214 Best Sights in USA

Three miles south of Hamilton, turn east onto Route 38, also known as the Skalkaho Highway, and you'll find yourself on a beautiful 45-mile route leading into the Sapphire Mountains, past towering Skalkaho Falls and on to Philipsburg and the Georgetown Lake area. This fair-weather road is best traveled in summer, since 20 miles of it are gravel. Mountain bikers tour here, and there are plenty of hiking trails through the 23,000-acre Skalkaho Wildlife Management Area. Note that trailers are not recommended. Only 10 miles of the Skalkaho Highway are plowed in winter, which means the area is excellent for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Route 130 between Centennial and Saratoga is known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. This paved road, which is in excellent condition, crosses through the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, providing views of 12,013-foot Medicine Bow Peak and access to hiking trails, 10 campgrounds (six right near the road), picnic areas, and 100 alpine lakes and streams. Gravel roads lead off the route into the national forest.

At the top of the 10,847-foot Snowy Range Pass, about 10 miles west of Centennial, take a short walk to the Libby Flats Observation Site for views of the Snowy Range and, on clear days, Rocky Mountain National Park to the southwest in Colorado. Lake Marie, a jewel of a mountain lake at an elevation of approximately 10,000 feet, is also here. On the Saratoga side of the mountain, the road passes through pine forest and descends to the North Platte River Valley, with cattle ranches on both sides of the highway. Note that the byway is impassable in winter and therefore is closed between approximately mid-October and Memorial Day.

The sheer black lava walls and boulder-strewn landscape of the deep Lewis River canyon make this somewhat underrated drive toward Grand Teton National Park highly memorable. Turn into the parking area at the highway bridge for a close-up view of the spectacular Lewis River Falls, one of the park's most photographed sights. There are several pullouts along the shore of Lewis Lake that are ideal for a picnic or just to stretch your legs.

This paved 7-mile stretch from Tomichi Point to High Point is the park's main road. The drive follows the canyon's level South Rim; 12 overlooks are accessible from the road, most via short gravel trails. Several short hikes along the rim also begin roadside. Allow between two and three hours round-trip.

A 36-mile, one-way scenic loop takes you past prairie-dog towns, coal veins, trailheads, and panoramic views of the badlands. Information on the park's natural history is posted at the various overlooks—stop at all of the interpretive signs to learn about the park's natural and historical phenomena. Some of the best views can be seen from Skyline Vista Trail, Boicourt Overlook, Buck Hill, and Badlands Overlook. If you hit the road at dusk, be prepared to get caught in a bison jam, as the huge creatures sometimes block the road and aren't in any hurry to move. Don't get out of your car or honk at them—they don't like it. Note: The scenic loop closed in 2019 at mile 22.5, the old east entrance, making it a 45-mile out-and-back. The park expects to reopen the road in 2025. 

This 17-mile round-trip add-on to the Sheep Creek Canyon Loop road leads past the Ute Lookout Fire Tower, which was in use from the 1930s through the 1960s.

The 161-mile Steese Highway follows the Chatanika River and several other creeks along the southern part of the White Mountains. The highway eventually climbs into weatherworn alpine mountains, peaking at Eagle Summit (3,624 feet), about 100 miles northeast of Fairbanks, before dropping back down into forested creek beds en route to the town of Central. From Central you can drive the 30-plus miles on a winding gravel road to Circle, a small village on the Yukon River. The highway is paved to Mile 81 and is usually in good shape. A possible exception is in winter, when Eagle Summit is sometimes closed due to drifting snow. Be aware that most rental car companies don't allow vehicles on the road, and that cell service is basically nonexistent after about 50 miles. 

The scenic drive winds past Lookout Mountain, Round Mountain, Walton Lake, and Big Summit Prairie. The prairie abounds with trout-filled creeks and has one of the finest stands of ponderosa pines in the state; wild horses, coyote, deer, and sometimes even elk roam the area. The prairie can be glorious between late May and June, when wildflowers with evocative names like mule ears, paintbrush, checkermallow, and Peck's mariposa lily burst into bloom.

This popular (and often crowded) scenic road to the highest drivable point at the park carves its way 11 miles up Sunrise Ridge from the White River Valley on the northeast side of the park. As you top the ridge, there are sweeping views of the surrounding lowlands. The road is usually open July through September.

A few minutes and a world away from Waikiki and Honolulu, this scenic drive shaded by vine-draped trees has frequent pullouts with views of Diamond Head and the ewa (western) side of Honolulu. It's a nice change of pace from urban life below. At Puu Ualakaa State Wayside (Tantalus), stop to see the sweeping view from Manoa Valley to Honolulu. To start the drive, go to the Punchbowl cemetery (National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific), and follow Tantalus Drive uphill. You'll spot wild chickens, darting mongoose (the squirrels of Hawaii), and maybe the occasional wild boar along the road as you drive.

The 160-mile Taylor Highway runs north from the Alaska Highway at Tetlin Junction, 12 miles east of Tok. It's a narrow rough-gravel road that winds along mountain ridges and through valleys of the Fortymile River. The road passes the tiny community of Chicken and ends in Eagle at the Yukon River. This is one of only three places in Alaska where the Yukon River can be reached by road. The Top of the World Highway starts off the Taylor and leads to Dawson City in the Yukon Territory. The route is far more scenic, and shorter, than the alternative of taking the Alaska Highway to Whitehorse and then turning north, but it's another of those stretches for which it's good to make sure your insurance policy covers towing and windshield replacement. The highway is not plowed in winter, so it is snowed shut from fall to spring. If you're roughing it, know that the Bureau of Land Management also maintains three first-come, first-served campsites (as all BLM campsites are) on the Taylor Highway at Miles 49, 82, and 160; the last is located at the end of the road in Eagle.

Few mountain drives can compare with this 59-mile road, especially its eastern half between Lee Vining and Olmstead Point. As you climb 3,200 feet to the 9,945-foot summit of Tioga Pass (Yosemite's sole eastern entrance for cars), you'll encounter broad vistas of the granite-splotched High Sierra and its craggy but hearty trees and shrubs. Past the bustling scene at Tuolumne Meadows, you'll see picturesque Tenaya Lake and then Olmsted Point, where you'll get your first peek at Half Dome. Driving Tioga Road one way takes approximately 1½ hours. Wildflowers bloom here in July and August. By November, the high-altitude road closes for the winter; it sometimes doesn't reopen until early June.

This popular, one-way, 27-mile drive starts at Nevada Highway 374 (Daylight Pass Road), 2 miles from the park's boundary. Highlights include a hike along the Fall Canyon Trail (from the parking area), the Leadville Ghost Town, and the spectacular limestone and dolomite narrows. Toward the end of the route, a two-way section of gravel road leads you into the mouth of the canyon from northern Highway 190. This dirt road is steep, bumpy, and narrow, so high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles are strongly recommended.

As you come around a bend in NM 434 heading from El Turquillo toward Mora, behold the Sangre de Cristo range, specifically the east side of Trampas and Truchas peaks, from an angle few tourists ever see. Just before Mora and the intersection with NM 518 is an intricate network of irrigation ditches that farmers employ to keep this region so fertile.

The route north from Cameron Trading Post on U.S. 89 offers a stunning view of the Painted Desert. The desert, which covers thousands of square miles stretching to the south and east, is a vision of subtle, almost harsh beauty, with windswept plains and mesas, isolated buttes, and barren valleys in pastel patterns. About 30 miles north of Cameron Trading Post, the Painted Desert country gives way to sandstone cliffs that run for miles. Brilliantly hued and ranging in color from light pink to deep orange, the Echo Cliffs rise to more than 1,000 feet in many places. They are essentially devoid of vegetation, but in a few high places, thick patches of tall cottonwood and poplar trees, nurtured by springs and water seepage from the rock escarpment, manage to thrive.

At Bitter Springs, 60 miles north of Cameron, U.S. 89A branches off from U.S. 89, running north and providing views of Marble Canyon, the geographical beginning of the Grand Canyon. Like the Grand Canyon, Marble Canyon was formed by the Colorado River. Traversing a gorge nearly 500 feet deep is Navajo Bridge, a narrow steel span built in 1929 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Formerly used for car traffic, it now functions only as a pedestrian overpass.

The 68 miles between the park and Ely make a beautiful drive with diverse views of Nevada's paradoxical geography: dry deserts and lush mountains. You'll catch an occasional glimpse of a snake, perhaps a rattler, slithering on the road's shoulder, or a lizard sunning on a rock. Watch for deer. A straight drive to Ely takes a little more than an hour; if you have the time to take a dirt-road adventure, don't miss the Ward Charcoal Ovens or a peek at Cave Lake.

One of New Mexico's great, although quite isolated, scenic routes heads northwest from U.S. 64 toward the town of Costillo (44 mi north of Taos on NM 522), affording great opportunities for sighting elk, deer, wild turkeys, and many other birds. The roughly 80-mi dirt road requires several hours of driving to complete—although it's okay for non–four-wheel-drive vehicles in summer and fall (assuming there hasn't been a major rainfall in a couple of days and you're comfortable driving on some pretty rough roads). The trip passes through the heart of pristine Valle Vidal, a remote 102,000-acre tract of high-mountain grasslands, ponderosa, aspen, and sandstone cliffs. The fishing (season is July to December) in this region is mighty fine—the native Rio Grande cutthroat trout is found only in the rivers here—and there are two campgrounds, Cimarron and McCrystal. The western section of the road is closed May through June for elk-calving season, and the eastern section is closed to protect the elks January through March. (for information on conservation efforts and history of Valle Vidal, visit www.vallevidal.org)

As you drive up Interstate 25 from Las Vegas and Fort Union, the high prairie unfolds to the east, an infinite horizon of grassland that's quite breathtaking when the sun sets. Wagon Mound (at Exit 387 off Interstate 25) is a butte shaped like a covered wagon, rising from the open plains. The butte is where travelers crossed over from the Cimarron Cutoff to journey south to Fort Union. Local lore tells of mysterious lights, ghosts, and murders committed on top of the butte. The tiny village has few services and is verging on "ghost town" status, with many of its few businesses having closed in recent years and a population dwindling to around 300.

This scenic drive (labeled as Reef Top Cir. on some maps) begins a ½ mile from the visitor center and travels 9½ miles along the top of a ridge to the edge of Rattlesnake Canyon—which you can access via a marked trail—and sinks back down through upper Walnut Canyon to the main entrance road. The backcountry scenery on this one-way gravel loop is stunning; go late in the afternoon or early in the morning to enjoy the full spectrum of changing light and dancing colors. Along the way, you'll see Big Hill Seep's trickling water, the tall, flowing ridges of the Guadalupe mountain range, and maybe even some robust mule deer. The scenic road is not for RVs or trailers.

Following major damage incurred during the historic flood of August 2022, the drive has been closed for repairs, which could last through at least 2027. Check the park website for details.

This 12-mile mountain road, stretching from the Far View Center to Wetherill Mesa, has sharp curves and steep grades (and is restricted to vehicles less than 25 feet long and 8,000 pounds). Roadside pull-outs offer unobstructed views of the Four Corners region. At the end of the road, you can access Step House, Long House, and Badger House.

One of central Washington's most dramatic drives, this 27-mile journey alongside the region's defining river twists and turns beneath towering 2,000-foot sagebrush-carpeted cliffs and volcanic basalt outcroppings. There are four well-marked BLM recreation areas—each with picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets, campgrounds, nature trails, and boat ramps—along the drive, which provides a stunningly scenic alternative to Interstate 82 between Ellensburg and Yakima. A few local companies, including Yakima River Tubing ( www.yakimarivertubing.com) offer family-friendly float trips along this generally gentle stretch of river, which is also popular among trout fly-fishing enthusiasts. Keep your eye out for eagles and other raptors circling overhead. At the north end of the canyon in 64-acre Helen McCabe State Park, construction is underway on a sleek, contemporary interpretive center that will educate visitors about the canyon and the region's thriving indigenous culture, and feature trails and a fishing pond; visit  www.ycic.org for news about the anticipated opening date. 

Two narrow tunnels as old as the park itself lie between the East Entrance and Zion Canyon on this breathtaking 12-mile stretch of Highway 9. One was once the longest man-made tunnel in the world. As you travel the (1.1-mile) passage through solid rock, five arched portals along one side provide fleeting glimpses of cliffs and canyons. When you emerge, you'll find that the landscape has changed dramatically. Large vehicles require traffic control and a $15 permit, available at either park entrance, and have restricted hours of travel. This includes nearly all RVs, trailers, dual-wheel trucks, and campers. The Canyon Overlook Trail starts from a parking area between the tunnels.

The 62-mile self-guided Blossom Trail driving tour takes in Fresno-area orchards, citrus groves, and vineyards during spring blossom season. The trail passes through small towns and past rivers, lakes, and canals. The most colorful and aromatic time to go is from late February to mid-March, when almond, plum, apple, apricot, and peach blossoms shower the landscape with shades of white, pink, and red. After the blossoms mature, the route is known as the Fruit Trail.

Branching east off Scenic Byway 12 (see the Bryce Canyon National Park chapter) in Boulder, Burr Trail travels through the Circle Cliffs area of Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument into Capitol Reef. The views are of backcountry canyons and gulches. The road is paved between Boulder and the eastern boundary of Capitol Reef. It leads into a hair-raising set of switchbacks—not suitable for RVs or trailers—that ascend 800 feet in ½ mile. Before attempting to drive this route, check with the Capitol Reef Visitor Center for road conditions—it can be impassable in wet or snowy weather. From Boulder to its intersection with Notom-Bullfrog Road the route is 36 miles long.