When it comes to road trips, getting to your destination is half of the fun. And if you’re cruising down the charming streets of Cape Cod or traveling via the famed Route 66, you probably will find that the journey to your destination makes for the most memorable moments of a trip. With a map full of diverse highways, America boasts plenty of scenic road-trip routes for the wayfaring spirit. Through the following slideshow, our editors point you in the right direction of the 10 best treks.
- Pacific Coast Highway, California1
- Pacific Coast Highway, California
The winding roads along California’s Highway 1 provide unbeatable views of the Pacific Ocean.
- Pacific Coast Highway, California2
- Pacific Coast Highway, California
For a great mid-trip meal, stop at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Sierra Mar Restaurant at Four-Star Post Ranch Inn, just 30 miles south of Carmel.
- Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana3
- Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana
This 50-mile road in northwest Montana is a National Historic Landmark and cuts Glacier National Park in half. The two-lane, east-west drive takes you through the variety of landscapes that the park is famous for—from forests and lakes to glacial-covered mountain peaks and deep ravines.
- Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina4
- Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina
For prime photo ops, drive the Blue Ridge Parkway during the fall. The foliage starts to turn at the end of September, and colors are at their most vibrant in October.
- Olympic Peninsula, Washington5
- Olympic Peninsula, Washington
Start off on Highway 101 in Seattle for this 330-mile loop around the Olympic Peninsula to take in the picturesque shorelines and waterfalls of Washington state, as well as the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic Mountains and even the Hoh and Quinault rainforests.
- Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania and Delaware6
- Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania and Delaware
Located between southern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, this 12-mile stretch from Kennett Square Pa. to Wilmington, Del. may be the shortest of our trips, but it’s no less worthy of a drive. Routes 100 and 52 wind through the scenic country of the Brandywine Valley that once was home to American aristocracy of the 20th-century, and the roads are still lined with their summer estates.
- Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania and Delaware7
- Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania and Delaware
Before you leave Kennett Square, Pa. to embark on the drive through the pristine countryside of the Brandywine Valley, stop at the 1,077 acre-Longwood Gardens, which has 20 indoor gardens, an outdoor topiary and spring-fed lakes.
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts8
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts
This 40-mile trip that winds through Cape Cod on Route 6A will take you past a variety of quaint East Coast towns — think Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster and Orleans — so you can explore the historic charm of the area.
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts9
- Cape Cod, Massachusetts
From the town of Orleans on Route 6A, take Route 28 to Chatham and treat yourself to fresher-than-fresh seafood at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star restaurant Twenty-Eight Atlantic—keep in mind, though, it’s only open between April and December.
- Columbia River Highway, Oregon10
- Columbia River Highway, Oregon
Construction began on Oregon’s historic Columbia River Highway in 1913—it was considered one of the greatest engineering feats at that time. Today the highway is a National Historic Landmark and offers drivers spectacular views of the area’s waterfalls, including Multnomah Falls, and overlooks the Columbia River Gorge.
- Red Rock Country, Arizona11
- Red Rock Country, Arizona
Begin your Arizona adventure relaxing at Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician in Phoenix. Then hit the road for this 100-mile drive on Interstate 17 north to see the Montezuma Castle National Monument, an impressively preserved ancient cliff dwelling. Next follow state route 179 north (it’s also known as the Red Rock Scenic Byway) to Sedona and visit the Slide Rock State Park where you can slide down the natural waterslides carved into the rock.
- Outer Banks, North Carolina12
- Outer Banks, North Carolina
North Carolina Highway 12 follows the state’s coastline and links the islands of the northern Outer Banks. For the 100-mile route, start in the town of Corolla and head south to Kill Devil Hills to visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial, the spot where the duo made some of their famous first flights. Next, make a stop (via US-64) on Roanoke Island — known for its history of early American settlers — and walk the streets of the small town of Manteo.
- Route 66: Chicago to Arizona13
- Route 66: Chicago to Arizona
There’s probably no more recognizable highway in America than Route 66. It was one of the original roadways that ran all the way from Chicago to L.A., but has since been replaced by the Interstate Highway System. So for this drive, you’ll have to follow the historic Route 66 as closely as you can by starting in downtown Chicago on I-55 south and heading to St. Louis where you should visit the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Keep west on I-70 where you’ll pass through Kansas mining towns.
- Route 66: Chicago to Arizona14
- Route 66: Chicago to Arizona
Continue west from Amarillo on US-56 to Santa Fe before the last leg—if you time it right, you can make a delicious pit stop for dinner at Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Geronimo. Then jump on Interstate 40 at Albuquerque to end this epic trip at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim in Williams, Ariz.
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Photos Courtesy of iStock/ Pgiam, Post Ranch Inn, iStock/Laurin Johnson, David Restivo/National Park Service, iStock/WerksMedia, The Biltmore Company, iStock/oksanaphoto, Hastings House Country House Hotel, iStock/AndrewKlafter, iStock/whammer121736, iStock/KenWiedemann, Wequassett, Sumio Koizumi, iStock/Debi Bishop, iStock/JenniferPhotographyImaging, iStock/Luchschen, iStock/MarkVanDykePhotography, iStock/Anthony Hall, iStock/DNY59 and iStock/Giedrius Dagys
