The 10 Best Roads To Drive Your Corvette On In America

Let’s face it, you didn’t buy a Corvette just to sit in traffic drumming your fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the world’s longest red light to turn green for all of 30 seconds before repeating it all over again. No, you bought your Corvette to get out of the city, to go that road that only you and a few others know that twists, turns, cuts through canyons, rises over hills, and lets you get your foot down and feel the tires grip up as you clip the apex.

There are, however, some bigger, longer stretches of road out there that more people know about, such as the Tail of the Dragon (officially known as Deals Gap) in North Carolina and Tennessee. What we’re hoping to show you today is that you don’t have to go to the tourist trap places to get some G’s going through your body and neck, and hear a little chirp of the tires as they grip up as you slingshot out of the corners.

1. Ohio State Route 555

Also known as The Triple Nickel, this 62 mile stretch of pavement is not going to be the most technical course you can drive your Corvette on. What makes this one of the best roads is the combination of long straights, high speed sweepers, and tight, slow corners that lead to straights that you can add throttle out of to get the tail wagging a little if you’re adventurous. 

Added to the drive is that according to Ohio’s Department of Transportation, SR555 is a fairly deserted place, with traffic under a tenth of what you’d see on a main interstate or even a similar two lane highway. Travel there in August and September as well to get the view of the trees changing colors for a memorable drive.

2. Alaska Highway 5/Yukon Highway 9

While a Corvette in Alaska might seem like the most pointless car to have due to the average yearly snowfall, when it’s warm in the summer, it is warm up there. You will also need to bring your passport along, as well as make sure you have good tires and your underbody coating up to spec. This is because this route is known unofficially as the Top of the World.

It is paved in Alaska, and is a long, lazy, sweeping highway with incredible views of the Alaskan mountains, and is a fairly lonely highway as most tourist-y people coming into Alaska come across from British Columbia up the West Coast. On the Top of the World, you’ll come to the Canadian border, and proceed onto Yukon Highway 9 for some stunning nature views, however the Yukon 9 does turn to packed gravel a few miles into Canada. It is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful routes in North America.

3. Texas Farm-To-Market (FM) Roads 335, 336, & 337

Buried deep into the backcountry of Texas, these three rural roads come together to form the Twisted Sisters loop. 100 miles long, with only the occasional straight, this route is heavily favored by motorcyclists and sports car drivers alike. It is technical, twisting, and challenges even the most accomplished sports car driver to try to keep their face from tearing apart with the smile on it.

As mentioned, you will want to be careful on this route and look out for motorcyclists, as this is one of their prized routes. You’ll see everything from baggers scraping their exhausts to full-on superbikes with riders hanging off the side, their knees scraping the pavement. Share the road, however, and you will have 100 miles of sheer enjoyment under you.

4. New Hampshire Mount Washington Auto Road

If you want tight, twisting, fast, and very bloody steep, say hello to the Mount Washington Auto Road. It is a toll road, but honestly, it’s well worth the price of admission. 7.6 miles long, this is the official route of the annual Mount Washington Hillclimb, which started in 1904. This means that this road is kept in good repair, perfect for a 400+ HP sports car to challenge it.

Let’s just go over the simple facts: It starts at 1,500 feet, and climbs over 4,500 feet over the 7.6 mile route with about only a mile total of straights. Everything else is a corner: fast sweepers, tight tail waggers, even some low speed, first gear hairpins to challenge even the most mundane of drivers. There is a rest are at the top, and the scenery is worth the last few cents of the price of admission, because on a clear day, you can see the Appalachians out to the horizon in any direction.

5. California Route 101

Everyone knows California Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). However, most don’t know that once you get to the top of the PCH, with a little duck and dive around a few intersections, there is another stunning oceanside highway. From Northern California all the way up to Tumwater, Washington, California Route 101 is a two lane highway that is much less busy than the tourist trap that is the PCH.

This is the kind of road that you want to take in the middle of summer, with the roof off or down depending on what Corvette you have. It is far from technical, but there are amazing ocean views, a few small mountains to navigate, and you’ll maybe be in sight of 10 to 20 other vehicles, maximum, at any one point. The road is also well maintained due to the proximity to the ocean, and is one of the roads that Porsche owners whisper to each other about at local meetups, so expect to see some fellow sports car enthusiasts on Route 101

6. Tennessee US Route 421

200 miles North of Deals Gap (Tail of the Dragon), this little monster of a road is known as The Snake. Starting at the NorthWest corner of Mountain City, Tennessee, you’ll be driving along 30 miles of absolutely non-stop switchbacks, sweepers, hairpins, and even driving through a cliff face that has a hole in it to make way for this road. 

At the end of the road, you’ll be at the Virginia border, so you can turn around and do it all again, or continue North for half a day to reach number 4 on our list. To give you an idea of just how technical this route is, it does have another unofficial name: The Brother Of The Dragon. It’s just that Deals Gap is the big tourist attraction, while sports car drivers will appreciate the technical and twisting nature of the Snake far more, with a few less motorcycles as well.

7. Colorado Pike’s Peak Highway

Yes, we said we would try to avoid the big name attractions, but come on. $15 toll to drive the Pikes Peak hill climb route? Count us in, especially low and wide with a big thundering American V8 in front or behind us. This tight, twisting, switchback filled legendary course rises rapidly to the summit of Pike’s Peak at 14,000 feet, with stunning views and some pretty hairy corners in the mix.

While the Colorado State Government discourages racing up the course, the start and finish line markers are pretty much a permanent fixture on the road. That means that if you want, you can unofficially time yourself (of course, staying within the speed limit!). While you might not be able to thunder along the straights as much as you’d like, it’s the corners where you make time, as the Corvette’s superb mechanical grip can get you those few extra MPH during the corners and out of them!

8. Michigan State Highway 22

Also known as “The Lake Drive,” this route is a tremendously fun 117 mile highway for the more relaxed type of top-down driving that those that enjoy the scenery will want to take. Starting in Onekama, 235 miles NorthWest of Detroit and across Lake Michigan from Green Bay, WI, M-22 hugs the shore of the lake, with a lot of lazy sweepers and meandering corners that follow the natural shape of the shoreline.

The route also goes around the Leelanau Peninsula, and along the way you can stop off at the world famous Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. This drive is definitely one for the convertible or removable roof drives, as this area in summer is almost constantly bathed in sunshine, and is absolutely spectacular in late August as the trees start to turn. There are also lots of little towns dotted along the shore, so if you need pit stop or just a place to stretch your legs, you’ll have lots of opportunities.

9. California State Route 190

Those that know of this “hellhole” of a route are nodding their heads already. For everyone else, California State Route 190 is the official route that traverses Death Valley. Long straights leading to tight hairpins, elevation changes, canyon carving corners, and some of the best desert scenery in the States? With the A/C on, that’d be a “hell yeah!”

For those that want do to a little tourist-ing as well, there is a 600 foot deep meteor crater along the route, as well as several areas less than half a mile from SR190 where multiple Star Wars shots on Tattoine or Jakku were shot, from A New Hope to the Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Just be sure to bring sunscreen and lots of water, as this is also the route where the hottest temperature for a day on Earth was recorded at the start of July 2024 at over 130 F.  

10. Colorado State Route 92 & 50

While Pike’s Peak might be the huge attraction for tourists and racing enthusiasts, Colorado is home to another driving road that is much less well known. Simply known as “The Black Canyon,” this is a route that many motorcyclists take when they have a day off and want to empty an entire tank of gas. Starting on Route 92 East from Hotchkiss, itself reached by the very scenic Route 133, The Black Canyon dives down the Western slope of the Rocky Mountains before sharply turning almost directly East along Route 50.

This route is called the Black Canyon because of its elevation change of over 2,000 feet down, skirting along the volcanic rockface that tower so high above that sunlight has trouble reaching the deepest depths. It is also highly technical, with challenging turns over rises and through dips in the road that you’ll have to feel through your feet and butt to make sure you don’t spin up the rears as the car goes light or heavy. The last 20 or so miles smooth out for a relaxed drive past lakes and rest areas, arriving in Gunnison at the end. 

Honorable Mention: Alberta Highway 40 (Canada)

While a lot of the roads in the US are well worth driving to for a fun trip, there is a very special highway that is only open half the year up in Canada: The Highwood Pass, or officially Highway 40. About an hour’s drive West of Calgary, Alberta, is the world famous Kananaskis Country, a nature park that is so stunningly beautiful that it has been used in many movies. If you watched The Revenant, or are a fan of The Last of Us TV series, both of those were filmed in Kananaskis. 

The Highwood Pass is not the fastest or most challenging or even technical route on this list, but you drive this one for the scenery. Just look at the picture above and tell us that it isn’t worth $10 USD, which is roughly the day fee ($15 CAD) to get into Kananaskis park. If you want to make a day trip out of it, there are also lots of hiking trails, rest stops to take pictures of the scenery, and you will almost certainly see some wildlife. At the lowest part of the route, you’ll also find multiple lake and riverside parking areas for a rest stop to just enjoy the raw nature of the place.