The American highways are a mystical thing, glorified in books and movies. Whether it is the roads snaking through the Grand Canyon or highways of the Midwest, road trips through the country are a popular activity for both locals as well as tourists. In a lot of ways, the open road is representative of the American celebration of personal freedom. While it is true that you have to learn some new road rules and also learn how to read a map carefully, there are plenty of road trips hugging the coast or cutting through the mainland that you should do if you love driving. Read on to know more about all the best routes for American road trips.
Best American Road Trip Routes
Driving on these highways will surely be a trip of your lifetime. As you plan which route to take for that perfect weekend getaway, take a look at these routes to add a little extra touch!
1. California State Route 1
This Pacific road cutting through the heart of the state of California runs from Dana Point near the city of San Diego to Leggett. The highway is an easy drive but is a good introduction to American road trips, with the added pleasure of the Pacific Ocean. During the summer, you are likely to get sunlight all day, but if you are doing the drive during the winter months, you should make sure that you are going from the north to the south where it is warmer. One of those beautiful East Coast America road trips!
Distance from Dana Point to Leggett: 613 miles
Time taken: 9 hours
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2. Route 66
Route 66 USA road trips have become a part of the collective consciousness from the famous album by Bob Dylan of the same name. Back in 1926, the highway used to be as long as 2500 kilometres but it has been reduced to a number of historic byways, losing much of its length of state highways and other local roads. At La Posada, Route 66 meets the Santa Fe railroad, which in many ways is as iconic and is at the top of many American road trips planner lists.
Distance from Petrified Forest to Kingman: 350 miles
Time taken: 4 hours
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3. Highway 61
The US Route 61 connects the southern city of New Orleans to Wyoming in Minnesota, and is a 1400 miles highway that is perhaps the best of south America road trips. The highway is often called the Blues Highway in recognition of the musical city of New Orleans, and often figures in the popular imagination of blues artists. If legends are to be believed, the great blues musician Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads of the 61 and 49. Also one of the most scenic east coast USA road trips!
Distance from New Orleans and Wyoming: 1600 miles
Time taken: 23 hours
4. US Route 20
On the list of American road trip routes, this may be the best road if you have a living-on-the-road fantasy. For one, it is the longest road in the US, stretching for 3365 miles from the city of Newport in Oregon to Boston, Massachusetts. Sure, it is broken by the Yellowstone National Park, but if you are looking for easy roads and a smooth drive on one of those 3 weeks American road trips across the country, Route 20 is one of your best options.
Distance from Newport to Boston: 3150 miles
Time taken: 47 hours
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5. US Route 30
Running from the city of Oregon to Atlantic City, US Route 30 is another fabled highway best for road trips across America. This cross country highway has often been called the national main street, passing through the National Automobile Museum that is located in Reno Nevada, Abraham Lincoln’s historic cabin in Illinois as well as the Big Mac Museum in the state of Pennsylvania. The highway becomes somewhat unmotorable in the winters, so a good alternative is I-10.
Distance from Portland Oregon to Atlantic City: 2925 miles
Time taken: 47 hours
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6. Monument Valley
This scenic highway is named after the Colorado plateau that is most well known for its exotic limestone structures called buttes. If you take route 17 out of the city of Phoenix, you can see the fabled Grand Canyon as well as Flagstaff and then take the Route 160 to drive through the red desert landscape dominated by buttes and a sinking feeling of the Wild West. After crossing the Arizona Utah border, you can merge with 191 and then I-40 to finally get to Route 66. This is one of the best American road trip routes.
Distance from Phoenix to Kingman: 195 miles
Time taken: 4 hours
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7. Florida Keys
The fabled Florida Keys is the dream if your best road trip ideas involve the ocean. Going from the Miami to Key West, the highway runs through Everglades and quite a number of ocean keys. The most stunning part of the highway is the Seven Mile Highway in the Monroe County – with the Gulf of Mexico on your right and the Atlantic on the left, going towards the north, the road is a stunning sojourn through the American dream.
Distance from Miami to Key West: 165 miles
Time taken: 3.5 hours
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8. Blue Ridge Parkway
Plenty of highways cut through deserts and the mountains, but there is a case for leafy drives as well. The Blue Ridge Parkway cuts through the most beautiful part of the Appalachian mountains and is one of the most scenic USA road trip routes. Running for about 450 miles through much of the states of Virginia and South Carolina, the Parkway has also been designated a national park and is one place you should go to.
Distance: 450 miles
Time taken: 6 hours
9. Columbia River Scenic Highway Oregon
Ranked by USA Today as one of the best road trips in the US, the route is the best for west coast USA road trips. Built almost a hundred years ago, the highway was built for the purposes of sightseeing rather than as a transport medium, and the incredible beauty of the Columbia Gorge, surrounded by the hundreds of waterfalls and hiking trails, is just breathtaking. Running from The Dalles to Troutdale, you get here by going east of the the city of Portland. Stop at towns during the way for great food!
Distance from Dalles to Troutdale: 75 miles
Time taken: 2 hours
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10. Hill Country Hideaways Texas
If you want to see the Lone Star State as you see it in the movies, you should take drive down the state highways of 335 and 337, best making it a loop. Here out in the wild of Texan landscape, you will be treated to smooth roads winding through canyons, rivers and expansive plains of sagebrush. On the way, most people make a stop at Utopia, Texas, which as the name suggests, is a city of extraordinary beauty.
Distance: 189 miles
Time taken: 4 hours
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Road trips across America cost usually less than hundred bucks a day per person. These scenic and iconic American road trips are the best way to get to know the amazingly beautiful and varied landscape of America. So don’t wait around and book your USA trip with Travel Triangle today for the best American experience!
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