25 Popular US Road Trips Worth Adding to Your Bucket List

Are we there yet? Who cares. The magic of a road trip is the unexpected sights along the way, from roadside attractions to the ever-changing great outdoors just outside the car window. Here at HGTV, we’re big fans of road trips and know how to get the most mileage out of travel, from RVing in luxury to nifty car organization. As for the destination, these fan-favorite routes are packed with must-dos. But more importantly, these popular drives (and detours) feature sights you’d miss if you took the most direct route. And where’s the fun in that?

For history, scenery and a distinctly American taste of culture, begin your road trip on I-90 and take exit 131 for the Badlands Scenic Byway. As you travel through the Black Hills, make sure to stop at Wall Drug, Custer State Park and Mount Rushmore. Keep your eyes peeled (and drive with caution) for bison, especially on the road to Wind Cave National Park.

You won't be traveling north — at least not according to Mainers — if you head out on Coastal Route 1, also known as the Lobster Trail. Starting in Kittery —where you might drop by Bob's Clam Hut for a bit of sustenance — the road hugs the rocky coastline "down east" through quaint New England fishing villages like Belfast and Rockland.

The 469-mile drive that connects two national parks — Shenandoah in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina — is the most visited road controlled by the US National Parks System. Starting at Front Royal in Virginia, travel along Skyline Drive to Luray Caverns and on south to the Natural Bridge and into North Carolina, where you can stop in Asheville before seeing the attractions of the Great Smoky Mountains.

You can opt to drive California's longest highway north to south or south to north along the often dramatic Pacific coastline. Either way, it's 653 miles from Dana Point in Orange County to Leggett in Mendocino County. Key attractions as you wind your way along the coast include Malibu, San Simeon, San Luis Obispo, Big Sur, Monterey, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Mendocino Headlands. Hardcore road trippers will extend the coastal drive beyond the PCH from San Diego all the way to the Redwood Forest on Route 101 past Mendocino.

You could make the drive from Jackson, Wyoming to Glacier National Park in Montana in a single day, but why would you? Take a week and make as many stops as possible in Big Sky Country where you'll enjoy some of the most stunning and diverse landscape features anywhere in America. Some high points include the steep cliffs and racing rivers of the Grand Tetons to the geysers and wildlife of Yellowstone and the dramatic falls and glacial formations of Glacier. With so much to see in Glacier, let someone else take the wheel so you can soak up all the sights. The park's iconic Red Buses, vintage 17-passenger vehicles from the 1930s, feature roll-back tops for the ultimate panoramic views.

Take this drive while you still can. North Carolina's Route 12, also known as the Outer Banks Scenic Highway, has suffered a beating during the past decade of extreme weather, with hurricanes washing away swaths of roadway. The route starts at Bodie Lighthouse in the north and passes the narrow spits of land that make up the barrier islands protecting North Carolina’s mainland from the Atlantic Ocean. Sights along the way include the Oregon Inlet, Pea Island Wildlife Refuge and the historic Hatteras Lighthouse, where the highway continues as a boat — the Hatteras Ferry is part of Route 12 and crosses Pamlico Sound to join up with the road again on Ocracoke Island.

The 59-mile highway around the eastern side of Maui between Kahului crosses black sand beaches, waterfalls and 59 bridges. Some stops you may want to make include 'Ohe'o Gulch (Seven Sacred Pools), the Pipiwai Trail, and Waimoku Falls at Haleakala National Park, Hana Lava Tube, and the Ho'okipa lookout where you can view Maui's famed surfers taking the waves.

Set out from Seattle for a 300-plus-mile road trip west across the Olympic Peninsula. You'll enjoy gorgeous scenery and many stopping points for hikes. Within the Olympic National Park itself, you can drive through the lush Hoh Rainforest, one of the largest temperate rainforests in the US.

At over 2,500 miles, Route 66 is the quintessential cross-country road trip. Though travel on the Mother Road peaked in the 1940s and 1950s before the Interstate Highway system was established, you can still follow the tire treads of so many who came before. While there are countless sights as you journey between Chicago and Los Angeles, ending on the Santa Monica Pier, Route 66 may be most famous for its quirky roadside attractions like the Cadillac Ranch in Texas, the World's Largest Catsup Bottle in Oklahoma, and a giant sculpture of Abe Lincoln on a wagon in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois.

If you love the great outdoors, US Route 395 is the perfect drive. The California stretch may not get as much hype as the famed Pacific Coast Highway, but it's a gateway to bucket-list scenic destinations such as Death Valley National Park, Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe.

While Maui's Road to Hana gets all the hype, the island of Hawaii's Hamakua Coast Drive from Hilo to Honokaa is just as gorgeous with jaw-dropping scenic overlooks, such as the Waipio Valley Lookout. Don't miss a stop at Akaka Falls State Park for photos of the namesake waterfall.

No, this isn't Ireland. This is Kansas. On this scenic drive, you'll pass lush, green rolling hills dotted with colorful wildflowers. Stop at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve for a ranger-led tour out on the prairie. And don't miss the Scenic Byway Overlook for a 360-degree panorama of Tallgrass Prairie.

Aptly named for The Land of Enchantment, the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway features historic towns and Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s highest mountain. If you don't like long road trips, this route is perfect as the 84-mile stretch begins and ends in Taos.

This eight-hour drive from Valdez to Fairbanks includes two 100-mile stretches that were named Alaska State Scenic Byways. Views include glacier lakes, waterfalls and Rainbow Ridge. These colorful mountains feature red and green volcanic rock and yellow siltstone.

Step back in time and visit some of Colorado's historic mining towns such as Telluride, Durango and Silverton. The All-American Road also passes the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park, where you can visit ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings on a ranger-guided tour.

For a historic look at Cape Cod, travel Route 6A to visit some of the oldest towns in America. The drive features several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and attractions such as the Jonathan Young Windmill in Orleans.

While you can take the train from Anchorage to Seward, driving allows you to stop and take photos. And you'll want to take a lot of photos. The two-hour drive along the Turnagain Arm shoreline and Kenai Peninsula features incredible views of the Chugach Mountains. While in Seward, don't miss the adorable puffins at the Alaska SeaLife Center.

This scenic highway hugs Florida's Emerald Coast and features white sand beaches, teal waters and rare dune lakes. There are so many adorable beach towns along this route, but the town of Seaside is a must-see.

If you love fall foliage, this 52-mile stretch around Maine's Rangeley Lake is the perfect day-trip drive. The scenic byway also features gorgeous views of Mooselookmeguntic Lake as well as the Appalachian Mountain ridge line.

The 17-mile drive hugs the Pacific coastline as it snakes through some of the most scenic landscapes in Northern California, home to cypress forests and some of the priciest homes on the planet. Winding from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach, the drive includes such famous sites as the Lone Cypress, Spanish Bay, Stillwater Cove, the Del Monte Forest and one of the nicest public golf courses in the country, the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

The Keystone State doesn’t get enough hype. You could drive a whole ring around Pennsylvania and explore everything from wine country to ​​a grand canyon. Not the Grand Canyon. But Pine Creek Gorge is nearly 1,500 deep and more than 45 miles wide! For the best sampling of PA, plan a drive from Philadelphia to Hershey – yes, that Hershey – so your trip is bookended with bustling attractions steeped in history and delicious chocolate. (There’s even a chocolate spa at The Hotel Hershey!) And in the middle? That’s the best part. Skip the interstate and take historic route 30 out of Philadelphia toward Lancaster County, the heart of Amish country, for peaceful roads with rolling farmlands and, yes, a buggy or two along the way. The Amish Village in Ronks features a guided tour of an authentic 1800s farmhouse. And there’s great shopping for Amish handmade wares in Sturgis. Stop at Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery for what many consider the first pretzel in the U.S. While many Amish businesses and communities are happy to share their culture and sell homemade and hand-crafted goods, it’s important to be respectful while touring Amish country and not take photographs of the Amish people, especially their faces, as that violates their religious beliefs.

Obsessed with The Gilded Age? We are, too. Between seasons, you can always visit the real Gilded Age-era mansions of Rhode Island along the famed Ocean Drive. This 10-mile scenic stretch (which is actually on Ocean Avenue even though locals call it the Ocean Drive) along the southern coast of Newport’s Aquidneck Island passes a couple of state parks, Castle Hill Lighthouse, the quiet cove of Gooseberry Beach and historic estates such as Hammersmith Farm where Jackie Kennedy grew up. And if you want more “cottages” on the coast, extend your drive to the historic Bellevue Avenue (off of Ocean Avenue and Coggeshall Avenue) for iconic estates such as The Breakers and Rosecliff.

A “pillow of bluebonnets and a blanket made of stars” does exist and it’s in Texas Hill Country. The region just west of Austin in South Central Texas boasts two co-capitals for the state flower of Texas: Burnet and Llano. These towns and the stretch of US 29 between them make the perfect destination for a bluebonnet road trip in mid-April, which is usually peak bluebonnet season. But you have to start about 200 miles north in Ennis for the full flower experience because this town has its own driveable Bluebonnet Trail with farm fields of infinite blue that meet the horizon line for the most serene color palette. You’ll also pass through Waco on your way South toward Burnet so you can get your Fixer Upper fix. And we highly suggest you stay overnight in this pink A-frame in Waco.

California’s stretch of the 101 sure gets a lot of hype. And it is breathtaking. But Oregon’s piece of the Pacific Highway is just as beautiful if not more alluring with the Peter Iredale shipwreck and Astoria, AKA The Goonies' hometown. It’s colder up here and the beaches aren’t so sunny and shiny. But what you do get is dramatic rock formations such as Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach or Thor’s Well outside of Yachats. Most of the 363-mile drive on Oregon’s 101 truly hugs the coast. But around Tillamook Bay, the 101 veers inland for a stretch and while you won’t get those direct ocean views, it will take you right up to the Tillamook Creamery where you can taste the difference from these iconic coastal cows. Do not skip the ice cream post-cheese tasting. Pack the Lactaid. It’s worth it.