America’s highways offer more than just connections between destinations – they often become memorable journeys themselves. Scenic byways showcase the country’s diverse landscapes, from coastal cliffs to mountain passes and desert vistas to forest corridors.
These designated routes preserve natural beauty while providing accessible adventure for travelers of all types. Here is a list of 17 of the best scenic byways to drive across the United States, each offering distinctive views and experiences along the way.
Blue Ridge Parkway
Winding 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina, this engineering marvel connects Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Blue Ridge Parkway travels along the Appalachian highlands, offering access to hundreds of miles of hiking trails and overlooks positioned to frame perfect mountain vistas.
Fall transforms this route into a kaleidoscope of crimson, gold, and orange as hardwood forests display their autumn glory against the backdrop of ancient blue mountains.
Going-to-the-Sun Road
Cutting through the heart of Montana’s Glacier National Park, this 50-mile alpine highway crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass at 6,646 feet. Snowfields often remain year-round at higher elevations, creating striking contrasts against summer wildflowers and emerald meadows.
Mountain goats and bighorn sheep frequently appear along rocky outcroppings, seemingly unperturbed by vehicles passing on the narrow road carved into the mountainside.
Pacific Coast Highway
California’s Highway 1 hugs the rugged coastline for nearly 656 miles between San Francisco and San Diego, with Big Sur offering its most dramatic section. Sheer cliffs drop hundreds of feet to the Pacific, where powerful waves shape the shoreline and offshore fog creates ethereal landscapes that shift throughout the day.
Historic lighthouses dot the route, standing sentinel over one of America’s most photographed coastlines where redwood groves meet golden beaches.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Trail Ridge Road
Traversing Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, this highway claims the title of America’s highest continuous paved road, reaching 12,183 feet above sea level. Trail Ridge Road crosses the alpine tundra, an ecosystem so fragile that plants might take a century to recover from a single footstep.
The route provides accessible views of massive glacial valleys and distant peaks from numerous pullouts designed to showcase the park’s most impressive landscapes.
Overseas Highway
Connecting Miami to Key West, this 113-mile route island-hops across the Florida Keys via 42 bridges, including the famous Seven Mile Bridge spanning open water. Turquoise waters stretch to the horizon on both sides of the roadway, with fishing boats and kayakers visible in the crystal-clear shallows.
The highway follows the path of Henry Flagler’s historic railroad, destroyed in the 1935 hurricane and reimagined as one of America’s most unique driving experiences.
Beartooth Highway
Reaching elevations over 10,000 feet between Red Lodge, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park’s northeast entrance, this 68-mile route features switchbacks climbing through multiple climate zones. The Beartooth Highway traverses a landscape sculpted by massive glaciers, creating U-shaped valleys and alpine lakes that appear as sapphires amid granite peaks.
Summer brings vibrant wildflower displays to high plateaus, while snowbanks may remain year-round in sheltered ravines despite warm temperatures at lower elevations.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Natchez Trace Parkway
Following ancient travel corridors used by Native Americans and early settlers, this 444-mile route connects Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi. The Natchez Trace Parkway passes through hardwood forests, farmland, and cypress swamps while maintaining a serene atmosphere with limited commercial development and reduced speed limits.
Historical markers along the route tell stories of Kaintuck boatmen, Choctaw and Chickasaw communities, and the development of the American frontier in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Hana Highway
Navigating 52 miles of Maui’s northern coastline, this legendary road features over 600 curves and 59 bridges, many still single-lane crossings dating from the early 1900s. The Hana Highway passes black sand beaches, bamboo forests, and countless waterfalls cascading from the slopes of Haleakalā volcano to the Pacific Ocean.
Tropical vegetation grows in luxuriant profusion along the roadside, with banyan trees, rainbow eucalyptus, and wild ginger creating a botanical showcase accessible from numerous hiking trails.
Million Dollar Highway
Part of Colorado’s San Juan Skyway, this 25-mile section between Silverton and Ouray traverses three mountain passes through the mineral-rich heart of the San Juan Mountains. The Million Dollar Highway clings to mountainsides without guardrails in many sections, passing abandoned mining structures that hint at the area’s boom-and-bust history.
Multiple waterfalls cascade near the roadway, while hot springs in Ouray offer a therapeutic end to a drive that challenges even experienced mountain motorists.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Skyline Drive
Running 105 miles along the crest of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains through Shenandoah National Park, this scenic route features 75 overlooks providing views of the Shenandoah Valley and Piedmont plateau. Skyline Drive traverses hardwood forests where black bears are frequently spotted, especially in the early morning and evening hours.
The adjacent Appalachian Trail crosses the road numerous times, allowing motorists to easily access segments of America’s most famous long-distance hiking path.
North Shore Scenic Drive
Following Lake Superior’s coastline for 154 miles between Duluth and Grand Portage, Minnesota, this route showcases the world’s largest freshwater lake. The North Shore Scenic Drive passes through small fishing villages, state parks protecting dramatic waterfalls, and forests of pine, birch, and aspen.
Agate beaches invite exploration at frequent waysides, while historic lighthouses stand watch over waters that can transform from mirror-calm to tempestuous within hours.
Olympic Peninsula Loop
Circling Washington’s Olympic Peninsula for 350 miles, this route encompasses multiple ecosystems from temperate rainforest to mountain meadows to wild coastline. The Olympic Peninsula Loop passes through the Hoh Rainforest, where annual precipitation exceeds 12 feet, creating an environment where trees grow from trees and mosses drape every surface.
The road skirts massive glacier-carved Lake Crescent before reaching rugged beaches where sea stacks rise from the Pacific like monuments left by ancient civilizations.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Scenic Byway 12
Traversing 124 miles of southern Utah’s canyon country between Panguitch and Torrey, this route passes through some of America’s most dramatic desert landscapes. Scenic Byway 12 winds through red rock formations of Bryce Canyon National Park before climbing boulder-strewn slopes to the alpine environment of 9,000-foot Powell Point.
The infamous ‘Hogsback’ section follows a narrow ridge with steep dropoffs on both sides, offering unobstructed views of multicolored geological formations extending to distant horizons.
Historic Columbia River Highway
America’s first scenic highway, built between 1913 and 1922, follows the Columbia River Gorge through the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. The Historic Columbia River Highway passes numerous waterfalls, including 620-foot Multnomah Falls, through a landscape where lush vegetation contrasts with basalt cliffs formed by ancient lava flows.
Original sections feature stone guardrails and gracefully curved concrete bridges designed by highway engineer Samuel Lancaster to complement rather than dominate the natural environment.
Acadia Byway
Circling Maine’s Mount Desert Island, this 40-mile route provides access to Acadia National Park’s rugged Atlantic coastline, pristine lakes, and rounded granite mountains. The Acadia Byway includes the park’s 27-mile Park Loop Road, where pullouts showcase iconic views of Otter Cliffs and Jordan Pond with the distinctive rounded summits of the Bubbles reflected in its clear waters.
The route ascends Cadillac Mountain, the first place in the United States to receive morning sunlight for much of the year.
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.
Turquoise Trail
Connecting Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico, this 62-mile alternative to Interstate 25 passes through historic mining towns nestled in the Sandia Mountains. The Turquoise Trail showcases high desert landscapes where piñon pines and junipers dot slopes leading to rocky outcroppings silhouetted against perpetually blue skies.
The revitalized former ghost town of Madrid features colorful adobe buildings housing art galleries and cafes, offering a glimpse into both the area’s mining history and its contemporary artistic renaissance.
Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway
This 84-mile loop in northern New Mexico encircles Wheeler Peak, the state’s highest mountain, while passing through diverse landscapes from sage flats to alpine forests. The Enchanted Circle connects the communities of Taos, Questa, Red River, and Angel Fire, each reflecting different aspects of the region’s Native American, Spanish, and frontier heritage.
Elk and mule deer frequent meadows along the route, particularly in the early morning hours when mountain light creates a magical atmosphere worthy of the byway’s name.
Beyond the Pavement
These remarkable routes remind us that travel itself can become the destination rather than merely the space between points of interest. America’s scenic byways preserve landscapes that might otherwise have been compromised by faster, more direct transportation corridors.
Whether traveled as weekend excursions or incorporated into cross-country adventures, these scenic byways offer accessible immersion in America’s diverse landscapes. Each mile traveled reveals new perspectives on both natural wonders and human history, connecting travelers to the land in ways impossible on faster highways built primarily for efficiency rather than experience.
More from Travel Pug
- Cities Growing so Fast You Won’t Recognize Them in 10 Years
- 13 Destinations Where Tourists Regularly Regret Their Trip
- 16 U.S. Cities That Are Quietly Becoming Travel Hotspots
- Where to Travel If You Love Long Bus Rides and Daydreams
- 20 Cities Perfect for Solo Travelers Who Crave Adventure & Culture
Like Travel Pug’s content? Follow us on MSN.