The 10 Best National Scenic Byways in the US are the kind of drives that turn a simple “let’s go for a ride” into a full-on travel memory. These routes are famous for scenery plus the history, culture, and natural landmarks that come with it. Some are best in peak fall color, some are made for summer road trips, and a few feel like they were designed for sunrise and sunset photography on purpose. If you’ve been waiting for an excuse to plan the ultimate U.S. drive, start here.
Blue Ridge Parkway
If you want a drive that feels like the “highlight reel” of the Appalachian Mountains, take Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to North Carolina—it stretches about 469 miles and most travelers give it around four days so it doesn’t feel rushed. Fall is the headline season here, and higher elevations can start changing as early as late September, with most color typically showing up across October. You’ll roll past overlooks, waterfalls, and trailheads that basically beg for “just one more stop,” and the best moments are often the quiet ones—fog lifting off ridgelines right as the sun hits the trees.
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Florida Keys Scenic Highway
The Florida Keys Scenic Highway is pure ocean therapy—about 106.5 miles of tropical color that links the Keys toward Key West, with no fee to drive it. The real magic is how often the road looks like it’s floating, especially when you hit big bridge stretches like the Seven Mile area where water turns every shade of blue-green. Plan this one around sunrise or golden hour, because the light off the water makes even a basic pull-off feel cinematic, and it’s one of those routes where you’ll keep saying, “Okay, last photo… for real this time.”
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Historic Columbia River Highway
Oregon’s Historic Columbia River Highway is a waterfall-and-overlook dream route, built around those big dramatic views of the Columbia River Gorge (yes, the kind that make you pull over without thinking). It’s especially beautiful in spring when wildflowers show up, and it also traces deep history—this corridor connects to the story of the Columbia River as the final leg of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and an early pathway tied to the Oregon Trail. If you time it right, you can watch mist hang in the canyon near falls like Multnomah, then drive a few minutes and feel like you’ve entered a completely new landscape.
Pacific Coast Scenic Byway – Oregon
The Pacific Coast Scenic Byway – Oregon is the classic “windows down, salty air” road trip—about 363 miles, and twelve hours is the quick drive, but it’s way better when you stretch it into a full day (or two) of stops. You’re basically traveling between two worlds the whole time: Pacific Ocean on one side and forested hills on the other, with lighthouse views, beaches, and small coastal towns breaking up the drive. Summer brings longer daylight, but shoulder seasons can feel calmer, moodier, and honestly more “Oregon” in the best way.
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Kancamagus Scenic Byway
New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Scenic Byway cuts straight through the heart of the White Mountains, and it’s one of the most satisfying short scenic drives in the U.S. because it packs so much into one corridor. You’ll find overlooks, trail access, and stops like the Russell Colbath Historic Site, plus forest discovery areas that make the drive feel like a moving nature museum. If you can, plan it for peak fall (late September into October is the usual sweet spot), when the colors are so intense the whole road feels like it’s glowing.
Beartooth Highway
The Beartooth Highway is short but legendary—about 68.7 miles and often called one of the most dramatic mountain drives in America, linking you toward the Yellowstone region with nonstop alpine scenery. You climb into high elevation territory where views go wide-open and the air feels sharper, and it’s the kind of road where weather can change fast even in summer. Give yourself the full two to three hours so you can actually stop and take it in instead of white-knuckling the curves and missing the point. It’s one of those drives where you’ll finish and immediately want to rewind and do it again.
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Scenic Byway 12
Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 is a red-rock masterclass—about 124 miles climbing and dipping through canyons, plateaus, and high-elevation valleys from roughly 4,000 to 9,000 feet. What makes it special is how many layers it carries at once: archaeology, culture, and that classic American West feeling where the land looks endless and ancient. Drive it in spring or fall if you can, when temperatures feel friendly and the scenery looks extra crisp under clear skies. Every bend feels like a reveal, like the road is showing off on purpose.
San Juan Skyway
Colorado’s San Juan Skyway is a high-country loop with serious range—about 233 miles, and while it’s technically a five-hour drive, the best version is spreading it across one or two days. You’re rolling through big mountain scenery with nearby historic towns, and the route is known for that “road to the sky” feeling—peaks, deep valleys, and viewpoints that make you forget your phone exists. It’s especially unforgettable in late summer into early fall, when wildflowers fade into golden aspens and every curve feels like a postcard.
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North Shore Scenic Drive
Minnesota’s North Shore Scenic Drive follows the shoreline of Lake Superior, so the views have that “ocean energy,” but with pine forests and rugged cliffs. It’s famous for all-season road tripping, with multiple state parks and scenic overlooks that make it easy to build a full itinerary without forcing it. Come in fall for color, come in summer for beachy stops and hiking, or come in winter if you want the lake to feel wild and cinematic. This is the kind of drive where you’ll stop for “just a quick view” and accidentally stay an hour.
Historic Route 66
The legend of the open road lives on Historic Route 66, the “Mother Road” formed in 1926 and now celebrated across multiple states with that unmistakable Americana vibe. While you can blast through sections quickly, it’s a lot more fun when you slow down and actually stop for the diners, neon, murals, and roadside history. This is the route that turns gas stations, motels, and main streets into the attraction—because here, the journey isn’t background noise, it’s the whole point. And with 2026 marking Route 66’s 100-year anniversary, it’s a perfect time to experience it while the hype is real.
