Call me strange, but the fact that there's no music in any of your videos makes it so much easier to really take in what you're saying about each of these drives, and for that matter, what you're talking about in all your videos in general. On that note, that's some awesome footage you have here! I've only been on the Blue Ridge Parkway drive out of the ones you mentioned here, and it was beautiful when I went last fall. Good times. Thank you Mr. King!
Durango is my favorite city in the country and I still remember getting motion sickness when I was a kid on a road trip on the million dollar highway hahaha
I really appreciate the lack of background music. It has its place but I'm hearing impaired a little bit and I find when videos include dialogue and music, the music often drowns out the dialogue for me. I get this in a lot of TV shows so I have to use cc when available. Very entertaining video, thanks.
Agreed. A lot of it isn't just distracting, it's also often incongruous. I was watching an hilarious meme video and they were playing syrupy, emotional, Lori-Line-ish piano music in the background. I had to mute it because it was such a vibe kill.
In Colorado, instead of I-70 drive US 550 north starting in Durango. The stretch between Silverton and Ouray is known as the "Million Dollar Highway," and it is the most spectacular drive I've ever been on by far, summer or winter. Simply breathtaking!
It was absolutely fantastic, although we were going through during the winter after a snowstorm and it was nighttime around the time we reached Silverton, so I didn't see much of the scenery between Silverton and Durango. Seeing the San juans get closer coming from Montrose really made me think of Skyrim Also seeing the outlandish desert and the Grand Mesa going from Grand Junction to Delta gave off such cool badlands vibes I can't describe
The drive from Sedona to Flagstaff, Arizona is my personal favorite in the states. Beats anything you'll see at the Grand Canyon imo and the changes in scenery are unforgettable as you gain elevation.
Yes, I agree. It's gorgeous, especially up the switchbacks and then park at the top to see where you just came from. Another great spot is out here in the northeast. It's a toll road but worth the price. The Mount Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire.
The best section of I-70 in Colorado is the westbound drive from Gypsum to Grand Junction, following the Colorado River down through Glenwood Canyon. Mind-blowing scenery, and a lot less traffic than around the ski areas. Once traveled, never forgotten!
I've been there and yes, Glenwood Canyon is amazing! It's stunning and almost nobody goes there because either nobody has heard of it or everybody is over in vail or aspen
If you're there go try your hand at the hanging lake hike. The lake is really cool. That canyon has had a ton of major mud slides change it in the past 2 years after the Grizly Creek fire burned through the canyon and around NoName area.
A great scenic drive in Northern Arizona is on AZ-89A between Sedona and Flagstaff. It goes right through Oak Creek Canyon driving up the Colorado Plateau. 🚵
Yes! I cheated and extended the drive all the way to Truckee. Honestly, if given the choice between that drive and Big Sur... I'm going eastern high sierras. I'd imagine that's a minority opinion though
Completely agree - just finished a motorcycle ride - basically a CA loop. North up the coast (but Big Sur was closed halfway up so had to take 101). Got as far as Crater Lake then came down eastern side of CA - mostly 395, zizagging across the Sierras south of Tahoe. Awesome.
Major omission is the North Cascades highway in northern Washington over Rainy and Washington Pass. It's called the American Alps for a reason, stunning lakes, snowcapped peaks, towering mountains, it's truly epic. It starts on the wet side of the state and ends in the desert - pretty unique for the lower 48. It's very remote and closes in the winter so very few people have driven it.
came here to comment this. drove it on my move to WA and it was a genuinely spiritual experience - i’ve done most of the drives on this list but nothing comes close to doing the North Cascades in the fog. just otherworldly beauty.
Sheila, from Cody, extend the drive on U.S. 14/16/20 the gorgeous "Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway" thru Wapiti Valley, on the way to the East entrance of Yellowstone... lots of grizzlies here...
I was driving East out of Yellowstone and just before reaching Cody saw something on a wide open range. We pulled over and took a long range photo of a complete Bob's Big Boy Statue on a pedestal! Can't imagine anything more out of place.
I've just come back from a 4 week U.S. vacation (I am an Aussie) - spent much of that time in Southern Utah and I agree with Kyle about how spectacular it is, Bryce Canyon is absolutely incredible. Its not just the destinations though, every mile of the drive is beautiful, you often find yourself driving through canyons or around sandstone monuments. Stunning.
I just got done driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway last June. Took me 3 days to do it, stayed at a beautiful resort called the Switzerland Inn. Stopped at all the major lookouts, took so many photos, hiked on a trail under the famous bridge. Quite possibly the most spectacular experience in my life. If you ever have a chance to drive the entire length, please do so, it’s a marvelous treat.
It's awesome to see that someone acknowledges the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! So often it gets overlooked when people talk about beautiful areas of this country, but having traveled cross country several times and seen the oceans and mountains, the UP is still one of my favorite places, even though I grew up here. I would always have to drive that route when I was going back and forth to college at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, and I loved driving not just the route you mentioned, but through the entire UP. For all you commentors on here who haven't traveled to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or even the Northern Lower Peninsula, you need to add it to your travel bucket list. Totally worth the adventure!
Agreed! One of my favorite drives/road trips I've done was across the UP. People don't realize how beautiful Michigan is and the Great Lakes. I grew up by Lake Michigan but the Lake Superior coast is just stunning.
Welp, it's next...last on my list. I've visited every state except one: Michigan (if you don't count changing planes in Detroit) so I look forward to that, it's just out of the way I think in people's travel plans.
It needs to be done both in the Summer and in the dead of Winter. You will never feel more alone than a mid January 2am stop along the darker areas of M28. Just pull off and kill the lights and get out of the car and listen to silence that only too much snow and too few people can create...When you hear the sound of branches breaking getting closer. (probably nothing but you may think it's time to get moving again).
YES!!! So Happy to see Teddy Roosevelt get some love and attention!! We visited TR in 2019 on our way home from a trip to Glacier and were blown away by the beauty and the ABUNDANT wildlife! We were only there a few hours (and got to see a magical sunset) and absolutely loved it! Very underrated National Park!
We are from Louisiana and drove through about 11 years ago... beautiful. What was crazy, is the only other vehicle we saw and ended up behind was on older couple, who didn't appear to have much money, in a 40 year old pick up truck with Louisiana plates, almost 2,000 miles from home. We got a blowout leaving, which took us 2 days & stopped us from me getting back to Glacier again for the first time since '96. Did you take US2 all the way from Glacier? I've always wondered about that middle-of-nowhere area in central Montana a bit south of US2 around the Missouri river.
@@antonboldsword3770 No, I think we took 87 and 200 through Montana on the way to ND. Miles and miles and miles of just wide open space. Definitely have to make sure to have a full tank of gas!
@@emmadoggyI'd never even heard of Teddy Roosevelt np and never would've thought of north Dakota to have landscape like that but I just happened to stumble apon it at sunset while driving to Glacier and it was so beautiful I decided to turn off the highway and drive around for a while and I got an awesome picture of some wild horses with the sunset in the background
Have driven or ridden the whole length of this coast more than once My favorite stretch is the southern part, Gold Beach to Brookings especially, because the road is nearly all right alongside the ocean.. Plenty of turnouts for the spectacular views, and much less traffic there. The continuation of the coastal highway into the "Lost Coast" of northern California is also stunning. Drove that once, turning inland at Arcata to take the road across the Trinity Alps to Redding, and on to Lassen Volcanic NP--all so beautiful. (So is the drive across the NP.)
This was an illusion filmed in a studio. What Oregon coast? Never happened. You don’t wanna. Harris Beach? Impossible. Arch Rock is a movie prop. Would anyone real name a park Port Orford Heads? You wouldn’t want to veer off to Cape Arago and Simpson Reef, would you? No, I don’t actually have 6 pictures across time from Heceta Head. And, chuckle, Devil’s Punchbowl, please. This all seems like a plot to distract people from (north of Lincoln City) the Three Capes Scenic Drive, but if you quote me on that, I’ll deny all of it and drag your name through the ample mud. (Sigh. Luna Sea Fish House in Yachats doesn’t exist, either. No, it’s not actually fish so fresh that even my wife looks forward to it.)
Great picks! Definitely need a part 2 here, so here are some recommendations: - Southern Utah in its entirety (expanding on your top pick), including Monument Valley/Moki Dugway - New Hampshire Route 1A in Rye - i-87 between Lake George and Plattsburgh (Adirondacks, New York) - Something in or near Yosemite - Vermont Route 100 - i-84 thru the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon - Lake Shore Drive in Illinois and FDR Drive in New York if you consider the urban vistas scenic too!
The Moqui Dugway is one of the most beautiful if scary stretches of road imaginable! I love Utah rte. 12, but the whole ride from Kayenta across Monument Valley to Mexican Hat, and on up via Moab (Arches and Canyonlands) to meet the I-70 is so beautiful--with possible side roads to the Goosenecks of the San Juan, the southern entrance to Canyonlands (Dugout Ranch), the NPs near Moab, Dead Horse Point, the roads along the Colorado E and W from Moab ...I love the Columbia River Gorge, too.
I-84 through the Columbia Gorge, eh. Try the old Columbia River Scenic Highway out of Troutdale over the hills, eventually to the Women’s Forum Viewpoint, Crown Point, and then most of the waterfalls to Multnomah Falls. East of Multnomah Falls, be advised that some attractions are still closed because of the fire in 2017 while trails are being reconstructed. I would argue that the partial loss of the tree canopy perhaps adds more viewing opportunities, but the burn will dampen some hearts. Then hit the freeway to Cascade Locks, drive over the Bridge of the Gods (toll bridge), and go west on Washington 14. Climbing Beacon Rock or Mount Hamilton is worth some great views on their own. You’ll also get some good views of the south side from that highway.
Drove Escalante towards Bryce and Zion in 2008. Seeing this video is the first time I’d heard the term Hogback for that stretch of the road, and yes, that is freaky. Taking it in October means adding the bright yellow of the aspens to that scene (not much variation… I can point to US 89 in the north to find that in October or late September for more variation). Bryce Canyon and Zion, need I say more?
The Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains of NH should be on this list but I understand not everyone can travel around the country checking all these scenic highways out. I do appreciate your videos and thank you for posting them here. The Kancamagus Highway is a 34.5 mile stretch of highway that goes through The White Mountains of NH. It only takes about an hour if you don't make any stops but the scenery is so amazing you will be finding yourself making several stops along the way. It is on NH Route 112 and goes from Lincoln, NH to North Conway, NH. It is a beautiful drive with some of the best scenery in the North East.
The Colombia River Gorge (along border of Oregon and Washington) is a drive I never get tired of. There's a 2 lane road on the north side in Washington and I-84 on the Oregon side.
We live in New Jersey and had never been west of Ohio but about 10 years ago we decided to drive to Yellowstone in Wyoming and then down to Arizona and come back east from there. We only had one or two reservations, one at the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, but the rest of the time we just stopped when we felt like it. Anyway, we didn't plan ahead all that well and were driving south through Utah when we decided to stop at Hurricane for the night. From where we were we needed to take Route 9 west to get there. We had no idea we were going to go through a part of Zion National Park and actually hadn't heard of it until then. What an amazing surprising treat! All of that area of Utah is a postcard, but that little drive through Zion was a big highlight of our trip and we had no idea we were going to see such beauty.
I have done most of these, but the Beartooth highway from Red Lodge, Mt to Yellowstone National Park is the most memorable for me. The views from Beartooth Pass are sensational.
You are right. A few years ago we did a cross country trip from cape cod to the west coast. The highlight was travelling from Rocky Mountain National Park to Rte70W then got off in Cisco Ut, down 128 into Castle Valley along the Colorado river. We continued through all of Utah's national parks to the Grand Canyon. Trip of a lifetime! Contrary to what we're force fed on the news, this is a beautiful country full of amazing people.
He missed the 101 and 112 on the north and west side of olimpic national park in Waahington. That is my fav after blueridge parkway. I love the west side. The combo of beaches and rain forest make lovely and its super remote.
the most recent drive i took that blew my mind was AZ’s highways 260 and 87. the descent from the Colorado plateau through the Tonto National Forest and into the Valley was pretty much unlike anything I’ve seen. A descent of some ~5,000ft and watching the landscape slowly transform from thick ponderosa forests to sonoran desert was honestly breathtaking
St. George UT --> Zion NP --> Bryce Canyon NP --> Capital Reef NP --> Arches NP --> Canyonlands NP --> Moab --> Mesa Verde NP --> Durango ---> Ouray --> Glenwood Springs --> Denver. A spectacular zig-zag route through the Intermountain West and Rockies.
That route 70 through Colorado IS the most gorgeous I've seen. This is along through southern Utah where it gets green and OH SO BEAUTIFUL. I agree with you there. Don't know where I was in North Carolina but driving through those mountains was majestic. The Big Sur drive up the coast is surreal as well. Thanks for the post!
I would add Highway 287 from Ennis, MT to West Yellowstone. It goes through the Madison River Valley with fly fishermen in the river and beautiful mountains as a backdrop. It looks like you are driving through someone's beautiful painting.
Great list. You’re probably the only person who could entice me to visit North Dakota. Which you have done. I’d add the drive from Santa Fe, through Taos, to Durango. There’s not one particular breathtaking spot, but the variety of geographical features and ecosystems on that route is stunning.
What? The view west from on top of the Taos pass is certainly breathtaking. I agree with you that it is a great drive. But I think you are going the wrong way. Head up to Pagosa instead of Durango and you will see what I mean.
UTAH, BABY! Last Saturday I drove from my house in Salt Lake clear down to Capitol Reef NP, did some hiking, took pictures, catnapped in the orchards/campgrounds, then drove straight back home. Pretty stupid thing to do with today's gas prices, but TOOOOOTALLY worth it. I went to Southern Utah University near Zion and one year for spring break my buddy and I took one route to Moab and a completely different route back. That trip was so damn fun.
Cap Reef is underrated b/c it's harder to get to than Zion or Bryce. And I've taken that Utah Route 12 from Bryce to Cap Reef a couple times - insanely stunning scenery.
Some other beautiful drives that deserve a mention: 1. North Cascades Hwy, WA 2. Columbia River between Portland & Hood River, OR 3. Going-to-the-Sun Rd, MT (through Glacier Natl Park) 4. Rim of the World Hwy, CA (just north of San Bernardino) 5. Lake Tahoe, CA
We just recently retired, living in Vancouver, BC, Canada and just recently completed an 11,000 mile journey through most of the southwest states of America all the way to Galveston, Texas. We agree with you the Bryce Canyon was by far the most beautiful national park that you can visit.
Drove that exact part of the Oregon coast during the summer of 2020 and I agree with you. Absolutely beautiful, and it's great to be able to stop at any place along the road and explore the shore since, as you mentioned, the entire Oregon coast is public. Your videos are great! You ARE the Geography King!
Great list! Honorable mentions for interstates include I-84 along the Columbia Gorge (Oregon), I-5 southbound from Ashland, Oregon to Mt. Shasta City, California, I-15 through northwestern Arizona (the Virgin River Gorge), and I-95 along the southern Florida coast. Honorable mentions for other scenic drives include US 97 (all of it, but especially the stretch from Goldendale to Yakima, Washington -- great views of the Cascades), US 101 along the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula and Hood Canal in Washington, and US 395 along the eastern Sierras in California. So hard to pick just 10!
Out of Ashland, an early version of old Highway 99 is now (sparsely) marked as Oregon 273 and goes a different route to the California border where it rejoins at Hilt.. The climb going south is nuts, but there’s a payoff at the summit with views of Mount Ashland and the surroundings. I would not want to tow anything on that road FYI. In another segment of this discussion, I talked up Washington 20 starting off 101. Hood Canal is definitely nice, taking a detour from Port Angeles up to Hurricane Ridge is exquisite, and while Washington’s Pacific coastline is mostly meh compared to California (and the Oregon Coast, nah, doesn’t actually exist), Ruby Beach is the shining exception. I can agree with parts of 395. I think it’s especially important to find yourself going south from Mono Lake and near Mammoth on that route to make the eye-watering descent into Bishop. THEN you have the Owens Valley, rising 10,000 feet above on both sides, the scope of it being the most impressive part. Though someday I dream of US 89, all the way from Canada to Flagstaff, “plus”. It only brings you by Glacier, Yellowstone, Bear Lake, Logan Canyon, Bryce, the back door to Zion, back door to Grand Canyon, then if you go further on the former alignment, Sedona and Prescott and further.
32 years ago, there was a tire ad on TV that listed a choice of roads said to be “the most fun per mile.” This included the entirety of Washington 20 (Discovery Bay at the west end, Newport at practically the Idaho border to the east). I lived two blocks from the highway in Oak Harbor at the time. I swore to drive its length, and I certainly covered the western half of it, but never got around to a full drive of it, or at least nearly one. Until 10 days before this writing, that is. What I learned is that (1) I was too impatient to appreciate North Cascades when I was 24-25, and (2) don’t wait for a sunny day. If anything, my pictures in the clouds and sporadic rain were well worth the soaking I got, and were possibly better than the same pics in sunshine. Between the glacial flour in the Skagit River and Diablo Lake, Gorge Creek Falls, and the scenery around the passes, it’s certainly up there as a drive. Thing is, between the old west town of Winthrop to the east and Deception Pass and the ferry to Port Townsend to the west, there really is a lot to recommend taking most of Washington 20. Perhaps you could even argue that the desert climate of the Okanagan Valley has some value, and I got a surprise how much of the highway east of the town of Republic (White Mountain, Lake Roosevelt/Columbia River, the Selkirks and the Pend Oreille) were anything but desert. The weather may have obscured some of it that day, and I do think the real value is Winthrop and westward.
@@PCSPounder I did a 6 day motorcycle ride with some friends recently along the places you spoke of. We started in White Salmon, went up to Cougar, Mt St Helens, to the coast, up the Olympic to Port Angeles, took the Port Townsend ferry to Whidbey, over Deception Pass, along Hwy 20 to North Cascades, Winthrop, Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Yakima, Packwood, Mt Rainier and back down to White Salmon. It was a pretty amazing loop, only wished I waited 1 month, as it was unfortunately colder/wetter this past June. North Cascades are pretty amazing, only thing in the lower 48 I've seen similar would be up in Glacier NP.
Height of Land might have been the most beautiful single spot I've been to. I got stuck in the snow there one time, but some helpful folks brought me some food, a beer, and some...oregano...while I waited two hours for the tow truck.
Loved the views. The Talimena Trail between western Arkansas/ eastern Oklahoma I did about 30 yrs ago was SO beautiful, a mountain range on both sides of the road. You were driving over the tops it seemed. I've seen quite a few mountain roads in Eastern US, this one was different. I'll never forget it.
I just came back from going thru the Poconos to Bethel woods, thru CT into RI. The forest roads thru bumfuck NY and the surprising mountainous highway thru Connecticut
@@thatmichiganguy next time I go that direction I'll check it out, it looks wicked in Google. And a baby bobcat omggg!! I took 84 across to 691 then headed down to Essex cus I found a pizza joint by total chance. Brickyard in deep river. Amazing bro.
@@johnnessuno6515 OH, nice. What's it called? Honestly, we didn't get lucky with the food on this trip. We even tried Maine's lobster at a famous restaurant in Bangor. It was just ok. I took a lot of videos on this trip. I'm gonna upload it to my RUclips channel when I get home. Feel free to check it out!
@@thatmichiganguy the pizza spot was BrickSide Pizza in Essex off highway 9. I literally picked a spot, zoomed in on maps and searched "food". Big Kevs bbq in Bethel aswell. I deff will check em out! And food wise I personally try to go Diners Drive-ins Dives style on it and find local jawns that aren't like mom&pop spots but "best in the county" type shit. Famous for whatever idk. Hillbilly hotdogs in WV is a wicked place too.
Utah Highway 12 is the absolute best I have ever driven and I was glad that it was the Geography King's favorite. There are just so many amazingly beautiful drives in this country, but this one just keeps dazzling you and showing you something different every twenty miles or so. The Colorado Plateau is the best part of this country.
Nice! Love your videos. Was nervous that you weren't going to include Utah's highway 12. Sure enough it's number one on the list. The footage doesn't do it justice. It's absolutely mind boggling.
Two of my favorites that are a bit underrated are I-99 between State College PA and Altoona PA and then I-77 at Fancy Gap VA. Both of those spots give incredible mountain vistas.
@@oakleafwiffleleague I've only been on I-80 a handful of times. I commute between Altoona and Lancaster once a week, and always take Rt. 22, which is quite nice most of the way. (22 West to Pittsburgh isn't quite as nice.) There's one place while traveling West on 22 about 5 miles outside Duncannon that has an absolutely breathtaking view over the valley and into the mountains which seems to go on for miles and miles. That said, I've taken the Turnpike (I-76) ONCE in the past 15 years. I absolute detest the Turnpike.
@@mournblade1066 I have driven to state college from Pittsburgh for school many times over the last couple years so I am very familiar with 22. I know exactly where you’re talking about!
After being on most of the drives you mentioned, I have to say by far the most spectacular is Highway 550 from Durango thru Silverton to Ouray CO. Covers Red Mountain, Molas and Colbank Passes; all over 10,000 feet in 60 miles. Unreal rugged, dramatic high mountain scenery
man you've got a great channel. i sent a link to my daughter and she now follows and has binge watched your content....just like her dad did. thanks. i've been on five of these 10 and your favourite is one of the most spectacular i have ever driven. safe travels.
G'Day, I am from Australia and spent 6 years in an RV exploring the US, Canada, and Mexico between 2003 and 2009. I agree with the drives you posted and there are many more, but I have to thank you for a marvelous video, excellent filming, and voice-over. It brought back many memories. Thank you, keep filming.
Olympic National Park is one of the most scenic places. Great hiking, especially Mt Ellinore, but also very pretty just driving through on Hwy 101, especially at Lake Crescent.
Having lived in central WA for some years, the drive along hwy 17 from Ephrata to Dry Falls is a good road with some impressive scenery. The hwy goes through the remains of the westernmost Missoula Floods. Ancient water falls that were dug out by the flood and then were cut off from the rivers or lakes and so are now steep cliffs with colorful algae pools at the base. Eventually you end up at Moses Lake and the scenery is more reminiscent of river beds. Because it was at one time.
@@antonboldsword3770 In this area, they are all back roads. Hwy 17 is 2 lane twisty bendy and light on traffic. In some stretches, it is the only road through the canyons and coulees
Done all of these but Maine and the Keys. Personal Adds: Beartooth Highway, Washington 20 from Sedro-Wooley through North Cascades NP, and the MN North Shore (MN61) from Duluth through Thunder Bay ON. Just after the snowmelt almost a dozen waterfalls less than a half mile walk from roadside pullouts
I was also gonna recommend MN 61 along Minnesota’s North Shore. I’m biased since I’m a Native Minnesotan and went to college in Duluth, but it’s always fantastic to go driving/camping along the shores of Lake Superior!
Yes, yes, to Beartooth Highway and the North Cascades. Also north entrance to Yellowstone, from Livingston was well named Paradise Valley. I hope it has survived the floods.
MN North Shore is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. It’s incredibly beautiful. Fell in love the first time and have been back a number times since. We are lucky to live just five hours from Duluth which makes it much easier to visit.
The road to Ely, MN from the northshore is a real standout, too! Then on to around Virginia, MN from there. I still have my Gooseberry Falls sweatshirt, from north of Duluth.
US-212 Beartooth highway US-550 Million Dollar highway Utah-95 Utah-128 US-395 (eastern sierra) I-84 Columbia River Gorge US-89 Flagstaff to Kanab I-15 Virgin River Gorge Colorado-82 Aspen to Twin Lakes Colorado-5 Mt Evans
Several people have mentioned the Kancamagus Highway in NH, but you can do a loop with "the Kanc", US302 through Crawford Notch, then US3 to I-93 and down through Franconia Notch, just a spectacular drive through the White Mountains. Also, Rte. 100 through Vermont has to be on any list of top scenic drives in the US.
I agree. I live in NH and Crawford Notch can get overlooked at times. It is such a beautiful looking Notch and the history behind The Willey House which is has a Visitor Center on the site of the former house adds to the mystic of the area. If people don't know about The Willey House in Crawford Notch, NH they should check it out. There was a horrible landslide down the side of the mountain that is there. This was on August 28, 1826. The family(Willey) and their friends fled their home when the landslide started. They were all killed when this happened and the horrible part is their home was never touched by any of the landslide so they all would have lived if they had just stayed in their home. Seven members of the Willey family and two people who worked for them perished during this tragedy. This happened in Hart's Location, NH in Crawford Notch State Park in The White Mountain National Forest of NH.
Love this video! A lot of these drives I haven’t done before so this will give me a good starting point! My personal favorite so far is the drive between Sedona and Flagstaff AZ. Absolutely beautiful.
Another great one in Arizona is state route 87,known locally at the Beeline Hwy. between Fountain Hills and Payson. It was widened over 20 years ago and got a bunch of engineering awards. The actually dug up saguaro cactus,put them in a cactus nursery with guards and replanted them after construction was done.
The best drives I would say I have been on would be the South Coast of Alaska, driving on AK-1 just South of Anchorage. Love the mountains, sea and glaciers.
I-40, especially in eastern Tennessee near Cherokee National Park and going into North Carolina near the Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area is a very beautiful drive especially because you drive through the Appalachian Mountains. I’ve driven through there on a vacation and I found really pretty and cool to see mountains on both sides
Great video as usual! Two drives not on this list that I found spectacular were TX 17 from Balmorhea to Marfa with the loop of TX 118 and US 90 into Alpine and ID 21 and ID 75 from Lowman to Sun Valley, Idaho. I also had a couple of ideas for future videos. 1. Ranking states by how many miles of all federal and state highways that they have and 2. What counties get the most flood or fire warnings during the year. Keep up the awesome work!
I've done all of these except the Flordia Keys (bucket list), most more than once. I understand the need to include all regions of the country, but, without that restriction, here's what I would add: 1. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park. 2. Beartooth Highway, Wyoming and Montana. 3. Jackson, Wyoming to Gardiner, Montana through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I do some version of this three or four times a year and it never gets old. 4. Stowe, Vermont to Bar Harbor, Maine. This gets better if you continue down the coast of Maine to Boston. Or, as we did on our honeymoon, make it a Boston-to-Boston loop via Bar Harbor, Stowe, and Stockbridge. 5. Durango to Telluride, Colorado via Silverton. (Then, lock the hubs and do the Imogene Pass.) 6. This is probably cheating, but the in-and-out drive through Yosemite Valley coupled with a drive over Tioga Pass is pretty hard to top. 7. And, finally, Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park is lovely. Can't disagree with Big Sur, Oregon coast, the Utah loop, or the Blue Ridge Parkway (though I would start in Knoxville and go through the Smokys before connecting with it).
Kyle, I absolutely love your videos. Thank you for not falling down the "political rabbit hole" first off. Thank you for keeping your videos centered around facts and knowledge. It's so refreshing and I actually care and learn!. Please keep doing what your doing. Doing what I can to support.!.
@@GeographyKing O please come to the pacific northwest, you will be amazed I guarantee you that. From mount rainier national park, to mount st hellens, to the puget sound and Olympic national park and all of the waterfalls and hot springs... truly is the most beautiful in the whole country. Come in June when snow is mostly melted, fire ban is not in effect and rivers are full
A lot of geo vids stick to the clickbait of terrible areas, but this was nice. This country has an amazing amount of diversity and sticking to the rules of "only if I've been there" is great. Let's boost something good this time!
Some more to try - The Chief Joseph Highway in Wyoming, The Beartooth Highway in Wyoming/Montana, US 550 from Silverton north in Colorado, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado.
Nice to see the U.P. on your list! As a native Yooper, I have a tendency to take for granted the beauty that surrounds me. If you haven't already, take a drive around the Keweenaw Peninsula in your travels. The Keweenaw is breathtaking, especially during peak fall color! Great channel!
It was nice you picked spots all over the lower 48. It would be easy to pick 10 in southern Utah, Colorado, and California with another 10 to spare. Southern Utah is my personal favorite and I've been exploring for over 50 and covered most of North America camping, and backpacking. Nice job Kyle.
Bravo! I have been on every singlet one of the drives you mentined here and I completely agree with you on each and ever one of them! I think I have watched most, if not all, of your varous geograhical recommendations, such as sities to live in or to avoid, and I feel that your descriptions usually agreeing with my experiences (if I know the place!). Your information is definitley useful and I think steer people right! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.
Thanks for this video, you sure have some great scenery over there in the US. I live in the UK and consequently I have only done one of the drives that you mentioned, but it was the no. 1. We drove up from Las Vegas to southern Utah and then through Zion N.P. and on to Bryce Canyon. What impressed me was the varied landscapes and colours, from the deserty landscape around Vegas, the light red colours of Zion, then the rocks became more pale in colour and the landscape more green with vegetation. Finally there were the deep red colours at Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon. Of course there were lots of other breathtaking drives on our road trip through the South West, but that one was the highlight, most definitely. I would really love to see more of your country but I'm not sure when we'll get the chance.
Amazing that you mentioned rangeley and the height of land, my great grandpa used to own a marina on rangeley lake and i fondly remember the family reunions we had up there :)
My personal favorites: US 1 in the Florida Keys MA 2 on the Mohawk Trail in Western Massachusetts NC 12 in the Outer Banks of NC AK 3 between Anchorage and Fairbanks I-93 between Concord NH and St Johnsbury VT I-68 the whole length in Maryland and West Virginia
I've been on 8.5 of these and they are excellent!! I have not been in the UP (yet!!), and my drives through Maine when I spent my year in NH covered much of this loop. Other drives I would add are : 1) US 212 from jct US 89 in Yellowstone though the Lamar Valley and on to Red Lodge. Fantastic! My second favorite after your Utah roads, which are my favorites too. 2) US 550 from Ridgeway to Durango, especially the portion from Ouray to Silverton. This is epic. 3) Any road in any direction from Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. So beautiful. 4) Honorable mention: US 7 from Burlington to Rutland in Vermont. It's like all the towns are in compression to be the prettiest.
Awesome video! I've seen more of US geography in just a few of your videos than i have living here my whole life. North America is so gorgeous! Thank you for your hard work and keep it up!!
Coming from Greece all the way to the States from my first road trip, I have to admit that you have some of the most useful videos out there, and you helped me a lot on my passage planning.
One of the most scenic drives I have ever done was the Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park. In fact, a lot of the National Parks have some epic drives - the drive along Jenny/String Lakes in Grand Teton, the loop around Yellowstone, the main drive between NC/TN through the Smokey Mountains, the drive in Shenandoah National Park, the valley loop road in Yosemite NP, several of the one-way drives in Death Valley NP. I can certainly vouch for Loveland Pass - did that in March - absolutely epic. Overseas Hwy (The Keys) is great too - grab some key lime pie in Key Largo. Blue Ridge Parkway is great in fall - which is the time to go - I never found it overly crowded. The highest point on the Parkway is in the Pisgah National Forest south-west of Asheville - great section too - lots of waterfalls.
Missed the Going to the Sun Road, but did drive up from I-70 in Colorado to Rocky Mountain NP (west side) and across the park to Estes Park. Approach to the park is up above the baby Colorado R., and you cross the Continental Divide in the park. I think the road from Yellowstone to Jackson, WY, much of it through the Grand Teton NP is one of the best.
@@elainechubb971 Yeap. My first attempt at Going to the Sun road was blocked by an 80ft snow drift in mid-June 2002. Apparently the full drive is only open for a 2-3 months in mid-late summer. My next attempt was in July (15 years later), which was fully open and well worth the drive.
A recommendation: Labor Day Weekend. This is when the park is morally (if not officially) about to close for the season. It’s not as crowded as you’d think (certainly less so than July). Colder, sometimes the clouds obscure, but it only seemed to enhance the beauty of Glacier. It’s a moodiness you don’t expect to be as picturesque as it is.
You should take some Amtrak trains around the country sometime, especially the Empire Builder and the California Zephyr! So much stunning scenery, and it takes you places that don't have any roads for cars. A truly unique experience!
You and I seem to have similar tastes/likes in scenery. Couple of recommendations/additions. I-70 in Colorado is great, continue west and go through Glennwood Springs Canyon. Very scenic canyon. (yes I like canyons) Continue further west and just into Utah you climb the San Rafael Swell. Stop at the pull-off on the upper/west side and look back east. While we're talking canyons... The Salt River Canyon on 60 in Arizona is great. Ditto the Virgin River Canyon on 15 in Arizona. Out of the canyons... I recently drove the Florida Keys. The drive is nice, though a lot of it is through built-up towns on each little island. The scenic parts are nice, the rest is just like any other town/retail strip. Just a few days ago I drove to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. The Black Hills area up there is very scenic and incredibly green and lush. Devil's Tower is impressive. Both the Grand Circle route/tour in Utah and Pacific Coast Highway California are on my bucket list.... Oh, and in the "hidden gems" file... If you're ever heading from the Denver area to Laramie don't go up 25 to Cheyenne and west on 80. "Cut the corner" and take 287. Not on the par with Kyle's list, but still far better than droning up the interstate.
Pikes Peak in CO is a very fun drive, over 14,000 feet high (you'll feel it). It's a very easy drive, as opposed to Mt Washington in NH which is 'too steep' (LOL).
I would add the western section of I-40 from Little Rock to Ft. Smith. You drive through the Oauchita mountains. Take the Hog Trail North from I-40 to Fayetteville, then drive East on Highway 412 to the Buffalo River National Park. There are tons of parks to visit/camp. Rent a cabin, hike, kayak, fish, and go off-roading.
I would have to add “Going to the Sun Road” in Montana’s Glacier National Park.
And definitely “trail ridge road” over the top of Rocky Mountain national park
Exactly
Totally.
Agreed
Definitely going to the sun rd! Such an unreal view on the drive
Call me strange, but the fact that there's no music in any of your videos makes it so much easier to really take in what you're saying about each of these drives, and for that matter, what you're talking about in all your videos in general. On that note, that's some awesome footage you have here! I've only been on the Blue Ridge Parkway drive out of the ones you mentioned here, and it was beautiful when I went last fall. Good times. Thank you Mr. King!
Thank you! I'm not a fan of background music in videos either. It makes a video sound like an advertisement.
I agree. So many youtube videos have been ruined by cheesy background music that sounds like it was created in a lab.
Durango is my favorite city in the country and I still remember getting motion sickness when I was a kid on a road trip on the million dollar highway hahaha
I really appreciate the lack of background music. It has its place but I'm hearing impaired a little bit and I find when videos include dialogue and music, the music often drowns out the dialogue for me. I get this in a lot of TV shows so I have to use cc when available. Very entertaining video, thanks.
Agreed. A lot of it isn't just distracting, it's also often incongruous. I was watching an hilarious meme video and they were playing syrupy, emotional, Lori-Line-ish piano music in the background. I had to mute it because it was such a vibe kill.
In Colorado, instead of I-70 drive US 550 north starting in Durango. The stretch between Silverton and Ouray is known as the "Million Dollar Highway," and it is the most spectacular drive I've ever been on by far, summer or winter. Simply breathtaking!
It was absolutely fantastic, although we were going through during the winter after a snowstorm and it was nighttime around the time we reached Silverton, so I didn't see much of the scenery between Silverton and Durango.
Seeing the San juans get closer coming from Montrose really made me think of Skyrim
Also seeing the outlandish desert and the Grand Mesa going from Grand Junction to Delta gave off such cool badlands vibes I can't describe
Agree. I’ve driven many, many highways in Canada and the US and the Million Dollar Highway is a huge stand out.
Spectacular, and a white-knuckle ride!
Absolutely agree. Also, South out of Aspen is Independence Pass, another great ride.
I would argue that Unaweep-Tabeguache is the best drive in the state. But you can’t go wrong anywhere.
The drive from Sedona to Flagstaff, Arizona is my personal favorite in the states. Beats anything you'll see at the Grand Canyon imo and the changes in scenery are unforgettable as you gain elevation.
Yes, I agree. It's gorgeous, especially up the switchbacks and then park at the top to see where you just came from.
Another great spot is out here in the northeast. It's a toll road but worth the price. The Mount Washington Auto Road in New Hampshire.
I was expecting this one as well. Did it in a motorcycle my first time and it blew my mind. Feels straight out of a fairy tale
Just went to Sedona a month ago, I can heavily agree with this.
You meant Jerome to Flagstaff, right?
Route 89. Sad part… you should have seen it in the early 90’s.
The best section of I-70 in Colorado is the westbound drive from Gypsum to Grand Junction, following the Colorado River down through Glenwood Canyon. Mind-blowing scenery, and a lot less traffic than around the ski areas. Once traveled, never forgotten!
I’ve driven through the Glenwood Canyon section in Colorado and you’re right - the scenery is amazing!
I've been there and yes, Glenwood Canyon is amazing! It's stunning and almost nobody goes there because either nobody has heard of it or everybody is over in vail or aspen
this is so true!!!
Colorado is nice agree
If you're there go try your hand at the hanging lake hike. The lake is really cool. That canyon has had a ton of major mud slides change it in the past 2 years after the Grizly Creek fire burned through the canyon and around NoName area.
A great scenic drive in Northern Arizona is on AZ-89A between Sedona and Flagstaff. It goes right through Oak Creek Canyon driving up the Colorado Plateau. 🚵
West Virginia mountain roads in October are the prettiest drives that I will never forget.
Trail Ridge road in Estes Park, CO is also amazing.
U.S. 395 from Bishop, CA to Bridgeport, CA is also very under-rated. The Eastern Sierra are just stunning.
Did reno to lone pine in Oct, caught the colors perfectly.
@@elflordsjourneys That stretch between Bridgeport and Lee Vining has the best colors. Lots of Aspen trees in the valley below.
Indeed, Conway summit, Mcgee creek, rock creek all spectacular, have videos on my channel 😀
Yes! I cheated and extended the drive all the way to Truckee. Honestly, if given the choice between that drive and Big Sur... I'm going eastern high sierras. I'd imagine that's a minority opinion though
Completely agree - just finished a motorcycle ride - basically a CA loop. North up the coast (but Big Sur was closed halfway up so had to take 101). Got as far as Crater Lake then came down eastern side of CA - mostly 395, zizagging across the Sierras south of Tahoe. Awesome.
Major omission is the North Cascades highway in northern Washington over Rainy and Washington Pass. It's called the American Alps for a reason, stunning lakes, snowcapped peaks, towering mountains, it's truly epic. It starts on the wet side of the state and ends in the desert - pretty unique for the lower 48. It's very remote and closes in the winter so very few people have driven it.
Agreed... Car and Driver Magazine never leaves Hwy 20 off of a list of the best roads in America, and it's usually in the top five
came here to comment this. drove it on my move to WA and it was a genuinely spiritual experience - i’ve done most of the drives on this list but nothing comes close to doing the North Cascades in the fog. just otherworldly beauty.
WA is Switzerland in USA, plus it also has beautiful shore like California highway 1.
Yes! He likes too many desert drives. I could not in good conscious give a thumbs up for this egregious omission!
US 20
I like all of these. My personal favorite is from Red Lodge MT to Cody WY over the bear tooth pass and the Chief Joseph Senic byway
Sheila, from Cody, extend the drive on U.S. 14/16/20 the gorgeous "Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway" thru Wapiti Valley, on the way to the East entrance of Yellowstone... lots of grizzlies here...
I was driving East out of Yellowstone and just before reaching Cody saw something on a wide open range. We pulled over and took a long range photo of a complete Bob's Big Boy Statue on a pedestal! Can't imagine anything more out of place.
Thank you for beautiful video without annoying music. Usually I’m forced to mute the videos in order to enjoy.
nothing ruins a good video more than elevator music.
The scenic byway down into Kings Canyon National Park in California is another amazing drive.
I've just come back from a 4 week U.S. vacation (I am an Aussie) - spent much of that time in Southern Utah and I agree with Kyle about how spectacular it is, Bryce Canyon is absolutely incredible. Its not just the destinations though, every mile of the drive is beautiful, you often find yourself driving through canyons or around sandstone monuments. Stunning.
Utah, Alaska and Hawaii are the best US states IMO.
(Maybe the PNW too)
@@Shmancyfancy536 With you all the way, just not anchorage and not honolulu
I just got done driving the entire Blue Ridge Parkway last June. Took me 3 days to do it, stayed at a beautiful resort called the Switzerland Inn. Stopped at all the major lookouts, took so many photos, hiked on a trail under the famous bridge. Quite possibly the most spectacular experience in my life. If you ever have a chance to drive the entire length, please do so, it’s a marvelous treat.
I will.🙏🏾
If you continue on to the Skyline Drive, you will be charged a fee.
It's awesome to see that someone acknowledges the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! So often it gets overlooked when people talk about beautiful areas of this country, but having traveled cross country several times and seen the oceans and mountains, the UP is still one of my favorite places, even though I grew up here. I would always have to drive that route when I was going back and forth to college at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, and I loved driving not just the route you mentioned, but through the entire UP. For all you commentors on here who haven't traveled to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or even the Northern Lower Peninsula, you need to add it to your travel bucket list. Totally worth the adventure!
Agreed! One of my favorite drives/road trips I've done was across the UP. People don't realize how beautiful Michigan is and the Great Lakes. I grew up by Lake Michigan but the Lake Superior coast is just stunning.
100 percent agree. It is overlooked far too often for what it is.
Are you still Frozen ?
Welp, it's next...last on my list. I've visited every state except one: Michigan (if you don't count changing planes in Detroit) so I look forward to that, it's just out of the way I think in people's travel plans.
It needs to be done both in the Summer and in the dead of Winter. You will never feel more alone than a mid January 2am stop along the darker areas of M28. Just pull off and kill the lights and get out of the car and listen to silence that only too much snow and too few people can create...When you hear the sound of branches breaking getting closer. (probably nothing but you may think it's time to get moving again).
YES!!! So Happy to see Teddy Roosevelt get some love and attention!! We visited TR in 2019 on our way home from a trip to Glacier and were blown away by the beauty and the ABUNDANT wildlife! We were only there a few hours (and got to see a magical sunset) and absolutely loved it! Very underrated National Park!
We are from Louisiana and drove through about 11 years ago... beautiful. What was crazy, is the only other vehicle we saw and ended up behind was on older couple, who didn't appear to have much money, in a 40 year old pick up truck with Louisiana plates, almost 2,000 miles from home. We got a blowout leaving, which took us 2 days & stopped us from me getting back to Glacier again for the first time since '96. Did you take US2 all the way from Glacier? I've always wondered about that middle-of-nowhere area in central Montana a bit south of US2 around the Missouri river.
@@antonboldsword3770 No, I think we took 87 and 200 through Montana on the way to ND. Miles and miles and miles of just wide open space. Definitely have to make sure to have a full tank of gas!
@@emmadoggyI'd never even heard of Teddy Roosevelt np and never would've thought of north Dakota to have landscape like that but I just happened to stumble apon it at sunset while driving to Glacier and it was so beautiful
I decided to turn off the highway and drive around for a while and I got an awesome picture of some wild horses with the sunset in the background
Thanks for the Oregon Coast shoutout! Also a big fan of US 101 from Cannon Beach to Manzanita/Nehalem, great hikes off of the Oswald West State Park.
We just visited there. The Short Sand Beach hike from 101 took my breath away.
Have driven or ridden the whole length of this coast more than once My favorite stretch is the southern part, Gold Beach to Brookings especially, because the road is nearly all right alongside the ocean.. Plenty of turnouts for the spectacular views, and much less traffic there. The continuation of the coastal highway into the "Lost Coast" of northern California is also stunning. Drove that once, turning inland at Arcata to take the road across the Trinity Alps to Redding, and on to Lassen Volcanic NP--all so beautiful. (So is the drive across the NP.)
This was an illusion filmed in a studio. What Oregon coast? Never happened. You don’t wanna.
Harris Beach? Impossible. Arch Rock is a movie prop. Would anyone real name a park Port Orford Heads? You wouldn’t want to veer off to Cape Arago and Simpson Reef, would you? No, I don’t actually have 6 pictures across time from Heceta Head. And, chuckle, Devil’s Punchbowl, please. This all seems like a plot to distract people from (north of Lincoln City) the Three Capes Scenic Drive, but if you quote me on that, I’ll deny all of it and drag your name through the ample mud.
(Sigh. Luna Sea Fish House in Yachats doesn’t exist, either. No, it’s not actually fish so fresh that even my wife looks forward to it.)
the drive along the 395 in the eastern sierra nevada range in california is also incredible
Great picks! Definitely need a part 2 here, so here are some recommendations:
- Southern Utah in its entirety (expanding on your top pick), including Monument Valley/Moki Dugway
- New Hampshire Route 1A in Rye
- i-87 between Lake George and Plattsburgh (Adirondacks, New York)
- Something in or near Yosemite
- Vermont Route 100
- i-84 thru the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
- Lake Shore Drive in Illinois and FDR Drive in New York if you consider the urban vistas scenic too!
101 on the Oregon coast should be #1 out of all haha, cliffs are way bigger than Big Sur and way bigger cliffsides
1A on the New Hampshire sea coast is my favorite drive in the country, great recommendation
The Moqui Dugway is one of the most beautiful if scary stretches of road imaginable! I love Utah rte. 12, but the whole ride from Kayenta across Monument Valley to Mexican Hat, and on up via Moab (Arches and Canyonlands) to meet the I-70 is so beautiful--with possible side roads to the Goosenecks of the San Juan, the southern entrance to Canyonlands (Dugout Ranch), the NPs near Moab, Dead Horse Point, the roads along the Colorado E and W from Moab ...I love the Columbia River Gorge, too.
I 2nd Monument Valley. I loved that drive and this coming from someone who generally prefers driving next to a water source.
I-84 through the Columbia Gorge, eh. Try the old Columbia River Scenic Highway out of Troutdale over the hills, eventually to the Women’s Forum Viewpoint, Crown Point, and then most of the waterfalls to Multnomah Falls. East of Multnomah Falls, be advised that some attractions are still closed because of the fire in 2017 while trails are being reconstructed. I would argue that the partial loss of the tree canopy perhaps adds more viewing opportunities, but the burn will dampen some hearts.
Then hit the freeway to Cascade Locks, drive over the Bridge of the Gods (toll bridge), and go west on Washington 14. Climbing Beacon Rock or Mount Hamilton is worth some great views on their own. You’ll also get some good views of the south side from that highway.
Utah, yes. You nailed it. Escalante was a bonus we didn't expect to be so beautiful.
Highway 12 from Escalante to Torrey (or vise versa) is one of the most underrated drives in the country no doubt.
Drove Escalante towards Bryce and Zion in 2008. Seeing this video is the first time I’d heard the term Hogback for that stretch of the road, and yes, that is freaky. Taking it in October means adding the bright yellow of the aspens to that scene (not much variation… I can point to US 89 in the north to find that in October or late September for more variation). Bryce Canyon and Zion, need I say more?
The Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains of NH should be on this list but I understand not everyone can travel around the country checking all these scenic highways out. I do appreciate your videos and thank you for posting them here. The Kancamagus Highway is a 34.5 mile stretch of highway that goes through The White Mountains of NH. It only takes about an hour if you don't make any stops but the scenery is so amazing you will be finding yourself making several stops along the way. It is on NH Route 112 and goes from Lincoln, NH to North Conway, NH. It is a beautiful drive with some of the best scenery in the North East.
The Colombia River Gorge (along border of Oregon and Washington) is a drive I never get tired of. There's a 2 lane road on the north side in Washington and I-84 on the Oregon side.
We live in New Jersey and had never been west of Ohio but about 10 years ago we decided to drive to Yellowstone in Wyoming and then down to Arizona and come back east from there. We only had one or two reservations, one at the El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, but the rest of the time we just stopped when we felt like it. Anyway, we didn't plan ahead all that well and were driving south through Utah when we decided to stop at Hurricane for the night. From where we were we needed to take Route 9 west to get there. We had no idea we were going to go through a part of Zion National Park and actually hadn't heard of it until then. What an amazing surprising treat! All of that area of Utah is a postcard, but that little drive through Zion was a big highlight of our trip and we had no idea we were going to see such beauty.
I've done all of these except western Maine and the Florida Keys. Absolutely beautiful country. My favorite is the Oregon Coast!
I have done most of these, but the Beartooth highway from Red Lodge, Mt to Yellowstone National Park is the most memorable for me. The views from Beartooth Pass are sensational.
Beat me to it. Beartooth is fantastic. Camped right before the big assent because the road was closed all night. 34 degrees in July.
Definitely on my top 5 list
Totally agree
You are right. A few years ago we did a cross country trip from cape cod to the west coast. The highlight was travelling from Rocky Mountain National Park to Rte70W then got off in Cisco Ut, down 128 into Castle Valley along the Colorado river. We continued through all of Utah's national parks to the Grand Canyon. Trip of a lifetime! Contrary to what we're force fed on the news, this is a beautiful country full of amazing people.
I found this very useful and I took notes on the whole thing!
Can you do a part two with ten more?
Thanks!
He missed the 101 and 112 on the north and west side of olimpic national park in Waahington. That is my fav after blueridge parkway. I love the west side. The combo of beaches and rain forest make lovely and its super remote.
the most recent drive i took that blew my mind was AZ’s highways 260 and 87. the descent from the Colorado plateau through the Tonto National Forest and into the Valley was pretty much unlike anything I’ve seen. A descent of some ~5,000ft and watching the landscape slowly transform from thick ponderosa forests to sonoran desert was honestly breathtaking
I agree. Did that drive last January
Az, 89 & 89A to jerome, hwy 60 sourh of Sho Low ( Salt River Canyon), hwy191 and the road up to Mt lemmon are my favorite AZ roads
Capitol Reef in Utah has to be one of the most underrated National Parks.
Shhhh.........Utah's best kept secret(and closest red rock to SLC)
St. George UT --> Zion NP --> Bryce Canyon NP --> Capital Reef NP --> Arches NP --> Canyonlands NP --> Moab --> Mesa Verde NP --> Durango ---> Ouray --> Glenwood Springs --> Denver. A spectacular zig-zag route through the Intermountain West and Rockies.
That route 70 through Colorado IS the most gorgeous I've seen. This is along through southern Utah where it gets green and OH SO BEAUTIFUL. I agree with you there. Don't know where I was in North Carolina but driving through those mountains was majestic. The Big Sur drive up the coast is surreal as well. Thanks for the post!
I would add Highway 287 from Ennis, MT to West Yellowstone. It goes through the Madison River Valley with fly fishermen in the river and beautiful mountains as a backdrop. It looks like you are driving through someone's beautiful painting.
Great list. You’re probably the only person who could entice me to visit North Dakota. Which you have done.
I’d add the drive from Santa Fe, through Taos, to Durango. There’s not one particular breathtaking spot, but the variety of geographical features and ecosystems on that route is stunning.
What? The view west from on top of the Taos pass is certainly breathtaking. I agree with you that it is a great drive. But I think you are going the wrong way. Head up to Pagosa instead of Durango and you will see what I mean.
Some additions.
Ten Sleep Canyon, Wyoming
California State Route 1 through Marin and Sonoma Counties.
Logan Canyon east out of Logan, Utah.
I agree with I-70, I went there last year and the drive from Estes Park to Moab was amazing.
UTAH, BABY! Last Saturday I drove from my house in Salt Lake clear down to Capitol Reef NP, did some hiking, took pictures, catnapped in the orchards/campgrounds, then drove straight back home. Pretty stupid thing to do with today's gas prices, but TOOOOOTALLY worth it.
I went to Southern Utah University near Zion and one year for spring break my buddy and I took one route to Moab and a completely different route back. That trip was so damn fun.
Cap Reef is underrated b/c it's harder to get to than Zion or Bryce. And I've taken that Utah Route 12 from Bryce to Cap Reef a couple times - insanely stunning scenery.
It's only stupid if you do it and can't afford it.
@@njsongwriter 😁 Very good point.
Not remotely stupid, its what money is for.....
Go T-Birds!
Some other beautiful drives that deserve a mention:
1. North Cascades Hwy, WA
2. Columbia River between Portland & Hood River, OR
3. Going-to-the-Sun Rd, MT (through Glacier Natl Park)
4. Rim of the World Hwy, CA (just north of San Bernardino)
5. Lake Tahoe, CA
I thought for sure Going to the Sun Road would be on this list,
I was also gonna add North Cascades Hwy and the Columbia River Gorge - we're spoiled by beautiful scenic drives here in the PNW
Try Los Alamos to Jemez Springs through Valle Grande
Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina too!!
Nachez Trace
We just recently retired, living in Vancouver, BC, Canada and just recently completed an 11,000 mile journey through most of the southwest states of America all the way to Galveston, Texas. We agree with you the Bryce Canyon was by far the most beautiful national park that you can visit.
Did you do the blue ridge mountain parkway
Drove that exact part of the Oregon coast during the summer of 2020 and I agree with you. Absolutely beautiful, and it's great to be able to stop at any place along the road and explore the shore since, as you mentioned, the entire Oregon coast is public. Your videos are great! You ARE the Geography King!
The Oregon coast is amazing!
I'm going to that section of the Oregon Coast next weekend. Can't wait!
@@sirromja Enjoy!
SR 20 across the North Cascades in WA is the most beautiful drive I have experienced, 10/10.
Great list! Honorable mentions for interstates include I-84 along the Columbia Gorge (Oregon), I-5 southbound from Ashland, Oregon to Mt. Shasta City, California, I-15 through northwestern Arizona (the Virgin River Gorge), and I-95 along the southern Florida coast. Honorable mentions for other scenic drives include US 97 (all of it, but especially the stretch from Goldendale to Yakima, Washington -- great views of the Cascades), US 101 along the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula and Hood Canal in Washington, and US 395 along the eastern Sierras in California. So hard to pick just 10!
395 along the eastern sierras is my favorite road in the world. Owens Valley is an underrated piece of utterly spectacular scenery
I was amazed by the Virgin River Gorge, it was almost impossible to drive due to extreme gawking
Have been lucky enough to drive most of these and agree with them all.
Out of Ashland, an early version of old Highway 99 is now (sparsely) marked as Oregon 273 and goes a different route to the California border where it rejoins at Hilt.. The climb going south is nuts, but there’s a payoff at the summit with views of Mount Ashland and the surroundings. I would not want to tow anything on that road FYI.
In another segment of this discussion, I talked up Washington 20 starting off 101. Hood Canal is definitely nice, taking a detour from Port Angeles up to Hurricane Ridge is exquisite, and while Washington’s Pacific coastline is mostly meh compared to California (and the Oregon Coast, nah, doesn’t actually exist), Ruby Beach is the shining exception.
I can agree with parts of 395. I think it’s especially important to find yourself going south from Mono Lake and near Mammoth on that route to make the eye-watering descent into Bishop. THEN you have the Owens Valley, rising 10,000 feet above on both sides, the scope of it being the most impressive part.
Though someday I dream of US 89, all the way from Canada to Flagstaff, “plus”. It only brings you by Glacier, Yellowstone, Bear Lake, Logan Canyon, Bryce, the back door to Zion, back door to Grand Canyon, then if you go further on the former alignment, Sedona and Prescott and further.
@@PCSPounder All of those drives sound amazing! I really want to try the one out of Ashland now. Never taken it.
I would put in an HM for the North Cascades highway in WA.
And, as always, thanks for making these fun and educational videos.
Such a pretty drive. Always worth the detour
Agree. Took a day tour from Seattle years ago, up the Skagit valley to Diablo Lake. The mountains are incredible!
32 years ago, there was a tire ad on TV that listed a choice of roads said to be “the most fun per mile.” This included the entirety of Washington 20 (Discovery Bay at the west end, Newport at practically the Idaho border to the east). I lived two blocks from the highway in Oak Harbor at the time. I swore to drive its length, and I certainly covered the western half of it, but never got around to a full drive of it, or at least nearly one.
Until 10 days before this writing, that is.
What I learned is that (1) I was too impatient to appreciate North Cascades when I was 24-25, and (2) don’t wait for a sunny day. If anything, my pictures in the clouds and sporadic rain were well worth the soaking I got, and were possibly better than the same pics in sunshine. Between the glacial flour in the Skagit River and Diablo Lake, Gorge Creek Falls, and the scenery around the passes, it’s certainly up there as a drive. Thing is, between the old west town of Winthrop to the east and Deception Pass and the ferry to Port Townsend to the west, there really is a lot to recommend taking most of Washington 20. Perhaps you could even argue that the desert climate of the Okanagan Valley has some value, and I got a surprise how much of the highway east of the town of Republic (White Mountain, Lake Roosevelt/Columbia River, the Selkirks and the Pend Oreille) were anything but desert. The weather may have obscured some of it that day, and I do think the real value is Winthrop and westward.
@@PCSPounder I did a 6 day motorcycle ride with some friends recently along the places you spoke of. We started in White Salmon, went up to Cougar, Mt St Helens, to the coast, up the Olympic to Port Angeles, took the Port Townsend ferry to Whidbey, over Deception Pass, along Hwy 20 to North Cascades, Winthrop, Lake Chelan, Leavenworth, Yakima, Packwood, Mt Rainier and back down to White Salmon.
It was a pretty amazing loop, only wished I waited 1 month, as it was unfortunately colder/wetter this past June. North Cascades are pretty amazing, only thing in the lower 48 I've seen similar would be up in Glacier NP.
Going to the Sun Road at Glacier National Park in Montana is another great one!
Height of Land might have been the most beautiful single spot I've been to. I got stuck in the snow there one time, but some helpful folks brought me some food, a beer, and some...oregano...while I waited two hours for the tow truck.
Loved the views. The Talimena Trail between western Arkansas/ eastern Oklahoma I did about 30 yrs ago was SO beautiful, a mountain range on both sides of the road. You were driving over the tops it seemed. I've seen quite a few mountain roads in Eastern US, this one was different. I'll never forget it.
Yes, that is a beautiful drive! I've driven in many parts of the country, and the Talimena Trail stands out in its beauty.
I just got back from a road trip to Maine. Driving through Vermont was spectacular. Such an underrated place!
Connecticut too....
I just came back from going thru the Poconos to Bethel woods, thru CT into RI. The forest roads thru bumfuck NY and the surprising mountainous highway thru Connecticut
@@johnnessuno6515 I was surprised too. A friend took us by People's State Forest in CT and it was amazing. We got to see a baby bobcat!
@@thatmichiganguy next time I go that direction I'll check it out, it looks wicked in Google.
And a baby bobcat omggg!!
I took 84 across to 691 then headed down to Essex cus I found a pizza joint by total chance. Brickyard in deep river. Amazing bro.
@@johnnessuno6515 OH, nice. What's it called? Honestly, we didn't get lucky with the food on this trip. We even tried Maine's lobster at a famous restaurant in Bangor. It was just ok.
I took a lot of videos on this trip. I'm gonna upload it to my RUclips channel when I get home. Feel free to check it out!
@@thatmichiganguy the pizza spot was BrickSide Pizza in Essex off highway 9.
I literally picked a spot, zoomed in on maps and searched "food".
Big Kevs bbq in Bethel aswell.
I deff will check em out!
And food wise I personally try to go Diners Drive-ins Dives style on it and find local jawns that aren't like mom&pop spots but "best in the county" type shit.
Famous for whatever idk.
Hillbilly hotdogs in WV is a wicked place too.
Utah Highway 12 is the absolute best I have ever driven and I was glad that it was the Geography King's favorite. There are just so many amazingly beautiful drives in this country, but this one just keeps dazzling you and showing you something different every twenty miles or so. The Colorado Plateau is the best part of this country.
Agree.
Nice! Love your videos. Was nervous that you weren't going to include Utah's highway 12. Sure enough it's number one on the list. The footage doesn't do it justice. It's absolutely mind boggling.
Loved your videos! Like to mention trail ridge road through Rocky Mountain national park.
Two of my favorites that are a bit underrated are I-99 between State College PA and Altoona PA and then I-77 at Fancy Gap VA. Both of those spots give incredible mountain vistas.
Agreed, Pennsylvania is under appreciated in terms of its beauty.
I would say pretty much the entirety of I-99 from Bedford through State College is gorgeous.
@@mournblade1066 also I-80 from bellefonte to selinsgrove
@@oakleafwiffleleague I've only been on I-80 a handful of times. I commute between Altoona and Lancaster once a week, and always take Rt. 22, which is quite nice most of the way. (22 West to Pittsburgh isn't quite as nice.) There's one place while traveling West on 22 about 5 miles outside Duncannon that has an absolutely breathtaking view over the valley and into the mountains which seems to go on for miles and miles.
That said, I've taken the Turnpike (I-76) ONCE in the past 15 years. I absolute detest the Turnpike.
@@mournblade1066 I have driven to state college from Pittsburgh for school many times over the last couple years so I am very familiar with 22. I know exactly where you’re talking about!
Every few years I do a road trip in the UP and it's worth it every time!
My favorite is US 16 in Bighorn National Forest in WY. Those red cliffs that surround you are absolutely stunning.
After being on most of the drives you mentioned, I have to say by far the most spectacular is Highway 550 from Durango thru Silverton to Ouray CO. Covers Red Mountain, Molas and Colbank Passes; all over 10,000 feet in 60 miles. Unreal rugged, dramatic high mountain scenery
Love to see the upper Midwest, Great Lakes and North in general well represented.
man you've got a great channel. i sent a link to my daughter and she now follows and has binge watched your content....just like her dad did. thanks.
i've been on five of these 10 and your favourite is one of the most spectacular i have ever driven.
safe travels.
Thank you very much!
G'Day, I am from Australia and spent 6 years in an RV exploring the US, Canada, and Mexico between 2003 and 2009. I agree with the drives you posted and there are many more, but I have to thank you for a marvelous video, excellent filming, and voice-over. It brought back many memories. Thank you, keep filming.
Thinking of an Aussie drive where do l start
Olympic National Park is one of the most scenic places. Great hiking, especially Mt Ellinore, but also very pretty just driving through on Hwy 101, especially at Lake Crescent.
Having lived in central WA for some years, the drive along hwy 17 from Ephrata to Dry Falls is a good road with some impressive scenery. The hwy goes through the remains of the westernmost Missoula Floods. Ancient water falls that were dug out by the flood and then were cut off from the rivers or lakes and so are now steep cliffs with colorful algae pools at the base. Eventually you end up at Moses Lake and the scenery is more reminiscent of river beds. Because it was at one time.
I loved going out to Dry Falls as a kid! Eastern WA has so many great drives. Driving through the Palouse on hwy 26 and others is beautiful as well.
@@kevinrob4 Amen to that! The Palouse is beautiful.
I have been wanting to visit this area for years. Do you know some backroad drives around the coulee areas with strange landscapes?
@@antonboldsword3770 In this area, they are all back roads. Hwy 17 is 2 lane twisty bendy and light on traffic. In some stretches, it is the only road through the canyons and coulees
Done all of these but Maine and the Keys.
Personal Adds: Beartooth Highway, Washington 20 from Sedro-Wooley through North Cascades NP, and the MN North Shore (MN61) from Duluth through Thunder Bay ON. Just after the snowmelt almost a dozen waterfalls less than a half mile walk from roadside pullouts
I was also gonna recommend MN 61 along Minnesota’s North Shore. I’m biased since I’m a Native Minnesotan and went to college in Duluth, but it’s always fantastic to go driving/camping along the shores of Lake Superior!
Yes, yes, to Beartooth Highway and the North Cascades. Also north entrance to Yellowstone, from Livingston was well named Paradise Valley. I hope it has survived the floods.
Beartooth Hwy is closed due to damage from the flooding.
MN North Shore is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. It’s incredibly beautiful. Fell in love the first time and have been back a number times since. We are lucky to live just five hours from Duluth which makes it much easier to visit.
The road to Ely, MN from the northshore is a real standout, too! Then on to around Virginia, MN from there. I still have my Gooseberry Falls sweatshirt, from north of Duluth.
US-212 Beartooth highway
US-550 Million Dollar highway
Utah-95
Utah-128
US-395 (eastern sierra)
I-84 Columbia River Gorge
US-89 Flagstaff to Kanab
I-15 Virgin River Gorge
Colorado-82 Aspen to Twin Lakes
Colorado-5 Mt Evans
Yes Utah 128... Unreal!
Several people have mentioned the Kancamagus Highway in NH, but you can do a loop with "the Kanc", US302 through Crawford Notch, then US3 to I-93 and down through Franconia Notch, just a spectacular drive through the White Mountains. Also, Rte. 100 through Vermont has to be on any list of top scenic drives in the US.
I agree. I live in NH and Crawford Notch can get overlooked at times. It is such a beautiful looking Notch and the history behind The Willey House which is has a Visitor Center on the site of the former house adds to the mystic of the area. If people don't know about The Willey House in Crawford Notch, NH they should check it out. There was a horrible landslide down the side of the mountain that is there. This was on August 28, 1826. The family(Willey) and their friends fled their home when the landslide started. They were all killed when this happened and the horrible part is their home was never touched by any of the landslide so they all would have lived if they had just stayed in their home. Seven members of the Willey family and two people who worked for them perished during this tragedy. This happened in Hart's Location, NH in Crawford Notch State Park in The White Mountain National Forest of NH.
Love this video! A lot of these drives I haven’t done before so this will give me a good starting point! My personal favorite so far is the drive between Sedona and Flagstaff AZ. Absolutely beautiful.
Another great one in Arizona is state route 87,known locally at the Beeline Hwy. between Fountain Hills and Payson. It was widened over 20 years ago and got a bunch of engineering awards. The actually dug up saguaro cactus,put them in a cactus nursery with guards and replanted them after construction was done.
The best drives I would say I have been on would be the South Coast of Alaska, driving on AK-1 just South of Anchorage. Love the mountains, sea and glaciers.
I-40, especially in eastern Tennessee near Cherokee National Park and going into North Carolina near the Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area is a very beautiful drive especially because you drive through the Appalachian Mountains. I’ve driven through there on a vacation and I found really pretty and cool to see mountains on both sides
Great video as usual! Two drives not on this list that I found spectacular were TX 17 from Balmorhea to Marfa with the loop of TX 118 and US 90 into Alpine and ID 21 and ID 75 from Lowman to Sun Valley, Idaho. I also had a couple of ideas for future videos. 1. Ranking states by how many miles of all federal and state highways that they have and 2. What counties get the most flood or fire warnings during the year. Keep up the awesome work!
I've done all of these except the Flordia Keys (bucket list), most more than once. I understand the need to include all regions of the country, but, without that restriction, here's what I would add:
1. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park.
2. Beartooth Highway, Wyoming and Montana.
3. Jackson, Wyoming to Gardiner, Montana through Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. I do some version of this three or four times a year and it never gets old.
4. Stowe, Vermont to Bar Harbor, Maine. This gets better if you continue down the coast of Maine to Boston. Or, as we did on our honeymoon, make it a Boston-to-Boston loop via Bar Harbor, Stowe, and Stockbridge.
5. Durango to Telluride, Colorado via Silverton. (Then, lock the hubs and do the Imogene Pass.)
6. This is probably cheating, but the in-and-out drive through Yosemite Valley coupled with a drive over Tioga Pass is pretty hard to top.
7. And, finally, Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park is lovely.
Can't disagree with Big Sur, Oregon coast, the Utah loop, or the Blue Ridge Parkway (though I would start in Knoxville and go through the Smokys before connecting with it).
Kyle, I absolutely love your videos. Thank you for not falling down the "political rabbit hole" first off. Thank you for keeping your videos centered around facts and knowledge. It's so refreshing and I actually care and learn!. Please keep doing what your doing. Doing what I can to support.!.
Thank you!
Blue Ridge Is tops for me. Not just the Green and Colors with views, but waterfalls camp grounds Lakes wildlife, and tons of spots to pull over
Is the brewery still there at the east end?
Although not in the U.S., the drive from Banff to Jasper is easily the most amazing view I've seen in my lifetime .
As long as you're talking about Canada, how about the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia?
@@berean77 never been there...will note this down
One of your very best videos. Many thanks. look forward to driving some of these on my next visit from Oz.
I can't believe you did not include the Columbia river gorge
To be fair I haven't done that route. but just based on where it is and the geology around it, I'm sure the drive is great
@@GeographyKing O please come to the pacific northwest, you will be amazed I guarantee you that. From mount rainier national park, to mount st hellens, to the puget sound and Olympic national park and all of the waterfalls and hot springs... truly is the most beautiful in the whole country. Come in June when snow is mostly melted, fire ban is not in effect and rivers are full
I was just wondering about this very topic, and then BOOM you drop this heat. Keep making this 🔥🔥🔥 content bro
A lot of geo vids stick to the clickbait of terrible areas, but this was nice. This country has an amazing amount of diversity and sticking to the rules of "only if I've been there" is great. Let's boost something good this time!
Some more to try - The Chief Joseph Highway in Wyoming, The Beartooth Highway in Wyoming/Montana, US 550 from Silverton north in Colorado, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado.
Nice to see the U.P. on your list! As a native Yooper, I have a tendency to take for granted the beauty that surrounds me. If you haven't already, take a drive around the Keweenaw Peninsula in your travels. The Keweenaw is breathtaking, especially during peak fall color! Great channel!
Thank you, Kyle. You gave us some encouragement for the few we knew about and inspiration for the ones we didn't.
I just got back from a road trip through Utah and Colorado. Million Dollar Highway 550 in CO and SR-128 into Moab in Utah are gorgeous roads
It was nice you picked spots all over the lower 48. It would be easy to pick 10 in southern Utah, Colorado, and California with another 10 to spare. Southern Utah is my personal favorite and I've been exploring for over 50 and covered most of North America camping, and backpacking. Nice job Kyle.
Bravo! I have been on every singlet one of the drives you mentined here and I completely agree with you on each and ever one of them! I think I have watched most, if not all, of your varous geograhical recommendations, such as sities to live in or to avoid, and I feel that your descriptions usually agreeing with my experiences (if I know the place!). Your information is definitley useful and I think steer people right! Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.
Thank you for the kind words
Kyle... You are the BEST! Thank you!
Thanks for this video, you sure have some great scenery over there in the US. I live in the UK and consequently I have only done one of the drives that you mentioned, but it was the no. 1. We drove up from Las Vegas to southern Utah and then through Zion N.P. and on to Bryce Canyon. What impressed me was the varied landscapes and colours, from the deserty landscape around Vegas, the light red colours of Zion, then the rocks became more pale in colour and the landscape more green with vegetation. Finally there were the deep red colours at Red Canyon and Bryce Canyon. Of course there were lots of other breathtaking drives on our road trip through the South West, but that one was the highlight, most definitely. I would really love to see more of your country but I'm not sure when we'll get the chance.
Absolutely beautiful scenery. First time seeing this channel and just subscribed.
Great list! - I would only add the Going To The Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Every road in Southern Utah is awesome!
Amazing that you mentioned rangeley and the height of land, my great grandpa used to own a marina on rangeley lake and i fondly remember the family reunions we had up there :)
Avenue of the giants is my personal favorite
My personal favorites:
US 1 in the Florida Keys
MA 2 on the Mohawk Trail in Western Massachusetts
NC 12 in the Outer Banks of NC
AK 3 between Anchorage and Fairbanks
I-93 between Concord NH and St Johnsbury VT
I-68 the whole length in Maryland and West Virginia
I've been on 8.5 of these and they are excellent!! I have not been in the UP (yet!!), and my drives through Maine when I spent my year in NH covered much of this loop.
Other drives I would add are :
1) US 212 from jct US 89 in Yellowstone though the Lamar Valley and on to Red Lodge. Fantastic! My second favorite after your Utah roads, which are my favorites too.
2) US 550 from Ridgeway to Durango, especially the portion from Ouray to Silverton. This is epic.
3) Any road in any direction from Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks. So beautiful.
4) Honorable mention: US 7 from Burlington to Rutland in Vermont. It's like all the towns are in compression to be the prettiest.
Totally agree with your #1 choice. Utah 12 is amazing!
Awesome video! I've seen more of US geography in just a few of your videos than i have living here my whole life. North America is so gorgeous! Thank you for your hard work and keep it up!!
Thank you very much!
Just moved to Oregon a couple weeks ago and watching this vid cemented my excitement to road trip on the coast. Thanks!
I've actually done the Florida Keys by bicycle 17 times.
Oh great so you blocked an entire highway.
@@anthonya2349 17 times
Wow
Impressive! 👍
Card Sound Road at night driving solo is spooky.
Another stunner is almost all the roads around Lee's Ferry AZ, Page AZ, and into Southern Utah around Kanab and Springdale.
93 through the White Mountain National Forest in NH is one of the wildest rides you’ll ever see
Coming from Greece all the way to the States from my first road trip, I have to admit that you have some of the most useful videos out there, and you helped me a lot on my passage planning.
One of the most scenic drives I have ever done was the Going to the Sun road in Glacier National Park. In fact, a lot of the National Parks have some epic drives - the drive along Jenny/String Lakes in Grand Teton, the loop around Yellowstone, the main drive between NC/TN through the Smokey Mountains, the drive in Shenandoah National Park, the valley loop road in Yosemite NP, several of the one-way drives in Death Valley NP. I can certainly vouch for Loveland Pass - did that in March - absolutely epic. Overseas Hwy (The Keys) is great too - grab some key lime pie in Key Largo. Blue Ridge Parkway is great in fall - which is the time to go - I never found it overly crowded. The highest point on the Parkway is in the Pisgah National Forest south-west of Asheville - great section too - lots of waterfalls.
Missed the Going to the Sun Road, but did drive up from I-70 in Colorado to Rocky Mountain NP (west side) and across the park to Estes Park. Approach to the park is up above the baby Colorado R., and you cross the Continental Divide in the park. I think the road from Yellowstone to Jackson, WY, much of it through the Grand Teton NP is one of the best.
@@elainechubb971 Yeap. My first attempt at Going to the Sun road was blocked by an 80ft snow drift in mid-June 2002. Apparently the full drive is only open for a 2-3 months in mid-late summer. My next attempt was in July (15 years later), which was fully open and well worth the drive.
A recommendation: Labor Day Weekend. This is when the park is morally (if not officially) about to close for the season. It’s not as crowded as you’d think (certainly less so than July). Colder, sometimes the clouds obscure, but it only seemed to enhance the beauty of Glacier. It’s a moodiness you don’t expect to be as picturesque as it is.
Another great drive is Dead Indian Pass and the Beartooth highway between Cody, WY and Red Lodge, MT.
You should take some Amtrak trains around the country sometime, especially the Empire Builder and the California Zephyr! So much stunning scenery, and it takes you places that don't have any roads for cars. A truly unique experience!
The Zephyr is awesome!
You and I seem to have similar tastes/likes in scenery. Couple of recommendations/additions. I-70 in Colorado is great, continue west and go through Glennwood Springs Canyon. Very scenic canyon. (yes I like canyons) Continue further west and just into Utah you climb the San Rafael Swell. Stop at the pull-off on the upper/west side and look back east. While we're talking canyons... The Salt River Canyon on 60 in Arizona is great. Ditto the Virgin River Canyon on 15 in Arizona.
Out of the canyons... I recently drove the Florida Keys. The drive is nice, though a lot of it is through built-up towns on each little island. The scenic parts are nice, the rest is just like any other town/retail strip. Just a few days ago I drove to Devil's Tower in Wyoming. The Black Hills area up there is very scenic and incredibly green and lush. Devil's Tower is impressive.
Both the Grand Circle route/tour in Utah and Pacific Coast Highway California are on my bucket list....
Oh, and in the "hidden gems" file... If you're ever heading from the Denver area to Laramie don't go up 25 to Cheyenne and west on 80. "Cut the corner" and take 287. Not on the par with Kyle's list, but still far better than droning up the interstate.
Pikes Peak in CO is a very fun drive, over 14,000 feet high (you'll feel it). It's a very easy drive, as opposed to Mt Washington in NH which is 'too steep' (LOL).
We've been to Mount Washington many times but never Pikes Peak. I always have to drive the auto road. My wife's a chicken.
I would add the western section of I-40 from Little Rock to Ft. Smith. You drive through the Oauchita mountains. Take the Hog Trail North from I-40 to Fayetteville, then drive East on Highway 412 to the Buffalo River National Park. There are tons of parks to visit/camp. Rent a cabin, hike, kayak, fish, and go off-roading.