10 Epic American Drives That Are Road-Trip Worthy

You know about America’s love affair with the car. Roads like these helped make that happen
10 Epic American Drives That Are Road-Trip Worthy

I’m generally an easy guy to get along with, but I’ve heard a few people suggest that America doesn’t have any good driving roads. That bothers me. Actually, it quite bothers me. The continental United States is over three million square miles in size, with four million miles of roads covering it. That’s enough to go around the Equator 160 times. There are hills, lakes, oceans, buttes, badlands, major mountain ranges, and endless grasslands that disappear into the horizon. And somehow there are no good driving roads here? Please.

So I’m going to share some of them with you, and to make it more interesting, I’ll omit the two driving road meccas that most people associate with America: The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through the mountains between Virginia and North Carolina, and Deals Gap - AKA Tail of the Dragon - that boasts 318 curves in 11 miles between North Carolina and Tennessee.

Those two spots are motoring heaven, but their popularity sometimes makes it tough to properly enjoy the drive. So instead, here are some alternative epic road trip adventures to be had in America. And since there are hundreds of “secret” driving roads for every location listed here, share your favourite stretches of asphalt with us in the comments.

Arkansas Ozarks - U.S. 65

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Ozarks have long been a favourite southern U.S. vacation destination, but even if you’re just passing through, take the 140-mile trip on U.S. 65 from Branson, Missouri to Conway, Arkansas. The rolling hills provide epic views of the countryside as the highway winds through small resort towns and endless wilderness.

New Hampshire White Mountains - U.S. 302

10 Epic American Drives That Are Road-Trip Worthy

The northern sections of the Appalachian Mountains are some of the most spectacular sites in the eastern United States. Appropriately named the Presidential Range in this particular area, U.S. 302 from Littleton, New Hampshire cuts and winds around these mountains which boast the highest peaks on the East Coast. For an epic drive, follow 302 all 120 miles to Portland, Maine and get some of the best tasting lobster in the world.

Nevada Area 51 - Hwy 375

Photo Credit: `Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: `Wikimedia Commons

Officially called the Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada State Route 375 is a long, desolate stretch of road slicing through the Nevada desert. It would be otherwise unremarkable, save for its proximity to the most talked about “secret” military base in the world - the infamous Area 51. You must do this drive at night, so you can have the proper heart-in-your-throat suspense that only comes from being so close to this place. In the dark. With all the rumours of aliens and UFOs bouncing through your head. They don’t call it the Extraterrestrial Highway for nothing.

South Dakota Spearfish Canyon - U.S. 14

10 Epic American Drives That Are Road-Trip Worthy

I could make a list of epic drives just from the roads near my western South Dakota home, but I’ll limit the local promotion to just two amazing locations. The first is Spearfish Canyon - 33 miles of blissfully twisting canyon road cutting through 1000-foot cliffs with waterfalls, Bald Eagles, and meandering creeks. This is literally canyon carving at its finest.

California Pacific Coast Highway - SR-1

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Do you have any idea how many iconic Hollywood driving scenes have been shot on SR-1, known around the world as the Pacific Coast Highway? It spans most of California’s West Coast, alternating between metropolitan madness and unbelievably tranquil switchbacks framed by cliffs, mountains, forests, and the ever-present Pacific Ocean.

Michigan Tunnel of Trees - M-119

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Hidden along the far northwest Michigan coastline is a winding stretch of tarmac called M-119. It’s by no means a high-speed route, and at roughly 45 miles it won’t take you long to complete. But you’ll drive it over and over, because the narrow road bends and dives enough to make even slow speeds exciting. And as the name suggests, forest coverage surrounds much of the route to create a virtual tunnel that’s simply breathtaking in autumn when the leaves change.

Utah Scenic Byway - SR-12

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Utah has areas that look like another planet, and SR-12 passes through some of them. It also curves, climbs, drops, and corkscrews through cliffs, forests, lakes, national parks, national monuments, and rock formations that are simply unbelievable to behold. Getting to Utah is a major road trip by itself, but the things you’ll see whilst whipping along in your convertible will stay with you for the rest of your life.

West Virginia Canaan Valley - Rt. 32

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The mountain roads of West Virginia are notorious for being narrow and packed with hairpins. And while tourists flock to the Blue Ridge Parkway in neighbouring Virginia, the roads of West Virginia are a bit less traveled. Route 32 only runs about 20 miles on the east side of the state, but the views are wonderful, the road is amazing, and if you’re not exhausted after negotiating the twists, you’re not trying hard enough.

Remote video URL

Everyone knows Pikes Peak, the infamous Colorado 12.5-mile hill climb to 14,000 feet on a road filled with hairpin curves and sheer drops. Once a year racers from around the world blast up this mountain pass, but the rest of the time it’s just another road that anyone can use. Granted, local authorities frown on people trying to set new record times. But conquering the same road as so many great drivers from the past is borderline transcendental for petrolheads. And the views en route to the top are properly awe-inspiring.

South Dakota Badlands - SD 240

10 Epic American Drives That Are Road-Trip Worthy

Approximately 50 miles east of my Rapid City home lies Badlands National Park, and South Dakota highway 240 is the road that winds through this amazing landscape. Open prairie combines with eroded buttes and cliffs to create a stunning landscape, and the road is such that you literally get up close and personal with the rock formations that led people to label this area The Badlands. It’s stunning, exciting, and for cross-country travellers, it’s a quick two-hour detour right off Interstate 90.

Sponsored Posts

Comments

Anonymous

Bear mountain, NY?

03/20/2016 - 15:01 |
0 | 0
17893

US 101 in Oregon/Washington and US 191 from Arizona to Montana

03/20/2016 - 15:04 |
4 | 1
Evan Moe

Idaho highway 55 from Boise to McCall is an awesome one. It’s a twisty road following a river up through a canyon. It’s loads of fun if you can manage not to get stuck behind a camper trailer.

03/20/2016 - 15:13 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

California Pacific Coast Highway - SR-1? Pffftt been there done that a million times. I even flew with an Air Force jet underneath that bridge in the picture … in GTA V :((( *cries in Spanish

03/20/2016 - 15:25 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

What about the 1,200-mile Lake Superior Circle Tour? It goes all the way around Lake Superior and has amazing views.

03/20/2016 - 15:32 |
6 | 1
The Adolescent Petrolhead

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I did around Lake Michigan and it was fantastic.

03/21/2016 - 02:01 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

If you want canyon-carving, there are plenty of roads in the Southwest that will comply. From my time in Arizona, here’s a couple to investigate:

HWY 89 between Congress and Prescott, Arizona.
Hwy 89A between Prescott Valley and Jerome, Arizona
Hwy 93 from Kingman, AZ to Las Vegas, NV (Do this one so that you are near Hoover Dam around sunset. You’ll thank me later.)

And you can’t forget the entire length of Interstate 90 in Montana. The scenery is stunning no matter where you are at on that wide-open stretch of asphalt.

03/20/2016 - 15:39 |
1 | 0
Christopher Smith

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I could do another lost solely for Arizona. Maybe this topic should become a recurring series!

03/20/2016 - 16:17 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Jerome is so cool!!

03/30/2016 - 03:22 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

Those are OK - Tail of the Dragon has a cop sitting on every corner and the rest excluding the Pacific Coast Highway and Utah RT-12 are really straight and boring for drives besides the scenery.

THIS was my favorite drive before I got out of Northern California. Takes about 3 hours to do, but the corners are neverending, the pavement is perfect, the civilization/cops are extremely sparce and the scenery is amazing.

bit.ly/22qDx1H

Another great is Red Bluff CA to Fortuna CA along HWY-36 bit.ly/1XEXDi6 . 141 miles of hairpins, off camber and/or decreasing radius corners with the longest straightaway being ~2 miles right in the middle. If you’re in Northern CA these are absolute must-drives, both have generally light traffic and the cops are very few and far between. Just be careful since there are some ridiculous drops and very few barriers in some parts.

03/20/2016 - 16:05 |
0 | 0
Christopher Smith

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Um, how do I say this…You think Pikes Peak is straight and boring? None of these roads are straight by any measure, save for 375 in Nevada. I’ve had the pleasure to drive them all except Cali. Boring is subjective, but I can’t imagine any enthusiast being bored on any of these roads.

03/20/2016 - 16:27 |
0 | 0
Jordan Mellinger

Good list but some of the tops didn’t make it. Fair enough it was a list of 10 so some had to be cut. And correction the PAC Highway starts in Washington and travels all the way down through Oregon and California.

03/20/2016 - 16:38 |
2 | 1
Jacob 9

Blue Ridge Parkway, anyone?

03/20/2016 - 16:51 |
1 | 0

Slow and full of RVs.

03/20/2016 - 18:15 |
0 | 0
Christopher Smith

In reply to by Jacob 9

Yeah, I mentioned it right at the beginning!

03/21/2016 - 02:47 |
0 | 0
Stig's Police Cousin

I live in South Dakota, and can’t agree more on the two choices

03/20/2016 - 16:51 |
1 | 0

Are you familiar with Nemo Rd that cuts through the Black Hills west of Rapid City? I also thought about mentioning Needles Hwy but it has sooo much tourist traffic.

03/21/2016 - 02:49 |
0 | 0