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These iconic American road trips span coastlines, mountains and deserts, showcasing some of the country's most scenic and historic driving routes
The U.S. was built for driving. Long before interstates connected every coast, wagon trails, railroad grades and hand-built mountain roads gave Americans a way to see a country too vast to take in from one place. That instinct never faded. Today, a handful of routes still stand out as the country's most iconic American road trips, each shaped by different terrain and a different chapter of history.
Some of these roads follow coastlines carved over millions of years, like California's Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur. Others were engineered specifically for scenery, like Glacier National Park's Going-to-the-Sun Road, blasted through granite in the early twentieth century so visitors could cross the Continental Divide by car. A few trace paths that existed long before pavement, including the Natchez Trace, first used by Native American nations and later by traders on foot.
What separates a memorable road trip from a forgettable one is rarely the destination alone — it's the drive itself. A road that climbs 11,000 feet through the San Juan Mountains offers a different kind of experience than a flat coastal cruise past palm trees. Each demands its own planning, since seasonal closures, elevation changes, gas station spacing and weather all affect how a route should be tackled.
