What are the most dangerous roads / mountain passes in the lower 48

I find out west to have the best/safer mountains due to the high speed limit and mostly straight roads without a lot of people merging or even a lot of traffic for that matter. Out east in Virgina has sharper turns downhill while trying to avoid four wheelers merging onto the interstate at 35 mph. It doesn't matter where you are, just follow the posted speed limits and downshift down steep hills and you can take any road.

 

Most of WA is easy. Bluitt Pass on US 95 gets interesting, beautiful run too. Lewiston Grade (actually ID) is 7%. Never ever take the highway south of Clarkston in anything larger than a sports car.

OR has some fun ones. The Sisters on OR 20, Government camp over Mt Hood (OR 26?).

I'll be taking Donner tomorrow morning for the 1st time and I'll have 40k lbs of drinks in the box.

The old axiom: "You can go down a grade too slow thousands of times, but you only get to go down too fast once" should be kept in mind....

Honestly, I worry more about Wyoming in winter than any of the mountains. I swear that I-80 eats trucks and is always hungry...

 

Agreed. Try I80 after a major winter storm in Iowa. More wrecked trucks per mile there than anywhere else I've seen.

 

You're not kidding...it seems ive seen more trucks in the median from losing control in snowstorms more on flat ground, like Nebraska & iowa & parts of wyoming than mountain passes out west...it all comes down to these driver who think nothing will happen to them...which in turn are the one who wipe out.

 

He hit Monteagle in the drivin' rain;
So hard he couldn't even see the passing lane
Well he started down the grade when he lost a gear;
He hit them brakes, found he had no air
The Monteagle grade is steep and long;
And everybody that seen it thought The Bandit was gone

 

far better to be going 20mph and wish you were doing 70mph, than to be doing 70mph and wishing you were doing 20mph.........you can take that to the bank !!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok, been over Donner with 43k in box.... cake walk (at least eastbound).

 

The Only Mountain that always gave me the Pucker Factor on it and I was always ON THE SUCKER it seemed in Winter was Elk in Wyoming. Why you try dealing with 40-60MPH side winds on ICE and snow. Yes it is not a major Mountain Pass however it will screw you up in less than a second if you do not respect her. More than one time I saw Daylight under the left side of my trailer tires as it was trying to pass me. Talk about FUN in the winter.

Or try Techaphi on 58 in Cali when in Bakersfield it is clear as a bell you get to the top and start down and You hit a WALL OF FOG mixed with SNOW yes it happens. Best one however was seeing the So Cal Dummies drive on Snow on Cajon that one time.

 

i have experienced this fog thing while driving in the car in this area

socal dummies cannot drive when it rains, let alone in the snow

 

just like texans..