The great American drives, region by region.
The best way to see America is often through the windshield. This is a checklist of the country's most beautiful scenic byways and drives, grouped by region — from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Pacific Coast Highway — with each route's endpoints and length, so you can plan the road trips of a lifetime.
| Scenic Byway | Route | Length & States |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge Parkway | Waynesboro, VA → Cherokee, NC | 469 mi · VA-NC |
| Skyline Drive | Front Royal, VA → Waynesboro, VA | 105 mi · Shenandoah National Park |
| Newfound Gap Road | Gatlinburg, TN → Cherokee, NC | Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
| Cherohala Skyway | Robbinsville, NC → Tellico Plains, TN | 43 mi · NC-TN ridge crossing |
| Kancamagus Highway | Lincoln, NH → Conway, NH | 34.5 mi · NH White Mountains |
| Scenic Byway | Route | Length & States |
|---|---|---|
| Natchez Trace Parkway | Natchez, MS → Nashville, TN | 444 mi · MS-AL-TN |
| Overseas Highway (US 1) | Key Largo → Key West, FL | 113 mi · FL Keys |
| Talimena Scenic Drive | Mena, AR → Talihina, OK | 54 mi · Ouachita Mountains |
| Highway 100 (Vermont) | Stamford, VT → Newport, VT | 200+ mi · 'Skiers' Highway' |
| Cherohala Skyway | TN-NC border | Crossover route |
| Scenic Byway | Route | Length & States |
|---|---|---|
| Going-to-the-Sun Road | West Glacier, MT → St. Mary, MT | 50 mi · Glacier National Park |
| Trail Ridge Road (US 34) | Estes Park, CO → Grand Lake, CO | 48 mi · Rocky Mountain National Park |
| Beartooth Highway (US 212) | Red Lodge, MT → Cooke City, MT | 68 mi · 'most beautiful in America' |
| Million Dollar Highway (US 550) | Ouray, CO → Silverton, CO | 25 mi · Ouray-Silverton |
| Peak-to-Peak Highway | Black Hawk, CO → Estes Park, CO | 55 mi · Black Hawk-Estes |
| Chief Joseph Scenic Byway (WY 296) | Cody, WY → Crandall, WY | 47 mi · Beartooth-Yellowstone link |
| Scenic Byway | Route | Length & States |
|---|---|---|
| Highway 12 Scenic Byway | Torrey, UT → Panguitch, UT | 124 mi · 'Journey Through Time' |
| Hells Backbone Road | Boulder, UT → Escalante, UT | Boulder-Escalante |
| Monument Valley Road (US 163) | Mexican Hat, UT → Kayenta, AZ | Forrest Gump highway |
| Apache Trail (AZ 88) | Apache Junction, AZ → Tortilla Flat | 40 mi · Superstition Mountains |
| Turquoise Trail (National Monument 14) | Santa Fe, National Monument → Tijeras, National Monument | 62 mi · Santa Fe-Albuquerque alt |
| Trail of the Mountain Spirits | Silver City, National Monument → Mimbres, National Monument | National Monument · Gila Wilderness |
| Scenic Byway | Route | Length & States |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Coast Highway (CA 1) | Dana Point, CA → Leggett, CA | 656 mi · the iconic CA drive |
| 17-Mile Drive | Pacific Grove, CA → Carmel, CA | 17 mi · Pebble Beach |
| Avenue of the Giants (US 101 alt) | Phillipsville, CA → Pepperwood, CA | 31 mi · old-growth redwoods |
| US 101 Oregon Coast | Astoria, OR → Brookings, OR | 363 mi · entire OR coastline |
| Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway | Crater Lake, OR → Lassen, CA | 500 mi · Crater Lake-Lassen |
| Mount Baker Highway (WA 542) | Bellingham, WA → Artist Point, WA | 58 mi · WA Cascades |
| Scenic Byway | Route | Length & States |
|---|---|---|
| Loneliest Road (US 50 NV) | Fernley, NV → Baker, NV | 287 mi · Nevada |
| Lincoln Highway (US 30) | Times Sq, NY → Lincoln Park, SF | First transcontinental · 3,389 mi |
| Flint Hills Scenic Byway | Cassoday, KS → Council Grove, KS | 47 mi · tallgrass prairie |
| Scenic Byway | Route | Length & States |
|---|---|---|
| Seward Highway | Anchorage, AK → Seward, AK | 127 mi · Anchorage-Seward |
| Dalton Highway | Fairbanks, AK → Prudhoe Bay, AK | 414 mi · Fairbanks-Deadhorse |
| Historic Route 66 | Chicago, IL → Santa Monica, CA | Chicago-Santa Monica |
Turn this list into a keepsake. The Triptyka Scenic Byways Passport is a printable PDF with a checklist of every entry, a detail page for each, suggested routes, and achievement badges to earn.
Get the Printable Scenic Byways Passport — $9.99 on Etsy →Triptyka passports are also free phone apps — check off places, add photos, and earn badges as you go. Three are live now: the Ballpark Passport (30 MLB stadiums), the Bourbon Trail Passport (18 Kentucky distilleries), and the Frank Lloyd Wright Passport (21 buildings).
Free to start; unlock every guide, route, and bonus chapter for $9.99. More passport apps are on the way.
Check seasonal closures first — many mountain byways (Going-to-the-Sun Road, Trail Ridge Road, Beartooth Highway) close in winter and only open late spring to early fall. Fuel up before you start; services can be sparse. Drive it in the recommended direction for the best overlooks and light. Leave far more time than the mileage suggests — you'll stop constantly.
California's Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) and the Blue Ridge Parkway are the two most famous. Both are on this checklist, along with dozens of other National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads.
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina, making it one of the longest continuous scenic drives. Some route systems, like the Great River Road, run far longer end to end.
Late spring through early fall for mountain routes (many close in winter), and autumn for the eastern parkways when the fall color peaks. Always check current road status before you go.
Far longer than the mileage implies — plan on frequent stops for overlooks, trails, and towns. A 200-mile byway can easily fill a full day or more.
A printable scenic-byways passport — a checklist of every route, a detail page for each, suggested multi-byway itineraries, and achievement badges — or the free Triptyka phone app for other passports.