Highest road you've been on?

Highest road you've been on?

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Discussion

Gilhooligan

2,211 posts

143 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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Red Devil said:
Yahonza said:
The A93 from Blairgowrie up to Glenshee and down to Braemar - I think it is 2000 feet at its highest point.
The Cairnwell Pass is a smidge under 10% higher than that. At 2198ft it's the highest paved through road in the UK.
There are two much higher dead end roads. Lowther Hill on the border of Dumfries & Galloway (2379ft) and the big one, Great Dun Fell in Cumbria (2740ft)
Both lead to radar stations and are restricted access: no unauthorised motor vehicles. You'll either have walk, or ride a bicycle / horse.

Yahonza said:
Other than that the A701 Devils Beeftub from Moffat down to Broughton - spectacular road.
yes

I'll be doing both in a fortnight's time on my way to the Highlands..
Yeah Cairnwell Pass is excellent. I drove it early one Saturday morning and had the place to myself. Was pretty special as it was a glorious sunny day in early summer.

Cycled up both GDF and Lowther Hill. Quite nice having them traffic free and pristine tarmac too!

RSTurboPaul

10,218 posts

257 months

Tuesday 17th May 2022
quotequote all
Lodelaner said:
...

A month before we'd been to the Alps and enjoyed a few high passes inc Col Du Parpaillon (2780m). Thats the highest tunnel I've ever driven through for sure.
...

|https://thumbsnap.com/RSdMcMjd[/url]
I would love to go and experience this sort of thing but, honestly, it gives me a knot in the pit of my stomach just looking at it yikesboxedin

I think it's the 'what if someone crazy comes the other way and punts me off the edge' worry!

nismo48

3,600 posts

206 months

Friday 15th July 2022
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At 3798 metres the Grossglockner in Austria was a pretty cool drive up to. wink

Riley Blue

20,908 posts

225 months

Saturday 16th July 2022
quotequote all
nismo48 said:
At 3798 metres the Grossglockner in Austria was a pretty cool drive up to. wink
It was very cool at the top when I drove up it one sunny May day! Shorts and T-shirt at the bottom quickly changed to fleece and jeans at the top.

psi310398

9,036 posts

202 months

Saturday 16th July 2022
quotequote all
Nothing special in the UK, but the Nufenen in Switzerland at 2478m and the Umbrail Pass at around 2500m in the Italian stretch.

JonChalk

6,469 posts

109 months

Saturday 16th July 2022
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Tioga Road from Lee Vining into Yosemite National Park - 3,031m where it crosses into Yosemite.

You can just see the cut of the road wending down the left of the valley from this shot near the top:

924-DSC01488 by Jon Chalk, on Flickr

Tim O

549 posts

168 months

Saturday 16th July 2022
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Highest for me is Galibier. Cycled up, it’s a monster.


leyorkie

1,634 posts

175 months

Sunday 17th July 2022
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Highest pass in Europe so I’m led to believe, higher summit’s but officially a pass.

Chromegrill

1,067 posts

85 months

Sunday 17th July 2022
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Worldwide the highest road I've been on was the top of the road to the summit of Mount Chacaltaya in Bolivia. At the time, nearly 30 years ago, it was supposedly the world's highest ski resort at 5,421 meters (17,785 ft). There was even a bit of snow when we visited. Not sure how the Toyata minivan got to the top but somehow it made it. We jumped out and immediately realised there was barely enough air to breath at rest, let alone do the slightest bit of exertion.

Over the past 30 years the 18,000 year old glacier coming off the mountain has completely melted away and skiing is virtually impossible. From the top you could see black clouds of smoke in the distance coming from burning rainforests hundreds of miles away. Quite astonishing practical example of climate change in action over much less than a lifetime.

RDMcG

19,093 posts

206 months

Sunday 17th July 2022
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nismo48 said:
At 3798 metres the Grossglockner in Austria was a pretty cool drive up to. wink
I enjoyed driving the Grossglockner. However, I think Pikes Peak was a bit higher
, as I recall 4300 metres. Superb drive.

AKA PABS

316 posts

121 months

Friday 29th July 2022
quotequote all
Gavia pass for me at 2621m done in the campervan. I remember following the sat nav heading towards the Stelvio pass but alas turned up the Gavia Pass. Me and the wife detoured to watch the MTB World Cup in Val de Sole as part of a tour around Europe.

Wills2

22,663 posts

174 months

Sunday 31st July 2022
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The Glenshee road as mentioned before and the Splügen pass which reaches 6936ft.


Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Monday 1st August 2022
quotequote all
RSTurboPaul said:
Lodelaner said:
...

A month before we'd been to the Alps and enjoyed a few high passes inc Col Du Parpaillon (2780m). Thats the highest tunnel I've ever driven through for sure.
...

|https://thumbsnap.com/RSdMcMjd[/url]
I would love to go and experience this sort of thing but, honestly, it gives me a knot in the pit of my stomach just looking at it yikesboxedin

I think it's the 'what if someone crazy comes the other way and punts me off the edge' worry!
Fill your boots - https://youtu.be/ec_6ZK86WHc - butt clench from 3:40 to 4:00.* smile
 * If I'm not mistaken, the pic above is the same bend looking in the opposite direction.

Alex Z

1,082 posts

75 months

Monday 1st August 2022
quotequote all
1121m in New Zealand, heading to Queenstown.

https://www.newzealand.com/uk/feature/the-crown-ra...

ChocolateFrog

24,847 posts

172 months

Monday 1st August 2022
quotequote all
JonChalk said:
Tioga Road from Lee Vining into Yosemite National Park - 3,031m where it crosses into Yosemite.

You can just see the cut of the road wending down the left of the valley from this shot near the top:

924-DSC01488 by Jon Chalk, on Flickr
Easy to forget how high some of the roads around Yosemite actually are.

RSTurboPaul

10,218 posts

257 months

Monday 1st August 2022
quotequote all
Red Devil said:
RSTurboPaul said:
Lodelaner said:
...

A month before we'd been to the Alps and enjoyed a few high passes inc Col Du Parpaillon (2780m). Thats the highest tunnel I've ever driven through for sure.
...

|https://thumbsnap.com/RSdMcMjd[/url]
I would love to go and experience this sort of thing but, honestly, it gives me a knot in the pit of my stomach just looking at it yikesboxedin

I think it's the 'what if someone crazy comes the other way and punts me off the edge' worry!
Fill your boots - https://youtu.be/ec_6ZK86WHc - butt clench from 3:40 to 4:00.* smile
 * If I'm not mistaken, the pic above is the same bend looking in the opposite direction.
Nice little run there smile

Most of it seems quite tame, in that if you do fall off the road, you won't be dropping straight into thin air and might have some chance of pointing it downwards and stopping in a fairly controlled manner - I think the worst case scenario and the most worrisome stuff is the dropping off and being able to do nothing about it!

The ones that Chris Harris et al did on Top Gear when one of them had the (IIRC) Pug 106 GTi were, er, scary. eek

Red Devil

13,055 posts

207 months

Monday 1st August 2022
quotequote all
RSTurboPaul said:
Most of it seems quite tame, in that if you do fall off the road, you won't be dropping straight into thin air and might have some chance of pointing it downwards and stopping in a fairly controlled manner - I think the worst case scenario and the most worrisome stuff is the dropping off and being able to do nothing about it!
Except for the bit I highlighted. It looks sheer to me. You definitely don't want to get it wrong on Pike's Peak... eek - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hIsWx5qbQs

Moospeed

542 posts

264 months

Friday 2nd September 2022
quotequote all
ChocolateFrog said:
JonChalk said:
Tioga Road from Lee Vining into Yosemite National Park - 3,031m where it crosses into Yosemite.

You can just see the cut of the road wending down the left of the valley from this shot near the top:

924-DSC01488 by Jon Chalk, on Flickr
Easy to forget how high some of the roads around Yosemite actually are.
Even though I’ve driven Tioga Pass in 2015 I didn’t realise it was *that* high until 10 mins ago when I read it here. Of course I realised it was all very mountainous and beautiful but this has amazed me.

Was an epic day’s drive; started about 6am at Mariposa, into Yosemite, Curry Village, Bridalveil (?) Falls, out to Mono Lake via Tioga. And then from there zigzagging between California and Nevada up to South Lake Tahoe in time for dinner.

Two things made me realise Tahoe was high up, considering I’d been driving downhill solidly for about 20-30 mins by the time I got to the lake… For that reason my brain told me it was alright to go out for a run (was marathon fit back then). A couple of miles in and I was wheezing like an old smoker. Second thing was that I only needed two pints of the good stuff before I thought “jeez I’d better slow down “.



That’s not mist, it’s forest fires. Was literally driving next to flames at one point, with the forest guys guiding us around it making sure we didn’t stop.




Near, or on, Tioga Pass. I filmed a bit but not many photos. Was on my own so couldn’t drive and snap away much.




California, and it’s water reservoir to the left (stored in the snow). Nevada to the right.