How to find the twistiest roads near you (without driving the same three)

Most people drive the same three good roads until they stop noticing them. There are almost always better ones within an hour, but they are not the roads a standard map app shows you. Here is how to find them.

1. Read the shape of the map

A twisty road looks like a piece of string dropped on a table. Zoom out until you can see the whole area and look for roads that wander through hills, follow a river or hug a coast. Straight, grid-like roads are fast. Roads that bend constantly are the ones you want.

Two clues help. Contour lines packed close together mean steep ground, and steep ground means bends. A road with a river beside it will follow every curve of the valley.

2. Use a layer that shows curvy roads

Reading the map by eye works, but it is slow and you will miss things. In MotoRidez you can turn on the Curvy roads layer from the map layers menu, which highlights roads that are twisty so you can see the good ones at a glance, at any zoom.

3. Let the planner pick

If you just want a good drive, give the planner two points and choose the twisty option instead of the fast one. It will look for roads that bend, rather than the quickest way. Or use Surprise Me and let it build a loop from where you are.

4. Check the twistiness before you go

Once you have a route, look at its twistiness rating and the chart of where the bends fall along it. A road that is twisty for two kilometres and straight for thirty is not the same as one that keeps going. The chart tells you which you have.

What to check before you commit

• Length. Twisty roads that are only a few kilometres long are fun once and forgettable. Aim for fifteen kilometres or more.
• Surface. Sealed or unsealed? Many of the best-feeling roads are narrow, and some turn to gravel without warning. See how to plan a route with gravel.
• Traffic and towns. A road through a town every few kilometres is slow however curvy it is.
• Season and closures. Mountain roads close for snow, rockfall and roadworks. Check before you go.

Keep finding new ones

The trap is that the best road near you stays the best road, so you keep taking it. Once you have driven it, route around the roads you have already done and let the planner find the next best one.