudal, then turns to dirt for several miles between Agoudal and Tilmi. The dirt portion is a bit rocky but is easily done 2-up on the Tenere and has great distant views. It’s a good reward for a day of riding to get to the Hotel La Gazelle du Dades just south of the Dades Gorge.
The Dalton Highway is one of those “bucket list” or “check the square” rides that many riders feel obligated to do at some point, and most riders that have done it have no desire to do it again. It’s a long gravel road up to the Arctic Sea, and just as long back. On a good four days, it’s dusty gravel and some 18-wheelers who literally own the road and don’t have patience for tourists. On one good day and three rainy, snowy days, like we had, it’s a muddy, slippery, sketchy 800 miles round trip. The only truly impressive scenery, in my opinion, is Atigun Pass and the first glimpses of the tundra to the north of the Pass.
2. Huascaran National Park, Peru
AN-107 from Carhuaz up to the world’s highest vehiclular tunnel (15,535 feet or 4735 meters) at Punta Olimpica, and then AN-106 back down to Yungas. A mixture of dirt and pavement, a peak of around 16,000 feet elevation (over 4800 meters) if you take the “old road” up and over the Punta Olimpica tunnel, and absolutely stunning. I will be doing this ride again in the next year or so, I hope. Note: when I went over the tunnel in 2016, the old road had been intentionally blocked with large boulders on the north side. Bikes can squeeze through, but nothing wider will fit. A fully loaded GS with wide panniers might push the limit.
1. Route 63 south of Trollstigen, Norway
Lots of people talk about Trollstigen, and while it is truly amazing for the waterfalls and scenery, for us the more spectacular part of the road (63) is south of Geiranger, between Geiranger and Hwy 15. In any case, we are constantly asked what our “favorite place” is out of everywhere we’ve been. It’s nearly impossible to narrow it down to one place, because there are so many influences: natural beauty, local people, local foods, history, etc. So we always have to answer with those caveats. But without a doubt, the top place we’ve been so far in terms of jaw-dropping scenery is Norway.
You might say “Where is the Going to the Sun Road?” or “What about the Blue Ridge Parkway?” Those are without a doubt great rides, and definitely belong on someone’s list. They reside a bit further down our list. I’m sure they will move up when I get old and go back to riding a large street-only touring land yacht and can enjoy being in the long line of RVs and Harleys. For now, at 63 years old, that’s not my style.
And as popular as Route 66 is for the European crowd, I will not include it in this list, yet, as we simply haven’t been motivated enough to do it.
Also, the Bolivian “Death Road” didn’t make this list because at the end of the day it is way over-hyped. However, if you are already near LaPaz and want to check the box, there’s about a mile or so of it that is pretty scenic and where all those edge-of-the-cliff photos are taken. The rest is just a generic dirt road.
There’s still a lot of world we haven’t explored, so obviously our list isn’t complete. We’re still looking forward to the ‘stans, India, Nepal, Mongolia, China, South Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, and more on upcoming travels, and when we get there, we’ll be sure to update this post.