It’s National Day of Motoring, and we’re honoring that holiday with a round-up of some of the most famous well-traveled roads, scenic highways and byways of America! Check out these iconic landmarks and plan your next getaway today.
If you’re hankering for a taste of adventure and expanding your horizons, hop on in your new car from Atlantic Auto Group and join us as we weave our way in and around the United States through several gorgeous American Roadways you need to add to your bucket list. Each one has its own unique and beautiful qualities that you just can’t miss!
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Great Lakes Seaway Trail - New York’s got a gorgeous Seaway Trail that borders along the Great Lakes Erie and Ontario and also snakes along the Lawrence River. It’s a lovely scenic drive through Ripley, Buffalo, Rochester, and Rooseveltown and more. It’s full of incredible lakeshore views, picturesque scenic “villages” and small towns full of unique shops, plenty of stop-offs for fishing and waterfront activities, and gorgeous landscapes and sprawling farmland. It’s a lovely, quiet little getaway upstate for those looking for a nice, cool way to spend a summer road trip. Plus there’s lots of places to stop and visit along the way such as the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House, George Eastman Museum, Ontario Beach Park, and so many more!
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Kancamagus Highway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire - The prime time to hit this location is during the Autumn season, and you’ll want to keep a close eye on the current foliage forecast. During peak leaf-peeping season, the rolling mountain hills are covered in blazing oranges, ruby reds, deep mustard yellows of the deciduous trees dotted with rich emerald greens of the evergreen trees. Along the way you’ll find numerous scenic overlooks with picturesque views and skylines. It’s a great drive year round, too, winding its way up north through granite cliffs and boulders as glorious vivid green treetops roll by!
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Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia and North Carolina
This winding 500-Mile roadway snakes all through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as the Shenandoah National Parks. The drive is worth making more than once, too, as this ever changing landscape is prime viewing in all seasons. From the lush green canopies of the dense forest or rolling hills of fiery oranges, yellows, and reds in the autumn, to the wintertime hillsides dotted with ski slopes and snow capped mountainscapes, it’s never the same experience twice!
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Pacific Coast Highway in California
Clocking in at 656 miles, it’s the longest state route in California. It snakes southerly along the coast stretching from Washington State all the way through to the end of California. If you’re driving the California portion only, the trip will take you about 5 hours to complete all 123 miles. Recommended stops include Crescent City, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, Half Moon Bay, the intimidating Devil’s Slide Trail, Shark Fin Cove, Davenport Beach, Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf and 17-mile drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Big Sur.
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Scenic Byway 12 in Utah
Clocking in at 123 miles and an elevation of about 9,200 feet, this is a Top 10 road trip drive as far as American Roadways go. This winding roadway dips in and out of red rock cliffs, mountainscapes, rural roadside towns, evergreen forests, and deep cut rock canyons. The city of Torrey is home to beautiful hiking trails and preserved parklands. Dixie National Forest is 2-million acres worth of plateaus, mountain peaks, lakes, and scenic valleys and would be a perfect overnight camping spot. Capitol Reef National Park is host to an impressive view of rainbow hued rocks and rolling hillsides, and you can add this as a stop-off or just enjoy as you pass through. In the city of Boulder, you’ll want to plan a day to explore the Anasazi State Park and Museum, so you can explore some of the history of the Indigenous people who used to live in the historic village. This Byway is home to so many vistas and hot spots we could spend all day giving you an itinerary, but we urge you to explore and find your own favourite stop-offs too.
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Florida Keys Scenic Highway Florida
US Route 1 passes through every single state on the coast of the Eastern US, and is 2,376 miles long! It stretches all the way down to Florida’s east coast, and connects Key Largo to Key West in the Florida Keys island chain. Take US 1 all the way down and you’ll reach the 7-mile Bridge, one of the longest bridges on the planet! Driving the Overseas Highway and 7-mile Bridge will take about 4 hours one way, and we highly recommend making a few stop offs along the way! The water underneath the bridge is crystal blue and runs from shallow depth up to 7 feet. 7-Mile Bridge was completed in 1912, and was once known as the “8th Wonder of the world” for being such an ambitiously large project. The bridge has been reconstructed and improved for safety and longevity, but you can still view the old bridge as you drive along the modern updated one. We recommend stopping off for a break at Bahia Honda State Park, and keeping your eyes peeled for the beautiful local wildlife such as sea turtles and pelicans!
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High Road in New Mexico
Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “you should take the high road,” well friends it’s not just a catchphrase! You can quite literally take the higher ground from Santa Fe to Taos and back again. This 56-mile stretch of road weaves its way through the Southwest across an ever changing landscape: from deserts to mountains to forests to farms and indigenous villages and historic sites. The journey between these cities is a travel blogger’s dream! Stop along the way for some gorgeous views, to snap a selfie in each environment, or even to paint and sketch the evolving landscape. You’ll want it on your bucket list for sure.
Let us know your suggestions for Iconic Road Trip Destinations in the US that we should include on our next roundup!