I Drove Over 2,000 Miles Around Texas And Accidentally Found Some Of The Coolest Roads I’ve Driven In America

Last month, I embarked on one of my longest single road trips when I drove the Autopian‘s Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet 4,050 miles across America. About half of that mileage happened all in Texas, where I found myself hitting up some of the state’s most popular and most obscure spots. But what surprised me most was that, almost out of nowhere, I found myself driving on some of the best roads I’ve driven in America. Here’s how you can find them, too.

Saying that Texas is a big state would be a gross understatement. Texas is so huge that you could drive across America from the bottom of the state, and a good half of your drive would just be Texas. The state is so massive that it could easily take more than one day of driving just to leave the state.

Much of the state’s roads are mind-numbingly boring, even at 80 mph. I’m no stranger to driving in Texas, and most of the time, I feel like the state’s roads have about as much thrill as the average road in Illinois. The roads are just long, straight, and flat forever. A lot of the time, there isn’t even much to gander at aside from small towns in the middle of nowhere or oil wells.

That changed last month when I descended into the state for the Lone Star/No Start Lemons Rally, a crazy weekend-long, nearly statewide scavenger hunt with cars. Not only was this trip the longest time I’ve ever spent in Texas at once, but it was also the most driving I’ve probably done in a single state outside of Illinois. Apparently, I drove 2,070 miles in Texas over the course of five and a half days.

The Texas Drive Started Flat…

Griffin and I entered the top of Texas on Wednesday night through a little town called Farwell. We then continued southeast, eventually reaching our overnight halt in Lubbock. You might remember my story about the weird, sort of run-down hotel that Griffin and I stayed in that night. I still think fondly of that hotel.

Anyway, the next morning, we beat it from Lubbock to San Marcos. Most of this drive was nothing to write home about. It felt like driving in the Midwest, only there were ranches on both sides of the road rather than endless cornfields. It was just northwest of San Marcos that things suddenly got awesome.

…Then Suddenly Got Twisty

Apparently, we entered an area known as the Texas Hill Country. Here’s what Texas Parks & Wildlife says about the region:

The Texas Hill Country is located in Central Texas. The land is rolling to hilly grassland. It sits on the Edwards Plateau. A plateau is high, flat land. Over many millions of years, this plateau has been eroded into a hilly terrain. There are many springs and some steep canyons in this area.

There are also hidden, underground lakes in the Edwards Aquifer. An aquifer is an underground layer of rock or sand that captures and holds water. The underlying limestone rock of the Edwards Aquifer has many holes and caves with water running through it. Water comes to the surface as springs through cracks in the limestone. This aquifer provides drinking water for 1.5 million people, as well as for farming and wildlife habitat. People who like to explore caves enjoy the caves of the Hill Country. Central Texas was once a land of many springs. Human use and development has stopped the flow of many springs. One spring that still flows is at the bottom of a lake! The San Marcos Springs are found at Texas State University’s Aquarena Springs. People ride glass-bottom boats to see them. It is a favorite spot for divers who come to see water bubbling out of the ground!

In the central part of this region, there are large granite domes or uplifted areas. The most famous one is Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg. This was considered a sacred (holy) place for the Native Americans that lived here long ago. This central area not only has unique rock formations, such as Enchanted Rock, but it also has unique minerals.

All of that is awesome, and I highly recommend exploring it. But what blew my mind was the roads. All of these springs, rocks, habitats, and forests have led to a road system with a whole lot of bends, dips, hops, and cambered turns.

This wasn’t something where you could just set your cruise control and forget it. No, just maintaining the speed limit on these roads required both hands on the wheel, real focus, and no automation. We got deep into Hill Country in the evening, so our cameras didn’t catch anything worthwhile. But we did notice that the curves were so sharp, numerous, and often blind that locals would drive 20 mph under the limit, maybe for fear of disappearing off pavement and into the night.

But little did I know that Hill Country was really only the appetizer.

The next day, we started the first round of the Lemons Rally. The checkpoints had us driving back through Hill Country to the Old Tunnel State Park in Fredericksburg. Apparently, this park does have a railroad tunnel in it, but the Lemons checkpoint was right at the top.

Great Views, Better Barbecue

Still, the view was incredible. If you had told me that this shot was taken in Texas, I probably wouldn’t have believed you:

Our day was full of checkpoints, and one of them had us driving through Leakey, Texas. On the way to Leakey, we drove down Ranch Road 336. When combined with Ranch Road 335 and Ranch Road 337, these roads make up what is known as the Texas Twisted Sisters. Apparently, this road is iconic among motorcyclists, but honestly, it’s awesome in a jacked-up drop-top crossover, too!

If you run all of the roads, you will drive a loop that’s roughly 105 miles long. We did not do the whole loop, but what we did drive was shockingly awesome. Admittedly, I was too busy driving to get shots.

What was amazing was that it wasn’t total balls-to-the-wall driving, either. Sometimes, the road opened up to cute little small towns before returning to the twisties.

It was in one of these areas where we found a hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint on the side of the road in Leakey. Actually, calling the Hog Pen a hole-in-the-wall doesn’t do it justice. The restaurant is basically three metal walls on a plot of land. That’s right, it’s not even enclosed, and it’s barely even protected from the weather. The bathroom is a glorified outhouse on the property. It’s even run by your stereotypical “ma and pop,” two sweet older folks just cookin’ up some good eats.

If the aesthetic wasn’t cool enough, the food was better. The Hog Pen had what was legitimately the best barbecue I’ve ever eaten. The food was so good that I bought the restaurant’s merch, and I never buy restaurant merch! I’m told things get pretty wild in the summer, too, as the restaurant’s name is not just a reference to good pork, but the fact that it’s a hangout for huge motorcycle groups.

Some Of The Most Incredible Roads

After getting a good fill of BBQ, we set out for more of the Lemons Rally scavenger hunt.

Immediately leaving Leakey found us hitting some more epic roads, and this time I made sure to stage my phone camera. According to the GPS data attached to these photos, they were on Ranch Road 337.

These were stunning from multiple angles. The turns were sweeping, there were cliffs on the edge of the road, and we were high enough up to get a picturesque view of the hilly, green area. I remarked to Griffin that, to me, this felt like the Texas version of the iconic Angeles Crest out in California.

I spent much of the time just amazed, thinking, “Just how is this Texas?” I’ve driven in Texas several times over the years, and I hadn’t ever seen anything like this. Everything, from the steep climbs and long downgrades to forests and mist, felt more like what I’ve experienced out east or maybe in the Pacific Northwest. I just assumed — perhaps foolishly — that Texas was nothing but ranches, cowboys, and flatlands.

Being in this business has given me the privilege of trying out some of America’s best highways, from the Pacific Coast Highway to even a brief stint down the Blue Ridge Parkway. I think the Texas Twisted Sisters rank pretty high, and the wild part is that they’re comparatively pretty obscure. Basically, every car person has at least heard of roads like the Tail of the Dragon and the PCH. How many have heard of these roads in Texas?

Weirdly, something else that I liked about the Twisted Sisters was that Texas held no punches about safety.

Before and after extremely twisty sections are signs that state how many motorcyclists have died on the road since a certain point in time. Sure, the numbers aren’t that high. But remember, this isn’t like the PCH or Angeles Crest, where there are enough cars and motorcycles to create small traffic jams. We barely saw anyone else on the Twisted Sisters despite it being a weekend. So, the signs are grim, but I think they’re necessary. They’re a reminder to stop yourself from doing something you cannot recover from.

Here’s more information about the Twisted Sisters from motorcycle peer-to-peer rental site Riders Share:

Ranch Road 337

Ranch Road 337 takes you southwest from Leakey for about 21 miles toward Camp Wood. The corners here have better sight lines than what’s coming later, so you can see your exits and build confidence with the road surface before things get more demanding. The elevation changes enough to keep it interesting but the grades are manageable, and there’s usually decent pavement throughout this stretch.

Ranch Road 335

Ranch Road 335 runs about 29 miles and this is the section that’ll test your skills. The turns come at you faster with less space between them, and plenty of corners tighten up mid-turn instead of opening like you’d expect. The road gets narrow with drop-offs on the sides in sections, so there’s nowhere to go if you get in too hot. You’ll spend more time in second and third gear here than anywhere else on the loop.

Ranch Road 336

Ranch Road 336 covers about 14 miles before you hit US-83 back to Leakey. The turns space out more compared to 335 and the road widens back up, plus the pavement condition tends to be better through this section. You’ll ride through some canyon scenery along here with the elevation dropping down and climbing back up as you head north. NOTE: A lot of riders like to continue on Ranch Road 337 until they reach Medina, TX. We definitely recommend this if you don’t want the ride to end, but keep in mind you’ll be adding an extra 37 miles to your trip.

Here’s a neat video from a motorcycle perspective:

Apparently, the Texas Twisted Sisters aren’t even the only great drives out there. If you ask some enthusiasts, other high marks include the Davis Mountains scenic drive, the Ross Maxwell scenic drive, Farm to Market Road 170, and some other places that I didn’t get the chance to drive.

Texas Is Beautiful

I left my drive of the Texas Twisted Sisters, eager to find more driving roads. The rest of our trip didn’t really have thrilling drives. Instead, it was about learning some great Texas and national history. We also got to go to places most people drive by without a single thought, and read historical markers that nobody ever pays attention to. We also found ourselves driving along the coast, parking in front of an aircraft carrier, and seeing people drive their cars on a beach

I even loved witnessing the heartbeat of Laredo, where I saw beautiful murals, kind cats, and a unique nightlife.

I think the biggest lesson I learned after this drive was to give places like Texas a chance. Without getting too many details, there are some huge, depressing, legal, and expensive reasons why someone like me should never set foot in Texas, let alone drive 2,070 miles in it. This road trip didn’t change that. But what it did change was my outlook. The lands, the roads, and so many of the people I met in Texas were wonderful, thrilling, and heartwarming.

It was also a great reminder to leave the interstate and go exploring. Texas is famous for its frontage roads and endless highway-side shopping. If you never leave the interstate, you may think that Texas is nothing but endless commerce. But take a detour and ignore the GPS, and I think you’ll be amazed. I’m willing to bet most states are like this, even punching bags like Nebraska. Turn off that GPS, turn off the highway, and see where the roads leave you.

But if you’re ever in Texas for long enough, be sure not to miss Hill Country and at least try out the Twisted Sisters. Just take it easy. Don’t be the person to add a fatality to the grim signs on these routes. Trust me, you’ll have a blast even at a safe speed!