![]() ![]() The 120-mile scenic byway’s western end begins amid the rust-colored rock formations of Red Canyon (pictured above) before leading into the northern portion of Bryce Canyon National Park, where an eerie, orange-tinted expanse of skinny limestone towers called hoodoos fills the canyon floor. You can’t drive on the surface of Mars, but you can easily pretend that’s what you’re doing on State Route 12 in Utah. Planning help: Order our paperback guide to Maui or download the affordable e-book. To beat the busiest traffic times-midmorning to afternoon-start out just before sunrise.Ī Caribbean alternative: The Panoramic Route (Ruta Panorámica) in Puerto Rico is a network of roads stretching for more than 150 miles through the island’s central mountains, past waterfalls, lush valleys, and Taino ruins. Start early: You want to take your time on the road to Hana, but you don’t want to be stuck in a bumper-to-bumper crawl. The highway eventually ends up in the earthly paradise that is Hana, a still-secluded, still-unspoiled village in a coastal rainforest. That’s partly because the road has some 600 sharp curves and more than 50 one-lane bridges, and partly because you'll want to stop in numerous spots to get out of the car and wade into waterfall pools, breathe in the scents of wild ginger and plumeria flowers, sample bananas and mangos from roadside fruit stands, and snap photos of verdant hillsides lined with black- and red-sand beaches. Hawaii’s Hana Highway, which runs along Maui’s northeastern shore starting in Kahului, covers 50 miles but takes at least three hours (and at most a full day) to drive from end to end. In that case, you can always opt for a guided tour aboard one of the park’s vintage red buses (pictured above).įor an even more remote experience: Take on the drive from Anchorage to Valdez in Alaska, where that state’s supercharged scenery-including glaciers, enormous mountain ranges, and sheer cliffs of ice-is on full display. Not up to the drive? If you’re not the steady-behind-the-wheel type, the road’s narrow two lanes, hairpin turns, and dizzying altitudes might be too much. The journey is strictly a summertime proposition: Heavy snowfall makes it too dangerous to traverse from mid-fall to early June. Starting out in valleys filled with cedar forests and impossibly clear lakes, cars climb past spectacular mountain views (including of the peak the road is named after) and surprises like the Weeping Wall-a waterfall that spills right onto the road-before crossing the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, the road’s highest point at 6,646 feet. But you’re not in a hurry-that’s why you’re taking the scenic route, right?Īn engineering marvel when it opened during the Great Depression, the 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road slices through Montana’s Glacier National Park from east to west, providing a thorough and convincing case for what makes the place special. Check ahead to ensure the way will be clear, and have alternative inland detours in mind.Īn Atlantic Coast alternative: On the other end of North America, the Florida Keys Scenic Highway links 43 barrier isles via a 100-mile overseas route with endless ocean vistas extending from either side.įair warning: In both California and Florida, traffic reaches its peak in the summer months. ![]() The landscape here can be unstable, and every so often (such as in 20), portions of the cliffside route collapse from erosion and need to be rebuilt. Start thinking up synonyms for “stunning” now. You can also see sunbathing sea lions, charming villages and artist communities, the only waterfall on the continent that empties into the Pacific, and Big Sur Bridge (aka Bixby Bridge, pictured above), one of the most photographed sights in California. Traveling north to south along the Big Sur Coast from Carmel to Cambria, California Route 1 twists and turns along 1,200-foot cliffs flanked by crashing waves and redwood forests. The most scenic of the state’s many scenic stretches of pavement hugs the jagged sliver where North America meets the Pacific Ocean. Given its size and embarrassment of natural riches, California was made for road trips.
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