What are the most spectacular roads in Mexico?
Located in North America, Mexico is a country with a wide collection of stunning drives. It’s home to about 150 roads listed as the most spectacular in the world.
With very diverse geography, comprising high mountains such as the Sierra Madre Occidental and Sierra Madre Oriental, and stunning beaches providing scenic coastal drives, when traveling to Mexico don’t forget to add to your list the infamous Espinazo del Diablo, a thrilling and challenging Mexican mountain road. This road is renowned internationally for its hairpin turns. Another notable road is Carretera Federal 1, which is full of blind corners with no barriers or hard shoulders. Spanning the length of the Baja California Peninsula, it is often called the Carretera Transpeninsular or Transpeninsular Highway.
If you prefer mountain roads, try the road to Cortes Pass, a mountain pass at an elevation of 3,692m (12,112ft) above sea level. It’s one of the highest roads in Mexico. If you like unpaved roads, try the drive to Sierra Negra volcano, an extinct volcano at 4,576m (15,013ft) in the state of Puebla.
Pan-American Highway, the longest road in the world
The challenging Pan-American Highway is one of the biggest adventures in the world. It’s a network of roads covering almost 30,000 kilometres (19,000 mi) from North America to South America. It’s said to be the longest road on Earth.
Maconí
The road to Maconí, a small town located in the state of Querétaro, in north-central Mexico, offers spectacular views of the canyon and mountains surrounding the Sierra Gorda mountain range.
Driving the scenic road from Huayacocotla to Zontecomatlán
The road from Huayacocotla to Zontecomatlán is an uncategorized state route in Veracruz. Starting at an elevation of 2.220m (7,283ft) above the sea level, near Huayacocotla, the road gradually descends the mountains into the low coastal valleys of the gulf.
Camino del Caracol
Located in Chiapas state, in southern Mexico, near Guatemala and under the Volcan Tacana which is the second highest peak in Central America, Camino del Caracol is a very challenging cobblestoned track.
Driving the extremely dizzy Tepehuacán de Guerrero Road
Tepehuacán de Guerrero Road is an uncategorized Hidalgo state route road, located in the heart of Sierra Madre Oriental mountains at north of the state.
A challenging 4x4 road to Laguna Salada
Laguna Salada is a small lagoon located on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in in the southeast corner of Mexico. The road to reach the lake is extremely challenging. This trail passes through remote areas, so you need to be prepared
Hidalgo state route 37 Metztitán Canyon
From the T junction at Mexico 105 at 1310 masl in Los Venados, a spectacular road goes deep missing into the canyon and then to the Sierra Madre mountains in Hidalgo state to the road of Tepehuacán de Guerrero.
Carretera Escenica (Acapulco)
This is a beautiful urban coastal road located in Acapulco, Mexico. This is a dangerous road due constant repairs, extremely high traffic and constant gun battles between police and criminals, the fact this is a resort city it’s classified today in 2016 as the most dangerous city in Mexico with 8 murders everyday.
El Chorro
La Carbonera (Mexico 57D, autopista Saltillo-Matehuala) offers spectacular views of the Sierra Madre Oriental high mountains: desert canyons, some pine forest and a segment of sharp/dangerous curves in same highway, step grades, even a tunnel in the route.
Driving the wild San Isidro Canyon Road
Cañon de San Isidro is a very scenic canyon in the Mexican state of Nuevo León. This is definitely one road trip that you want to record with lots of photographs. Landslides can occur anytime and can sometimes block some sections of the road.
Mismaloya Road
Carretera a Mismaloya (Mexico 200 south of Puerto Vallarta) is a beautiful coastal scenic drive from South of Puerto Vallarta to Tomatlán beach, this drive offers great views of Bandera Bay with the Los Arcos islands, including the access of some tropical sand beaches next to the road.
Tianguistengo-Yatipán Road
This is a very scenic beautiful uncategorized state route in Hidalgo, communicating two small indigenous community of Nahualt people.
Pico de Orizaba
Pico de Orizaba is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 4.614m (15,137ft) above the sea level, located on the border between the states of Veracruz and Puebla, in Mexico. It’s one of the highest roads of the country.
Sola de Vega Road
Sola de Vega road (Mexico 131 or Oaxaca-Puerto Escondido) is a long journey. Very curvy and scenic, if you suffer of dizziness, this road is not recommended to you. Over 6 hours of constant movement by curves everywhere, small towns with speed bumps and scenic views of the Sierra Madre mountains.
Ruta Tarahumara
Ruta Tarahumara (Creel-Guachochi) is a windy, scenic, two lanes road that communicates the towns of Creel and Guachochi in Chihuahua state. The primary reason of the built of Ruta Tarahumara was to communicate and develop the land of indigenous people of Tarahumara (Raramuri) to the rest of the state and help or bring tourists to the Copper canyon area among other attractions.
Chipinque Road
Located in northeastern Mexican, in Monterrey city, the Road to Chipinque goes up to the mountains. The drive offers great views of the city of Monterrey and mountains.
Cumbres de Acultzingo, recommended for drivers with strong nerves
Cumbres de Acultzingo is the name of a very dangerous road located in the state of Veracruz, in Mexico.
Caminos de Sierra de Juarez (San Juan Petlapa Road)
There are many crazy routes to get to San Juan Petlapa, from the shortest by Mexico 179, or the longest and craziest route from Mexico 175, either both ways offers stunning views of Sierra Madre Oriental mountains and canyons, even some towns built over the mountains walls, makes a great challenge to traverse.
Las 4 Palmas Mine
Located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, Mina Las 4 Palmas is an abandoned mine. The mine is round, 300m wide and 350m deep.
Road Mexico 105 Peñas de Tlanchinol
This small section of Mexico 105 is popular due its rocky hills between the tropical lush forest and tall mountains, which offers a unique landscape in the state.
Road Mexico 182
Mexico 182 (Tuxtepec-Teotitlán) is a very scenic and dangerous route in Oaxaca state. The road offers stunning views of Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains, valleys, and canyons of different biomes such tropical rain forest, pine forest and desert in same route. There are views of Miguel Aleman lake too.
El Frunce Road
Located in the Mexican state of Durango, this is an extreme mountain road. It’s terribly narrow. Your wheels will be astounded at the wonderful views of the mountains spread out before you! They are terrible for drivers who are prone to vertigo.
La Huasteca Canyon Road
Located in northeastern Mexican, La Huasteca canyon road lies near Santa Catarina and goes deep into the Sierra de las Cumbres mountains to a canyon dam.
Camino a El Cuale
Camino a El Cuale is a very rough long dirt road linking Talpa de Allende to El Tuito in Jalisco state, in Mexico.
El Mortero Road
Located between Monte Escobedo and Mezquitic towns, El Mortero Road is a scenic drive of long valleys and some hills.
Morelos Road
Carretera a Morelos is a very dangerous, long, tedious, unpaved/gravel route to town of Morelos in Chihuahua state.
Camino a Canoas
Camino a Canoas is a high mountain road to a town named "Canoas" in Durango state. However the town it's in Durango state, the main purpose of the road its to communicate Zacatecas state with Nayarit state.
Grutas de Bustamante Road
Camino a Grutas de Bustamante is asphalted road linking the town of Bustamante to the tourist attraction of Grutas de Bustamante natural caverns in Nuevo León State, in Mexico.
The insane road to Cumbre de Guerachi
Cumbre de Guerachi is a high mountain town at an elevation of 2.440m (8,005ft) above the sea level, located in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua.
Sumidero Canyon Overlook Road
Located in the Chiapas state in southern Mexico, the Sumidero Canyon Overlook road is the main gate to the overlooks and viewpoints of Sumidero Canyon National Park.
The wild road to the abandoned Albergue Tlamacas
Albergue Tlamacas is an abandoned hotel at an elevation of 3.962m (12,998ft) above the sea level, located in State of Mexico. It’s one of the highest roads of the country.
Tunel la Encantada
La Encantada tunnel is a high mountain tunnel at an elevation of 1.485m (4,872ft) above the sea level, the state of Coahuila in Mexico.
Road Jalpa-Tlaltenango
Carretera Jalpa-Tlaltenango (Mexico 70) is a mountain drive between the cities of Jalpa, at 1.380m (4,527ft) above the sea level, and Tlaltenango, at 1.710m (5,610ft) asl.
Camino a Ozolotepec
A very scenic road that communicates three towns, Santo Domingo Ozolotepec, San Juan Ozolotepec and San Francisco Ozolotepec, to finally disappearing in a river canyon near San Francisco Ozolotepec. One of the most dangerous area is between Santo Domingo and San Juan, where the roads narrows into the edge of the canyon and mountain, where only one vehicle can barely traverse, another dangerous section are some steep switchbacks near San Francisco where the road goes to the bottom of the canyon.
Road Mexico 85 Los Marmoles
This section of the Mexican Federal road 85 is located within Los Marmoles National Park. This road offers greet views of marble canyons and cliffs along the route, some few overviews and encrusted towns in the way.
Grutas del Rosario Road
Located in the Mexican state of Durango, this scenic road brings beautiful sceneries of Sierra del Rosario mountains, canyon walls, desert landscape and caves around.