These are eight of the best-known drives in the United States, from the 2,400-mile Route 66 to the 64-mile Road to Hana on Maui. For each one you get the distance, the main stops and when to go. Two of them (Going-to-the-Sun Road and Trail Ridge Road) are only fully open in summer, so check the season before you book flights.
1. Route 66: Chicago to Santa Monica
Established in 1926 as one of the original highways in the US Highway System, "The Mother Road" ran 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, passing through eight states and three time zones. Although it was officially decommissioned in 1985 after being bypassed by the Interstate Highway System, large sections remain driveable, and it draws drivers from around the world. Our Route 66 route page has the full line on a map.
The appeal is the Americana: neon-lit diners, vintage motels with hand-painted signs, quirky roadside attractions, and small towns that time seems to have gently passed by. The Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo (ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in a field), the Blue Whale of Catoosa in Oklahoma, and the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona, where you sleep in concrete tepees, are just a few of the hundreds of landmarks that line the route.
Route 66 by state
- Illinois - Chicago to St. Louis, through the cornfields and small towns of the Midwest
- Missouri - The Ozark Mountains, Meramec Caverns, and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis
- Kansas - A brief 13-mile stretch through the southeastern corner of the state
- Oklahoma - More driveable miles of the original road than any other state, and a lot of Native American heritage
- Texas - The Panhandle, Cadillac Ranch, and the midpoint marker in Adrian
- New Mexico - Santa Fe, Albuquerque's Old Town, and the high desert
- Arizona - Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater, and the approach to the Grand Canyon
- California - The Mojave Desert, the San Bernardino Mountains, and the final stretch to the Pacific
Allow at least two weeks for the full route. The EZ66 Guide by Jerry McClanahan is the standard turn-by-turn guide and very useful for sections where the original road has been rerouted, overlaid by interstates, or simply crumbled back into the desert.
Plan this trip starting from Chicago to map out every stop along The Mother Road.
2. Pacific Coast Highway, California
California State Route 1, commonly known as the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), is one of the best coastal drives in North America. The most celebrated section runs 123 miles from Monterey to Morro Bay, passing through Big Sur, where the Santa Lucia Mountains plunge directly into the Pacific Ocean and the road is carved into cliffs hundreds of feet above the waves.
The Bixby Creek Bridge, a 714-foot concrete arch bridge completed in 1932, is the most photographed structure on the route and has appeared in countless films, television shows, and car adverts. McWay Falls, where an 80-foot waterfall drops onto a beach, is the other big stop.
But Big Sur is just one section. The full PCH experience runs from Dana Point in Orange County north to Leggett in Mendocino County, covering approximately 655 miles. Malibu, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and the Mendocino coast are all worth time too.
The US drives on the right, so if you want the ocean-side lane and the easiest pull-offs at viewpoints, drive it southbound, from San Francisco towards Los Angeles. See our Pacific Coast Highway route page for the line and stops. Plan this trip to build your perfect California coast itinerary.
3. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia to North Carolina
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Designed as a scenic leisure drive with a maximum speed limit of 45 mph, it is the most visited unit of the National Park System, attracting over 14 million visitors annually.
The parkway was built between 1935 and 1987, making it one of the longest-running public works projects in American history. Every mile is engineered for beauty: there are no commercial vehicles, no billboards, and no traffic lights. The road follows the ridge line, providing constant panoramic views of the Appalachian Mountains, with over 200 overlooks inviting you to stop and absorb the scenery.
Seasonal highlights
- Spring (April-May) - Wildflowers, dogwood blossoms, and rhododendron blooms at lower elevations
- Summer (June-August) - Lush green canopy, temperatures 10-15°F cooler than the valleys below, and clear mountain views
- Autumn (October) - The busiest season, with peak fall colour usually in mid-October
- Winter (December-February) - Sections may be closed due to ice and snow, but open stretches are very quiet
The Linn Cove Viaduct near milepost 304 is one of the most complex concrete bridges ever built, curving around the side of Grandfather Mountain. There's a small visitor centre beside it. For fall colour, check the parkway's official and local tourism sites, which post foliage reports through the autumn.
4. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana
Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is a 50-mile mountain road that crosses the Continental Divide at Logan Pass (6,646 feet). Completed in 1932 after over a decade of construction, it is considered one of the most difficult roads ever built in North America and was designated a National Historic Landmark and a National Civil Engineering Landmark.
The road climbs from the shores of Lake McDonald through dense cedar forests, past the Weeping Wall, where water runs onto the road, to above the treeline, where you'll often see mountain goats. Along the Garden Wall the road is cut into a cliff face with a long drop on the outside.
Vehicle restrictions apply: no vehicles longer than 21 feet or wider than 8 feet are permitted on the middle section. The park has used timed-entry or vehicle reservations in peak summer in recent years, and the rules change, so check the National Park Service site before you go.
5. Overseas Highway, Florida Keys
The Overseas Highway (US Route 1) runs 113 miles from Florida City to Key West, crossing 42 bridges over open ocean to connect the Florida Keys. The Seven Mile Bridge, one of the longest bridges in the world when it was completed in 1982, is the centrepiece, with open water either side.
The route follows the path of Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad, completed in 1912 and destroyed by the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Remnants of the original railroad bridges are visible alongside the modern road, and you can walk or cycle parts of the old Seven Mile Bridge.
Key stops along the way
- Key Largo - John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first undersea park in the US
- Islamorada - The "Sport Fishing Capital of the World," with tarpon, bonefish, and permit in the flats
- Marathon - The Turtle Hospital, a rehabilitation centre for injured sea turtles
- Bahia Honda Key - Consistently rated one of the best beaches in the United States
- Key West - Ernest Hemingway's home, Duval Street, and the Southernmost Point marker
6. Trail Ridge Road, Colorado
Trail Ridge Road (US Route 34) traverses Rocky Mountain National Park for 48 miles between Estes Park and Grand Lake, reaching a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet, making it the highest continuous paved road in the United States. For 11 miles, the road runs above the treeline through genuine alpine tundra, the kind of landscape you'd expect much further north.
The Alpine Visitor Centre sits at 11,796 feet, and elk are common on the slopes below. The road typically opens for the season in late May and closes in October, depending on snowfall. Even in summer, temperatures at the top can be 30°F cooler than at the base, and afternoon thunderstorms are common.
7. The Great River Road, Minnesota to Louisiana
The Great River Road follows the Mississippi River for approximately 3,000 miles from its source at Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico near Venice, Louisiana, passing through 10 states along the way. It was set up in 1938 and is one of the longest scenic byways in the country.
River towns along the way include La Crosse, Wisconsin; Dubuque, Iowa; Hannibal, Missouri (Mark Twain's hometown); and Memphis, Tennessee (Beale Street, Sun Studio and Graceland). The last stretch runs through Louisiana's Cajun country to New Orleans.
The Great River Road is marked by distinctive green pilot wheel signs in all 10 states. The route crosses the river many times and has signed sections on both banks. Allow at least two weeks for the full route; a month is more comfortable.
8. Hana Highway, Maui, Hawaii
The Hana Highway (Hawaii Route 360) runs 64 miles from Kahului to the remote town of Hana on Maui's eastern shore, featuring 620 curves and 59 bridges (most of them single-lane). The road winds through rainforest, past waterfalls and pools, and along cliff edges with views across to the Big Island on clear days.
It's slow going: the road is narrow and you'll want to stop often. Allow at least three hours each way without stops, though most people take far longer. The black sand beach at Wai'anapanapa State Park, the bamboo forest at the Pipiwai Trail, and the Seven Sacred Pools at Ohe'o Gulch are the best-known stops. Some of these now need advance reservations, so check before you set off.
Hana Highway driving tips
- Start early (before 7 AM) to avoid traffic, as the single-lane bridges create bottlenecks
- Yield to oncoming traffic on single-lane bridges; the vehicle closest to the bridge goes first
- Pull over at designated pullouts to let faster traffic pass
- Fill up your tank in Kahului; there is limited fuel in Hana
- Some rental companies prohibit driving the unpaved road past Hana; check your rental agreement
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to drive Route 66 from start to finish?
Chicago to Santa Monica is about 2,400 miles. You could do it in five or six days of hard driving, but two to three weeks gives you time for the roadside stops and side trips to the Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon. The old road isn't always signed, so take a guidebook or a saved GPS route.
What is the best time of year for a US road trip?
It depends on the route. The Blue Ridge Parkway is best in mid-October for fall foliage. Going-to-the-Sun Road and Trail Ridge Road are only fully open from June to September. The Pacific Coast Highway and Route 66 are best in spring (April-May) or autumn (September-October) when weather is pleasant and crowds are thinner. The Overseas Highway and Hana Highway are year-round destinations, though Florida's Keys are most popular from December to April (dry season) and Maui is best from April to October. As a general rule, the shoulder seasons of May and September offer the best combination of weather, access, and manageable crowds across most of the country.