15 Best Road Trips in the USA, From Weekend Drives to Two Weeks

The best road trips in the USA are the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Utah’s Mighty 5 national parks loop, the Blue Ridge Parkway, Route 66, the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier and the Overseas Highway to Key West. Those six cover coast, desert, mountains and Americana. Below are all 15 of our picks with mileage, days needed and the best season for each, plus the mistakes that ruin road trips before they start.

We have driven every route on this list, most of them more than once. This ranking leans on one question: how much great scenery do you get per hour behind the wheel? A route that is stunning for 50 miles and dull for 400 scores lower than one that never lets up. We also weighed how easy each trip is to fly into and out of, because a one-way rental fee can wreck a budget.

• 15Routes, coast to coast
• 2–14 daysFrom weekend drives to epics
• Sept–OctBest months for most routes
• 4–5 hrsMax driving per day we recommend

The list at a glance

1. Pacific Coast Highway, California

There is a reason this tops almost every list. Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles, especially the 90 miles through Big Sur, is the most dramatic coastal drive in America. Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls dropping onto a beach, elephant seals at Piedras Blancas and the cliffs that fall straight into the Pacific. Drive it north to south so you are in the lane closest to the ocean. The road has been closed in places by landslides several times in recent years, so check Caltrans QuickMap before you go. Our 7-day PCH itinerary has every stop.

2. Utah’s Mighty 5

Five national parks in about a week: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches and Canyonlands. No other road trip in the country packs this much world-class scenery into so few miles. You also get Scenic Byway 12 between Bryce and Capitol Reef, a contender for the best road in America on its own. Start and end in Las Vegas or Salt Lake City. Our Mighty 5 road trip lays out the route.

3. Blue Ridge Parkway

A slow, curving 469-mile road along the crest of the Appalachians from Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains. No billboards, no trucks, speed limit 45 mph or lower. In mid-October, the leaves turn and the parkway becomes the best fall drive in the country. Hurricane Helene closed long stretches in 2024, and repairs have reopened sections in stages. Check the NPS road status map. See our Blue Ridge Parkway guide.

4. Route 66

The Mother Road turns 100 in 2026. It runs about 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica through eight states, past neon motels, diners, giant roadside statues and ghost towns. It is not a scenic drive in the traditional sense. It is a history lesson on wheels, and the people you meet are the best part. Our Route 66 planner covers two weeks.

5. Overseas Highway, Florida Keys

US-1 hops across 42 bridges and the islands of the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West, about 113 miles. The water on both sides is a shade of turquoise you don’t believe until you see it. Seven Mile Bridge is the highlight. Go in winter or early spring. Our Florida Keys road trip has the stops.

6. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana

Only 50 miles long, crossing Glacier National Park over Logan Pass at 6,646 feet. It is short, but every mile is spectacular, with waterfalls pouring onto the road and mountain goats at the pass. It usually opens fully between late June and mid-July, and vehicle reservation rules may apply. Our Glacier guide explains them.

7. Oregon Coast

US-101 runs 363 miles along the Oregon coast from Astoria to Brookings. Every beach is public by state law, the towns are small and friendly, and the sea stacks at Cannon Beach and the Samuel H. Boardman corridor are unforgettable. Summer is the driest season. See our Oregon coast road trip.

8. Road to Hana, Maui

A famous jungle drive along Maui’s north shore, with hundreds of curves, dozens of one-lane bridges and waterfalls around many corners. It is short in miles and long in hours. Read our Road to Hana guide before you go. Some of the most popular stops now need reservations.

9. San Juan Skyway, Colorado

A 233-mile loop through the San Juan Mountains, including the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton, where the road clings to cliffs with no guardrails. Go in late September when the aspens turn gold. See our Colorado road trip.

10. New England fall foliage loop

Vermont’s Route 100, New Hampshire’s Kancamagus Highway and the Maine coast, through covered bridges, white churches and red maples. Peak color moves south through late September and October. Our fall foliage road trip has the timing.

11–15: The rest

Highway 12, Utah: 123 miles from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef, crossing the Hogsback ridge and the Grand Staircase-Escalante. It is part of the Mighty 5 loop and deserves its own spot here.

Great River Road: follows the Mississippi River for about 3,000 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, through river towns, blues country and bluffs. A long trip, best in fall.

Seward Highway, Alaska: 127 miles from Anchorage to Seward along Turnagain Arm, where beluga whales sometimes feed and Dall sheep climb the cliffs above the road. See our Alaska road trip.

Texas Hill Country: rolling hills, German towns, wineries, barbecue and spring bluebonnets. Our Hill Country road trip covers it.

Hawaii Belt Road: a loop around the Big Island, past black sand beaches, rain forest waterfalls, coffee farms and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Give it at least three days. The island’s climates change every hour of driving, from the dry Kona coast to the wet Hilo side, and Kīlauea has put on lava shows in recent years. Check the park’s eruption updates before you go.

Five mistakes that ruin road trips

Driving too much. This is the big one. People plan eight-hour driving days back to back and spend the trip staring at the road. Cap most days at four or five hours of driving. On scenic routes, double the time your map app says.

Ignoring one-way fees. Picking up a rental car in one city and dropping it in another can add hundreds of dollars. Loop routes, or compare fees before booking flights.

Booking nothing. Spontaneity is romantic until every motel near a national park is full at 9 p.m. Book at least the nights near the big sights.

Choosing the wrong season. The same route can be perfect in October and miserable in July. The table above exists for a reason.

Skipping the car check. Tire pressure, oil, wipers and a spare tire take 20 minutes to check. Our road trip packing list covers the gear.

How much a road trip costs

A one-week road trip for two usually lands between about $1,300 on a tight budget and $3,000 mid-range, before flights. Lodging is the biggest cost, not gas. Camping and cooking cut costs sharply. Our road trip cost guide has a full breakdown and a fuel formula.

Electric vehicle road trips

Every route here can be driven in an EV, though some are easier than others. California, the Northeast and the major interstates have dense fast charging. Remote stretches in Utah, Montana and Alaska need more planning. Our EV road trip guide explains how to plan charging stops.

Best weekend road trips

Not every road trip needs a week. Some of the best drives in the country fit into two or three days from a major city:

• From Los Angeles: Highway 1 north to Big Sur, or east to Joshua Tree for desert boulders and stars.
• From San Francisco: Highway 1 north through Point Reyes to Mendocino, or east to Lake Tahoe.
• From Seattle: a loop around Mount Rainier, or the North Cascades Highway in summer.
• From Denver: Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park.
• From Austin or San Antonio: the Texas Hill Country towns and wineries.
• From New York or Boston: the Hudson Valley, the Berkshires or coastal Maine.
• From Atlanta or Charlotte: the southern Blue Ridge Parkway and Asheville area.
• From Las Vegas: Zion and Valley of Fire State Park, or the Grand Canyon South Rim.

For a weekend, keep total driving under eight hours across the whole trip. That still leaves real time to hike, eat and sleep somewhere memorable.

How to plan a route that works

Start with the non-negotiables. Pick the two or three places you absolutely want to see, then connect them on a map. Look at the drive times between them, add 25 percent for stops and traffic, and see what fits. If the drive between two stops is more than six hours, add a stop in between or cut one.

Next, look at what each stop needs. National parks often need reservations, permits or timed-entry tickets, and those can open months ahead. Small towns near popular sights sell out on weekends. Book those nights first. Leave the less popular nights flexible if you like spontaneity.

Then plan rest. A day with no driving every four or five days makes a long trip much more enjoyable. Plan a laundry stop too. It sounds dull. On day nine, it will feel like a luxury.

Rental car or your own?

If your own car is reliable, comfortable and you can start from home, it is usually cheapest. You avoid rental costs, one-way fees and young driver surcharges. But a long trip adds wear, and if your route requires flying first, renting is unavoidable.

When renting, book early, compare prices across companies and airport versus city locations, and check whether unlimited mileage is included. Many rental contracts prohibit driving on unpaved roads, which matters for remote parks. Read our rental car insurance guide before you hit the counter, because the extra coverage they offer can double the daily price. If you want to sleep in your vehicle, our guide on how to rent an RV explains the trade-offs.

Frequently asked questions

Plan your trip this week

1. Pick one route from the table that matches your dates and season.
2. Price a round-trip rental versus a one-way rental before you book flights.
3. Book lodging for the nights near the biggest sights first.
4. Read the full guide for your route and check road status before you leave.