214 Best Sights in USA

This 12-mile drive enters Glacier on the northeast side of the park, west of Babb, and travels along Sherburne Lake for almost 5 miles, penetrating a glacially carved valley surrounded by mountains. It passes through meadows and a scrubby forest of lodgepole pines, aspen, and cottonwood. The farther you travel up the valley, the more clearly you'll be able to see Grinnell and Salamander glaciers. The road, which passes Many Glacier Hotel and ends at the Swiftcurrent Campground, is usually closed from October to May. The road has many potholes and can be extremely rough in places.

Along the Blossom Trail, roughly halfway between Fresno and Visalia, the colorful handiwork of local quilters is on display at the Mennonite Quilt Center. Try to visit on Monday (except holidays) between 8 and noon, when two dozen quilters stitch, patch, and chat over coffee. Prime viewing time—with the largest number of quilts—is in February and March, before the center's early-April auction. Ask a docent to take you to the locked upstairs room, where most of the quilts hang; you'll learn about the fine points of patterns such as the Log Cabin Romance, the Dahlia, and the Snowball-Star.

Routes 14, 5, 58, and 100 make for a scenic drive around the Northeast Kingdom, so named for the remoteness and stalwart independence that have helped preserve its rural nature. You can extend the loop and head east on Route 105 to the city of Newport on Lake Memphremagog. Some of the most unspoiled areas in all Vermont are on the drive south from Newport on either U.S. 5 or Interstate 91 (the latter is faster, but the former is prettier).

The easiest way to get from Deadwood to Rapid City is east through Boulder Canyon on U.S. 14A. However, it's worth looping north and taking the long way around Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, on this 20-mile scenic route past 1,000-foot limestone cliffs and some of the most breathtaking scenery in the region. Cascading waterfalls quench the thirst of quaking aspen, gnarled oaks, sweet-smelling spruce, and the ubiquitous ponderosa pine. The canyon is home to deer, mountain goats, porcupines, and mountain lions. Near its middle is the old sawmill town of Savoy, a jumping-off point for scenic hikes to Spearfish Falls and Roughlock Falls. In fall, changing leaves rival any found in New England.