The best motorcycle roads in Idaho
The twistiest paved roads in Idaho, from East Hayden Lake Road in Kootenai County on down. Distances, how twisty each one is and how to string them into a ride.
Idaho has a lot of tarmac. We sorted through 41 named paved roads to find the ones worth leaning into.
The headliners
East Hayden Lake Road
In Kootenai County. 19 miles, about 40 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
North Bogus Basin Road
In Boise County. 9.3 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
North Rocky Bar Road
In Elmore County. 8.5 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
Hatter Creek Road
In Latah County. 9.4 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
Idaho Highway 456
In Shoshone County. 7 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●○ Very twisty
When you want to settle in
Not every ride is about hairpins. These are longer paved roads that keep twisting the whole way, good for a long cruise where you can find a rhythm.
- Pierce-Supirior Road, in Clearwater County: 18 miles
- Grangeville-Salmon Road, in Idaho County: 18 miles
- Warm Lake Road, in Valley County: 17 miles
How we picked them
We looked at the shape of every named paved road in Idaho and measured how much each one bends along its length. Then we ranked them by bends per distance, so a short hairpin road and a long mountain highway are compared fairly. Gravel, tracks, residential streets and anything under about 6 miles are left out.
What this does not tell you: how nice the scenery is, how good the surface is, how busy the road gets, or whether it is closed for snow. Check before you go, especially in the mountains and in winter. Then ride it and see for yourself.
Turn it into a ride
Open the MotoRidez planner and link a few of these into a loop, or hit Surprise Me and let it pick a twisty route from wherever you are. Every ride you record is remembered, so next time it can send you down roads you have not tried yet.
Questions riders ask
What is the twistiest motorcycle road in Idaho?
East Hayden Lake Road in Kootenai County. It is 19 miles long and bends more for its length than any other named paved road of that size in Idaho.
How do you work out which Idaho roads are twisty?
We measure how much each road bends along its length from its shape on the map, then rank roads by bends per distance. Gravel, tracks and residential streets are left out.
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