The United States is home to some of the most beautiful roads on Earth — winding through dramatic deserts, soaring mountains, and vast wildlife-rich plains.
These scenic drives around US national parks offer not just jaw-dropping views, but the chance to spot bighorn sheep, bears and elk, all before you’ve left the car and started your hike.
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Whether you're cruising along a canyon rim or pausing in a high-altitude meadow, take your time and explore at your own pace. Just remember: conditions can change fast. Always check the National Park Service website before you set out, as many of these roads close seasonally due to snow or other extreme weather.
Best scenic drives across US national parks
Desert View Drive, Grand Canyon National Park
Drive for 23 miles along the Grand Canyon Rim, catching panoramic views of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River at dramatic altitude. Desert View Drive is punctuated with scenic lookout points and a wealth of trails to explore on walks of varying lengths.
Birders need look no further than Pipe Creek Vista, a superb lookout point, particularly during the spring and autumn migrations. The Duck on a Rock viewpoint features a unique rock formation that – you guessed it – looks (slightly) like a rubber duck. Navajo Point, meanwhile, is a particularly good spot to watch the sunset, as the rock faces of the canyon walls magically reflect the light and cast deep shadows across the valley below.
At the end of the drive is the Desert View Watchtower, constructed in 1932 as a recreation of a historic Native American tower, which offers stunning vistas of the Grand Canyon, Painted Desert and San Francisco Peaks.
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Lamar Valley Road, Yellowstone National Park
The grassy plains of the Lamar Valley have the highest concentration of grizzly bears and wolves in Yellowstone National Park, and can be seen from the road and walking trails. Travelling 29 miles through the Lamar Valley, this drive begins in the northeastern corner of the park, an area often referred to as America’s Serengeti due to the high density of large animals. Look out for bison, black bears, coyotes and osprey.
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Going to the Sun Road, Glacier National Park
With views of alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls and mighty glaciers, this route through the Rocky Mountains takes its name from the Going-to-the-Sun Mountain, a 3,000-metre peak in the centre of the Glacier National Park.
The 50-mile road crosses the park from its eastern and western edges, with views of the Jackson Glacier from the road, mountain goats and bighorn sheep at Logan Pass, and occasionally grizzly bears can be spotted near Two Dog Flats.
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, Zion National Park
One of four main roads in the Zion National Park, this drive is not for the faint-hearted. With minimal guard rails, you’ll drive along cliffs, passing otherworldly rock formations and a unique desert landscape with scrub land, cacti, wildflowers, desert plants and unusual plant life. The scenic drive cuts directly through the canyon, running next to the Virgin River and ending at the Temple of Sinawava, a natural amphitheatre formed in the rock.
The towering cliffs of the Utah landscape bring with them varied wildlife, including mountain lions, mule deer and ring-tailed cats. Desert bighorn sheep are probably the most prolific and easily spotted mammal in the park, since their reintroduction in 1978.
During this 57-mile drive, you’ll pass through the jaw-dropping Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel, which is over a mile long and carved out of the sandstone mountains.
Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park
Nicknamed the “Highway to the Sky”, Trail Ridge Road twists and turns through the Rockies, with dramatic hairpin turns and switchbacks. This meandering route makes for a spectacular drive, bringing captivating vistas at every turn.
Work began on this dramatic 48-mile road in 1929 – a feat of engineering through Colorado’s wild country, now the highest continuous paved road in the entirety of the United States. Only passable between June and November, the road is usually covered in snow, a challenge that created a hard deadline for the workers to dig, excavate and pave the road.
Now, the Trail Ridge Road offers some of the best views of the entire park, crossing the Continental Divide and looking out over the full mountain range. Blooming alpine plants bring vivid colours, with pikas, marmots, ptarmigans and bighorn sheep decorating the landscape.
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Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park
On a clear day, it takes about three hours to travel the entire length of the Skyline Drive, the only public road through the Shenandoah National Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This 105-mile drive is particularly beautiful in the autumn months, when the foliage is at its most vibrant and colourful. Plus, about halfway through the journey, you can take a quick walk down to a waterfall at Dark Hollow Falls.
Rim Drive, Crater Lake National Park
Crater Lake was formed over 7,000 years ago, when a volcano erupted in Oregon and created an enormous crater – which is now the deepest lake in the US. The scenic highway that follows the caldera rim has 33 miles of uninterrupted views of the glassy lake, reflecting the sky above.
Look out for Wizard Island, a mini volcano with its own crater lake (known as Witch’s Cauldron) and the 100-year-old Old Man of the Lake, a hemlock tree that juts out of the lake.
Park Loop Road, Acadia National Park
The Acadia National Park in Maine is particularly known for its sunrise views, which can be enjoyed at Cadillac Mountain at the end of this 27-mile drive. Passing lakes, forests and mountains, the road traverses the east side of Mount Desert Island, with plenty of hikes straight off the road. One of your stop-offs could include a local delicacy: the popover – a light, airy pastry similar to a Yorkshire pudding – from Jordan Pond House.
Tioga Road, Yosemite National Park
This 46-mile route crosses Yosemite in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range from west to east, offering stunning views of granite peaks, alpine meadows, and glacier-carved valleys. Keep your eyes peeled for marmots sunbathing on the rocks, bobcats darting across the road, raptors soaring overhead and Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep trundling around.
Beartooth Highway, Yellowstone National Park
Winding its way from the northeastern entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the Beartooth Highway is the highest paved road in the Northern Rockies, with dramatic curves and spectacular scenery. This area features a range of diverse ecosystems: pine forests to alpine tundra, glacial scenes to lakes and displays of wildflowers. You might spot grizzly and black bears, elk, deer, moose and bighorn sheep along the way.
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