Byways & Historic Trails – Great Drives in America

Skyline Drive, Canon City, Colorado by Kathy Alexander.

Skyline Drive, Canon City, Colorado, by Kathy Alexander.

There are wonderful drives across America, including National Scenic Byways, Back Country Byways, and State Scenic Byways. The United States Department of Transportation recognizes a National Scenic Byway for one of the six “intrinsic qualities”: archeological, cultural, historical, natural, recreational, and scenic. The most scenic byways are designated All-American Roads, which must meet two of the six intrinsic qualities. Currently, there are 120 National Scenic Byways and 31 All-American Roads. In addition, individual states designate hundreds more, and the Bureau of Land Management designates scenic drives and back-country byways.

Scenic Byways & Historic Trails:

Alabama

Great Indian Warpath

Natchez Trace Parkway

Arkansas

Scenic 7 Byway

Scenic 7 Byway in Arkansas, Kathy Weiser

Scenic 7 Byway in Arkansas, Kathy Alexander.

Arizona

Route 66

California

California Trail

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

Pony Express

Route 66

Colorado

Alpine Loop Back Country Byway

Cherokee Trail – Alternate Route to the West

Granada-Fort Union Military Road

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

Million Dollar Highway

Santa Fe Trail

Canon City’s Skyline Drive

California Trail Map

California Trail Map

Connecticut

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Georgia

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Idaho

California Trail

Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Oregon Trail

Iowa

Mormon Trail

Illinois

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

National Road – First Highway in America

Route 66

White Cloud, Kansas Overlook, viewing the Missouri River, Missouri and Iowa, by Dave

White Cloud, Kansas Overlook, viewing the Missouri River, Missouri, and Iowa, by Dave Alexander.

Indiana

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

National Road – First Highway in America

Kansas

California Trail

Cherokee Trail – Alternate Route to the West

Glacial Hills Scenic Byway

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

Mormon Trail

Oregon Trail

Pony Express

Post Rock Scenic Byway

Route 66

Santa Fe Trail

Kentucky

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

Wilderness Road north of London, Kentucky, by Kathy Alexander.

Wilderness Road north of London, Kentucky, by Kathy Alexander.

The Wilderness Road

Maine

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Maryland

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Braddock’s Road

Great Indian Warpath

National Road – First Highway in America

Massachusetts

Franconia Notch, New Hampshire, on the Appalachian Trail, photo by Carol Highsmith.

Franconia Notch, New Hampshire, on the Appalachian Trail, photo by Carol Highsmith.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Mississippi

Natchez Trace Parkway

Missouri

California Trail

Cliff Drive Scenic Byway

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

Mormon Trail

Oregon Trail Re-enactors

Oregon Trail Re-enactors

Oregon Trail

Pony Express

Route 66

Santa Fe Trail

Montana

Cherokee Trail – Alternate Route to the West

Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Nebraska

California Trail

Lewis & Clark Scenic Byway

Mormon Trail

Oregon Trail

Pony Express Route Map

Pony Express Route Map

Pony Express

Nevada

California Trail

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Pony Express

New Hampshire

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

New Jersey

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Old Mine Road

New Mexico

Dry Cimarron River, New Mexico by Kathy Alexander.

Dry Cimarron River, New Mexico, by Kathy Alexander.

Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway

Granada-Fort Union Military Road

Route 66

Santa Fe Trail

Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway

New York

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Great Indian Warpath

Route 66 near Afton, Oklahoma, Kathy Weiser

Route 66 near Afton, Oklahoma, Kathy Alexander.

North Carolina

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Blue Ridge Parkway

Ohio

National Road – First Highway in America

Oklahoma

Cherokee Trail – Alternate Route to the West

Route 66

Santa Fe Trail

Oregon

Nez Perce National Historic Trail

Oregon Trail pioneers pass through the sand hills, painting by William Henry Jackson

Oregon Trail pioneers pass through the sand hills, painted by William Henry Jackson.

Oregon Trail

Pennsylvania

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Braddock’s Road

Great Indian Warpath

National Road – First Highway in America

Tennessee

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Great Indian Warpath

Natchez Trace Parkway

Texas

El Camino Real by the Bureau of Land Management

El Camino Real by the Bureau of Land Management

El Camino Real de los Tejas

Pecos Heritage Trail, Texas

Route 66

Texas Forts Trail

Utah

California Trail

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

Mormon Trail

Pony Express

Vermont

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Virginia

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Linn Cove Viaduct, Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, North Carolina by Carol Highsmith

Linn Cove Viaduct, Blue Ridge Parkway near Linville, North Carolina, by Carol Highsmith

Blue Ridge Parkway

Great Indian Warpath

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

West Virginia

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Great Indian Warpath

Midland Trail – First Transcontinental Auto-Trail

National Road – First Highway in America

Wyoming

California Trail

Cherokee Trail – Alternate Route to the West

Mormon Trail

Oregon Trail

Pony Express

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road & enjoy the journey.

© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated February 2024.

Also See:

Adventures and Tragedies on the Overland Trail 

The National Road – First Highway in America

Tales & Trails of the American Frontier

Transportation History