Blog 3838- 05.26.2026

“The W”

The term “the W” means different things to different people, but for folks who grew up in or around Chattanooga, especially those atop Signal Mountain, the W is a cautionary tale about the dangers of driving too fast on a particular switch back road. I fondly recall the first time I drove “the W”  a steep and narrow winding mountain road where it almost seems that you might meet yourself around those incredibly sharp turns.

In 1966 “the W” had  no yellow signs with bending black arrows to warn you to slow your speed in order to stay in the road. If you succeeded in negotiated the first turn with two or more wheels on the road you forever knew to slow down to a crawl the rest of the way. The thought of meeting an oncoming vehicle in one of those curves was quite sobering and only a fool indeed would ever attempt it inebriated.

As exciting as going up the mountain on “the W” was, coming down was even more so. Drivers young and old in the area consider “the W” a right of passage. I suppose every locale has some section of road that is especially challenging. For Chattanooga folks “the W” has been and still is that.

It has been almost sixty years since I first tackled “the W” in my first car, a two-door 1957 black Ford Custom with a six cylinder engine and a three speed on the column. Using a clutch on a steep winding mountain road is especially challenging, up and down. Driving “the W” gave me confidence that I could drive anywhere and everywhere and so I have and aim continue to at least till they take my keys away.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White