Best State for Mountains?

[🦊 Hermit]

So I'm a huge fan of mountains, particularly the Rockies. I got ATS a long time ago, but decided to hold off playing it until the more mountainous northerly states were added. Now that this has happened, I have picked up the map expansion DLCs and am soon going to jump in.

However I'd like to ask - which of the northern regions is the absolute best for mountain roads and grand, glorious scenery? Which one feels the most wild, with the least built-up areas and the best views?

I'd like to set up my HQ somewhere were every early job is surrounded by peaks if possible...from the DLC descriptions and preview vids on the Steam store it looks to me like Montana might be my best bet, but would anyone else be able to offer their thoughts too? Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks^^

[Zeikro]

I think colorado

[Zilljah]

Colorado or Montana

[🦊 Hermit]

I did see Colorado and know it's good for mountains too. And certainly the vid on the store page shows some cool canyons and landforms. But from those same vids I can't help feeling that Colorado has a slightly dryer, more desert-y landscape than the north. And while that does have a certain charm too, I'm not sure it'd be quite as spectacular a view as the more green, temperate climbs closer to Canada.

This is just from what I have seen in vids though...am I mistaken in that assessment?

[Dark & Realistic™ Nessie]

If you wanna feel the weather of the mountains, I personally think Montana is better in this aspect. But if you just wanna have the feeling that you're actually driving thru different heights, Colorado is better on it.

[tdjpack]

Any of the north western states. Rockies/great divide runs north/south

[MirkoC407]

Originally posted by tdjpack:

Any of the north western states. Rockies/great divide runs north/south

Just that you don's notice it on the I-80. Crossing the divide on that route looks rather boring. No long tunnel, a somewhat noticeable incline on the West side but you started driving up a tilted table with green cloth after crossing the Mississippi and now simply have some hills around you and are over it. To avoid holes in the map one should end up with all of them but coming from the base map, Utah/Coorado or Idaho/Montana make for sure the better pairs on crossing the divide than Utah/Wyoming

[🦊 Hermit]

Ty for the feedback everyone^^ Yeah that 'not noticing it' element is what I'd like to try to avoid - SCS is very good with their scenery simulation, but in some areas of their game maps they can occasionally just get a little lax and end up with their surroundings being slightly generic or forgettable. If possible I'd like to be based around, and drive more frequently, the sections which really stand out, so I see them more often. Then the other areas I can explore as a matter of course as I expand.

[Sandhill]

Originally posted by MirkoC407:

Just that you don's notice it on the I-80. Crossing the divide on that route looks rather boring. No long tunnel, a somewhat noticeable incline on the West side but you started driving up a tilted table with green cloth after crossing the Mississippi and now simply have some hills around you and are over it.

That is what crossing the divide on 80 is like IRL, done it quite a few time, there are really no major hills. That's why the route was chosen even as far back as the transcontinental railroad.
There are fun mountains in the SCS map in AZ, even CA, certainly UT, CO WY... no states are just pure mountainous but many have their stretches

[MirkoC407]

Originally posted by Sandhill:

That is what crossing the divide on 80 is like IRL, done it quite a few time, there are really no major hills.

I did not blame anyone for it being like that. And even if York (PA) was closest I ever got to the continental divide real life - which is closer than many Europeans have ever been - I graduated High School in Geography as one of the 4 exams and therefore can read a topographical map quite well to know that it is not laziness of SCS as suggested in that other post.

[Sandhill]

Originally posted by MirkoC407:

it is not laziness of SCS as suggested in that other post.

Yes although it might not have seemed so, I was agreeing with you

[RynoHawk]

I like Colorado. US 550 (Million Dollar Highway) is a nice, winding drive through the mountains and forests. You also have US 160 (Wolf Creek Pass) which is an alternative to driving Interstate 70 across the Divide (although much further South) if you want something other than large highways.

[Hater_cz]

The most mountainous DLC is Colorado. There are nice places here. Then Wyoming has nice mountains near the Montana border. Montana also offers some mountain roads in the west.

[🦊 Hermit]

Thanks again for all the feedback everyone^^ Definitely looking like either Colorado or Montana then, from what people are saying.

[SkooKum]

i based myself outta idaho since i couldnt base outta wisconsin and i immediately realized i goofed cause of how mountainous it is out there, idaho falls aint bad, arizona,utah and colorado gotta be one major nightmare cause i haul heavy equipment from the ports of washington to the corners of the map we got atm, 35hr drives. and i avoid those states if i can lol. so if you aint hauling oversized loads id go colorado or arizona. i got stuck on a few mountains in arizona and had to re-do my routes lol