There is a Royal Gorge Bridge near Canon City in Colorado. The drop to the Arkansas River is 1050 feet.

Just like the song says: "Running south on Lake Shore Drive, heading into town." (Chicago, that is) And actually, I always thought the ride was just as pretty running north on Lake Shore Drive.

Highway 130 (Alum Rock Avenue) in the East Foothills above San Jose. Great view of the City and Silicon Valley.

I've done most of these drives, and all the others combined don't match the stunning drama of coming out of the Wawona Tunnel and seeing Yosemite Valley all at once. I warn people to be certain to watch the road when they do this, as it's very possible to forget you're driving a car and just smash into something. It's THAT good! Really!!

One overlooked view (until you've seen it the first time) is the Sideling Hill Cut, on I-68 in Western Maryland, about 6 miles west of Hancock.

Fortunately, the state has constructed a dandy exhibit/rest area, and some superb walkways where you can get an excellent view of it.

Go to http://www.mgs.md.gov/esic/features/sidel.html for some pictures and a discussion.

Driving thru Hayden Valley in Yellowstone National Park after a rainstorm. The sun comes out and there are double -- even triple -- rainbows throughout this area mixed with bright green rolling plains, herds of bison and elk, sky-blue flowing streams, curious rock formations and inspiring mountains. Too many tourists feel the need to "rush" this drive to get from one attraction to another (i.e. "Let's get to Old Faithful then out of the park. Damn this 35-mile-an-hour drive!")

That said, any drive with views of the Grand Tetons or the Teton mountain range is awesome, too -- especially around Jenny Lake with the mountains reflected back in the water...

Darn it! Need to get back to western Wyoming NOW!

Driving from Denver up to Boulder. For a while all you see are plains and a whole lot of nothing. Then you pass Layfayette, and climb a small hill. You get to the top, and ahhh, spread out before you is the town of Boulder, backed by the Flatirons. I always looked forward to that approach, maybe because I always love coming back to Boulder.

How about driving on the Chesapeak (sp?) Bay bridge for the first time? You're out over open water on a bridge, far away from land when you look ahead and see the bridge dissapear in front of you. Many times you can see an oceanliner or warship directly in front of you as you slowly decline into a tunnel for 5-6 miles before you emerge on the other side, back up to the bridge. Outstanding!

In the natural wonders category:
After 30 years of travel, I've never seen anything that compares to the view of Yosemite after the Wawona Tunnell....a shock of majestic beauty!
Less shocking but just as dramatic: the Grand Tetons, passing by Lake Jenny.

Hugh: You're right about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, down at the end of the Delmarva peninsula.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, up near Annapolis, is an impressive feat of engineering, but not so spectacular a view.

Crossing the Newport Bridge from Jameston into Newport, RI. The historic City of Newport laid out on the hillside in front of you with its numerous church steeples and myriads of boats in the harbor, to the north, the Naval War College grounds and Navy Base (with an old WWII carrier at the pier). Further to the north, Narragansett bay stretches off towards Providence. To the south, past Fort Adams, the mouth of the bay and the North Atlantic. On a clear day you can see Block Island in the distance out there.

Great view.

With the arrival of the summer road trip season I thought I'd top this old thread. Some good ideas for your route planning.

Westbound on I-70 climbing out of Denver. Entering a long, sweeping curve at the Chief Hosa Exit, you are suddenly confronted with a wave of mountain peak after peak, rolling out to the horizon.

Southbond on I-15 at night, you crest a hill and suddenly, the entire Las Vegas Valley spreads out in front of you. I specified night because all the neon and other light transforms a fairly pedestrian view in the daytime to one that is stunning at night.

Inbound to LAX on a clear night, dropping into the basin from the San Bernardino mountians and the entire LA basin is a carpet of shimmering light, dramatically ending in a curtain of darkness at the coast line.

Driving north on Hwy 89 and seeing the blue waters of Lake Powell just before you go down the grade.

Seeing Mt. Rushmore framed in a tunnel before you drive thought the tunnel. Don't remember the highway number.

Driving thought Arches National Park, Zion National Park and Capitol Reef National Park.

Utahtea

As for New ork, my favorite is the Belt parkway passing Coney Island and then under the Verazano Narrows Bridge -- If you continue on the BQE, all of New York Harbor unfolds with the tip of Manahttan rising up -- it's pretty breathtaking (and usually there is so much traffic that you get to see it for awhile

To finish off -- drive over the Brooklyn Bridge

Definitely the approach to Pittsburgh after going through the Fort Pitt tunnel. A beautiful view of the city, the three rivers, Heinz Field and PNC Park. It can't be beat!

Thanks to everyone who mentioned my hometown - Pittsburgh. I can say a lot of bad things about it, but after coming through the Ft. Pitt Tunnels, the view of the city is an impressive surprise.

My personal favorite is anywhere between Carmel and Big Sur on Rt. 1. Every turn and curve is more breathtaking than the one before.

The desert roads leading into Sedona, Arizona, are unbeatable as well.

I must agree that the Wawona Tunnel view in Yosemite is the all-time winner.

Also, in Yosemite, the Glacier Point road approaching Washburn Point, where you first glimpse massive Half Dome across the valley, with its top almost on a level with you, and that sweeping view of the mountains behind it.

Near Yosemite's eastern entrance, coming south on Highway 395, a sudden and great vista of Mono Lake below you, and a panorama the White Mountains of the Sierra Nevada (including three 14,000+ ft. peaks on the horizon)spreading out behind it.

Yes, anywhere along the coastal part of Highway One in Big Sur, but perhaps best of all the approach to Bixby Creek Bridge (about 13 miles south of Carmel) from the north.

The road approaching the lighthouse at Point Reyes. Also, very familiar to me, not generally very well known but to my surprise, I've seen someone else praise it here: Coleman Valley Road from Occidental in Sonoma County to the ocean at a point north of Bodega Bay. Both absolutely breathtaking descents to the sea, with panoramic views of miles and miles of coastal mountains, both within two hours of San Francisco.

An underappreciated but easily accessible view in the San Francisco Bay Area--from I-80 going west descending to the Bay north of Berkeley, all of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate spreading out to the right, to the left and nearby the beautiful Campanile (clock tower) of the University of California with its backdrop of the lovely Berkeley hills, and farther away the distant spires of Oakland.

The same sights from a different angle, emerging from the Caldecott Tunnel (Highway 13)in the Berkeley Hills, with San Francisco and its bridges in front of you, Oakland to the left and the Campanile to the right. For that matter, emerging from the Caldecott Tunnel going the other direction, experiencing the sudden change from intensely urban coastal California to the drastically different natural environment and slower, less crowded pace of an interior valley, with the Bay Area's highest mountain, Mount Diablo, looming massively before you. (I used to commute daily through this tunnel and never got tired of the views or the contrast.)

Approaching downtown Portland, Oregon, by any of the bridges over the Willamette, seeing its impressive postmodern skyline (with a few traditional touches) and its backdrop of hills.

Approaching Washington, D.C. from either north or south on the George Washington Parkway on the Virginia side before crossing on either the Theodore Roosevelt or Memorial Bridges already mentioned. The coming appearance of Washington heralded by the impressive spires of Georgetown University coming from the north, then a sudden panorama; from the south, a long, sweeping preview of monuments in the distance. Constitution Avenue in Washington after crossing the bridges, with its grand government buildings and museums on one side, the Mall on the other, and long impressive approaches to the Washington Monument and the Capitol. The sudden sight of the Capitol looming at the end as you turn into Pennsylvania or any of the diagonal Avenues radiating from it.

Route 2 into Boston, especially when the fall foliage is at its most glorious. At a certain spot, the cityscape magically appears ahead of you.

We also love the approach to NYC from the Triborough Bridge - better yet the above ground subway from Queens.

Then, there's the highway approach into Montreal...

Driving down the Alaskan Kenai Peninsula, you are headed for Homer on the Seward Highway. You come around an uphill curve, and off to your right is a large panoramic vista. Below you is Kachemak Bay, with the Homer Spit and fjords and glaciers across the inlet in all their glory. The blue water sparkles, the air is filled with the smell of abundant wildflowers dotting the hillsides. It is similar to Norway, but very unique. I've lived in Alaska most of my life, but this drive never fails to take my breath away. My late mom always said it was a spiritual experience seeing that view.