Top National Parks with the Most Scenic Drives for Road Trippers

Stretching 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina, this National Parkway offers continuous sweeping views of the Appalachian Mountains. Known as 'America's Favorite Drive,' it features overlooks, historic cabins, and seasonal wildflower blooms along its scenic route.

Engineered as a marvel of the Great National Parks Highway program, this road crosses the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park. It provides dramatic access to high-altitude lakes, steep canyons, and wildlife habitats with designated pullouts for photography.

As the highest continuous paved road in the National Park System, this route in Rocky Mountain National Park ascends above the tree line. Drivers encounter alpine tundra ecosystems, sudden weather changes, and panoramic views of the Front Range of the Rockies.

This 93-mile loop around Mount Rainier National Park offers multiple access points to wildflower-filled meadows and glacier-carved valleys. The drive connects several key campgrounds and trailheads, providing varied perspectives of the iconic stratovolcano.

While private vehicles are restricted during peak seasons, the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway itself is a scenic masterpiece featuring a tunnel carved through solid sandstone. The drive offers stunning vistas of the Virgin River Narrows and towering cliff faces.

Connecting the Giant Forest and Grant Grove districts, this road winds through some of the world's largest trees. The drive is particularly striking in winter when snow-dusted sequoias create a serene, monochromatic landscape for contemplative travelers.

Often cited as one of the most beautiful drives in America, this segment of US Highway 212 climbs to nearly 11,000 feet between Wyoming and Montana. It offers rugged alpine scenery, glacial lakes, and dramatic passes near Yellowstone National Park.

Completing a full circle around Crater Lake, this road offers unobstructed views of the deep blue caldera from numerous overlooks. The drive is relatively short but provides some of the most photogenic perspectives of the park's central landmark.

Located in Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, this scenic drive allows visitors to explore the iconic buttes and mesas without needing a guided tour. The dirt road passes by landmarks like the Mittens and the Merrick House.

Extending east from Grand Canyon Village along the South Rim, this drive offers diverse viewpoints including Hopi Point and Moran Point. The route concludes at the historic Desert View Watchtower, providing a cultural and geological journey.

This 11-mile loop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park preserves historic homesteads and offers excellent wildlife viewing opportunities. The gentle pace allows visitors to explore pastoral valleys, old churches, and logging history in a protected setting.

Winding through the heart of Glacier National Park, this road connects Many Glacier to Swiftcurrent Pass. It provides access to high-elevation trails and offers spectacular views of the Livingston Range and abundant wildlife corridors.

Connecting Yellowstone to Grand Teton National Parks, this drive traverses the northern range of Yellowstone. It features thermal areas, geysers, and open grasslands where bison herds graze freely near the roadside.

Known as one of the most dramatic mountain roads in California, this steep switchback route connects Woodside to Skyline Boulevard. While not a full national park drive, it is a quintessential scenic route often included in coastal road trip itineraries.

Opening seasonally, this highway crosses the high Sierra Nevada through Yosemite National Park. It provides access to alpine lakes, granite domes, and subalpine forests, offering a starkly different landscape from the park's valley floors.

A historic transportation corridor linking Southern California to the interior, this pass offers views of rugged desert mountains. It serves as a gateway between the Inland Empire and Los Angeles, featuring historic railroad trestles and arid landscapes.

U.S. Route 20 winds through the North Cascades, offering remote and rugged scenery with fewer crowds than other parks. The drive features cascading streams, emerald lakes, and glacial peaks that define the 'American Alps.'

Encircling the summit of Haleakala Volcano in Hawaii, this drive offers otherworldly landscapes resembling the surface of Mars. Visitors can witness sunrise above the cloud layer and explore lava tubes and silversword plants along the route.

Connecting the park's four entry points, this route offers access to a wilderness of lakes and boreal forest. In winter, ice roads replace highways, but the summer drive reveals a landscape shaped by glaciers and water.

Following the Oregon Trail, this drive offers panoramic views of the distinctive buttes and cliffs that guided pioneers west. The short loop provides historical context and stunning vistas of the Nebraska Sandhills meeting the Rocky Mountains.