Summer is Road Trip season and the U.S. offers some spectacular scenery, best explored by its highways and byways. From the tip of Maine’s rugged coast to the coffee-growing coast of Hawaii, travelers can see the epic ocean scapes of the U.S. From the blue ridges of the Appalachian Mountains to the hills of South Dakota to the top of Colorado’s fourteeners, travelers can take in the mountaintop vistas from roadside pull-outs. Best of all, many of the Best Road Trips in the U.S. are in-and-around national parks. To find a road tripping getaway from a weekend to a weeklong adventure, here are 15 of the Best Road Trips in the U.S.
To ensure a safe and memorable trip, drivers should prepare their vehicle before their trip. Everything from their vehicle’s maintenance to what type of insurance coverage they might need should be considered. This article was sponsored by MarketWatch and it offers an excellent guide to help drivers prepare before loading up the luggage and the road trip snacks.
How To Insure and Prepare Your Car for a Summer Road Trip
The Best Road Trips in the U.S.
1. The Mighty 5
From: Zion to Arches National Parks
Where: Utah and Nevada
Best: Weeklong Trip
With Las Vegas as your departure point, road trippers can see all five of Utah’s national parks. Pick up a rental car then load it full of road trip snacks to see the majestic beauty of Utah’s National Parks. This is one of the best road trips in the U.S. for national park lovers.
It’s hard to believe that just a few hours north of the Strip, travelers can be splashing their feet down Zion’s legendary trail, the Narrows. Drive a few hours more and then it’s the pink-hued spires of Bryce Canyon. Then there’s the fruit trees of Capitol Reef and the epic vistas of Canyonlands. Then at the edge of Utah is Arches.
Planning is essential on all trips though some of the National Parks require advance reservations to enter or participate in high-demand activities. For Arches National Park, a timed-entry reservation is required to enter the park from April 1 to October 31 ($2). It is not available at the park so visitors must secure one in advance. Zion’s popular Angels Landing Trail requires timed-entry tickets available via lottery for the chains section of the trail.
Lodging and camping reservations are essential at all times of the year in or near National Park sites.
Weeklong Itinerary for Utah’s National Parks
2. Beartooth Highway
From Red Lodge to Yellowstone National Park
Where: Montana and Wyoming
Best: Weeklong Trip
Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the world to be set aside in 1872. For road trippers who want to enter the park on a road less traveled, U.S. Route 212, or the Beartooth Highway, is it. Starting in Red Lodge, Montana, about 60 miles southwest of Billings, this All-American road was built in 1936 and switchbacks through remote mountain scenery from Memorial Day until mid-September when snow shuts it back down.
Drivers along Beartooth Pass will head up to 10,947 feet passing clear alpine lakes and glaciers in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. This area is home to Grizzly bears, elk, moose, big-horn sheep along with wildflowers.
At the Northeast entrance of Yellowstone, travelers drive through the Lamar Valley, rich with bison, bear and wolves, before reaching the Tower-Roosevelt Junction. Here road trippers can check-in to the historic cabins at Roosevelt Lodge for a true taste of the Western life.
Top Things to do in Yellowstone National Park
3. Pacific Coast Highway
From Monterey to Ventura
Where: California
Best: Weekend Getaway
Starting at either end, the PCH feels familiar thanks to countless cameos in car ads over the years. California Route 1 winds its serpentine route hugging the curves of the coast. With more than a handful of state parks along the route, visitors linger taking in the California wind-swept coastal scenery. This is one of the best road trips in the U.S., thanks to its epic coastal scenery.
Big Sur is a must as is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Old house lovers will want to tour the William Randolph Hearst mansion, San Simeon, and its otherworldly pool. Located nearby, Moonstone Beach is composed of tiny, tumbled semi-precious stones.
For an away-from-it-all excursion, consider a boat trip to the Channel Islands, departing from Ventura.
Best of Santa Barbara
4. Overseas Highway
From: Key Largo to Key West
Where: Florida
Best: a Weekend Getaway
The romantic-sounding Overseas Highway transports travelers across 42 bridges as it ferries cars past the cerulean waters of the Florida Keys. Officially U.S. Route 1 opened in 1938 (though it was a train route before) as a series of bridges connecting the archipelago off the southwestern tip of Florida. It is another one of the best road trips in the U.S.
Starting in Key Largo, the first key at just an hour from Miami, travelers span the 113 miles to Key West. Along the route, there’s several state parks of note, like John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Bahia Honda State Park. The final destination of Key West blends literary history as one of Hemingway’s haunts along with a permanent party vibe.
5. Going-to-the-Sun Road
From Apgar to St. Mary in Glacier National Park
Where: Montana
Best: Weekend Getaway
Located entirely within the Crown of the Continent Glacier National Park, the Going-to-the-Sun Road was an engineering marvel when it opened in 1932. Connecting the east and west entrances of the park, the scenic byway travels 50 miles across the remote and rugged wilderness that Glacier is known.
Top sites include Logan Pass at 6,646 feet and surrounded by peaks, along with a wildflower-laden meadow. Visitors can see Clements Mountain and Reynolds Mountain from its hiking trails and visitor center. Jackson Glacier is another top site to see.
As a seasonal route, it opens in late June or early July and closes down for the year in mid-October. To enter Glacier National Park a 3-day vehicle permit is required from July until October and vehicle restrictions (like RV size limitations) are in place for the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
3 Day Itinerary for Glacier National Park
6. Kaʻū Scenic Byway
From Kona to Hilo
Where: Island of Hawaii
Best: Weekend Getaway
On the largest island of Hawaii, travelers can take their rental on the southerly route of Highway 11. This is one of the Best Road Trips in the U.S. Hugging the coast of the volcano-created island, visitors can learn about its unique history and culture along the route.
For this route start early and grab a coffee at a Kona Coffee Plantation for a taste of the highly coveted drink. As the only coffee grown in the U.S., it’s known for its mellow flavor thanks to the lava rock. Follow with a lesson in the ancient Hawaiian culture at Pu’uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park.
If the sun is climbing overhead, then a colored sand beach is on the itinerary with a choice of two unique shades. For a green sand beach (one of only four in the world) Papakōlea Green Sand Beach requires a 5.5-mile hike and gets its color from olivine crystals of the Mauna Loa eruption 49,000 years ago. The black sand beach at Punalu’u is easier to get to and made of pulverized lava.
If the Kīlauea is erupting then Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is a must. Though there’s still plenty to do if it’s calm, from its lodge to its rim to its sea arch. There’s even mid-century cabins in the park.
Top Things to do at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
7. Blue Ridge Parkway
From Roanoke to Waynesboro
Where: Virginia
Best: Weekend Getaway
This all American Road travels across the Appalachian Mountains for 469 miles connecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Shenandoah National Park. Completed in 1936, travelers will pass through tunnels and over hilltops and even across a few bridges.
Starting at Roanoke, drivers will find numerous pull-outs, like the Roanoke River overlook as well as mountains and valleys. Along the route, road trippers can linger at places like the Peaks of Otter Lodge. Several visitor centers line the route, like the Humpback Rocks Visitor Center with an Outdoor Farm Museum, the closest visitor center to Shenandoah National Park. .
Guide to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
8. Olympic Peninsula Loop
From Hoquiam to Olympia
Where: Washington
Best: Weekend Getaway
West of SeaTac (the region’s airport), travelers can get a taste of the only temperate rainforest in the U.S. as they loop around Olympic National Park. Drivable in either direction, the Lake Quinault National Forest offers a historic lodge, its namesake lake and land and water activities. Farther along U.S. Route 101 road trippers can stop along the Pacific at one of the numbered beaches near Kalaloch to see crashing waves and tide pools.
Heading inland, the Hoh Rainforest drips in raindrops and glows in every shade of green. A road trip can be tiring for the driver so a dip in the Sol Duc Hot Springs might be in order to relax. For another option for recreational fun, Lake Crescent offers a lodge, cabins along with evergreen-lined shores.
3 Day Itinerary for Olympic National Park
9. Trail Ridge Road
From Kawuneeche to Beaver Meadows
Where: Colorado
Best: Weekend Getaway
Another scenic (and seasonal) route located entirely in a national park, Trail Ridge Road meanders through the peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the road during the Depression and it’s a 48-mile-long route that features 11 miles above the treeline (11,500ft the park). It crosses Milner Pass (10,759ft) and the Continental Divide. This makes it the highest continuous highway in the U.S.
To visit Rocky Mountain National Park during its peak season (late May until late October), day visitors will need a timed-entry driving permit in addition to its park entrance pass.
Read More: Top Things to do in Rocky Mountain National Park
10. Northern Arizona National Park Road Trip
From: Holbrook to Fredonia
Where: Arizona
Best: Weeklong Trip
From the eastern edge of Arizona, road trippers will find a string of National Park Service sites that link the state. It is one of the best road trips in the U.S. for park lovers. From Petrified Forest National Park with its antique stone trees along with a section of Route 66 to the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, travelers will find sites along Interstate 40. Centered around Flagstaff, visitors can learn about the ancient peoples at Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments.
From Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon’s South Rim is a just over an hour away and visitors can stay a few hours, a week or more. To see the Grand from the other side, drivers will cross the Navajo Bridge and pass through the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Greener and cooler than its southern rim, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is only visited by 10-percent of the visitors from the South Rim. It offers hiking, horse rides along with a lodge.
Guide to the Grand Canyon’s South Rim
11. Coastal Route 1
From Portland to Bar Harbor
Where: Maine
Best: Weekend Getaway
Starting in Portland, one of Maine’s largest cities, U.S. Route 1 hugs the Atlantic coast transporting travelers across the state with dips into charming seaside towns, past lighthouses and lobster shacks. Heading northeast out of Portland, shoppers can hit the racks of LLBean’s outlet 24-hours a day. Bath and Camden are popular spots for their historic downtown areas, anchored by festivals.
Acadia National Park, just south of Ellsworth, is the largest national park in New England. Its Mount Desert Island is bustling in the summer though across Frenchman Bay is the much quieter Schoodic Peninsula. Located on the border, the Saint Croix National Historic Site retells the story the first explorers to the area in the 1600s.
Best of the Schoodic Peninsula in Acadia National Park
12. Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway
From Custer to Keystone
Where: South Dakota
Best: Weekend Getaway
While in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway is the way to get around. This scenic loop connects top sites like Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park and its Cathedral Spires Trailhead, Needles Eye Tunnel and Sylvan Lake along with the Crazy Horse Memorial. It was named after the South Dakota governor that spearheaded the Iron Mountain Road project and major supporter of Mount Rushmore.
Along with the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway, travelers will use the Iron Mountain Road. The 17-mile road includes 314 curves, 3 tunnels, 3 spiraling piggytails and 14 switchbacks to afford some of the best views in the Black Hills. Also known as U.S. 16A, it connects Mount Rushmore with Custer State Park.
Top Places to Visit in the Black Hills
13. Volcanic Legacy Byway
From Redding to Bend
Where: North California and Oregon
Best: Weeklong Trip
Leaving the crowds in Southern California behind, the Volcanic Legacy Byway introduces travelers to the forces of volcanoes and is one of the best road trips in the U.S. for those who yearn for quieter destinations. Lassen Volcanic National Park is up first with its snow-capped peaks surrounded by evergreen forests. Then it passes one of California’s highest peaks at 14,179 feet, Mount Shasta. After seeing the peaks, visitors can explore Lava Beds National Monument for a study in lava and volcanic eruptions. Next to it, Tule Lake National Monument preserves the largest of the WWII Japanese internment camps.
Crossing over into Oregon, travelers can take a side trip to Oregon Caves National Monument for a tour. Continuing on, Crater Lake is a must with its lodge overlooking the bluest blue water in the U.S. For true volcano hunters, the Newberry National Volcanic Monument’s cinder cone looks (and feels) like a giant pile of lava rock mulch and offers a trail around its crater.
Top Things to do in Lassen Volcanic National Park
14. Texas Hill Country Trail
From Austin To Fredericksburg
Where: Texas
Best: Weekend Getaway
Headed west out of Austin, U.S. Route 290 travels through one of the state’s top scenic areas, the Texas Hill Country. From the liquor distilleries and the Lady Bird Wildflower Center near Austin to the LBJ Ranch, the former home of the U.S. President, Lyndon B. Johnson, visitors can meander through the limestone hills taking in the vistas dotted by wildflowers.
As the route gets closer to Fredericksburg, wineries might outnumber the wildflowers. In fact, there are 50 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms in-and-around Fredericksburg. Its historic downtown area showcases the talents of its German founders, from the architecture to the food to the biergartens.
Weekend Getaway Guide to the Texas Hill Country
15. Natchez Trace Parkway
From New Orleans to Nashville
Where: Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee
Best: Weekend Getaway
Starting in New Orleans, a bit south of Natchez, visitors can fill their tanks with the culinary delights found in the French Quarter. Then they can soak up the music of the Louisiana Delta or take in the graceful homes of the Garden District.
To catch the Natchez Trace Parkway, drivers head northwest for the town of Natchez in Mississippi for a pic with its entrance sign and a Visitor Center.
The 444-mile parkway includes stops like Tupelo, Mississippi, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. As travelers roll through Mississippi and a sliver of Alabama, they can see the rich forests and rolling hills of the South. There’s even a couple of waterfalls in Tennessee, Jackson Falls and Fall Hallow. Near its terminus, travelers cross the Natchez Trace Parkway Bridge then can spend time in Franklin, Tennessee, home to historic storefronts and whisky distilleries.
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