The Devils Whip

"mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/" (mxxxxxm24) 09/13/2014 at 15:39 • Filed to: Driving Roads

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This has been discussed many times before on car blogs/shows everywhere. Everyone has their opinion of what the best driving road in the world is. However, that is not quite the purpose of this article. Following is an outlining of what is (at the time of writing this) my favorite road that I’ve driven.

Like many (hopefully all) of you, I very much enjoy driving. I’ve driven a good amount of decent cars in the quarter of a century that I’ve been alive. Some of which aren’t exactly performance cars, but as long as I’ve had myself a good manual transmission, I’ve found a way to enjoy the driving experience.

Even my Jeep TJ felt almost sporty with its 5 speed (top tip: do not purchase a Jeep 4 cylinder engine with an automatic; that is of course unless you enjoy having to plan ahead for your inevitable failure each time you approach an incline). But I’m getting off topic, so I will get back to it: To me it comes down to two prerequisites for enjoying a nice drive.

The car: 1996 Mazda Miata M-Edition.

No; it’s not super fast, but its power is usable on a daily basis on public roads and it is very quick on tight roads due to such a light weight chassis and immediate throttle response. It loves to be revved up through the gears and man does it shift smoothly; it’s like churning butter—not that I’ve ever churned butter, but you get what I’m saying. There is a reason why so many people call the Miata’s transmission one of the best around.

The road: The Devil’s Whip

If you aren’t familiar, that’s ok. It wasn’t up until a month or so ago, when I drove down to the North Carolina side of the Appalachian Mountains, that I stumbled (or rather drove) upon this devilishly twisty hill climb on my way up to the summit of Mt. Mitchell (tallest peak this side of the Rockies at 6,684ft).

It was a glorious 12 miles of 160 corners, accompanied by a 2,000ft elevation change. It really came out of nowhere. I stopped briefly to check out Lake Tahoma and after encountering a young black bear in the road and hearing a rustling in the forrest (assuming it was this younger bear’s mother), I decided it was go time. I admit the thought of a bear tearing my friend and I (and my precious Miata) to pieces lit a slight fire in me that wasn’t suppressed until I reached the rest stop overlook at the end. It wasn’t until I reached the top (of The Devil’s Whip) that I had time to think. It was then I realized I had never driven a road so awesome as that before.

Had I expected such an awesome road, I may have timed myself to get an idea of how quickly the 2,000ft elevation change actually occurred. Judging by the look (of sickness) on my buddy’s face, it was a pretty quick ascension. It was made even better by the rewarding mountain views high upon Mt. Mitchell (even if it was too foggy to get any pictures when I went to take them!).

What about you oppo? What is your favorite road? Two rules:

1. You have to have driven this road.

2. It must be a public road.

Post as much info as you would like and a picture of the route on gmaps or similar would be nice. Thanks for reading; good day!

thebigbossyboss > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 15:44

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BC Hwy 99 from Horseshoe Bay to Lillooet.

I drove it in a 2000 Toyota Sienna. With winter tires.....in July.

Even in an automatic, you can still enjoy this road, it is very twisty, scenic and beautiful. Once you get past Whistler there isn't much traffic at all at all, but there are only limited opportunites for passing.

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 15:44

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i honestly don't know the section of road, but it was in the blue ridge parkway (90% of the time that I o to the mountains I just explore)

SVTyler > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 15:54

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This quarter-mile long stretch of road off IN S.R. 334 is one of two roads in town that isn't a straight line. It is the longer one.

I hate Indiana so, so much.

Conan > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 15:59

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The Blue Ridge Parkway

From the Great Smokies and the Cherokee Reservation to Skyline Drive and Shenandoah National Park. 469 miles of glorious. The speed limit is never higher than 45 but that is there to help poorly trained drivers and you rarely run into enforcement. I've lived near it for most of my life and I will always love it.

mcseanerson > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 16:09

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Rt 50 through West Virginia would have been great in anything with at least a little suspension travel. My Miata felt like it was going to break in half on all the potholes.

Not my picture.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Conan 09/13/2014 at 16:33

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I drove a small section of the Blue Ridge Parkway down from Mt. Mitchell; it was a nice drive, it was just so foggy that morning I couldn't see anything!

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > mcseanerson 09/13/2014 at 16:35

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I know the feeling. Even on my stock suspension; bumps are no fun.

Conan > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 16:35

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One of the biggest dangers. Many times the best views are clouded/hazed over. When they're not? Fantastic.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > SVTyler 09/13/2014 at 16:37

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lol Indiana sounds like an awful place. I'm not too far from there, here in Cincinnati for the moment.

Conan > mcseanerson 09/13/2014 at 16:37

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My Crossfire does a lot better than my Mustang did on that regard. I lose serious amounts of tire pressure over time though.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 16:39

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I'm trying to move down around the Appalachian Mountains and I am looking forward to exploring!

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 16:43

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do you know roughly where? (A town or even a state?)

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 16:49

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Yes. Asheville,NC. I've been looking for a place/job for a little while now.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Conan 09/13/2014 at 16:51

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Yeah. On the way up, when it was clear I didn't take many pictures. Little did I know, the next day, I wouldn't have an opportunity to take any. It was cool watching the clouds pass by right in front of me though.

SVTyler > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 17:01

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Yeah, it's definitely not great. My aunt and uncle lived in Hamilton for a while so we've driven through Cincinnati a few times to see them. Seemed like a cool little city, just a little sleepy, kinda like all Midwestern cities. University of Cincinnati sounds like a blast.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > SVTyler 09/13/2014 at 17:18

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Not that I've been on a lot of campuses, but University of Cincinnati is one of my favorites. It was really awesome walking to classes through the stadium!

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 17:25

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lucky! You could drive towards Hendersonville, or boone. The tn,sc,nc border also has some decent roads (few and far between though )

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 17:34

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I did Tail of the Dragon and also Devil's Triangle a couple years ago. I liked Devil's Triangle better, wayyy less traffic.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 17:46

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Yeah I here there are a few more good roads around there. Do you live in the area?

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver 09/13/2014 at 17:48

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Heard of Tail of the Dragon, but not Devil's Triangle.

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 17:54

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It's in the same area, it's easy to drive both of them in one day.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver 09/13/2014 at 17:58

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I will have to try them both sometime then!

SVTyler > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 18:04

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From what I've heard UC is a really cool little campus. I'm at Purdue which is a bit bigger but still pretty metropolitan for being in the middle of nowhere (no real parks or green areas, just buildings and concrete :|). Can't complain though, our campus is so small all my classes are within a five minute walk from my apartment.

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 18:16

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i live in north Augusta, SC, but i try to make it there once every 1-2 months. Its been about three Now but I'm going twice next month :D

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > SVTyler 09/13/2014 at 18:17

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That's convenient, I've heard good things about Purdue. Also, yeah UC's a great campus. It's not too big like OSU and not too small either. I like that day or night I can go down to the soccer field or the other turf field right next to it and that we can use the football stadium (when its not in use). Beautiful architecture as well.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 18:23

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Oh cool. For the mountains I assume?

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 18:28

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yeah, I used to take the mountains to Cleveland TN, (it wasn't exactly on the way) to visit family, but they moved to Indiana. Im going to try out my Audi and the Crosstrek next month (I used to take my Tacoma but I sold it)

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 18:34

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Nice, I love the mountains. NC, SC, TN area is my favorite area in the eastern U.S.

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 18:38

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anything past NC I haven't really explored. I went to DC but cut through the middle.

Cantwell > Conan 09/13/2014 at 19:13

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Such a great stretch of road. I often add time to East Coast drives just to drive the BR Parkway.

Conan > Cantwell 09/13/2014 at 19:16

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That's awesome. I honestly miss it now that I'm more in Eastern VA.

Added note: You're not the Kit that went to Beloit when I did, are you?

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 20:56

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Yet. Haven't explored yet lol

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 21:02

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i hear that west Virginia has good roads. On another topic, I hope that rally america starts on the east coast next year (it seems like a lot of fun)

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 23:04

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Yeah isn't there a WRC course in SC? IIRC that was the closest place around. I love rally and was thinking about driving down for a day.

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 23:34

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ibdont know? :O if you find out please let me know

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > treesmakewater 09/13/2014 at 23:40

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Maybe it was this one: Sandblast Rally . I had a link to it so I assume that is why.

treesmakewater > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/13/2014 at 23:44

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:o. Now I need that b5 audi a4 with the c5 Audi a6 4.2l v8 in it!!!!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/14/2014 at 16:57

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I've been on better roads (in Colorado and elsewhere in the west) in not-fun-for-twisties cars, but NW Arkansas keeps me coming back, year after year.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/14/2014 at 17:35

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Most any of these roads in this general area.

Just zoom out and explore north: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ard…

Brian, The Life of > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/14/2014 at 17:40

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Ha! Berryville was the postbellum ancestral home for my family until my grandparents migrated to CA in the '30s. There are some sweet driving roads up there.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 09/14/2014 at 19:18

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I wouldn't have thought of Arkansas. Now why does Ozark Sound familiar...?

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Brian, The Life of 09/14/2014 at 21:11

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Berryville?

Brian, The Life of > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/14/2014 at 22:14

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Fail is me. I was trying to reply to davesaddiction :-/

BReLp7dzHM3ytYsE > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/14/2014 at 22:18

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Really pretty road north of Bankhead National Forest in north Alabama. New blacktop, tight and twisty, but there's a 25mph speed limit. Not exactly sure of the name or precise location though.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Brian, The Life of 09/14/2014 at 22:55

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Got ya...I was just wondering where Berryville was and if I should already know this lol

revrseat70 > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/18/2014 at 12:31

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https://www.google.com/maps/dir/21.98…

I believe it was this road in Kauai. I happened to go up and down it on a day with very little traffic. The best part: I was in a crappy rental car with no sporting pretensions so I was reaching the car's limits in many of these low speed, crazy elevation change turns.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > revrseat70 09/18/2014 at 12:37

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That looks like an awesome road! Seeing things like that make moving to Hawaii the much more tempting...damn.

Cantwell > Conan 09/19/2014 at 10:28

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Negative.

Cantwell > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/19/2014 at 10:34

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While I don't know if I'd go so far as calling it a "driving road" since it's a divided four lane highway, I've recently fallen in love with the West Virginia Turnpike. The road condition isn't the best, but traffic and law enforcement are nearly non existent for more than 100 miles as you pass through one of the most beautiful and least inhabited areas on the eastern seaboard.

At one point the road passes over what was once the world's longest arch bridge over the New River Gorge.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > Cantwell 09/19/2014 at 11:47

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Sounds cool and I know highways can be nice too: interstate 40 through the Smokies is a great drive and the only highlight of driving from Cincinnati to Asheville...there's even some short tunnels!

Conan > Cantwell 09/19/2014 at 13:13

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Cool either way. I love driving far more than I did undergrad!

Cantwell > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 09/20/2014 at 17:13

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Highways through hills and mountains are infinitely cooler than flat, straight stretches. I've also noticed that drivers on mountainous highways tend to have a little better lane discipline than the average joe. Not too many people want to play grabass on a 9% grade. Makes for a fun, relaxed drive.

Cantwell > Conan 09/20/2014 at 17:16

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The name sounds familiar. He was probably some relation if he was from Michigan. I've got a mess of cousins in Detroit, Dearborn, etc.

Conan > Cantwell 09/20/2014 at 18:12

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Quite possible. I think he's a scientist in Pennsylvania now.

7thSon > mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ 04/02/2015 at 13:13

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The Devil's Whip is great, for sure. One of my top ten North Carolina roads. Had you kept going up NC 80, you would have come to my favorite section of that road - the stretch from Micaville to Loafers Glory. Following NC 80 from Marion to Loafers Glory, then continuing on NC197 North into Tennessee (becomes TN 395) is a fantastic drive. Join Miatas In Boone and Redline Roadsters on FB to learn more great area roads, and to join our drives.

mXxxxXm24 /O/ /O/ > 7thSon 04/02/2015 at 14:02

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The Devil's Whip was the first road (well driving roads) I had experienced in the Asheville area. I was on vacation at the time and now live here (west asheville) and have realized that where there are mountains there are sure to be curvy roads! I will check out the stretch you speak of on maps after this post. Thanks for the tip! I'll check out miatas in Boone and redline roadsters as well.