The call of the open road has beckoned to Americans for almost as long as cars have existed, and the Great American Road Trip has become a cultural icon. Some of the best of them are in this article, from jaunts that can take a few hours or last several days.
Hanaa Highway
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Narrow and winding, this 64-mile road on Maui in Hawaii can take several hours to drive. As it passes through a lush rainforest, the road crosses over 59 bridges and has more than 600 curves.
Pacific Coast Highway
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Olympic National Park in Washington is a good place to start this amazing journey. From there, drive south into Oregon and see its amazing coastline before crossing into California. End the trip in the Big Sur region, which many believe is the most beautiful section of the Pacific coast.
Cascade Volcanoes
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Another worthy trip in California, Oregon, and Washington is one connecting the Cascade volcanoes. The southernmost is Mount Lassen, and the northernmost is Mount Baker. The others are Shasta in California; Hood and Jefferson in Oregon; and St. Helens, Rainier, and Adams in Washington. No single road connects them all, so you get to be creative with your itinerary here.
Death Valley to Yosemite
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Death Valley National Park in California is one of the most surreally beautiful landscapes imaginable, with towering mountains, sand dunes, colorful badlands, and more. The trip west through it deposits you in Lone Pine, a small town at the base of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the Lower 48. Then head north on U.S. 395 to Lee Vining, paralleling the spectacular Pacific Crest the whole way. Finally, drive east to the Tioga Pass entrance of Yosemite. Tioga Pass is only open in the summer, when Death Valley is an oven, so this one can be a little tricky. In other seasons, just end at Lee Vining.
The Loneliest Highway
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The section of U.S. 50 through central Nevada is sometimes called the Loneliest Road in America. It passes through the heart of Nevada’s vast basin and range country. A very worthwhile side trip is a visit to Great Basin National Park near the Utah border.
Southern Utah
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Southern Utah has some of the most incredible scenery in the world, and you can plan a road trip around the 5 national parks there: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. In the summer, you can add the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona as well (it’s closed fall through spring) and include Monument Valley. This trip is known as the Grand Circle.
San Juan Skyway
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This itinerary follows a roughly triangular route linking the Colorado towns of Ridgway, Durango, and Cortez and travels through the San Juan Mountains, one of Colorado’s most rugged and colorful ranges. The best section is from Ouray to Silverton, with detours to alpine wonderlands like Yankee Boy Basin and to old mining ruins. Don’t miss out on a side trip to Mesa Verde National Park between Cortez and Durango.
Trail Ridge Road
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The premier roadway in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, Trail Ridge Road is only open in the summer and early fall, and it’s the only road linking the eastern and western park entrances through the park. Its highlight is a section of several miles above treeline through expanses of alpine tundra and stunning mountain views.
Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone
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From Red Lodge in Montana, U.S. 212 winds and climbs to Beartooth Pass, crosses into Wyoming, and then goes back into Montana to end at Cooke City. You’ll pass through alpine tundra, see several mountain lakes, and great mountain scenery. From Cooke City, continue to the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the gateway to the Lamar Valley, known as the American Serengiti for all the large wildlife there.
The Salmon and the Sawtooths
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The Salmon River Scenic Byway begins at a mountain pass on the Idaho-Montana border and ends in Stanley, Idaho. You’ll have views of the Salmon River, which has great whitewater rafting, and from Stanley, you continue south through the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, where the highlight is the appropriately named Sawtooth Range.
Going-to-the-Sun Road
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Another mountain road only fully open in the summer and early fall, GTTSR, as it’s often called, is the main thoroughfare through Glacier National Park in Montana. Every mile is beautiful, with mountains, lakes, and waterfalls all over, but the section around Logan Pass at treeline on the Continental Divide is truly exceptional and arguably the most spectacular drive in America.
Black Hills and the Badlands
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Western South Dakota is famous for its frontier history and its great scenery. Visit the historic town of Deadwood, home to many a famous historical figure. For outdoor scenery, make sure to visit Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. Just over the state line in Wyoming is Devils Tower National Monument. And then head out to the Badlands for even more amazing scenery. If you don’t mind tourist traps, you might enjoy a stop at Wall Drug just outside the park.
Historic Route 66
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This iconic route between Chicago and Santa Monica worked its way into Americans’ imaginations and will forever hold a place route. The contiguous route is no longer intact, but you can still follow its course and in many cases drive along original sections of the road. Route 66 is also known for its many quirky tourist stops.
Shenandoah to the Smokies
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For nearly 600 miles, Skyline Drive in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina run through some of the best mountain scenery in the East, ending at the Cherokee entrance of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There’s not a single stoplight between Front Royal in Virginia and Gatlinburg on the Tennessee side of the Smokies.
Kancamagus Highway
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This route goes through the heart of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the highest mountains in New England, and where several peaks break above treeline and sport alpine tundra. The drive is best in fall for the colorful leaves, but you can enjoy it any time of the year. Consider pairing it with a visit to Franconia Notch State Park, which has great hiking and scenery.
The 30 Most Beautiful Places in the World That Everyone Must See
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There’s no way you could ever come up with a definitive list of the world’s most beautiful places. However, if you ask around, some places come up a lot more frequently than others do.
The following are some of the places that people mention over and over again, not in any particular order.
30 Breathtaking Places You Must See Before You Die
The Two Best Scenic Wonders in Each of the Mountain States
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The Mountain States– Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico– have some of the wildest and most rugged landscapes in the United States. Because they’re so big, it can take a lot of time to visit them, so it helps to be able to plan for some specific destinations.
Following are our choices for the top two must-see outdoor locations in each of these seven states.
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