10 Best Road Trips in the United States

Across the United States, roads and highways crisscross the country, tying together people and places along some of the most beautiful landscapes and natural wonders anywhere. A few have become legends in their own right, like the sunny Pacific Coast Highway and Route 66, threading through cities, towns, and the wild country in between. These routes are more than a way to get from place to place; they are the destination, the experience itself. Here are ten of the best road trips in the United States.

The Road to Hana

Set off from Kahului on Maui and follow the Hana Highway along the island's east coast. It is not a long drive, but it plays like a compressed adventure, full of sharp turns, narrow one-way bridges, and a famous habit of zigzagging through the rainforest. There is real skill involved. The reward is the scenery: dense green forest with waterfalls appearing at the roadside, including the easy-to-reach Twin Falls early on and the often-photographed Wailua Falls near mile marker 45.

Those spots are good for photos and, in places, a swim. Near the end of the drive, make time for Ohe'o Gulch in the Kipahulu district of Haleakala National Park, where a chain of pools and waterfalls tiers down toward the Pacific Ocean. Swimming in the pools is often closed for safety, but the view alone earns the stop.

Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks

How does 900 miles through some of the finest mountain country in the nation sound? This route strings together three of America's great national parks, with wildlife at nearly every pullout, trailheads waiting, and the region's famous geysers along the way. The jagged Teton Range anchors one end, and the lakes and peaks of Glacier National Park anchor the other.

Between them sits Yellowstone, home to the Old Faithful Geyser, the vividly colored Grand Prismatic Spring, and countless other geysers and hot springs, plus the bison, elk, and wolves that roam the park. The best window for this trip is late June through early September, when most roads and services are open.

Route 66

Is any American road more famous than Route 66? It has turned up in songs and films and is woven into the national imagination, standing for freedom, fresh starts, and the pull of the open road. Running from Chicago to Santa Monica, it was a main path west for families seeking better prospects in the 1930s. Just under 2,500 miles end to end, it passes natural wonders like the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest, along with cities like St. Louis and Tulsa. Whether you are after open country or city stops, Route 66 has both.

Olympic Peninsula Loop

The Olympic Peninsula Loop circles through Washington, passing rainforests, glaciers, and beaches in a single go. At just over 300 miles it is shorter than many trips on this list, which suits its character: this is a route to take slowly, stopping at landmarks as you work around the loop. Look for Mount Ellinor, with its relatively quick climb to a big view, and Lena Lake, an easy day hike to clear blue water. For a slower afternoon, swing through Port Townsend, with its Victorian-era buildings and an easygoing downtown.

The Great River Road

This is no ordinary drive. The Great River Road winds through 10 states, tracing the Mississippi River for roughly 3,000 miles past bluffs, valleys, towns, and cities. Covering that much ground makes it less a drive than a tour of America's cultural backbone, and some travelers set aside weeks for the full length. You will know you are on it by the green-and-white pilot's-wheel signs that mark the route. Among the best stops are Itasca State Park in Minnesota, where the Mississippi begins, and the French Quarter down in New Orleans.

Going-to-the-Sun Road

Quality, not quantity, is the rule of this trip through Montana's Glacier National Park. The road runs only about 50 miles, but it packs in springtime wildflowers, icy lakes, and first-rate mountain scenery the whole way. It climbs over the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, opening up the park's range of ecosystems as it goes. Worthwhile stops include Avalanche Creek, with the easy Trail of the Cedars and the Avalanche Lake trailhead, and the Weeping Wall, where water spills down from the cliffs and, in early summer, douses passing cars.

Pacific Coast Highway

The Pacific Coast Highway is the classic way to see the California coast, and it has everything you would want from an ocean drive. Also known as Highway 1, it runs just over 600 miles past cliffsides and forests with the Pacific at your shoulder. You can take it slowly, with endless places to stop, or hop quickly from town to town. The must-see stops include Carmel-by-the-Sea, the dramatic cliffs of Big Sur, Santa Monica, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Often called "America's Favorite Drive," the Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles along the crest of the Appalachian Highlands, through rolling mountains capped with forest. It is at its best in fall, when the foliage turns every shade of red and gold. The road links Virginia and North Carolina, offering a slow journey through the natural beauty and cultural history of the American South. The National Park Service manages it for unhurried driving, with a speed limit that tops out around 45 mph, so you can take your time and take it in.

Las Vegas to San Diego

This route runs from desert to coast, trading the high energy of Las Vegas for the easygoing beaches of San Diego. The appeal is the range, with cities and wild country in a single drive, crossing landscapes from the Mojave Desert to the Cleveland National Forest. The best time to go is fall, winter, or spring, since summer can be punishing. Along the way, make time for Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Death Valley National Park.

Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway

This byway covers about 70 miles through the Black Hills of South Dakota, prized for rugged rock formations, pine woods, and abundant wildlife along the way. For many visitors the appeal runs deeper than the scenery, since the Black Hills hold real spiritual significance and a strong sense of place.

The drive is short but dense with landmarks. Custer State Park and the Mount Rushmore National Memorial sit at either end, with stops like the still-unfinished Crazy Horse Memorial in between. The most celebrated stretch is Iron Mountain Road, which makes up part of the byway and is known for its pigtail bridges and tunnels framing distant views of Rushmore.

Drive almost any road in the United States and there is something new around the bend. From Maui's rainforests to the run of Route 66, these trips offer a close-up read on the nature and culture that make the country what it is. Whether you are tracing the ridgelines of the Blue Ridge Parkway or circling the wild coast of the Olympic Peninsula, the point is the same: the journey is the destination. So grab a map, fill the tank, and drive.