Calesta

Following the Forbes - America's Best Driving Roads thread, I decided to sketch up my favorite twisties in the Austin area. If you're ever around central Texas, these are worth the time to check out!

Speed limits are listed as I can best remember them, times are estimates based on how I remember driving the routes (been a while).


FM 2222

This is the easiest one. It's two lanes wide on each side, has all high speed corners (over 100mph easy with a good setup), and is the best (most fun) way to get between two of the major highways in Austin, the Mopac Expressway (Loop 1) and Highway 360. There are a few stoplights, but nothing through the high speed curves on the west end of the run.

Speed limit: 45mph
Time: 5 minutes?




Spicewood Springs Road

This one is a little more difficult. If you took 2222 from Mopac to 360, go about 2-3 miles north and take a left on Spicewood Springs. This road is crappy during high traffic hours because it's a single lane all the way through, but it's tons of fun at night or while people are still at work. There IS a short two lane stretch at the east end coming in from 360, so if you're brave you can pass the slow people at the beginning.

The turns are very tight, and there are a good number of fast steep elevation changes and off camber turns. There's a good decreasing radius sweeper in the middle that I like to slide through, but you have to be moving fairly fast (60-70mph) to do it, so only attempt it if you're brave. Speeds range from 100mph+ in the short straights, and between 30-50mph in turns that are posted with yellow signs that say 15-20mph.

Oh, this is the most entertaining way to get between 360 and 183. The Lexus dealer uses it as their test drive route sometimes, and the Mazda dealer uses it ALL the time. An RX-8 with 2 miles on the clock is a blast through here. Just let the brakes and clutch stop stinking before you take it back to the lot.

Speed limit: 30mph
Time: 10-15 minutes
Watch for deer.




City Park Road

This is a quick round trip that the motorcycle guys really love. It's been recently paved with brand new blacktop (2005), so it's nice a smooth. You regularly see modified imports and some exotics coming through here for a fun drive.

The turns can feel somewhat tight on the way in, but with the route I take, they're just the beginning. I take the first left, then run clockwise around the smaller loop and come back out to the main road, which then feels really open and loose. The short loop has lots of very sharp turns posted at 15mph with weird elevation changes and some off camber moments, but with high speed 60-70mph sections linking them.

If you take the large loop, I suggest you go clockwise as well. You'll miss the fun areas on the south end of the short loop, but you get a nice tour of the neighborhood and marina at the south end of the park. Drive SLOWLY through here to not piss off the residents. The reason for going clockwise is the long straight coming up the west side of the loop. The straight goes uphill if you're heading north, and you can reach some insane speeds on it. Uphill is easier- it's a little unnerving to be hurtling downhill at 100mph when you can't see the way the road might be curving ahead of your hood.

This is a one lane (in each direction) road with a half mile or so two lane section at the entrance.

Speed limit: 30mph
Time: 10-15 minutes
Watch for deer.




If you are coming from inside Austin and have an hour or so to kill, run all three routes. Take 2222 from Mopac to 360, continue past 360 to the first light and take a left into City Park, then come back out on 360 and head north to Spicewood Springs. You'll finish up on 183, which you can then take east back into town. It's a very fun hour.

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Lime Creek Road

If you really have time to kill and you think you're good, this is the road to play on. The motorcycle guys LOVE this one, but they regularly get creamed out there too. I've never actually had the time to drive this road myself, but I've ridden along with my old roommate a few times. I don't know it that well, but I do remember getting serious motion sickness behind the camcorder (which turned out crappy, sorry no video for this one yet), that there were a ton of turns, and that it lasted a long time. This is the road that most people in Austin think of when you say that you want to hit the twisties.

Single lane each direction for almost the whole thing.

Speed limit: 30mph?
Time: 30 minutes?

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reikoshea

i like your last one, me and the ex girlfriend used to drive that whole thing and then jump off at random spots to see the view.

Calesta

That's why it's the last one- it's the most fun.

Linky to pass around:

http://www.hondaswap.com/~mike/maps

pissedoffsol

thats the first time ive seen a quad-digit route number....

reikoshea

lol, youve never been to texas...they are all over the place. i live between routes 3040 and 1171.

Calesta

We have too much land to be constrained by 3 digit route numbers.

reckedracing

more like those stuck up texans need everything to be bigger than everyone else...
lol

reikoshea

cant deny it...its true.

Calesta

We're bigger and better than everyone else.