North Shore Drive on the edge of Lake Superior in Minnesota.
Summer means fun, sun, and enjoying a little slower pace of life for a few months. For many, it also brings the desire for travel and road trips. The same is true for us, and as summer rapidly approaches, we wanted to highlight some of the most scenic road trip routes across the country:
Blue Ridge Parkways, Carolinas and Virginia
This 500-mile routt takes travelers through the Great Smoky Mountains and Shenandoah national parks and highlights spectacular views at Appalachian overlooks. It’s a beautiful drive in any season, not just summer, with undulating slopes of color in autumn, a bounty of forest canopy in summer, and hot-cider ski resorts in winter. The parkway has become a paradise for birders: with 59 resident species, it boasts more diversity than the entire continent of Europe.
Stop: In the mines of the mineral-rich Appalachian Mountains, visitors can pan for emeralds, amethyst, rubies, topaz, and even gold. (emeraldvillage.com; from $10.)
Routt 12, Utah
A little closer to home, Routt 12 traverses through the red rock majesty of Utah, winding between Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon national parks. The 124-mile strip has funky small towns and very few entry points, so this route requires a map and determination to witness the steep sandstone canyons and bluffs of purple sage, and to tackle the narrow cliff-hanging ridgeline road called The Hogback.
Stop: The log-and-sandstone Kiva Koffeehouse in Escalante supplies travelers with art, coffee, and views of Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument. (kivakoffeehouse.com.)
North Shore Drive, Minnesota
Lake Superior’s Minnesota shoreline is a thing of glacial beauty. As you drive from Duluth toward Two Harbors, Lake Superior’s (Gitche Gumee’s) “shining big sea waters” stretch out to the right and birch and maple northwoods climb high on the left. You’ll also get a look at ocean tankers anchored in the last inland port of the St. Lawrence Seaway as they wait to upload iron or grain from America’s heartland before sending it out to the world.
Stop: Duluth’s four-mile lakeside sports path shows off the city highlights: a rose garden, pre-Prohibition brewery, an aerial bridge, and the largest grain elevators in the world. (duluthmn.gov)
Trail Ridge Road, Colorado
Our home sate is home to the the highest continually-paved road in the U.S.: the Trail Ridge Road winds as high as 12,185 feet through Rocky Mountain National Park. Following a route traced over the Continental Divide by Native Americans for thousands of years, visitors can see elk, deer, and bighorn sheep above the tree line in the dramatic tundra.
Stop: The imposing Victorian splendor of the Stanley Hotel, in Estes Park, CO, was Stephen King’s inspiration for The Shining. (stanleyhotel.com; from $139 in low season)
Going to the Sun Road, Montana
One of America’s most inspiring public-works projects winds through Glacier National Park’s snow-covered peaks, sub-alpine meadows, and lakes across the Continental Divide on the spine of the Rockies. Snowdrifts threaten to top 100 feet in winter, so the road is open only from May to October.
Stop: To learn more about the geology of glaciers, local Native American customs, or the park’s ecosystem, sign up for a day class at the Glacier Institute. (glacierinstitute.org; $50 per person, per day)
Silverado Trail, California
Here’s a road trip where the food rivals the scenery. Flanked by the rolling vineyards of more than 40 wineries, the Silverado Trail on the eastern edge of Napa Valley road passes a who’s who of the American culinary scene. Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, where a 1973 Cabernet made headlines, and Yountville, home to the French Laundry restaurant, are two highlights.
Stop: Learn to make your very own wines at a blending session and then take the bottle home. (crushpad.net; $45)
U.S. 1, Florida Keys
Leaving the mainland for the 120-mile-long island chain of Florida’s Keys, travelers enter a paradise of beach bars, water sports, and Parrotheads (Jimmy Buffett fans). From Key Largo to Key West, the overseas highway strings the islands together like beads, running past lighthouses, underwater coral-reef parks, and across 7 Mile Bridge—one of the longest bridges in the world.
Stop: On the docks at Islamorada travelers can hand-feed bait fish to tarpon more than six feet long. (robbies.com; from $3.)
Sunshine Mountain Auto 