side road
Off the highway
A side road is a smaller road branching off from a main route, typically less traveled and narrower.
Side roads lead to rural properties, neighborhoods, or scenic detours away from highways: We turned onto a side road to avoid traffic.
The term suggests secondary status—not the direct path, but an alternative.
- backroadMinor rural thoroughfare
- turnoffExit from main road
- alleywayNarrow urban passage
- bywayMinor secondary route
- laneDesignated travel strip
shortcut · route · detour · offshoot · feeder · deviation · tangent · bypass · cul-de-sac · narrow · junction · fork · meander · gravel · beaten path · shoulder · quiet · dirt
- off the beaten pathhidden gem, hidden gems, secret spot, backwater, remote villages
- roadshighway, highways, freeway, roads, freeways
- Redirectionsdetour, bypass, diversion, reroute, deflection
- side streetsalley, alleys, back alley, backstreet, byway
- alternate routesbypass, detour, alternate route, reroute, diversion
- backupsbackup copy, backup file, backup drive, backup system, backup generator