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      03-27-2016, 03:57 PM   #1
Baba Ganoush
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Best Driver's Roads in New England

I didn't see a thread on this topic already, so I figured I'd start it.

What are some of the best driver's roads in New England? The only one I can personally speak to (being relatively new to the area) is the Kankamagus Highway in NH. Great scenery, a hairpin, and some stretches where you can open it up. It gets a little crowded during tourist seasons, so watch for drivers slowing down to pull into the scenic overlook areas.

I drove Route 127 today around Cape Ann... great scenery but it's too residential to do any spirited driving. (photo taken today in Marblehead)

What are some of your favorite drives?
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      03-28-2016, 10:16 PM   #2
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Funny I've been curious about this too and was googling this for a while the other day. I live in Brighton so imagine my joy of having urban pedestrians, cyclists, and traffic to joyride through :P
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      03-31-2016, 02:04 PM   #3
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+1 for Kangamankus (or however you spell it LOL) - when I get my new car, that's going to be the first trip I take it to (aside from the drive up from SC for PDC delivery)

I-90 on late nights is a good one. I rarely see cops shooting radar or laser because there's basically nowhere safe on the side of I-90 to stop, but watch out for State Troopers coming on or off-shift in their Chargers. They tend to fly down the highway at 100 in the inner most lane, and will tailgate you till you either speed up or move out of the way (and if you don't, they'll turn on their lights LOL)
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      04-19-2016, 07:12 PM   #4
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LOVE kangkamangus in NH - scary as hell but the turns and views are awesome
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      04-23-2016, 09:50 PM   #5
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Route 100 in VT.
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      05-04-2016, 11:09 PM   #6
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Route 2 WB is not bad after you get past Wachusett
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      05-19-2016, 08:49 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paulff3 View Post
Route 100 in VT.
This is a good one. Routes 106 -> 131 -> 103 from Woodstock, VT to Okemo is a good ride as well.

In Maine, Routes 103 -> 1A from Kittery to Nubble Light in Cape Neddick is a good ride.

In CT, Route 434 through Devil's Hopyard is fantastic, as well as just about any road in Litchfield County. If you ever have an opportunity to drive back roads from Bradley International Airport out to Lime Rock Park, I highly recommend it. Routes 20, 318, 219, 181 are all fun to explore out that way.


Our Volvo, pulled over on Route 20 heading home from Lime Rock

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      06-08-2016, 09:57 PM   #8
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The Kangamangus Hwy is great but Acadia National Park and all of Mount Desert Island in Maine may have it beat. It's best in Spring and Fall because Summer brings campers and traffic.
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      06-12-2016, 08:55 AM   #9
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I went to a concert last night at MASS MoCa in North Adams, so I drove the Mohawk Trail from Boston for the first time. There was a lot of fog blocking the views, and the slow pokes were annoying, but a great drive nonetheless.
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      07-10-2016, 09:41 AM   #10
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Someone mentioned a drive to Lime Rock Park, but a drive on the track at Lime Rock is probably the best "driver's road" in New England. IMO, there’s simply no safe and legal way to get familiar with the car’s limits other than participating in a club-sponsored High Performance Drivers Education (HPDE) event on a local road course. I personally enjoy doing HPDEs with the Sports Car Driving Association http://www.scda1.com. They're a very professional, safe, welcoming and fun club that sponsors HPDEs in New England, New York and New Jersey. They provide excellent in-car instruction too.
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      07-10-2016, 10:57 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Outlaw 06 View Post
Someone mentioned a drive to Lime Rock Park, but a drive on the track at Lime Rock is probably the best "driver's road" in New England. IMO, there’s simply no safe and legal way to get familiar with the car’s limits other than participating in a club-sponsored High Performance Drivers Education (HPDE) event on a local road course. I personally enjoy doing HPDEs with the Sports Car Driving Association http://www.scda1.com. They're a very professional, safe, welcoming and fun club that sponsors HPDEs in New England, New York and New Jersey. They provide excellent in-car instruction too.
SCCA does them too, if I'm not mistaken?
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      07-10-2016, 11:35 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Versipellis View Post
SCCA does them too, if I'm not mistaken?
Yes, the New England Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) sponsors a couple of track days annually that are open to all drivers. See: http://www.ner.org/about-time-trials/ and http://www.cartct.com/track-day-information/ .

However, the Sports Car Driving Association (SCDA) offers many more track days at more locations in New England than SCCA.
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      07-10-2016, 02:19 PM   #13
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Sorry, I meant to say BMWCCA. They keep sending me emails about HPDE events lol
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      07-10-2016, 03:37 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Versipellis View Post
Sorry, I meant to say BMWCCA. They keep sending me emails about HPDE events lol
BMWCCA does offer "drivers schools" at Lime Rock. I've driven there with the Patroon and Connecticut Valley Chapters.

My problem with the BMWCCA chapters that I’ve driven with is that they were cliquey and they assigned me to slower run groups based on my previous HPDE experience with BMWCCA only (rather than taking all of my driving experience into account). Also, the club’s instructors tended to discourage me from finding my own line, trail braking or any car rotation at all. These are just a few examples of improper driving techniques that I’ve heard from BMWCCA instructors. They also don't allow student drivers to solo until they reach some magic number of track days with the club. Although I still like driving with a professional instructor in the right seat (because there's always something to learn from someone else), I also like having the option to drive solo on a track because it's just as essential for learning (just like flying solo).

My appraisal of BMWCCA is that some of the club’s instructors are primarily there to get free track time and they possess little more than basic driving knowledge and ability.

This is why I didn't recommend BMWCCA in my previous posts, but the club is a good place for novice drivers to start if they plan to quickly move on to a better club after a track day or two with BMWCCA.

On the other hand, SCDA is very welcoming and the professional coaching and driving instruction is first-rate too. In my opinion, the SCDA isn’t as rigid as the BMWCCA and they recognize a driver's level of judgment and driving talent sooner. The SCDA is just as safe as BMWCCA too.
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      07-10-2016, 06:59 PM   #15
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Very, very, informative. Thanks a lot Outlaw, really appreciate the feedback and information!
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      08-29-2016, 08:47 AM   #16
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91 through VT is a very scenic drive and not usually many cops. I also have a 1.5 mile straight right by my house in Marlborough, MA. It leads to an industrial park that isn't in much use anymore so traffic is almost non-existent
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      08-30-2016, 01:26 AM   #17
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If you drive with SCDA then absolutely BMWCCA is going to be a bit of a turnoff lol. You have to take into account the difference in students. BMWCCA events tend to be cheaper and I suspect get more 'first timers' who just bought a BMW and want to give it a try. They tend to keep a slightly tighter grip on the reigns and have a stricter tech inspection but I think a) insurance mandates it, b) a higher percentage potential of unsafe cars showing up both because they are pulling from a wider selection of the local population than SCDA. They have the club email lists and magazines to reach local members wheras neither Ian (RIP) nor Elivan have the same reach.

So I've viewed the SCDA crowd to be more hardcore enthusiasts and regulars except for the novices and why tech is much more lax ie big boy rules. They are people who sought out HPDE instead of HPDE finding them.

I do agree with you about running solo and if I'm not mistaken you have to be an advanced rated driver to get out on track solo with BMWCCA. Im planning on doing the end of season NHMS weekend and am sorta disappointed that I wont be getting solo time because its critical to driver development IMO.

Every club has good and bad instructors. It also depends on what you need and what experience your instructor has. I had an SCDA instructor who had never driven the track we were on and so we went out for a session and it was kind of a waste of time, did a couple solo sessions then went out with a friend who knew the track well and he knocked 4 seconds off my best lap time. The difference between an instructor and a coach. However I went out with the other instructor at Watkins Glen which was his home track and I learned a ton.

Also considering how incestuous these clubs are with regards to participants/instructors its pretty much impossible to rate one instructor cadre against another. There is always going to be the seat meat who is looking for free track time.

BTW I've also heard nothing but good things about Chin Motorsports but they tend to only run at Palmer around here in New England. COM as well.

Either group is excellent but as a novice dont worry about BMWCCA, in fact take advantage of how inexpensive it is.
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      12-13-2016, 01:02 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by paulff3 View Post
Route 100 in VT.
You can't beat this drive! I grew up driving on this road every weekend as a kid - haven't been on it in 10 years. I didn't know how lucky I was at the time!
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      01-25-2017, 09:03 PM   #19
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Great thread. Any other recommendations for night drives <3-4 hrs round trip from Boston?
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      01-27-2017, 06:43 PM   #20
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+2 for the kancamagus highway. When I had my Evo 9 I drove it twice a year, spring and fall, with huge groups of friends. We cruised, took pictures, ate food and had a blast!
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