FM170

FM-170 is a 120-mile scenic highway starting in Terlingua, near Big Bend National Park, and passing north along the Rio Grande through some of the remotest lands in the United States. Nobody gets on FM-170 by mistake. It is arguably the most scenic highway in the state of Texas, rivaling those near the Guadalupe Mountains or even those in Big Bend National Park. The road starts in the Terlingua-Study Butte area, branching off of Texas highway TX-118. The first few miles is basically a scrabble of hotels, businesses and homes, all serving the tourists who come to the Big Bend. As you travel on the FM170 you pass Terlingua and the entrance to the ghost town, Lajitas, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Presidio, Ruidosa and finally giving up the ghost in the community of Candelaria, surely one of the more remote towns in the entire United States.

There's a town in Mexico just over the border; it seems it's okay for Americans to walk over the footbridge, but it's technically illegal to come back that way as it's not an official border checkpoint.

This is a very rare instance of a highway "dead-ending". Very few places in the United States do this. But does it really end? Yes, the paved FM-170 ends, but a continuation road called Chispa Road goes on from here. Where does it go ? It seems, it eventually worms its way north and east a bit to come out on some FM roads southwest of Van Horn, about 70 miles in all.

We rode the FM170 to Presidio one day and then back from Ruidosa when we went to the Hot Springs.

It is motorcycle Mecca as it is very winding, it has ups and downs of various sizes and quite dangerous blind corners. Graeme's comment was that it was the closest he has ridden that has similarity with Isle of Man.

One of the coolest places on this road is a hill from where you can see the Rio Grande from up on high and is a great photo op place.

We stopped and took a ton of photos ...

 

Posted with Blogsy