When most people think of scenic parkway drives, the Blue Ridge Parkway or Natchez Trace immediately come to mind. These famous routes get all the attention in travel guides and social media posts, but America’s park system holds dozens of equally stunning drives that somehow stay under the radar. These hidden gems wind through some of the country’s most breathtaking landscapes, offering the same jaw-dropping views and peaceful driving experiences without the crowded overlooks.
From coastal routes that hug dramatic shorelines to mountain passes that climb through ancient forests, these lesser-known parkways deliver the kind of driving experiences that make you pull over just to soak it all in. Here is a list of 20 remarkable parkway drives that deserve a spot on every road trip enthusiast’s bucket list.
George Washington Memorial Parkway, Virginia
This 25-mile ribbon of asphalt follows the Potomac River from Mount Vernon to the Great Falls, connecting some of Virginia’s most significant historical sites. The parkway feels more like a nature preserve than a road, with tree-lined stretches that completely hide the urban sprawl of Washington, D.C., just miles away.
You’ll pass by Arlington Cemetery, the Kennedy Center, and Theodore Roosevelt Island, making it a perfect blend of American history and natural beauty.
John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, Wyoming
Stretching just 8 miles between Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, this parkway packs more scenic punch per mile than almost any other road in America. The drive takes you through pristine wilderness where elk and bison regularly cross the road, treating your commute like their personal highway.
Most visitors are so focused on reaching the famous parks that they barely notice this connecting stretch is actually a destination in itself.
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Foothills Parkway, Tennessee
Only partially completed after decades of construction, the finished sections of this parkway offer some of the most spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains without the traffic jams of the main park roads. The western section near Townsend provides sweeping vistas that stretch for miles across misty mountain ridges.
What makes this drive special is how it sits just above the tree line, giving you that perfect elevated perspective that makes the Smokies look like a green ocean frozen in time.
Clara Barton Parkway, Maryland
This 6.8-mile parkway follows the C&O Canal and Potomac River, offering a surprisingly peaceful escape just outside Washington, D.C. The road winds through dense forest that makes you forget you’re minutes from one of the busiest metropolitan areas in the country.
Spring brings incredible wildflower displays along the roadside, while fall turns the entire corridor into a tunnel of gold and crimson.
Baltimore-Washington Parkway, Maryland
While technically a commuter route, the BW Parkway’s 29-mile stretch includes some genuinely beautiful sections that feel more like a nature drive than a highway. The middle portion passes through thick forests and crosses several scenic creeks that create natural breaks in the urban landscape.
Early morning drives here often reward you with deer sightings and mist rising from the wetlands that border the road.
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Cataract Falls Scenic Drive, Indiana
This 5-mile loop through Lieber State Recreation Area showcases Indiana’s surprising topographical diversity, winding past limestone cliffs and through covered bridges. The drive culminates at the state’s largest waterfall, where Mill Creek drops 86 feet in a series of cascades that feel almost tropical.
Most people speed through Indiana without realizing that it offers drives like this, rivaling anything in more mountainous states.
Haleakala Crater Road, Hawaii
The 38-mile drive to the summit of Haleakala takes you from sea level to over 10,000 feet, passing through multiple climate zones that feel like driving through different planets. You’ll start in tropical grasslands and end up in an otherworldly landscape of volcanic rock and rare silversword plants.
The road itself is an engineering marvel, with switchbacks so perfectly designed that the steep grade never feels dangerous or uncomfortable.
Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana
While Glacier National Park’s main attraction gets plenty of press, most visitors only drive the central portion and miss the equally stunning approach roads that are technically part of the same system. The western approach through dense cedar forests creates a cathedral-like atmosphere that builds anticipation for the alpine drama ahead.
These lower elevation sections offer their rewards, including some of the park’s best wildlife viewing opportunities.
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Rim Trail Drive, Utah
This lesser-known route in Capitol Reef National Park follows an ancient geological formation called the Waterpocket Fold, offering constantly changing views of red rock formations. The 8-mile drive feels like traveling through a geology textbook, with each turn revealing new layers of sedimentary rock that tell millions of years of Earth’s history.
Unlike the crowded viewpoints at more famous Utah parks, you’ll often have these incredible vistas completely to yourself.
Chain of Rocks Road, Illinois
Running along the Mississippi River just north of St. Louis, this historic route offers surprising views of the mighty river and its surrounding wetlands. The road passes by the famous Chain of Rocks Bridge, where Route 66 once crossed the Mississippi with a distinctive 22-degree bend.
The drive combines industrial archaeology with natural beauty, creating a uniquely American landscape that photographers love but most tourists never discover.
Cascade Range Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, California
This 500-mile route connects five national parks and passes by more volcanoes than any other drive in America, yet somehow stays off most people’s radar. The California portion winds through Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lava Beds National Monument, showcasing landscapes that look like they belong on Mars.
You’ll drive past steaming fumaroles, crystal-clear crater lakes, and lava tube caves that you can actually explore.
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Russell Cave Road, Alabama
The approach to Russell Cave National Monument takes you through some of Alabama’s most beautiful countryside, following ancient Native American trails through limestone valleys. This 3-mile drive feels like stepping back in time, with old-growth forests and clear springs that have looked the same for thousands of years.
The road ends at a cave system where archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation spanning 10,000 years.
Devils Tower Road, Wyoming
The 3-mile approach to America’s first national monument builds suspense like a perfectly crafted movie, with the iconic tower appearing and disappearing through the trees before the final dramatic reveal. The drive takes you through a classic Great Plains landscape that suddenly gives way to the otherworldly volcanic neck rising 867 feet from the prairie.
Most visitors focus entirely on the tower itself and miss how the approach road transforms the entire experience into something magical.
Crater Rim Drive, Hawaii
This 11-mile loop around Kilauea’s active crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park offers front-row seats to one of Earth’s most active geological processes. The drive takes you past steaming vents, ancient lava flows, and the massive Halemaumau crater where the Hawaiian goddess, Pele, is said to reside.
What makes this route special is how it combines active volcanism with lush rainforest, creating contrasts you won’t find anywhere else on the planet.
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Kancamagus Highway, New Hampshire
This 34-mile route through the White Mountain National Forest connects Conway and Lincoln via one of New England’s most spectacular mountain passes. The road follows the Swift River through a valley that showcases four distinct forest ecosystems, from hardwood forests to alpine tundra.
The fall foliage season transforms this drive into something that belongs on a postcard, but even summer and winter offer their unique beauty.
Olympic Peninsula Loop, Washington
While not technically a single parkway, this 300-mile loop around Olympic National Park strings together some of America’s most diverse landscapes in one continuous drive. You’ll travel from temperate rainforests with 300-foot-tall trees to rugged Pacific coastlines where sea stacks rise from crashing waves.
The route includes the famous Hurricane Ridge Road, but the real magic happens in the transitions between ecosystems that occur every few miles.
Mohawk Trail, Massachusetts
This historic route follows an ancient Native American path through the Berkshire Mountains, offering classic New England scenery that changes dramatically with the seasons. The 63-mile drive includes the famous Hairpin Turn and Bridge of Flowers, but the real beauty lies in the small details—stone walls emerging from forest floors and colonial-era bridges crossing babbling brooks.
Fall brings some of the most reliable foliage displays in the Northeast, while spring offers mountain laurel blooms that carpet the forest floor.
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Great River Road, Minnesota
The Minnesota section of this national scenic byway follows the Mississippi River through landscapes that inspired countless American artists and writers. The drive takes you past towering river bluffs, historic river towns, and wetlands that serve as critical habitat for millions of migrating birds.
What sets this route apart is how it captures the Mississippi at its most scenic, before industrial development changes its character downstream.
Beartooth Highway, Montana
This high-altitude route connects Yellowstone National Park to Red Lodge via the most spectacular mountain pass in the northern Rockies. The 68-mile drive climbs to 10,947 feet, taking you above the tree line and past alpine lakes that remain frozen well into July.
The road literally follows the backbone of the continent, offering views that stretch hundreds of miles across Montana and Wyoming wilderness.
Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia
This 185-mile loop around Cape Breton Island combines dramatic coastal scenery with Highland culture that feels like stepping into Scotland. The drive hugs clifftops that drop hundreds of feet to the Atlantic Ocean, passes through fishing villages where Gaelic is still spoken, and winds through highlands where Celtic music drifts from local pubs.
While technically in Canada, this route connects to the broader North American parkway system and offers coastal views that rival anything along the Pacific Coast Highway without the California crowds.
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A Living Network of Discovery
These forgotten parkways represent more than just scenic drives—they’re threads in a larger tapestry that connects America’s most treasured landscapes. Each route tells a unique story about the geography, history, and natural heritage that make this country so diverse and beautiful.
While famous parkways will always draw crowds, these hidden gems offer something increasingly rare: the chance to experience America’s natural wonders without fighting for parking or jostling for viewpoints. Next time you’re planning a road trip, consider seeking out these quieter routes where the journey really is the destination.
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