The Best Road Trips in the US for People Who've Already Done Route 66

The best road trips in the US don't start and end with Route 66. Sure, the Mother Road is legendary — 2,400 miles of Americana, neon diners, and wide open skies stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica. If you've done it, you already know why it earned its reputation. But now you've checked it off, and you're itching for something new.

Here's the thing: the US has more incredible road trip routes than most people realize. Routes that don't show up on every travel poster. Drives that take you through volcanic craters, along cliff-hugging coastal highways, past glacier-carved lakes, and through towns so quiet you'll feel like you have the whole country to yourself.

This guide breaks down the nine best American road trip routes for travelers who've already conquered Route 66 and are ready for something equally — or honestly, sometimes even more — rewarding. Whether you're into jaw-dropping scenery, deep history, coastal views, or mountain passes that make your palms sweat, there's a drive on this list that will scratch that itch.

We've also included practical details: approximate distances, what makes each route unique, and the stops you absolutely cannot skip. Think of this as your post-Route 66 road trip playbook.

Why the Best Road Trips in the US Are Often the Ones Nobody Talks About

Route 66 gets the fame because it was the first major federally funded highway connecting the Midwest to the West Coast. It's historically significant, no question. But that fame also means crowds, commercialized tourist traps, and stretches of road that have been paved over, bypassed, or turned into gift shops.

The underrated road trip routes on this list don't have that problem. They offer the same sense of freedom and discovery — often with better scenery and fewer selfie sticks.

1. The Pacific Coast Highway (California)

Distance: ~650 miles (Los Angeles to San Francisco)

If there's one iconic American road trip that deserves to stand shoulder to shoulder with Route 66, it's the Pacific Coast Highway, also known as Highway 1. The difference is in the views: on one side, the Pacific Ocean crashes against dramatic rocky cliffs. On the other, redwood forests and golden hills roll into the distance.

Key Stops on the Pacific Coast Highway

• Big Sur — One of the most photographed stretches of coastline in the world. Pull over at McWay Falls and watch fresh water pour directly onto a beach you can't even access.
• Bixby Creek Bridge — Built in 1932, it's one of the most photographed bridges in California. The views in both directions are stunning.
• Hearst Castle in San Simeon — A hilltop mansion that looks like it was airlifted from Europe. Tours are worth every minute.
• Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea — Two charming coastal towns back to back. Fresh seafood, sea otters at the aquarium, and architecture that feels like a fairy tale.

The PCH scenic drive is best tackled from south to north so the ocean stays on your left. Plan for at least five to seven days if you want to actually stop and breathe it in.

2. Blue Ridge Parkway (Virginia to North Carolina)

Distance: ~469 miles

The Blue Ridge Parkway is often called "America's Favorite Drive," and the label fits. This National Park Service road runs along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains, connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.

There are no billboards on the Blue Ridge Parkway. No commercial trucks. No fast food chains cluttering the roadside. Just rolling mountain views, dense forests, and the kind of quiet that city people actively pay to find.

Why the Blue Ridge Parkway Belongs on Your List

• Fall foliage here is genuinely world-class. Late October is the sweet spot when the entire range turns into a tapestry of red, orange, and gold.
• Mabry Mill at milepost 176 is one of the most photographed spots on the entire route. An old working gristmill reflected in a pond — it looks like a painting.
• Linn Cove Viaduct near Grandfather Mountain is a feat of engineering that hugs the mountainside like nothing you've ever driven across.
• The speed limit caps at 45 mph, which sounds frustrating until you realize it forces you to slow down and actually see things.

This is a scenic byway road trip best suited for spring through early November. Winters can bring ice and closures at higher elevations.

3. US Route 50 — The Loneliest Road in America

Distance: ~3,200 miles (Ocean City, Maryland to West Sacramento, California)

Route 50 stretches coast to coast from Ocean City, Maryland in the east to West Sacramento, California in the west — longer than Route 66 by about 600 miles. Life Magazine once called the Nevada section "the loneliest road in America," and the state of Nevada leaned into the nickname so hard they now issue "I Survived the Loneliest Road" certificates at visitor centers.

What Makes Route 50 Unique

Route 50 passes through 12 states — California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland — making it a genuinely cross-country American highway road trip with remarkable geographic diversity.

You go from the beachy mid-Atlantic coast through the Appalachians, across the farmland of the Midwest, through the Colorado Rockies, into Utah's canyon country, and finally through the Nevada desert. Few routes give you that range of landscape in one trip.

Don't skip Great Basin National Park in Nevada — it's spectacularly undervisited for a national park and contains ancient Bristlecone Pines that are among the oldest living organisms on earth.

4. The Great River Road (Minnesota to Louisiana)

Distance: ~3,000 miles

Stretching over 2,000 miles from Minnesota to Louisiana, the Great River Road follows the Mississippi River through diverse landscapes, lush forests, charming river towns, and vast farmlands.

This Mississippi River road trip isn't one single highway but rather a designated National Scenic Byway that stitches together multiple roads along both banks of the river. It's one of the oldest and richest cultural corridors in the country.

Top Reasons to Drive the Great River Road

• Natchez, Mississippi — One of the best-preserved antebellum cities in the South, with a complicated and important history told honestly at its museums and plantations.
• Memphis, Tennessee — Graceland, Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum. You could spend three days here alone.
• Galena, Illinois — A remarkably intact 19th-century river town perched on limestone bluffs. It looks frozen in time in the best possible way.
• New Orleans at the southern end — Need we say more? The food, the music, the architecture, and the absolute refusal to be ordinary.

The Great River Road rewards slow travelers. Don't try to rush it.

5. Going-to-the-Sun Road (Montana)

Distance: ~50 miles

Short but absolutely unforgettable. Going-to-the-Sun Road cuts through the heart of Glacier National Park, climbing through alpine meadows, past turquoise glacial lakes, and over the Logan Pass at 6,646 feet. It's one of the most dramatic roads in North America — full stop.

What to Know Before You Go

• The road is only fully open from roughly mid-June to mid-October due to snow.
• Since 2021, the National Park Service has required a vehicle reservation during peak hours in summer. Book well in advance through Recreation.gov.
• Watch for mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and grizzly bears. All of them act like they own the road, because they do.
• The Logan Pass Visitor Center sits right on the Continental Divide. The hike to Hidden Lake from there takes about 90 minutes and is worth every step.

This is a bucket list scenic drive that genuinely lives up to the hype.

6. Million Dollar Highway (Colorado)

Distance: ~25 miles (Ouray to Silverton)

On this short 25-mile journey, you'll climb three mountain passes: Coal Bank Pass, Molas Pass, and Red Mountain Pass. The Million Dollar Highway is part of the San Juan Skyway in southwestern Colorado, and it's one of the most spectacularly dangerous roads in the United States.

There are no guardrails on significant stretches. The drop-offs are sheer. The mountain views are staggering. It's the kind of road that makes you grip the steering wheel tighter while simultaneously trying to take in the scenery.

The dangerous turns actually work in your favor — they force you to drive slowly, which means you spend more time absorbing the beauty around you.

Drive the San Juan Skyway loop (about 236 miles total) to pair the Million Dollar Highway with the charming Victorian mining towns of Telluride, Ouray, and Durango. This is one of the best mountain road trips in the US, and it's almost criminally underappreciated.

7. Florida Keys Overseas Highway

Distance: ~113 miles (Florida City to Key West)

The Overseas Highway connects mainland Florida to the Florida Keys, stretching over 113 miles over bridges and islands with stunning views of turquoise waters at every turn.

This Florida Keys road trip is unlike any other drive in the country. You're essentially driving on a necklace of 42 bridges strung between islands, with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. The water color changes constantly, cycling through shades of blue and green that don't seem real.

Best Stops on the Overseas Highway

• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (Key Largo) — First undersea park in the US. Snorkeling here is extraordinary.
• Bahia Honda State Park — Widely considered one of the best beaches in Florida. The old rail bridge ruins next to the newer highway bridge make for iconic photos.
• Key West — Ernest Hemingway's former home, the southernmost point in the continental US, Duval Street's electric nightlife, and sunsets at Mallory Square that people literally applaud. It earns all of it.

Plan this coastal scenic highway for winter or spring. Summer means hurricanes and oppressive heat.

8. US-2 — The Great Northern (Montana to Washington)

Distance: ~760 miles (Havre, Montana to Everett, Washington)

US-2, also called the Great Northern, is a transcontinental route offering a range of landscapes from dense forests to expansive plains. The Montana to Washington stretch is the showpiece section — it passes through Glacier National Park's northern corridor, crosses the Cascades, and drops into the lush Puget Sound region.

This is a Pacific Northwest road trip with real depth. You go through working ranching communities in eastern Montana, through the tribal lands of the Blackfeet Nation, past the wild-looking terrain around Glacier, and then into the temperate rainforests and volcanic peaks of Washington state.

The town of Leavenworth, Washington — a Bavarian-themed village in the Cascades — is the kind of quirky American detour that Route 66 travelers love. And Wenatchee's apple orchards in harvest season are a genuinely beautiful sight.

9. The Natchez Trace Parkway (Tennessee to Mississippi)

Distance: ~444 miles (Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi)

This one often gets overlooked, which makes it all the more worth taking. The Natchez Trace Parkway follows a 500-year-old travel corridor used by Native Americans, European explorers, and early American settlers. The National Park Service now manages the entire route as a two-lane, billboard-free, commercial-traffic-free scenic road.

Why the Natchez Trace Deserves More Attention

• The canopy of trees over the road through Mississippi and Alabama is so dense in summer it feels like driving through a tunnel of green.
• Meriwether Lewis's grave sits along the route near the Tennessee-Alabama border. He died here under mysterious circumstances in 1809.
• Tupelo, Mississippi — Elvis's birthplace. The home where he was born is still standing and open to the public.
• The Emerald Mound near Natchez is the second-largest pre-Columbian ceremonial mound in North America, built between 1250 and 1600 AD.

For history-obsessed road trippers, this Southern road trip is as rich as it gets. Learn more about the route's history at the National Park Service's Natchez Trace page.

How to Plan Your Next Road Trip Beyond Route 66

Once you've picked a route, a few universal tips apply to every American road trip:

• Book accommodations early for peak seasons. This especially applies to the Pacific Coast Highway in summer and the Blue Ridge Parkway in October.
• Drive in the right direction. For the PCH, north-bound keeps the ocean to your left. For the Great River Road, the western bank tends to have better views in most stretches.
• Give yourself more time than you think you need. The best moments on any scenic road trip come from the unplanned detours.
• Download offline maps before heading into areas like Glacier or the Great Basin where cell service is unreliable.
• Mix driving days with rest days. Five hours of driving every single day is how road trips become exhausting instead of refreshing.

For in-depth route planning and mile-by-mile guides, America's Byways from the Federal Highway Administration is an outstanding free resource.

Conclusion

The best road trips in the US go well beyond any single famous highway, and for travelers who've already done Route 66, the good news is that the country has no shortage of spectacular alternatives. From the cliff-edged drama of the Pacific Coast Highway and the alpine intensity of Going-to-the-Sun Road to the quiet history of the Natchez Trace Parkway and the surreal bridge-hopping of the Florida Keys Overseas Highway, each of these nine routes offers something genuinely different — and genuinely worth the drive. The common thread is that they all reward the kind of slow, curious, open-ended travel that makes road trips worth doing in the first place. Pick one, pack the car, and go find out what's down the road.