America's Best Scenic Byways & Road Trips: A Complete Checklist

The great American drives, region by region.

This checklist covers 33 scenic byways — also called scenic drives or scenic highways, grouped into 7 regions below, with location and details for every entry. 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 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.

Eastern Mountains & Forests

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

Southern Coast & Highlands

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	Robbinsville, NC → Tellico Plains, TN	43 mi · NC-TN ridge crossing

Rocky Mountains

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

Desert Southwest

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 (NM 14)	Santa Fe, NM → Tijeras, NM	54 mi · Santa Fe-Albuquerque alt
Trail of the Mountain Spirits	Silver City, NM → Mimbres, NM	Gila Wilderness

Pacific Coast & Cascades

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

Great Plains & Heartland

Scenic Byway	Route	Length & States
Loneliest Road (US 50 NV)	Fernley, NV → Baker, NV	~350 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

Alaska & Iconic Routes

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

Planning Tips

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most famous scenic byways in America?

The headline stops on this checklist are Blue Ridge Parkway (Waynesboro, VA → Cherokee, NC), Skyline Drive (Front Royal, VA → Waynesboro, VA) and Newfound Gap Road (Gatlinburg, TN → Cherokee, NC). In total it covers 33 scenic byways, grouped into 7 regions so you can plan a trip around several at once rather than chasing them one at a time.

What is the longest scenic byway?

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.

When is the best time to drive scenic byways?

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.

How long does a scenic byway take?

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.

How do I keep track of the drives I've done?

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.