{
  "name": "The Desert Road",
  "slug": "desert-road-sh1",
  "url": "https://www.bestdrivingroads.com/roads/desert-road-sh1/",
  "summary": "State Highway 1 across the Rangipo Desert, about 62 km of tussock, scrub and sand beneath Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro, cresting at 1,074 m, the highest pass on New Zealand's state highway network.",
  "roadNumbers": [
    "SH 1"
  ],
  "location": {
    "country": "New Zealand",
    "region": "Manawatū-Whanganui / Waikato",
    "start": {
      "name": "Waiouru",
      "lat": -39.477278,
      "lon": 175.668371
    },
    "end": {
      "name": "Tūrangi",
      "lat": -38.996198,
      "lon": 175.80506
    }
  },
  "measurements": {
    "lengthMiles": 38.2,
    "lengthKm": 61.5,
    "driveMinutes": 70,
    "corners": 30,
    "hairpins": 0,
    "maxGradientPercent": 6,
    "summitMetres": 1078.9,
    "elevationConfidence": "measured",
    "difficulty": "easy",
    "tightnessOutOf10": 3
  },
  "timing": {
    "bestSeasons": [
      "spring",
      "summer",
      "autumn",
      "winter"
    ]
  },
  "conditions": {},
  "hazards": [
    "Closed by snow and ice for short periods most winters",
    "Strong, cold winds on the open plateau",
    "Weather changes quickly",
    "No fuel or public toilets between Waiouru and Tūrangi"
  ],
  "scenery": [
    "desert",
    "mountain"
  ],
  "pointsOfInterest": [
    "National Army Museum",
    "Desert Road summit",
    "Mount Ngauruhoe"
  ],
  "geometry": {
    "pointCount": 222
  },
  "attribution": {
    "source": "bestdrivingroads.com",
    "citation": "Cite with a link to the road page. Stats are measured from the mapped line; where elevationConfidence is \"approximate\" the 30 m DEM cannot resolve that line and the elevation figures are indicative.",
    "roadGeometry": "(c) OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL",
    "terms": "Facts are free to cite with attribution; bulk reproduction of the catalogue requires permission (simon@keane.studio)."
  },
  "updated": "2026-10-11"
}