
Granite Butte
Usa, north-america
N/A
2,318 m
hard
Year-round
Okay, road trippers, listen up! Wanna conquer a mountain in Montana? Head to Granite Butte, a 7,604-foot peak in Lewis and Clark County. This isn't your average Sunday drive, though.
We're talking a gravel road that gets pretty gnarly as you climb through the Helena National Forest. Rocky, bumpy, and definitely tippy in spots, you'll want a high-clearance vehicle for the final push. And fair warning: this road is usually snowed in from October to June, so plan accordingly.
But trust me, the views from the top are worth the adventure! You'll be standing on the Continental Divide, gazing out at the Scapegoat Wilderness, Big Belt Mountains, and Scratchgravel Hills. Oh, and did I mention the lookout tower built in 1962? Talk about a photo op! This road's a steep climb, but the panoramic views from the top are an experience you won't forget.
Road Details
- Country
- Usa
- Continent
- north-america
- Max Elevation
- 2,318 m
- Difficulty
- hard
Related Roads in north-america
easyThe Ultimate Guide to Traveling the James Bay Road
🇨🇦 Canada
Okay, picture this: you, your trusty vehicle, and 631 km (392 miles) of pure Canadian wilderness on the James Bay Road in northern Quebec! This baby is paved, stretching from Matagami, north of Amos, all the way up to Radisson near the Robert-Bourassa hydroelectric power station. Built in the 70s for the Hydro Quebec James Bay Project, this road, also known as Route de la Baie James and the Route Billy-Diamond Highway, is well-maintained but can get a little bumpy. Mostly gentle curves and hills with nice wide shoulders, so it's not too challenging. Now, here's the thing: this is REMOTE. Seriously remote. Make sure your vehicle is in tip-top shape before you even THINK about attempting this drive. There's only one full-service gas station at kilometre 381 (mile 237), so fill 'er up when you get there. That's the longest service-free stretch in Canada! Breakdown? Big towing bill. Expect the drive to take around 7.5 to 9 hours without stops. The road is open year-round and plowed in the winter, but be warned: winters are BRUTAL (-40 degrees C)! Summer? Can be surprisingly hot. Prepare for anything! The scenery is classic Canadian shield: think boreal forest, pristine lakes, and the wide-open sky!
hardWhere is Monarch Pass?
🇺🇸 Usa
Monarch Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 3,448m (11,312ft) above sea level, located in the U.S. state of Colorado. The grade is intense for ascent and descent, so use lower gears. Where is Monarch Pass? The pass is located on the boundary between Gunnison and Chaffee counties, in the south-central part of Colorado, in the Rocky Mountains. How long is the road to Monarch Pass? The road to the summit is entirely paved. It’s called U.S. Highway 50. It can be traversed by all vehicles under most conditions; however, 7% grades exist. The pass road is 95.43km (59.3 miles) long, running west-east from the City of Gunnison (in Gunnison County) to Poncha Springs (in Chaffee County). When was the road to Monarch Pass built? The road through the summit was finished in the late 1930s. A minor gravel road at the summit climbs up to , at 3,634m (11,922ft) above sea level. Access is right off the pass, where there is a large parking lot. Is Monarch Pass safe to drive? The road is not easy, with turns, steep parts, no shoulders, and fatal drop-offs. If you are not accustomed to mountain driving or curves, altitude, or drop-offs make you nervous, plan to travel early in the day before traffic builds up. Normal passenger vehicles should not have an issue. Be bear aware. How steep is Monarch Pass in Colorado? The drive is pretty steep. Starting from Maysville, the ascent is 16.8km (10.43 miles) long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 915 meters. The average percentage is 5.4%. Ramps for runaway trucks are located about halfway down both the eastern and western sides of the pass. How long does it take to drive over Monarch Pass? Plan 1 hour to complete the drive without any stop. A gift shop and small restaurant are located near the summit of the pass. Make sure you leave enough time to make plenty of stops along the way. Where was Fast and Furious 7 filmed? The pass is considered one of the most scenic in Colorado, offering panoramic views of the Sawatch Range. The pass was used as a filmed location for the Fast and Furious 7 movie. Is Monarch Pass CO open? The pass is generally open year-round; however, the area is prone to heavy winter snowfall, often resulting in temporary closures during severe winter storms. In winter, do take care. The weather station recorded a wind gust from the west of 148 mph, the highest official gust recorded to date in the state of Colorado. Thunderstorms are common. Those who frequently traverse the pass probably don’t even notice the sign for Old Monarch Pass Road Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado: Beware of the wolf Cinnamon Pass is a 4x4 road in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado Embark on a journey like never before! Navigate through our to discover the most spectacular roads of the world Drive Us to Your Road! With over 13,000 roads cataloged, we're always on the lookout for unique routes. Know of a road that deserves to be featured? Click to share your suggestion, and we may add it to dangerousroads.org.
hardDriving Mount Evans Scenic Byway, the highest paved road of North America
🇺🇸 Usa
# Mount Evans Scenic Byway: North America's Highest Paved Adventure Ready for something epic? Head 60 miles west of Denver to tackle the Mount Evans Scenic Byway, a jaw-dropping 14.4-mile (23.17km) paved toll road that'll take you to 14,130 feet—the highest paved road in North America. You can knock out the drive in 45 minutes flat, but trust me, you'll want to linger. ## Timing & Conditions Summer's your sweet spot for this adventure, and here's a pro tip: aim for a day when thunderstorms are brewing over Denver. There's nothing quite like watching dark clouds roll through the "low country" while you're basking in sunshine at 14,000 feet. The road typically opens Memorial Day (once CDOT finishes plowing) and closes after Labor Day, though it can shut down anytime snow decides to crash the party. Fair warning: that "first significant snowfall" closure? Nobody's quite sure what that means. ## The Drive Itself Buckle up—this isn't your average cruise. Starting from Squaw Pass Road (Highway 103), you're climbing 1,053 meters with an average grade of 4.54%, packed with switchbacks and some seriously exposed drop-offs. No guardrails, so acrophobics might want to stare straight ahead. Vehicles over 30 feet? Don't even think about it. Regular cars work fine (2WD is cool), but save those brakes by downshifting on the way down—there are plenty of pull-offs to let them cool. ## The Scenery This is where it gets magical. You'll pass through five distinct life zones, morphing from ponderosa and juniper meadows into dense spruce forests, then bursting into bare alpine terrain. Ancient bristlecone pines twisted by centuries of mountain winds, alpine lakes reflecting granite walls, mountain goats, marmots, and wildflowers everywhere you look. Spots like Mount Goliath Nature Area and Summit Lake Park are Instagram gold. At the summit, you'll find the Crest House ruins—once a restaurant and gift shop until it burned in 1979, now serving as a windbreak and quirky landmark. The views of the Continental Divide and the sprawling Denver metro below are absolutely surreal. ## Important Details The road opened publicly in 1931 and earned its Forest Service Byway designation in 1993. Altitude hits different though—stay hydrated and take it easy. The elevation change and thin air mean exercise gets way harder up here. Clouds can roll in fast, and snow's possible anytime, but that's part of the adventure, right?
extremeInfrastructure and Environmental Risk Factors
🇺🇸 Usa
Okay, picture this: you're heading up to Bear Lake in Colorado. It's all paved, so no off-roading needed, but the views? Absolutely stunning. Or, how about tackling the Carlsbad Caverns switchbacks in New Mexico? This one's a bit more intense—we're talking a seriously steep 20-degree grade! Hold on tight, it's a wild ride. Want more? Come check out some spectacular roads across the globe!