Gitzo Loc: Indiana

1. 13 Of The World's Scariest Roads
These roads aren't for the light at heart; hair pin turns and steep drop offs make these roads a little precarious.

2. Colorado State Highway 82, Colorado
This is highest paved road in a state with a lot high roads, and 12,100 feet above sea level--more than two miles--is a long way to fall. It also once boasted the highest suspension bridge in the world, until China built the Beipanjiang River Bridge in 2003.

3. Beipanjiang River Railway Bridge, China
Currently the world's highest bridge, it stretches across a deep canyon and the Beipan River that runs through it. Cruising along this bridge at 100 mph will surely get your pulse racing.

4. James Dalton Highway, Alaska
It's cold in Alaska, but it's also barren in places. This highway goes for more than 400 miles with just three towns along the stretch. By the way, this one was made famous by a certain TV show called "Ice Truckers."

5. James Dalton Highway
Another shot of the crazy ice roads that Alaskan truck drivers must traverse.

6. Trollstigen, Norway
Translation: "Troll's Path." But more than the monsters, the road is famous for its steepness and hairpin turns that snake their way down the mountain.

7. Col de l'Iseran, France
With twelve percent grades, this lung-depleting climb would be a rush to drive up. Biking, however would be nearly impossible, which is probably why this road has been used for the Tour d'France.

8. Guoliang Tunnel, China
This tunnel is less than a mile long, but it's not for the claustrophobic. At only 16 feet tall and 13 feet wide, feeling the walls close in would be nothing to be ashamed of.

9. Stelvio Pass, Italy
At 9,045 feet in the Eastern Alps, this road has 75 hairpin turns. It looks like a confused snake zigzagging down the mountain.

10. The Death Road, Bolivia
Killing upward of 100 people per year, this mountain pass is regularly traversed in tourist-filled buses. Don't rock the bus; at times reaching 11,500 feet above the valley floor below, this road has no guardrails.

11. Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China
This road goes over 14 mountains, numerous rivers, and untouched forests. It also can take 15 days to cross completely.

12. Eyre Highway, Australia
Not as scary in the traditional sense, this road makes the list because of its straightness. It's the longest straight stretch of highway in the world, at 1,041 miles.

13. Kabul-Jalalabad Highway, Afghanistan
As if driving through Taliban territory wasn't enough, add to it that it has multiple narrow mountain passes that Afghan drivers zoom up, passing trucks like they were driving on a one-way road.

14. Yakutsk Road, Russia
Unpaved highway. In Russia. If Vladimir Putin doesn't scare you enough, perhaps the sub-zero temperatures will. By the way, in the summer this road becomes one big, long mud-hole.

1. Some Of The World's Scariest Roads And Bridfges


2. Colorado State Highway 82, Colorado This is highest paved road in a state 2. Colorado State Highway 82, Colorado This is highest paved road in a state with a lot of high roads


3. Beipanjiang River Railway Bridge, China Currently the world's highest bridge, it stretches across a deep canyon and the Beipan River that runs through it.


4. James Dalton Highway, Alaska It's cold in Alaska, but it's also barren in places. This highway goes for more than 400 miles with just three towns along the stretch. By the way, this one was made famous by a certain TV show called "Ice Truckers."


5. James Dalton Highway Another shot of the crazy ice roads that Alaskan truck drivers must traverse.


6. Trollstigen, Norway Translation: "Troll's Path." But more than the monsters, the road is famous for its steepness and hairpin turns that snake their way down the mountain.


7. Col de l'Iseran, France With twelve percent grades, this lung-depleting climb would be a rush to drive up. Biking, however would be nearly impossible, which is probably why this road has been used for the Tour d'France.


8. Guoliang Tunnel, China This tunnel is less than a mile long, but it's not for the claustrophobic. At only 16 feet tall and 13 feet wide, feeling the walls close in would be nothing to be ashamed of.


9. Stelvio Pass, Italy At 9,045 feet in the Eastern Alps, this road has 75 hairpin turns. It looks like a confused snake zigzagging down the mountain.


10. The Death Road, Bolivia Killing upward of 100 people per year, this mountain pass is regularly traversed in tourist-filled buses. Don't rock the bus; at times reaching 11,500 feet above the valley floor below, this road has no guardrails.


11. Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China This road goes over 14 mountains, numerous rivers, and untouched forests. It also can take 15 days to cross completely.


12. Eyre Highway, Australia Not as scary in the traditional sense, this road makes the list because of its straightness. It's the longest straight stretch of highway in the world, at 1,041 miles.


13. Kabul-Jalalabad Highway, Afghanistan As if driving through Taliban territory wasn't enough, add to it that it has multiple narrow mountain passes that Afghan drivers zoom up, passing trucks like they were driving on a one-way road.


14. Yakutsk Road, Russia Unpaved highway. In Russia. If Vladimir Putin doesn't scare you enough, perhaps the sub-zero temperatures will. By the way, in the summer this road becomes one big, long mud-hole.

hondo812 Loc: Massachusetts

#2 is wrong...Highest paved road in CO is at Estes Park (Rt 34) and tops out at over 13,000 feet. I've driven this a few times, once in August where it was in the 80's 20 miles away but snowing at the top....in AUGUST!

The road through Zion National Park is interesting and not for the faint of heart. It's not very long but from the floor of the canyon to the tunnel is about as breathtaking as you can imagine. Not much shoulder though

The Mokai Dugway in southern Utah is unpaved and no guard rails and not heavily traveled...by the time anyone would find you it would be because of the buzzards.

Gitzo Loc: Indiana

Hondo;

Damn.......I was rushing around, trying to get all of these pictures on, and here you are already looking at them! BTW...the link below will take you to where I got them from;

http://www.odometer.com/lifestyle/5432/13-of-the-worlds-scariest-roads#slide/2/0

I'm guessing that whoever got all of these pictures together got some of their "information" screwed up; I have never been on that road in the #2 picture, and I haven't been on Rt. 34 I don't think.

I did spend several days in Zion National Park "way back when" I was still married to my first wife. I would dearly love to go back to Zion so my wife could see it; it's probably one of the prettiest and most intertesting places in the whole country.

The last place you mentioned I'm not familiar with, but if it's in Utah, I have no doubt that's it's beautiful!

I have a lot of color slides that I took when I was in Zion......I can't even remember what year it was now, but iot was either in the late 80's or else the early 90's. About a year ago I ran across a website with a bunch of pictures of a canyon someplace up north of Zion that's really incredible, but it's really hard to get access to it; they only let a few dozen people into it each day, and you really need to have climbing skills and a hell of a lot of energy to get into and out of it; I can't remember what they call it now, but it's sure a fabulous place.

hondo812 Loc: Massachusetts

Mokai dugway - this is along a shortcut from Bridges nat'l Monument to Lake Powell (eastern end). Mexican Hat is along the way. The road that gets you to this has signs along the way to the tune of "primitive area". You don't want to break down out there! The top of the Mokai Dugway is in the top left corner of the photo.

http://www.monumentvalleysafari.com/uploads/images/home/1400472742_2.jpg

I think most everyone has seen this iconic shot.

http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/42013/img_2581.jpg

hondo812 Loc: Massachusetts

Gitzo,

As a former motorcyclist (aka biker) I can tell you about the Dragon. This is a road back east (US 129) nestled into the Blue Ridge and Smokie mountains in Deals Gap, NC. It's claim to fame is the number of turns, 318 in 11 miles. It's one of the ultimate "Disney" rides for bikers back east. Unlike the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) it is not limited to pleasure vehicles and while against the law there are crotch rockets attempting a time trial in both directions almost daily. There aren't any shoulders on the road to speak of and bikers wipe out all the time. To get an idea search for "the dragon" on youtube...you should get millions of hits

Gitzo Loc: Indiana

That second picture is beyond awesome, Hondo! I can't believe I've never heard about this place! Are those cars that people have gone off of the road in, in the first picture?

I've been all over North and South Carolina in a 75 ft. car carrier; I've heard about "the dragon" quite a few times, but I've never been over it; I used to go all over West Virginia all the time delivering p/u trucks; I got such a kick out of the squirrelly roads in W.Va. that I made quite a few trips over there with my 1100 Yamaha; the hills in W.Va. aren't nearly as big as those in the Blue Ridge, but the roads are every bit as crooked, and some of them are probably even "crookeder"! I took one ride to Va. and rode most of the Blue Ridge Parkway; it was a terrible trip.....it rained cats and dogs while we were on the BRP, couldn't see a thing, but fortunately everyone else must have stayed home, so at least there was no traffic.

wilpharm Loc: Oklahoma

rode the "Dragon" years ago on a Goldwing…great ride but you
better pay attention to the road instead of the scenery..Really, too many crotch rockets for me…Im more of a Blue Ridge Parkway kind of guy….AS far as Im concerned NW Arkansas has some of the best motorcycle roads in the USA….Pig Trail & others..ah, the good old days...

magicray Loc: Tampa Bay, Florida

Holy crap!....and I thought Rt 19 near Tampa was bad. Thanks for the post Gitz. Very interesting.

hondo812 Loc: Massachusetts

I am assuming they have "gone off" the edge as it were. There was a sign posted when I was there my first time in 2012 to the effect of "no suicides please" along with graffiti suggesting otherwise. I could say it was off the beaten path but that would be something of an understatement. There were a few spots out in Utah that provides spectacular views and along with it potential for a premature ending. There's a stretch of Rt 12 in Utah called the Devils Backbone or Hell's backbone. I forget which. You do not want to drive this at night! One part of the road travels along a spine of some ridge that is about 50 feet wide (2 lanes worth) and that's it. There's a good 300ft drop off on either side. It might be more but either way it's going to ruin your day. I found this image of it online. My wife didn't particularly care for this one bit. The Mokai Dugway was a joyride in comparison. :)

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/61/8d/d0/boulder-mountain-lodge.jpg

hondo812 Loc: Massachusetts

I rode the Dragon back in 2006 on my Honda VTX1800. Give me the BRP any day!