11 route & road-trip ideas
Leave the Los Angeles basin for forested ridges and mountain views remarkably close to the city. A carefully chosen out-and-back section can be worthwhile even when a through-drive is unavailable.
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The Arroyo Seco Parkway connects Los Angeles and Pasadena through the historic Arts and Crafts landscape of the Arroyo Seco. Conceived in the parkway tradition with gentle curves, lush landscaping, and scenic vistas, the byway incorporated the modern elements that would lay the groundwork for the California freeway system.
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A gateway to over 3.3 million acres of spectacular scenery, expansive vistas, rare desert wildlife, and historical and cultural sites; this byway travels through sculpted hills and shifting sand dunes and even dips below sea level. Death Valley features the lowest point and the hottest place in North America.
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Travel Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway and experience glacially carved valleys and canyons, ancient volcanic peaks, and rugged granite snow-capped ridges. Two State Park gateways feature the northernmost groves of giant sequoias in the U.S. Driving on this narrow asphalt ribbon brings the backcountry up close, renewing spirit and body.
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Explore selected surviving sections of the Mother Road, from Midwestern towns to Southwestern desert and the California coast. Build a trip around specific signed alignments, roadside history and the communities that make the journey distinctive.
Explore this route →Not every scenic journey needs a small backroad. I-15 links Mojave Desert distances, the Virgin River Gorge and the mountain-and-valley country farther north. Plan selected stretches with worthwhile stops rather than one nonstop transit.
Explore this route →Build a U.S. coastal journey from California’s cliffside roads through Oregon’s seaside towns to Washington’s coastal and Olympic Peninsula areas. These are connected travel regions, not a promise of one uninterrupted oceanfront highway.
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Travel the route that hugs the California coast, providing access to austere, windswept cypress trees, fog-shrouded cliffs and the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean. Views include rugged canyons, towering redwoods, sea lions, and other marine life.
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The San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway provides an extraordinary experience. The unique geographic sections of the corridor offer a mosaic of experiences. From Hearst Castle, to Morro Estuary and the Pacific, to the outdoor recreation of hiking, biking, and kayaking, the corridor offers something for everyone.
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This byway offers a spectacular passage over the Sierra Nevada. Drive through the highest automobile pass in California and experience an elevation change of over one mile. Experience glacier-carved granite peaks, pristine lakes, wildflower-covered meadows, and lush evergreen forests with Giant Sequoia groves in this serene yet rugged landscape.
Explore this route →Explore the wonder and beauty of a dramatic volcanic landscape from Oregon s Crater Lake National Park to California s Lassen Volcanic National Park. Encounter ancient natural forces that shaped exquisite mountain lakes. Amid spectacular scenery, You ll enjoy charming towns, abundant wildlife, world-class birding, and extraordinary recreational, historical, and cultural opportunities.
Explore this route →Multistate routes appear in each relevant state. Some entries describe a byway, others a selected stretch or a broader road trip; routes can overlap.