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Scenic Drives in USA thread. What have been the best scenic drives you been on?

Posted on 5/28/21 at 1:54 pm
Posted by Crow Pie
Neuro ICU - Tulane Med Center
Member since Feb 2010
25294 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 1:54 pm
Was thinking back on how beautiful the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier was last fall and then thought of some other "scenic drives" I have done. Here is a short list an hopefully you can add some that I can put on my list for future travels.

As I get older = more driving and less hiking!!

Pretty Damn Amazing:

17 Mile Drive in Northern California - Pacific coast beauty
Going to the Sun Road - Glacier NP mountain beauty
Joshua Tree National Park JTNP - Desert beauty
Sedona Arizona - Hwy 79/89A/ Oak Creek Canyon - Red Rock Beauty


Worth the Drive:

Natchez Trace Parkway MS to TN
Fort Pickens Road/399 - Gulf Coast of Florida
Olympic Hwy (Hwy 101) Olympic National Park, WA
Vermilion Cliffs Desert Hwy - Hwy 89 Southern Utah
The Great Smoky Mountains Parkway - East Tenn
Golden to Aspen - Rocky Mountains

ETA Oregon Coast Hwy - Did Astoria to Cape Meares
This post was edited on 5/28/21 at 9:13 pm
Posted by hungryone
river parishes
Member since Sep 2010
11987 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 1:58 pm to
Carmel to Big Sur on Cali Hwy 1 is pretty hard to beat.

US Rt 1, from Homestead to Key West (aka the Overseas Hwy) will show you more shades of blue than you knew existed.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
38636 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 2:02 pm to
heres's a couple

1) the gorge amphitheater in WA to eugene OR, along the columbia river
2) in southern utah, highway 12 from bryce canyon to torrey
3) all over colorado
Posted by Crow Pie
Neuro ICU - Tulane Med Center
Member since Feb 2010
25294 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 2:37 pm to
quote:

US Rt 1, from Homestead to Key West (aka the Overseas Hwy)
Yes - How did I miss that one! Camping at Bahia Honda = BLAST
Posted by HTOWNTIGER1
**Platinum Member **Katy,Texas
Member since Dec 2004
7096 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 2:40 pm to
Blue Ridge Parkway is very nice.
Posted by Floyd Dawg
Silver Creek, GA
Member since Jul 2018
3897 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 2:57 pm to
Great Smoky Mountains Pkwy between Asheville and Andrews in pretty, especially the part in the Nantahala Gorge.

Posted by ElderTiger
Planet Earth
Member since Dec 2010
6985 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 3:03 pm to
Million Dollar Highway from Silverton to Ouray in Colorado.
Posted by fargobison
Member since Aug 2011
4306 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 3:15 pm to
Lake Superior North Shore, MN
Needles Highway- Custer State Park, SD
Gallatin Canyon(Bozeman to Big Sky, MT)
Berthoud Pass, CO
Scenic Loop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

Posted by nctiger71
North Carolina
Member since Oct 2017
1318 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 4:17 pm to
Beartooth Highway from near Red Lodge, MT to the north east entrance of Yellowstone.

Hwy 1 in CA from Tamalpais to near Bodega Bay. I guess that’s part of the PCH.
Posted by Eyeball
HTX
Member since Oct 2006
395 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 4:32 pm to
The road to Hana in Maui
Posted by Snoop Dawg
Member since Sep 2009
2183 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 4:48 pm to
New Mexico SR 4 from White Rock to San Ysidro - from canyons, to red rock cliffs and out croppings, to a giant volcanic caldera (Walt Longmire’s cabin from TV’s Longmire), such an amazing array in a shorter drive.

Washington SR 20 “North Cascades Hwy” from Sedro-Woolley to Winthrop - do it late September to see the golden larches. From Washington’s wet side through America’s “Swiss alps” to the dry side, it is a great drive with lots of diversity.

Washington SR 410 “Chinook Pass” from Naches to Enumclaw - best traveled east to west for the most dramatic entrance to Western Washington. Starting in apple country on the dry side the highway shoots up the Naches River Valley to the pass. After crossing under the Pacific Crest Trail, you are immediately hurled into Washington’s wet side with Mt. Rainier in your face.

Arizona 89A from Flagstaff to Prescott - start in the sometimes snowy pine forests of Flagstaff down Oak Creek Canyon to the red rocks of Sedona. From there it is across the Verde Valley, up Mingus Mtn. to Jerome, an old mining town perched high on the side of a mountain, and then over the mountain to Prescott.

Vail - Aspen - Glenwood Springs - Leadville circle in Colorado - start anywhere on the loop and see great sites, views, and towns. From Glenwood Canyon to the highest peaks in the Rockies, it is a fun drive.

Cascade Lakes Scenic Hwy., Oregon - start and end in scenic Bend. Great views of the Three Sisters volcanoes and Mt. Bachelor. Be sure to drive up to the caldera at Newberry National Volcanic Monument to see a twin waterfalls, twin crater lakes, enjoy hot springs along the beach of lake, and drive up on Oregon’s highest road for caldera view, massive obsidian flow view, and great views fo the Central Cascade volcanoes.

Rim Drive, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

U.S. 101 - Oregon Coast Hwy - great spots, towns, beaches, massive sand dunes, etc. all along entire route.
This post was edited on 5/28/21 at 4:50 pm
Posted by RogerTheShrubber
Juneau, AK
Member since Jan 2009
259875 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 5:27 pm to
Richardson Hwy from Tok to Valdez

If they ever complete the road from Skagway to Juneau, it will be incredible. The half that already exists is amazing.
Posted by jmh5724
Member since Jan 2012
2128 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 5:41 pm to
Trail Ridge from Estes Park to Grand Lake
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
38636 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 7:48 pm to
quote:

Cascade Lakes Scenic Hwy., Oregon - start and end in scenic Bend. Great views of the Three Sisters volcanoes and Mt. Bachelor. Be sure to drive up to the caldera at Newberry National Volcanic Monument

this was probably my favorite unexpected scenic drive, bend to crater lake. We wound up spending almost all day around newberry and didn’t get to crater lake until well after dark

newberry area is amazing
Posted by Yeti_Chaser
Member since Nov 2017
7439 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 9:13 pm to
1. Columbia River Gorge
2. The Oregon Coast
3. The road from Jackson Hole that takes you through Yellowstone and out of West Yellowstone, MT
4. Everywhere in Colorado west of Denver out towards Breckenridge
5. Tacoma, WA up the eastern side of the Olympic peninsula headed to Port Angeles
6. Snoqualmie Pass in Washington

Posted by Crow Pie
Neuro ICU - Tulane Med Center
Member since Feb 2010
25294 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 9:19 pm to
quote:

1. Columbia River Gorge
2. The Oregon Coast
3. The road from Jackson Hole that takes you through Yellowstone and out of West Yellowstone, MT
4. Everywhere in Colorado west of Denver out towards Breckenridge
5. Tacoma, WA up the eastern side of the Olympic peninsula headed to Port Angeles
6. Snoqualmie Pass in Washington
We have done most of those except # 6. I forgot the Oregon Coast Hwy, Yellowstone and Yosemite in my original post. Just getting to Yosemite and Yellowstone is great ride anyway you look at it. Port Townsend was a great place for a lunch/half day as well.
This post was edited on 5/28/21 at 9:24 pm
Posted by Ace Midnight
Between sanity and madness
Member since Dec 2006
89476 posts
Posted on 5/28/21 at 9:20 pm to
quote:

Carmel to Big Sur on Cali Hwy 1 is pretty hard to beat.


The entire PCH from LA up to Monterey is stunning, visually, but particularly from Morro Bay up. All the hills and curves are not great for motion sickness, but that is a beautiful drive.
Posted by safetyman
Member since Jun 2011
11002 posts
Posted on 5/29/21 at 7:55 am to
Cascade Mountains in Washington State.
Posted by MintBerry Crunch
Member since Nov 2010
4828 posts
Posted on 5/29/21 at 5:30 pm to
Tioga Road, CA 120
Posted by Alwaysontop
Member since Nov 2015
320 posts
Posted on 5/29/21 at 9:33 pm to
Wind River Canyon - Wyoming. Really awesome when train coming through
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