25 essential drives for a U.S. road trip

Nothing beats the thrill of piling into a car and hitting the open road, whether it’s an hours-long jaunt or an epic weeklong adventure. But where to go?

These compelling U.S. drives will enhance any road trip across the lower 48 states. From the best highways for foodies to scenic landscapes and the nation’s most historic roads, a dream drive awaits. Here are 25 of our favorites.

1. Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, New Mexico

Not to be confused with the national byway of the same name, this nearly 600-mile trail celebrates New Mexico’s Native American heritage as it weaves through Navajo Nation and Zuni land. Short on time? Go directly to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates its earliest occupation to A.D. 850.

2. Badlands Loop State Scenic Byway, South Dakota

This 39-mile ride through Badlands National Park in South Dakota transports travelers to an out-of-this-world landscape of twisted canyons, striped rock walls, native grasslands, and fantastic spires.

3. Zydeco-Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway, Louisiana

This byway takes you 283 miles through Acadiana country in south Louisiana, where French-speaking Cajuns meet wide open prairies in a fascinating mix of cultures. With three main routes (plus one short branch), there’s lots to discover, including the homey Cajun Music Hall of Fame and Museum preserving memorabilia and the Louisiana State Arboretum, where you can stretch your legs before getting back behind the wheel.

4. East Narragansett Bay, East Providence to Newport, Rhode Island

Ease into Rhode Island’s historic Newport from points north on RI 114, a more local and scenic alternative to I-95 or I-195. On the 30-mile drive, visit Bristol’s Colt State Park to walk the bayside trails and experience 18th-century farm life at Coggeshall Farm Museum. In Middletown, try the Portuguese fish chowder at Anthony’s Seafood and tour Newport Vineyards’ winery.

5. UFO Stopover Loop, Las Vegas to Tonopah-Pahrump, Nevada

Go full “X-Files” with Travel Nevada’s tongue-in-cheek itinerary for intergalactic visitors. All life-forms are welcome to make the 487-mile (or 8.284e-11 light-year) trip in the Silver State, which includes driving Lincoln County’s Extraterrestrial Highway north of Area 51 (the off-limits military base at the center of many UFO conspiracies) and hiking the Mars-like landscape at Valley of Fire State Park in Overton.

6. Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway, Colorado

On this 75-mile drive, take in Colorado’s famed towering Rocky Mountain peaks, blue alpine lakes, and two crossings of the Continental Divide. Stop for pizza at High Mountain Pies in Leadville (elevation 10,200 feet), a former hub for silver mining.

7. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana

Open late June to October, the 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road offers stunning views of Glacier National Park. Stop by McDonald Creek Overlook to gaze at the water as it rushes through the narrow rocks. At Lunch Creek, view the waterfall and wildflowers—but stay in the paved parking area, as there are no formal trails in this sensitive zone. If you’re looking for a longer break from driving, the park offers a free shuttle along parts of the road as well.

8. Farmlandia Loop, Oregon

Just south of foodie favorite Portland, this savory trail visits 18 homegrown stops in Oregon, including U-pick farms, vineyards and wineries, and farm stands and farmers markets. One must: A tour of Bob’s Red Mill World Headquarters, in Milwaukie, Oregon.

9. Snowy Range Scenic Byway, Wyoming

Dubbed the “Great Skyroad” when it opened in 1926, the 95-mile alternative to I-80 (open late May to mid-November) is a sky-high feast for the eyes. The east-to-west drive provides the more scenic first glimpse of 12,013-foot Medicine Bow Peak rising above Lake Marie. Overnight at Saratoga’s historic Hotel Wolf, a former stagecoach stop, then go for a dip in the public hot springs.

10. Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

In Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, the 105-mile Skyline Drive gets you hiking to waterfalls, climbing Old Rag Mountain, and savoring the house specialty at Skyland: mile-high blackberry ice-cream pie.

11. Life and Times of Lincoln Loop, Illinois

Celebrate Illinois’ favorite son on a 200-mile round-trip loop designed by Looking for Lincoln, coordinators of the 42-county Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area. Top stops along the loop include Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (pictured above) and Bicentennial Plaza opened on August 26, 2018.

12. Northwest Passage Scenic Byway, Idaho

Follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark on a 202-mile photographer’s dream drive through the rugged heart of north-central Idaho. The route leads through wilderness areas, follows multiple branches of two Wild & Scenic Rivers, crosses the Nez Perce reservation, and ends at the forested and meandering 5,233-foot-high Lolo Pass at the Montana border.

13. Forgotten Coast, St. Marks to Mexico Beach, Florida

Blissfully off the tourist path, the roughly 100-mile “forgotten” Gulf Coast is laid back and altogether memorable. Stop by Apalachicola’s Hole in the Wall restaurant for fresh-shucked local oysters and then head over to T.H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, where the beaches remain unspoiled. For a different perspective, climb the 100-step Cape St. George Light.

14. Bourbon Trail, Kentucky

This bluegrass-and-bourbon trail in Kentucky features 18 distilleries in cities from Louisville to Lexington. Plan a multiday drive to bourbon makers, such as Jim Beam and Woodford Reserve, and to watch a free morning training session at Keeneland racetrack.

15. Civil Rights Trail, Alabama

Remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy by exploring places important to the Civil Rights Movement. Stops on this roughly 175-mile route (part of the 14-state U.S. Civil Rights Trail launched in January 2018) include Selma’s infamous Edmund Winston Pettus Bridge, site of 1965’s “Bloody Sunday” attack on unarmed voting rights marchers.

16. North Shore Scenic Drive, Minnesota

Follow the Lake Superior shoreline roughly 150 idyllic miles north from Duluth, Minnesota, to the Canadian border. Along the way, explore eight state parks, like Gooseberry Falls, a favorite of Minnesotan Tim Kojetin. “There are beautiful waterfalls throughout the park, and coastal cliffs that make for excellent hiking,” Kojetin says. “You can even catch the Northern Lights if your timing is right.”

17. Music Pathways, Tennessee

In 2018, Tennessee launched a 1,200-mile road trip to highlight a wide range of music events, venues, and stories important to the soul of the state. Now, a podcast brings these sites to life, from the birthplace of country music in Bristol to the dawn of rock n’ roll in Memphis.

18. Roadside Attractions Gallery, Florida to Oklahoma

This multistate drive from Tulsa to Miami follows Route 66 roadside attractions, like Florida’s giant yellow bird at Waylan’s Ku-Ku Burger and Oklahoma’s Blue Whale of Catoosa, 90-foot-tall totem pole in Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park, and the Golden Driller, a 76-foot-tall concrete-and-plaster oilman. If you just have to see the towering (66 feet) pop bottle  at the original Pops, detour 87 miles east to Arcadia.

19. Bridges to Butties Byway, Nebraska

If the name of this 197-mile byway doesn’t entice the kids, the big-fun Nebraska adventures will. Real and replica fossils and skeletons of 20-million-year-old mammals surface at Harrison’s Agate Fossil Beds National Monument. Roam the otherworldly rock formations at Toadstool Geologic Park, north of Crawford, then spot bison, deer, elk, and prairie dogs at Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge in Valentine.

20. Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway; Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania

Abolitionist Harriet Tubman was born a slave on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore. This roughly 125-mile route begins in Cambridge at the Dorchester County Visitor Center for background before stopping by 35 sites connected to the railroad, among them the Harriet Tubman Museum, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park (pictured above), and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Continue another 98 miles through sites in Delaware, and then into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the trail ends at Independence Hall and William Stills Last Residence, just a mile away.

21. Historic Route 66, California to Arizona

Although I-40 replaced much of the original Mother Road, the 170-mile stretch from Topock, California, to Ash Fork, Arizona, is intact. Alternate between I-40 and Route 66 for a retro road trip and spend the night at Wigwam Village Motel #6, in Holbrook. Bonus: Hike the “Wave” (Coyote Buttes North, pictured above) near the Utah border. But plan ahead, as only 20 people per day can visit.

22. Rangeley Lakes Scenic Byway, Maine

Maine is more than lobsters, lighthouses, and rocky coasts. Starting at Smalls Falls, head west (near where the state meets Canada and New Hampshire) on this 36-mile byway to discover gorgeous mountains and lakes and look for moose and loons at sunset. Don’t miss the top photo stop, the Height of Land overlook on Spruce Mountain, with views of tongue-twister Mooselookmeguntic Lake and its wild Toothaker Island.

23. Maple Trail, Vermont

In winter and spring, follow the Randolph to Montpelier Maple Trail in central Vermont for sweet tastings at a sugarhouse, spirited sips at a distillery, and a cozy stay at a historic inn.

24. Lighthouse Tour, New Jersey

Follow the light—houses, that is—for a historic look at New Jersey’s 130-mile shore. Start the seven-lighthouse route at Sandy Hook, the shore’s northernmost lighthouse and the nation’s oldest (operating since 1764). End on a high note at Cape May Lighthouse, where climbing up 199 steps earns you sweeping ocean and Delaware Bay views.

25. Cheese Tour, Southwestern Route, Wisconsin

The 167-mile tasting and factory-tour loop of Wisconsin’s Cheese Tour begins (and ends) at Madison’s artisanal Fromagination shop. Drive southwest to Monroe’s famous Emmi Roth factory, then on to Darlington’s Brunkow Cheese. Top off the taste tour at Sauk City’s Carr Valley Cheese shop.