I'm a pretty big fan of a summer road trip, and at this point, I've seen a lot of the best roads America has to offer. I've driven across the country twice, with other shorter road trips mixed in. Here's my list of the ten most beautiful roads I've been on.
10. New York Rt 89, Finger Lakes Region
The first entry in this list is the only northeast road to make the list. NY Route 89 is a two lane, medium speed road that hugs the western bank of Cayuga Lake. In college I took this road a handful of times, including once in a bike trip around Cayuga Lake. There are great views of the lake, rolling hills, and vineyards. It also passes through Taughannock Falls State Park, home to America’s tallest single-drop waterfall east of the Rockies, at 215 feet.
9. Historic Columbia River Highway, Northwestern Oregon
This road follows the Columbia River Gorge that divides Oregon and Washington. The road offers views of the wide gorge and river, but more impressive are the many waterfalls that are a short walk from the road. Multnomah Falls (left) is over 600 feet tall, and Oneonta Falls is at the end of a 1 mile hike upstream through a gorge (below). There are several others as well
8. US-163, Utah & Arizona
This is the road that cuts through Monument Valley, a location commonly used in movie sets. There is even a pull off at one point with a sign marking it as the spot Forrest Gump stopped running, which is where the picture on the right was taken. The area is scattered with red buttes that are unlike anything else I’ve seen on Earth.
7. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia & North Carolina
The second of the two entries east of the Rockies, this road is over 450 miles long and follows the Blue Ridge, a part of the Appalachian Mountains. We only rode for about 30 miles in North Carolina, but the number of awesome overlooks was staggering. There were also some nice pull-off hikes with waterfalls and swimming spots. Definitely a must-see if you’re going through the area.
6. I-70 Through Colorado
You might be surprised to see an interstate highway on this list; they are designed to be efficient, not scenic. In western Colorado, though, it’s hard to avoid being scenic. The best part of this road has to be Glenwood Canyon, cut out by the Colorado River east of Glenwood Springs (unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from it, go look at Google Maps). While weaving through the gorge, I couldn’t help but think that it was the quintessential view of the American West – wild, beautiful, and to seal the deal, there was a Union Pacific train running alongside us. On top of that are miles and miles of incredible Rocky Mountain views.
5. Utah Rt 128, Eastern Utah
Shortly after exiting I-70, the previous entry, we got onto UT Route 128 to Moab, home of Arches National Park. This is one of the emptiest areas of the country, which provides an awesome, somewhat eerie, atmosphere. Initially it’s just a simple road winding through the desert, but seemingly out of nowhere a body of water appears on the left – the Colorado River. Not long after, the surroundings turn from desert plains to a canyon. It is completely surreal. Without having expected it at all, we ended up driving right next to the Colorado River upstream of the Grand Canyon.
4. Million Dollar Highway, Colorado
As I said before, in Western Colorado it’s hard to avoid being scenic. This road, officially US-550 between Silverton and Ouray, is a must-see for any road tripper in my opinion, as are the rest of the remaining list. The road weaves, cuts back, and clings to cliffs in order to navigate the San Juan Mountains, some of Colorado’s finest. The view is breath-taking; everywhere you look there are massive mountains, as well as some pretty impressive waterfalls. I think there were 3 or 4 times on that road that I thought to myself “Okay, THAT has to be the most beautiful view on this road.” There were too many to choose just one.
3. Teton Park Road, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
As I’m sure you can guess, this road cuts through Grand Tetons National Park. I had not expected that much from Tetons, as I had seen pictures and it seemed to be fairly one-dimensional. It did end up being pretty one-dimensional – the same view of some pointy mountains with lakes scattered around – but man was the one dimension incredible. The ground is completely flat right up to the base of the massive mountains that tower above you for the entirety of your drive through the park. Add one of the many lakes to the foreground and you have a truly special scene.
2. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana
It was tough to pick which of the top two roads would be crowned the best because these two are in a league of their own. Going‑to‑the‑Sun Road, despite being the clear favorite for best name, just narrowly missed the top spot. This is the only road that runs through Glacier NP, and the views are spectacular. The mountains, rivers and lakes surpass even the likes of what Colorado has to offer in terms of beauty. I think it took about an hour in Glacier for any of us to say anything other than the fact that the place was unbelievable – and we were there on an overcast day.
1. Pacific Coast Highway, California, Oregon & Washington
The PCH is a piecewise road that stretches from the Mexican border to the northwest tip of Washington, often right up against the coastline. I have been on part of it in Washington, and most of it in California, including the most famous stretch through Big Sur, between San Francisco and Los Angeles. I think the reason this won out for top road is because the constant view of the coastline is more unique than mountain views. The day I first drove the PCH in California, I distinctly remember coming around a bend in Ventura and seeing the first quintessential view. My jaw literally dropped for about a minute. On the trip I saw mountains, rocky coastlines, cliffs, impressive bridges, the best beach I’ve ever visited, and one of the most surreal things I’ve ever seen: mist flowing over a saddle point in the mountains into the valley and out to the vast Pacific.
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