We’ve all been there. You’re carving your way through a winding state highway, feeling the rhythm of the road, the hum of the engine, and the wind against your visor. You round a sweeping bend and suddenly, the trees clear to reveal an absolute masterpiece of a view. A sprawling valley, a dramatic mountain peak, or a sunset reflecting off a pristine lake.
Your photographer’s eye twitches. This is it, you think. The perfect shot.
You gently roll off the throttle, scan the edge of the road, looking for that familiar widening of the shoulder. You look... and you look. Nothing. Just a steep drop-off, a guardrail, or a narrow sliver of dirt. Traffic is on your tail, so you have no choice but to twist the throttle and keep rolling, watching that perfect, breathtaking moment disappear in your rearview mirrors.
It’s one of the most frustrating experiences of a road trip. As riders, drivers, and travelers, we are practically begging to appreciate the beauty of our nation's state highways, but the infrastructure simply won't let us.
The Missing Infrastructure of Appreciation
Our state highway systems are the veins of the American landscape, taking us through places the interstates bypass entirely. Yet, they suffer from a chronic lack of scenic pullouts. We are actively encouraged to take the "scenic route," but we aren't given the space to actually stop and take in the scenery.
Sure, major national parks have this figured out with paved, well-marked overlooks. But what about the hundreds of thousands of miles of state routes? The lack of safe places to pull off doesn't just rob us of a great Instagram post or a cherished memory—it can be a genuine safety hazard. When drivers spot a great view without a designated pullout, they often hit the brakes erratically, creep along at dangerously low speeds, or pull halfway onto a soft shoulder, creating a dangerous bottleneck for everyone else.
The Gravel Trap: A Motorcyclist’s Nightmare
Then there are the moments when the highway gods seemingly smile upon you, and a pullout actually appears. You hit your turn signal, start to decelerate, and then your heart sinks.
It’s gravel.
For someone in an SUV, a gravel pullout is a non-issue—just a little crunch under the tires. But if you ride a motorcycle, you know that a sudden transition from smooth, high-speed asphalt to deep, loose gravel is the stuff of nightmares.
Gravel is the enemy of two wheels. Pulling a heavy touring bike or a loaded adventure motorcycle onto an unmaintained, rutted, gravel patch is an exercise in extreme anxiety. You’re fighting the front wheel from washing out, desperately hoping your heavy boots will find solid purchase when you finally come to a stop, and praying your kickstand doesn't just sink into the dirt and drop your beloved machine.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve opted to just keep riding rather than risk dropping my bike in a sketchy gravel pit just to take a picture. We shouldn't have to choose between our safety and a beautiful photograph.
The Fix is Simple: Pave the Way
The solution doesn't require massive engineering marvels. We just need a little more asphalt. State highway departments should recognize the value of safe, paved scenic pullouts.
Providing a solid, paved apron doesn't just cater to us two-wheeled travelers. It provides a safe haven for RVs, people pulling trailers, and families needing a quick break without kicking up dust and risking a slide. Furthermore, in an age where travel is driven by visual media, giving travelers a safe place to stop and photograph a state's natural beauty is essentially free tourism marketing.
Until that day comes, I'll keep riding, keep scanning the horizon, and keep mourning the shots that got away. But to the highway planners and state departments of transportation out there: the next time you're laying down fresh blacktop on a beautiful country road, do us a favor. Widen that shoulder, pave that turnout, and let us safely stop to appreciate the beautiful states we're riding through.
Keep the rubber side down, and enjoy the view—whenever you can actually stop for it.
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