17 American Road Trips That Are Heavy on Scenery But Light on Traffic
We all have that road trip fantasy.
Windows down, open highway, views so good you keep pulling over.
Then you actually go, and you’re stuck behind an RV for 40 miles.
That scenic overlook everyone raves about? Packed.
But some routes actually deliver.
These 17 give you the scenery without the traffic, the stress, or the parking lot chaos.
1. Beartooth Highway, Montana/Wyoming
68 miles of alpine switchbacks, snowcapped peaks, and high-altitude lakes.
It tops out near 11,000 feet and stays open only from late May to mid-October.
The views are world-class, and the crowds are surprisingly thin once you get past the Yellowstone turnoff.
2. San Juan Skyway, Colorado
A 236-mile loop through the Rocky Mountains, hitting old mining towns, million-dollar views, and some of the best fall color in the country.
Telluride, Ouray, Silverton — all on this route.
Summer weekends can get busy in spots, but mid-week or shoulder season? Almost empty.
3. Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi/Alabama/Tennessee
444 miles with no commercial traffic, no trucks, no billboards.
Just a quiet, winding road through forests, swamps, and Civil War history.
It’s not dramatic in the mountain way, but it’s deeply peaceful. The kind of drive that resets your brain.
4. Scenic Highway 12, Utah
Connects Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef through some of the most surreal terrain in America.
Red rock canyons, petrified forests, and hogback ridges so narrow the road seems to float in the air.
Everyone’s rushing between parks. Smart travelers take their time on the road itself.
5. Overseas Highway, Florida Keys
113 miles hopping from key to key, with turquoise water on both sides.
Yes, it can get clogged during peak season.
But catch it early morning or late afternoon, and it feels like you’re driving across the ocean itself.
6. Going-to-the-Sun Road, Montana
Glacier National Park’s crown jewel, 50 miles of mountain road carved into cliffs.
The park now requires reservations, which has actually made the drive more pleasant.
Fewer cars, more time to take in the waterfalls and wildflowers without white-knuckling past tour buses.
7. Route 12, Vermont
Not to be confused with Utah’s Highway 12.
This Vermont route runs through covered bridges, dairy farms, and villages that look like they haven’t changed since the 1800s.
In fall, it’s one of the best leaf-peeping drives you’ll find, without the chaos of more famous routes.
8. High Road to Taos, New Mexico
Takes the scenic way between Santa Fe and Taos through old Spanish villages, adobe churches, and aspen forests.
It’s only about 55 miles, but you’ll want the whole day.
Stop in Chimayo, visit the santuario, and take your time. There’s no reason to rush.
9. Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia/North Carolina
469 miles along the spine of the Appalachians, connecting Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountains.
This one’s famous, so the popular overlooks get busy.
But the beauty of a 469-mile road is that you can always find a stretch where you’re completely alone.
10. Cascade Loop, Washington
A 440-mile loop through the North Cascades, Bavarian-themed Leavenworth, and orchard country.
Snow-capped peaks, turquoise lakes, and mountain passes that feel almost European.
It’s a long weekend kind of drive, and it never feels crowded even at the highlights.
11. Kancamagus Highway, New Hampshire
34 miles through the White Mountains with no gas stations, no stores, no development.
Just forest, river, and mountain views.
Peak fall is genuinely mobbed, but any other time? One of the cleanest drives in New England.
12. Pacific Coast Highway (North of Big Sur), California
Everyone focuses on the Big Sur stretch, which is beautiful but slow and crowded.
Head north of Carmel instead. The coastline past Monterey toward Santa Cruz and beyond is just as stunning, with a fraction of the traffic.
13. Death Valley Scenic Byway, California
Not for summer, but fall through spring? This is one of the emptiest drives in the country.
Salt flats, sand dunes, colorful badlands, and roads so straight you can see 10 miles ahead.
You might not see another car for an hour.
14. Trail Ridge Road, Colorado
Rocky Mountain National Park’s high road, maxing out above 12,000 feet.
The park is popular, but this road moves at a different pace.
Above treeline, with tundra stretching in every direction, you’ll forget anyone else is out there.
15. Route 1, Maine
The touristy stretch around Camden gets attention, but keep going north.
Past Acadia, past Bar Harbor, the road empties out and the coastline gets even more dramatic.
Lighthouses, lobster shacks, and almost nobody around to share them with.
16. Monument Valley Scenic Drive, Arizona/Utah
That classic image of the highway running toward red buttes? This is it.
The Navajo Tribal Park has a 17-mile dirt loop through the iconic formations.
It’s on Navajo land, requires a fee, and never feels as packed as you’d expect.
17. Seward Highway, Alaska
Runs from Anchorage to the small port town of Seward, hugging Turnagain Arm and passing glaciers, mountains, and wildlife the whole way.
In 127 miles, you’ll see more natural beauty than most people see in a year.
Alaska doesn’t do crowded. This road is proof.
The Open Road Still Exists
You just have to know where to find it.
These routes aren’t hidden, exactly. But they’re not the ones clogging your Instagram feed, either.
They’re the drives that deliver what you pictured in your head before reality got in the way.
