America's Best Road Trips

Antelope Valley, California

From L.A., drive north to the town of Lancaster via Route 14, better known as the Antelope Valley Freeway. Golden poppies bloom throughout the Mojave Desert region in March, but the 1,760-acre Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve claims the finest concentration of California’s state flower—not to mention glorious showings of fiddlenecks, cream cups, gold fields, and tidy tips starting in late March.

Where to Stop: Drive the seven-mile Antelope Loop Trail within the Poppy Reserve and continue on to Antelope Butte Vista Point, a high lookout (the valley reaches an elevation of nearly 300 feet) that offers the most sweeping desert panoramas.

U.S. 1, Florida Keys

The Florida Keys have reopened to visitors following Hurricane Irma, but some areas may still be closed. Get updates from the local tourism office.

Leaving the mainland for the 120-mile-long island chain of Florida’s Keys, travelers enter a paradise of beach bars, water sports, and Parrotheads (Jimmy Buffett fans). From Key Largo to Key West, the overseas highway strings the islands together like beads, running past lighthouses, underwater coral-reef parks, and across 7 Mile Bridge—one of the longest bridges in the world.

Where to Stop: On the island of Islamorada, travelers can swim with dolphins at the historic Theater of the Sea. theaterofthesea.com

U.S. Route 9, New York

The entire route runs more than 300 miles from Delaware up to the U.S.-Canada border, but this 57-mile lower New York stretch has special appeal when the weather warms. Start in Poughkeepsie and head north toward the town of Valatie, pulling over for fresh produce and organic homemade goods at one of the many local farmers’ markets that reopen in late spring. And keep your eyes peeled for Gilded Age estates along the route, such as the Vanderbilt Mansion.

Where to Stop: The historic open-air Hyde Park Farmers’ Market, just off Route 9, opens in early June on the grounds of the ’50s-era Hyde Park Drive-In Theatre. Further north, in Columbia County, stop at Harvest Spirits Farm Distillery for a bottle of dry apple brandy.

Hana Highway, Maui

The T-shirts all say: I survived the road to Hana. It can take more than two and a half hours to travel the 51 miles from Kahului to Hana, as you snake past steep sea-cliffs lush with blooming mango trees, buy banana bread from roadside stalls, and pull over for Jurassic vistas. In tiny Hana, a town on eastern Maui, a cinder cone shields the red sand beach where nudists and endangered monk seals bake idly in the sun.

Where to Stop: At mile marker 32 awaits Waianapanapa State Park, with black-sand beaches and trails leading to sea caves and lava cliffs.

Route 100, Vermont

Best known for its fall foliage and delicious ice cream, Vermont’s lush Green Mountains are also a great place for a drive, thanks to winding country roads like Route 100, which bisects the state from Stowe south to the Massachusetts border. The midsection, between the towns of Waitsfield and Weston, offers the best scenery.

Where to Stop: Gifford Woods State Park. On the Green Mountain crest, west of Woodstock, this patch of primeval forest has been beautifully preserved.

Columbia River Scenic Highway, Oregon

This road is a concrete realization of the idea that highways can sometimes improve on the work of Mother Nature. Designed and constructed back in the early days of the automobile, the route winds past a series of lovely waterfalls while taking in the best sights of the Columbia Gorge, east of Portland.

Where to Stop: Standing on a stony cliff top, 700 feet above the Columbia River, Vista House is a historic rest stop that doubles as a memorial to Oregon Trail pioneers. vistahouse.com

Cascade Loop, Washington

Climbing from the lush rainforests of Puget Sound, U.S. Highway 2 crosses the Cascades and drops into apple orchards before reaching placid Lake Chelan. Ambitious drivers can loop back to Seattle via rugged and remote North Cascades National Park, along equally scenic Highway 20.

Where to Stop: For an unexpected treat, spend some time in kitschy Leavenworth, an old timber and railroad town that re-created itself in the 1960s as a Bavarian Alps hamlet, complete with beer gardens and lederhosen.

Texas Hill Country Bluebonnet Tour

Lady Bird Johnson led a campaign to beautify American cities, and in her native Texas, vast gardens of bluebonnets were planted across Texas Hill Country. While there are countless nature trails, first-timers should start in Austin and take U.S. 290 west to Johnson City’s lovely Wildflower Loop. Then hightail it along U.S. 281 N to the town of Burnet, the official bluebonnet capital of Texas.

Where to Stop: Tour the colorful grounds at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. A toll-free Texas wildflower hotline (800-452-9292) provides blooming reports, and tune in to KLBJ News Radio 590, which airs the “Wildflower Hour” featuring expert gardening tips from Mr. Smarty Plants at 8 a.m. on Saturdays.

Anchorage to Valdez, Alaska

The trip from Anchorage to Valdez, which connects Glenn and Richardson highways, runs past prehistoric glaciers and into mountain ranges with so many 14,000-foot peaks a lot of them haven’t even been named. Along the 300-mile route, the trans-Alaska pipeline pops in and out of view. The final approach to Valdez includes a 25-mile drop from Thompson Pass (2,805 elevation) to sea level through the waterfalls of Keystone Canyon, opening into Prince William Sound.

Where to Stop: Gawk at domesticated musk oxen, the Ice Age wonders of the Alaskan landscape prized for their wool, in Palmer. muskoxfarm.org

Acadia All American Road, Maine

Pack your binoculars for this coastal drive that skirts the woodlands of Acadia National Park, a prime spot for spying bald eagles and nesting peregrine. The 27-mile Park Loop Road segment follows the high ridges of Bar Harbor down to Sand Beach and Otter Cliff and loops inland along Jordan Pond. It’s the centerpiece of the drive, which starts in Trenton, takes Route 3 south, turns on the Loop Road, then rejoins Route 3.

Where to Stop: Local small towns begin buzzing in late spring. For homemade ice cream and popovers, pull over at the historic Jordan Pond House (open for the season as of May). Then put that energy to work hiking Acadia’s Cadillac Mountain, whose 1,532-foot peak overlooks the Atlantic.

Santa Fe/Taos Loop, New Mexico

Follow the (literal) High Road from Santa Fe north on Route 285 through high-elevation deserts and orchards. It leads to the cottonwood-dotted valley of Ojo Caliente and its pueblo communities. Loop back from Taos on the Low Road, State Route 68, which runs along the Rio Grande past wineries.

Where to Stop: The Taos Pueblo compound, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was built before 1400 and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in America.

Merritt Parkway, Connecticut

Though years of roadwork have diminished much of the Merritt’s original elegance, enough design details remain to make this one of America’s prettiest freeways. With zero roadside sprawl, the Merritt Parkway has more than enough sinuous curves and leafy landscaping to make driving it a true pleasure.

Where to Stop: From the east end of the Merritt Parkway, continue on to the heart of New Haven to sample another historic treat: Louis’ Lunch, the family-owned diner that claims to have served the world’s first hamburgers more than 115 years ago. louislunch.com

Great River Road, Minnesota to Louisiana

You might expect small-town charm driving alongside the Mississippi River. You might not expect the rugged “Driftless Region” on the road’s more northern stretches—an area that escaped being flattened by glaciers during the last Ice Age. Enjoy roller-coaster hills and steep canyons in Iowa, from Dubuque to the prehistoric Effigy Mounds.

Where to Stop: Galena, IL—one of the Great River Road’s greatest small towns.

Mohawk Trail, Massachusetts

Mixing idyllic natural beauty with fine art and roadside Americana, the Mohawk Trail is a classic two-lane highway linking metropolitan Boston with the rural Berkshire countryside. Classic 1920s motor court cabins and the “Big Indian” souvenir shop line a twisting route that ends in the west at the liberal arts enclave of Williamstown.

Where to Stop: Just south of the highway, the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls is an old trolley bridge reborn as a lush arboretum, high above the Deerfield River.

Ohio River Scenic Byway, Cincinnati to Louisville

Crossing three states, the Ohio River Scenic Byway stretches nearly a thousand miles. Follow the river downstream from Cincinnati to Louisville, and stay at the city’s hottest hotel, the 90-room 21c Museum Hotel, which has a $10 million collection of artwork, photos, and video installations.

Where to Stop: For a slight detour from the byway, pick up a map for Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail at the Louisville Visitors Center and head out to taste more than 50 bourbons from nearby distilleries such as Jim Beam, Woodford Reserve and Maker’s Mark. The trail stops at 21c’s Proof on Main restaurant and bar.

Bayou Cruise, Louisiana

West of New Orleans, the low-lying lands of the lower Mississippi River are known for languid country lanes winding past lazy bayous. Garlands of moody Spanish moss dangle from mighty oaks and cypress trees, while alligators and herons splash about in the swampy lagoons. The best road to drive is Highway 31, which winds along Bayou Teche from New Iberia to Breaux Bridge.

Where to Stop: Breaux Bridge. Get your Cajun fix at the self-proclaimed crawfish capital of the world. On Saturday mornings, head to the Café des Amis for the music-filled Zydeco Breakfast. cafedesamis.com

Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana

Built in the Roaring 1920s (completed in 1932) to tempt drivers to explore the national parks, Going-to-the-Sun Road is a breathtaking 50-mile drive across Montana’s Glacier National Park. Rising up between a pair of deep-blue alpine lakes, the road was cleverly crafted to show off the best vistas with the least negative impact on the park’s fragile environment. It’s closed every winter by snows, which can reach up to 80 feet in depth.

Where to Stop: Logan Pass. After cutting across the sheer escarpment of the Garden Wall, the road reaches its literal and figurative high point atop 6,646-foot Logan Pass, where herds of wild mountain goats can be seen trampling across wildflower meadows.

Black River Scenic Byway, Michigan

A rugged band of red and white sandstone rock wedged against the deep blue waters of Lake Superior, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is a highlight of the Midwest. Highway 513, the Black River Scenic Byway, follows the eponymous river from the town of Bessemer to the lakeshore, passing waterfalls and dense forests all the way.

Where to Stop: Sample an Upper Peninsula tradition in the former iron-mining town of Ironwood; Joe’s Pasty Shop serves up local variations on the staple food of Cornish miners, the pasty. ilovepasties.com

San Juan Skyway, Colorado

The skyway’s biggest thrills come along the stretch between the Victorian-era towns of Ouray and Silverton that’s known as the Million Dollar Highway. While that name could easily describe the views, it actually refers to the massive amounts of silver and gold once carted through these passes. Four-wheelers can also attempt to traverse the rugged 65-mile Alpine Loop Back Country Byway past the 19th-century ghost towns of Howardsville, Eureka, and Animas Forks.

Where to Stop: Mesa Verde National Park, famous for Anasazi Indian cliff dwellings that were abandoned 200 years before Columbus arrived in America. And at Dunton Hot Springs Resort, in a restored ghost town, soak in waters ranging from 85°F to 106°F and rich in calcium bicarbonate, iron, and manganese.

Highway 2, Nebraska

Sandhills (grass-covered sand dunes) make up nearly one-fourth of Nebraska, undulating in slow hypnotic curves as far as the eye can see. Take Highway 2 for expansive views of the Great Plains and pastureland that’s more than twice the size of Rhode Island, but populated by only 12,000 souls.

Stop: The sand dunes are smack in the middle of the Great Plains Migratory Flyway; look out for cranes at the Nebraska Nature & Visitor Center.

Route 66, Illinois to California

Yes, it’s so famous it’s a cliché, but this 2,451-mile cruise has justifiably become a part of the American fabric. For sheer driving pleasure, the best stretch has to be the mountainous run west from the Grand Canyon to the Colorado River, climbing up from a desert plateau and twisting past the old gold mines of the Black Mountains.

Where to Stop: Cool Springs Station, Kingman, AZ. With its stone arches and small museum, this restored rest station makes for a great stop along this historic route.

Rockefeller Parkway, Wyoming

Meandering along the banks of the Snake River, Highway 191 from Yellowstone to Jackson Hole lacks the roller-coaster thrills of many other Rocky Mountain roads, but it more than makes up for the absence of adrenaline with mile after mile of breathtaking views. Gaze up at the spectacular peaks of the Grand Tetons from the lush riparian meadows below.

Where to Stop: South of the Grand Tetons, the Wild West town of Jackson Hole mixes well-heeled luxury with the rough-and-tumble charms of the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, where leather saddles take the place of bar stools. milliondollarcowboybar.com

Highway Z, Missouri

The biggest peaks between the Blue Ridge and the Rockies, the Ozark Mountains offer a refreshing change of scene from the otherwise low-lying Great Plains. Here, winding roads like Hwy-Z cut through deep wooded canyons carved by powerful rivers. This road twists and turns through the area known as Devil’s Elbow, where a tight turn in the Big Piney River forms a deep and scenic gorge.

Where to Stop: Bikers and BBQ fans flock to the Elbow Inn (573-336-5375), a roadside shack that’s been in business for nearly a century.

Route 12, Utah

The red rock majesty of Utah is on triumphant display on State Route 12 winding between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon national parks. The 124-mile strip has funky small towns and very few entry points, so it takes a map and determination to witness the steep sandstone canyons and bluffs of purple sage, and to tackle the narrow cliff-hanging ridgeline road called The Hogback.

Where to Stop: Hell’s Backbone Grill, which has its own organic farm. hellsbackbonegrill.com

Mount Washington Auto Road, New Hampshire

The first car to drive to the top of New England’s Mount Washington Auto Road was the original Stanley Steamer back in 1899, which tells you how deep this road’s roots run. Short and steep—climbing nearly 5,000 feet in less than eight miles—it passes dozens of vista points, waterfalls, and alpine meadows before coming to an end at what circus-meister P. T. Barnum called the “2nd Greatest Show on Earth.”

Where to Stop: On the far side of the summit, the palatial Mount Washington Hotel at Bretton Woods is a grand resort with its own coal-fired cog railway climbing back up to the top of the mountain.

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia to North Carolina

For most of its 469-mile route, the Blue Ridge Parkway alternates between grand panoramas and up-close looks at lush forests and meadows. That’s no surprise considering that it runs atop the Appalachian Mountains between Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park and the Great Smoky Mountains of far western North Carolina. The parkway is a leisurely cruise rather than a roller coaster, with one exception—its most breathtaking section, the Linn Cove Viaduct, which skims the treetops as it winds around the parkway’s highest peak.

Where to Stop: Grandfather Mountain. Rising high above Linn Cove, this 5,837-foot peak offers great views and the famous “Mile High Swinging Bridge.”