Skip to content
A station wagon pulled over at a red-rock overlook, a paper road map spread on the hood

Road trip ideas for the best drives in the USA

Eleven classic American road trips, each mapped day by day with real driving distances, when to go, and the official sources to check before you set off. Then plan your own route with stops.

Pick a road trip

Filter by season or by how many days you have. Every itinerary shows total miles and hours of driving, measured on OpenStreetMap roads.

11 of 11 road trips

Pacific Coast Highway: California coast, San Francisco to Los Angeles7 days · 441 mi

Pacific Coast Highway

California coast, San Francisco to Los Angeles
Utah's Mighty Five: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches8 days · 748 mi

Utah's Mighty Five

Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches
New England Fall Foliage Loop: White Mountains, Green Mountains and the Berkshires7 days · 611 mi

New England Fall Foliage Loop

White Mountains, Green Mountains and the Berkshires
Route 66: Chicago to Santa Monica on the Mother Road11 days · 2,205 mi

Route 66

Chicago to Santa Monica on the Mother Road
Blue Ridge Parkway: Shenandoah to the Great Smoky Mountains8 days · 518 mi

Blue Ridge Parkway

Shenandoah to the Great Smoky Mountains
Florida Keys & the Overseas Highway: Miami to Key West over 42 bridges6 days · 160 mi

Florida Keys & the Overseas Highway

Miami to Key West over 42 bridges
Going-to-the-Sun Road & Glacier: Glacier National Park, Montana7 days · 477 mi

Going-to-the-Sun Road & Glacier

Glacier National Park, Montana
Great River Road: Following the Mississippi from Minnesota to New Orleans9 days · 1,618 mi

Great River Road

Following the Mississippi from Minnesota to New Orleans
Yellowstone & Grand Teton: Wyoming's two great parks in one loop7 days · 356 mi

Yellowstone & Grand Teton

Wyoming's two great parks in one loop
Southwest Grand Circle: Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Page and Sedona8 days · 670 mi

Southwest Grand Circle

Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Page and Sedona
Cross-Country Road Trip: New York to San Francisco the scenic way12 days · 3,351 mi

Cross-Country Road Trip

New York to San Francisco the scenic way

The best road trips in the USA, compared

There's no single best road trip, only the best one for your season and the days you have. As a rough guide: the Florida Keys and the Southwest Grand Circle are winter-friendly. Going-to-the-Sun Road and Yellowstone are summer-only in practice. New England and the Blue Ridge Parkway are the autumn classics.

Also think about wheel time. A 441-mile coast drive over a week leaves whole afternoons free. Route 66 and a cross-country trip mean several days of five or more hours at the wheel. The driving time calculator shows what a day like that really takes.

Road trips compared by length, distance and season
Road tripDaysMilesDrive hrs
Florida Keys & the Overseas Highway61604
Yellowstone & Grand Teton735611
Pacific Coast Highway744110
Going-to-the-Sun Road & Glacier747711
Blue Ridge Parkway851812
New England Fall Foliage Loop761114
Southwest Grand Circle867015
Utah's Mighty Five874816
Great River Road91,61832
Route 66112,20540
Cross-Country Road Trip123,35163

Tools for planning the drive

Road trip planner with stopsAdd towns, reorder them or let it find the shortest order, then see miles and hours for every leg on a map.AI road trip plannerDescribe your trip and get a day-by-day draft to refine.Gas cost calculatorFuel cost for the trip, split per person.Driving time calculatorHow far you can really drive in a day.Packing listA tickable checklist that remembers your progress.Road trip gamesLicense plate tracker and car games.

Road trip ideas: common questions

What is the best road trip in the USA?

It depends on the season and how long you have. For a week, the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco to Los Angeles and Utah’s Mighty Five national parks are the most popular. In autumn, New England and the Blue Ridge Parkway are the classics. With two weeks, Route 66 or a cross-country drive.

How many miles should I drive per day on a road trip?

Many travellers find 250–350 miles (about 4–6 hours of driving) a comfortable daily average, since it leaves time for stops. Long transfer days of 8+ hours are possible but tiring if repeated. Use the driving time calculator to plan breaks.

How do I plan a road trip route with stops?

Start with the fixed points (start, end, must-see places), then add overnight stops roughly one comfortable driving day apart. The route planner on this site measures each leg and can reorder the middle stops into the shortest route.

Are the drive times on this site accurate?

They come from OSRM routing over OpenStreetMap roads and assume normal free-flow speeds without traffic, stops or construction. Treat them as minimums and check live road status with the state DOT or park service before you drive.