California · 10 roads · 520.4 catalog miles
Best Driving Roads in California
California's shortlist runs from Big Sur and Sonoma County to Sierra forest roads and Southern California mountain grades. These are separate driving destinations, not a single road trip; plan travel to each start as well as the saved itinerary itself.
These 10 editorial picks come from the RevRoutes Explore catalog. Each orange line is the exact saved itinerary, and its listed mileage follows that route rather than the full length of a named highway or byway. The list is a starting point for choosing a drive, not a live road-conditions report.
Exact catalog lines. Every orange route below is a real RevRoutes itinerary—not a pin, shortcut or newly calculated alternative.
Big Sur Coast — CA-1 (Carmel to Cambria)
100.8 miles in the California catalog region
- 100.8 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
Big Sur's CA-1 itinerary runs along the coast between the catalog's Carmel and Cambria endpoints. Coastal closures can change through access substantially, so check Caltrans before treating the mapped line as a driveable connection.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Glendora Mountain & Ridge Roads
20.97 miles in the California catalog region
- 20.97 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
Glendora Mountain and Glendora Ridge roads bring narrow, winding San Gabriel Mountain driving to the list. Check Angeles National Forest and county closure notices, and leave room for cyclists and other road users.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Highway 33 — Los Padres (CA-33)
70.06 miles in the California catalog region
- 70.06 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
CA-33 connects Ojai and Maricopa through Los Padres mountain country. This is a substantial change of terrain from the coast; check Caltrans and forest alerts for access, weather and any restrictions.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
The Little Dragon — CA-49
25.85 miles in the California catalog region
- 25.85 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
The Little Dragon is the winding CA-49 foothill itinerary in this selection. Follow the exact catalog section rather than the entire Gold Country highway, and give its tighter curves more time than the mileage suggests.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Skaggs Springs Road
33.06 miles in the California catalog region
- 33.06 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
Skaggs Springs Road adds a Sonoma County back-road setting to the California guide. Its changing curves and rural stretches call for attention to sightlines, other traffic and the selected route's actual endpoints.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Highway 36 (CA-36)
134.45 miles in the California catalog region
- 134.45 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
This CA-36 line runs from Red Bluff through Platina, Mad River, Dinsmore and Bridgeville to US-101 at Alton. It is the full catalog crossing, not the separate CA-3/CA-36 scenic itinerary.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Mosquito Ridge Road
34.67 miles in the California catalog region
- 34.67 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
Mosquito Ridge Road is a Sierra forest-road choice near the American River country. Check forest orders, wildfire impacts and current road access; a saved line does not confirm that every section is open.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Ortega Highway — CA-74
27.48 miles in the California catalog region
- 27.48 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
Ortega Highway takes CA-74 through the Santa Ana Mountains rather than along the coast. It is also a working regional road, so plan for ordinary traffic and use designated places to stop.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Palomar Mountain — South & East Grade
17.93 miles in the California catalog region
- 17.93 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
Palomar Mountain's South and East Grade roads make a focused mountain outing in northern San Diego County. The selected line links the catalog's grade-road sections; check weather and access before climbing.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
Anderson Valley & Navarro River — CA-128
55.12 miles in the California catalog region
- 55.12 mi
- California
Exact saved Explore itinerary. The displayed distance follows this line; the full named road may continue beyond the selected start or finish.
CA-128 connects Anderson Valley with the Navarro River corridor, bringing a quieter northern California setting to the guide. Use the exact saved itinerary to distinguish this drive from the rest of the highway.
Official travel information: California traffic and road closure resources
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Planning your California drive
The shortest saved route in this guide is 17.93 miles; the longest is 134.45 miles. Choose one itinerary first and account for travel to its start and back from its finish. These are separate route picks, not an automatically connected road trip, and some can share road sections.
Check official California traffic and road closure resources before leaving. Park entry, timed reservations, vehicle restrictions and visitor-site permissions can be separate from whether the public highway is open. Follow current local instructions over an old map or article.
How we chose these California roads
This is a focused selection from the curated RevRoutes Explore catalog, ordered editorially for driving character and reputation, not mileage. We do not pad every state to the same number of picks; more roads remain available in the app. It is not an objective ranking or a claim that the editorial team has personally driven every itinerary. Distances describe the exact saved catalog lines and can differ from official byway lengths. The maps are planning aids—not live navigation or road-condition reports.
Check official California traffic and closure resources before traveling. The label-free satellite imagery is supplied by USGS The National Map; map providers receive ordinary browser requests when a map loads.
California route pages
- Big Sur Coast — CA-1 (Carmel to Cambria)California · 100.8 mi
- Glendora Mountain & Ridge RoadsCalifornia · 20.97 mi
- Highway 33 — Los Padres (CA-33)California · 70.06 mi
- The Little Dragon — CA-49California · 25.85 mi
- Skaggs Springs RoadCalifornia · 33.06 mi
- Highway 36 (CA-36)California · 134.45 mi
- Mosquito Ridge RoadCalifornia · 34.67 mi
- Ortega Highway — CA-74California · 27.48 mi
- Palomar Mountain — South & East GradeCalifornia · 17.93 mi
- Anderson Valley & Navarro River — CA-128California · 55.12 mi
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