With more than 165 million individuals fully vaccinated, people have started to travel all over the country. While the authorities are discouraging trips outside the country, domestic travel has become the go-to activity among many people.
Some are even rediscovering the country by going on road trips. It allows them to travel at a leisurely pace without dealing with check-in baggage and delayed flights. Going on a road trip also allows people to see the country up close. Here are some scenic road trips you can take in the United States.
Beartooth Highway
Taking the winding Beartooth Highway takes you through one of the most beautiful roads in the country. The 68-mile trip takes around three hours to complete and allows you to explore the Wyoming and Montana countryside. You also get to see Yellowstone National Park. You can also stop and take pictures of the scenery.
You get a bird’s-eye view of the area as the highway takes you to elevations of over 10,000 feet. You’ll have a panoramic view of lakes, meadows, and the snow-covered Northern Rocky Mountains. You can also find lodgings along the way if you want to spend a night or two at the place.
Route 163
Movie buffs will recognize a part of Route 163 as the place where Forrest Gump stopped running and decided to go home. The area has a majestic view of Monument Valley and cuts through the Navajo Nation. The highway is part of the Trail of the Ancients, a National Scenic Byway or a road with intrinsic qualities that require protection by the Federal Highway Administration.
Taking this route during summer may not be ideal since temperatures can reach up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. So, you may either take the trip another time or apply window tinting on the car. It keeps the car cool as you drive in this part of the country. You can also drive safely since it will protect you from the direct glare of the sun.
Route 89
If you want to tour three heritage areas and seven national parks passing through one highway, you should take a road trip through Route 89. The route also takes you through 14 national monuments as you travel through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. It also takes you through 150 towns, cities, and reservations.
Taking a Route 89 road trip is also a good way to catch up on your history and culture lessons about Spanish explorers, Native Americans, mountain men, prospectors, pioneers, and cowboys. This border-to-border road trip, from Mexico to Canada, is around 2,000 miles long and takes you through a scenic route where you may be tempted to pull over and take some pictures.
The monuments you get to visit include the Casa Grande Ruins, Sunset Crater Volcano, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, and Cedar Breaks National Monument. You will also pass by the Grand Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Glacier National Park.
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs from North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park up to Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. This 469-mile road brings you through a scenic route where you can see majestic mountains and picturesque landscapes. The area has a diverse population of plant and animal life living in the forests of among the oldest mountains in the world.
While it is dubbed as America’s Favorite Drive, you should plan your road trip and be careful when driving in the area, especially if you are unfamiliar with it. Driving through the parkway should be leisurely, and you should take in the sights along the way. It has more than 200 scenic overlooks and several campsites. You can also drop by the communities in the area and try the local delicacies. And always be a responsible visitor and dispose of any trash you bring properly.
Route 66
Even though Route 66 became obsolete after the Federal-Aid Highway Act established the Interstate Highway System, a good part of the iconic highway remains drivable. The 2,500-mile highway connected Santa Monica to Chicago and was among the most popular route for people who went on road trips in the past.
The route was dotted with mom-and-pop businesses, and it evoked a sense of simpler times. The highway represented freedom and migration to the west. It also represented the concept of loneliness in the heartland of America. It was decommissioned in the 1980s. Despite this, efforts were made to restore the historic features of Route 66, which holds a special place in the consciousness of many Americans.
A road trip may be the best way for people to take away the stress of life in the middle of a pandemic.