These 10 road trips will present you the best of the USA

These top routes – include the Pacific Coast Hwy – will show you the extraordinary range of the USA . oliverdelahaye/Shutterstock

Road-tripping across the USA is one of the most iconically American things you can do .

Hitting the road gets you up close to the country’s most spectacular landscape – dense eastern forests , windswept plains , red-rock canyons , striking Pacific coastlines – and leave for pit stops at some of its most noted city , all in one go . A escape might be faster , sure – but it whisks youoverthe area , kinda thanthroughit .

Crisscrossed with an extensive network of well-maintained highway , the US is remarkably easy to get over by car . In such a continent-sized country , long distance equal devote , but gas , food and accommodations cost largely easy to total by ( except in some of the most rural locales ) . Plus , your own circle of bicycle devote you the freedom to serve extra side jaunts along the way .

Here’s a list of our favorite routes across America’s wide-open space , along with top on how to make the most of your journey .

1 . Pacific Coast Highway

Best road trip for Pacific opinion
San Diego–Seattle ; 1600 mile ( 2575km ) ; 8–12 days

The Pacific Coast Highway delivers one of the US’s most iconic road trips , stitching together the West Coast’s almost noteworthy city , quirky California beach town , ancient redwood forests , and the dramatic capes and pools of the Pacific Northwest . The route includes Hwy 1 , Hwy 101 and I-5 , set out in San Diego ; it wind up the coast through Los Angeles , Big Sur , San Francisco and Redwood National & State Parks , eventually terminate in Seattle .

Be after top :Always crack for road closures , particularly in the Big Sur region , where rockslides equal mutual as the road serpent by sea cliffs .

2 . Blue Ridge Parkway

Best Appalachian road trip
Cherokee , NC–Waynesboro , VA ; 469 miles ( 755 km ) ; 2–5 days

This spectacular route need you through the heart of the US’ oldest good deal scope , delivering scene after opinion of flap green great deal chock total of capture boost lead , thundering waterfall , ancient rock formations and prolific wildlife . Region of the National Parks Service system , the begins adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and retrace the mountain through the striking Pisgah National Forest , a issue of state park and recreation areas , and Roanoke , Virginia , before ending at the southern entrance of Shenandoah National Park .

Detour :In increase to opportunity with the state and national park the parkway passes through , many one-off raise originate along the route itself . Consult lead maps to avert missing some of Appalachia’s top routes .

3 . Route 66

Best road trip for American kitsch
Chicago–Los Angeles ; 2250 miles ( 3620km ) ; 1–2 week

Nicknamed the Mother Road , Route 66 hold permanently ingrained itself in the international head as the ultimate US road trip . Starting in Chicago , the storied highway crosses eight different states and connects traveler to national park , weird-but-wonderful roadside attraction and tons of vintage Americana .

Be after tip :The road can be driven in part or all at once , though we indicate assign plenty of time to explore , since distances are long , and the activities numerous .

4 . Natchez Trace Parkway

Well road trip for Southern history
Pasquo , TN–Natchez , MS ; 444 mile ( 715km ) ; 2–3 day

The track for the Natchez Trace Parkway was to begin with carved not by man , but by buffalo that wander the region from middle Tennessee to Natchez , Mississippi . Indigenous hunters and traders shortly succeed , and the route after became a full-fledged thoroughfare for European colonists , soldiers and dignitaries . Today , a trip down the Trace fruit gorgeous scenery , historic town and the experience of travel one of the most storied road in the country .

5 . Florida Highway 1

Well road trip for Gulf Coast culture
Amelia Island–Key West ; 475 mile ( 765km ) ; 6 days

Florida’s Hwy 1 work the length of the state’s Atlantic Coast before banking east at Miami and end in stunning Key West . This sublime multi-day journey take you past many of Florida’s most iconic mass : historic St Augustine , windswept Canaveral National Seashore , Nascar-fueled Daytona , laid-back Fort Lauderdale and the glam and glitter of Miami and South Beach .

Be after tip :Hurricane season lasts from June through October – the nearly fighting month are August and September – and own the possible to significantly affect every part of the state . If you’re impose during this window , go on near eyes on the forecast .

6 . Badlands–Black Hills Loop

Best road trip for take in the Great Field
Badlands National Park–Badlands National Park ; 330 mile ( 531km ) ; 2 day

If you want to get a taste of the Great Plains’ huge area , head to South Dakota for this fascinating road trip through a province of major ecological and ethnic importance . Set out your trip at the mind-bendingly beautiful Badlands National Park before looping over to the Black Hills , place to the Crazy Horse Memorial , Mt Rushmore and Wind Cave National Park . Along the way , choose in views of flourish buffalo herds , fascinate stone formations and pile of rolling hills .

7 . San Juan Skyway

Serious road trip for Rocky Mountain peaks
Durango–Durango ; 236 mile ( 380km ) ; 1–3 day

The San Juan Skyway hand over some of the Rockies’ prominent horizon , in high definition . This road – which include the famous Million Dollar Hwy – leapfrogs across central Colorado’s mountainous core , connect Durango , Silverton , Ouray , Telluride and Mesa Verde National Park , the last known for the cliff dwellings get out behind by the Ancestral Puebloans .

Whether you’re a history buff , ski bum , landscape photographer or simply soul who savor a thrilling ride , the San Juan Skyway has something for you .

Planning tip :As its epithet suggests , the San Juan Skyway range through high-altitude terrain , making road consideration somewhat unpredictable , particularly during shoulder season . Always check for shutdown or local admonition before setting off .

8 . Richardson Highway

Good road trip for Alaskan grandeur
Fairbanks–Valdez ; 364 mile ( 586km ) ; 2–4 day

No road trip roundup would equal complete without a journey through the country’s northernmost and prominent state . The Richardson Hwy , Alaska’s oldest , connects Fairbanks with Valdez , thread past dramatic mountain peaks and glaciers and pay traveler a front seat to some of the country’s almost jaw-dropping natural attraction . Exist certain to budget time for pit stop to hike , fish and run white-water rafting .

9 . Scenic Byway 12

Well road trip through red-rock country
Bryce Canyon National Park–Capitol Reef National Park ; 122 miles ( 196km ) ; 1 day

Southern Utah flavor like a different planet , and this backroads route require you through the best scenery this geologically diverse country has to put up . Start your journey in the town of Panguitch , right outside of Bryce Canyon , then watch the road through red-rock canyon , historical towns and pine forests . You’ll complete your journey in Torrey , gateway to Capitol Reef National Park – and one of the West’s best-kept mystery .

Detour :From Torrey , it’s an easy 2½-hour drive to Moab , Canyonlands and Arches , making these routes the best way to meet Utah’s Big 5 . And the road itself need you through some amazing lunar-like scenery that contrasts sharply with the red stone . It’s only wild .

10 . Coastal New England

Best road trip for Atlantic maritime vibes
New York City–Portland , ME ; 430 miles ( 692km ) ; 3–5 days

Prep yourself for beach day , picture-perfect oceanside towns and all the lobster you can handle : this coastal New England trip will decidedly assist you find your sea legs . Start in New York City and reach your way north along the coast , break to delight the lovely beaches in Connecticut and Rhode Island ; Massachusetts’ wealth of historical heavy hitters ; and New Hampshire’s lighthouses . The route ends in the culinary hot place of Portland , Maine .