Top 10 Most scenic roads of the U.S.A. ("Places I visited" series)

I've been long wandering how I could put down the things I did and the places I visited in a better way, an interesting one, an easy-to-digest way. I was scanning the web doing some research and I came across one of the many "top 10" kind of articles. I told myself, "I might as well add my own!", and here I am in the mix.
I will try to post my own charts, first of all of places throughout the U.S.A.

Driving is sometimes tedious, boring, sitting inside a piece of metal that easily goes too hot or too cold, depending on the season and the condition of the car itself. Other times though, driving is a pure pleasure: picture yourself going down Road 1 in California, following the Big Sur coast on a late September afternoon, the sky turning to an artist's palette, the air crisp, the green, lush hillside to your left and the mighty ocean to your right. How wonderful! You would just wish those very moments would last hours, not mere minutes!
Since driving is one of the things you can enjoy the most in America - and as far as covering ground goes, I can say I've had my experiences! - here's my personal selection of my favourite 10 drives in the States. I bet some insanly good stretch of road slipped from memory (it's hard to keep track of, roughly, over 35.000 miles of roads). Also, they're not on the list but I enjoyed a lot roads like Tioga Pass in Yosemite, or the Extraterrestrial Highway in Nevada, or Oregon Road 30 along the Columbia river.
But here's a competitive top 10 that will make you wanting to get on the wheels and drive til you drop, guaranteed!
Are you ready to get on-board and cover some ground?!

(Before you get started, make sure you check out my photo portfolio, where more, better travel pictures can be found, here: Photos by Emanuele Canton
Thanks for visiting! Any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated!)


10. Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina/Virginia - 469mi/755km

A view from one of the many view points along the road, withinn the Smoky Mountains national park

It's not about majestic snow-capped peaks, but these green, almost endless rolling hills will make you fall in love with the place. One of the flipsides is the amount of traffic this road receives - mainly due to the proximity to East coast big cities. In summertime (I didn't dare trying) it might look like a continuous line of cars. And good luck if you are unlucky enough to get stuck behind a 28+foot RV.


9. Vermont Route 100, Vermont - 271mi/349km

I guess that's the kind of stuff you go to Vermont for

It's almost a no brainer, when travelling New England for autumn foliage, to step onto this road. Although far from being a secret, therefore not aloof from being crowded during foliage peak, this road is a little gem. Small villages without fast food restaurants and neon lights that would be visible from the space, it feels cosy and old-fashioned. The scenary is absolutely gorgeous - even on a rainy day, which can be quite a possibility out there!


8. California Route 254 "Avenue of the Giants", California - 32mi/51km

A walk in the woods alongside the road will give you access to solitude, silence, and magic atmospheres

It gives a sense of tranquillity to drive this road, especially early in the morning. The towering trees that line the pavement are impressing, their majesty is breath-taking and you drive around feeling a bit on the retarded side, thanks to it. If you're looking for a chance to see what it could have been to drive a car in some kind of prehistoric forest, that's a place you should put on your to do list.


7. California Route 1, California - 656mi/1055km

Bixby bridge

They wrote songs about this road. And if you write a song about a road, it must be somehow worth it. The 1 truly is, being a long stretch that brings you from the spanish-looking Monterey to the southern reaches of busy L.A., through charming little coastal towns, rugged cliffs and lush hillside. Quite often covered in fog in the mornings, it becomes a mixture of striking colors in the afternoons. Big Sur is the highlight, make sure you stay for the night to enjoy a nice ocean sunset. One of my favourite towns down the stretch is Morro Bay, where a big rock monolith rises out of the water just a hundred yards off the beach. 

6. Seward Highway, Alaska - 125mi/201km

Clouds hiding Portage glacier

There are many scenic roads in Alaska, but possibly the Seward Highwa tops them all. Starting from Anchorage and going straight south towards beautiful Turnagain arm, the road gives access to formidable mountain, glacier and sea views. The Chugach mountains rise to the north, and proceeding further down the road towards its southern end, the landscape closes in and valleys, passes and glaciers seem to get closer and closer. The chances of spotting the occasional moose or bear are decent as well, a thing that makes driving in Alaska always a bit more entertaining, although dangerous. And by the way, this is a pretty dangerous road in itself. Distracted vacationers or intoxicated drivers aren't uncommon - according to the TV show "Alaska State Troopers". Another TV exaggeration?

5. Burr Trail Road, Utah - 66mi/106km

Climbing the steep switchbacks will take some guts to those afraid of heights, but will reward everyone with dramatic views of the Henry mountains to the west

The first road in the Southwest to appear in my ranking, it will provide you with that solitude you need when looking for some peaceful time. The absence of pavement dramatically decreases the number of cars you'll see on this road, but if you have the possibility, take this drive: you might follow crazy fossil-bearing rock formations along the Waterpocket fold, or climb a pass, or drive at the bottom of 500 foot-high red sandstone walls. You might spend a day crossing paths with just about a dozen cars or less, and you might enjoy one of the best driving experiences in the Southwest, right at the doorstep of Capitol Reef national park.

4. Utah Route 12, Utah - 122mi/196km

One of the viewpoints along the road, just a few miles out of the town of Escalante

This being the first of 4 consecutive All-American roads on my ranking, Utah road 12 represents the first road you should be driving to understand what Utah looks like. From the hoodoos of Bryce you catch glimpses of canyons  - such as at Calf Creek - of mesas, of buttes, of distant mountains (the Henry). With good visibility, your eye will wander for tens of miles through the desertic landscape, enchanted by the color bonanza brightened by the deep blue sky of the sunny Southwest. Luckily there ain't no New York or suchs around here, so the road will usually be not too crowded. 

3. Beartooth Highway, Wyoming - 69mi/111km

The view stretches far off to the ranges once you reach Beartooth pass

When I exited Cody, WY on a sunny July afternoon I didn't know what laid ahead of me. I took the Beartooth without high expectation and was finally overwhelmed with scenic vistas and idyllic landscapes. Luckily enough I didn't have to share the road with many cars - probably the insane amount of mosquitoes kept others off - so I was free to pull over wherever the view broadened. Well, it was pure joy. The Absaroka range stands mighty not too far off, alpine tarns dot the valleys carpeted in wildflowers, and snowbanks on the shady slopes are there til well into summer. It is probably as good as it gets as far as mountain drives are concerned.

2. San Juan Skyway, Colorado - 233mi/375km

The Uncompahgre range offers terrific sights along the road, especially in autumn

I have to say, I haven't driven all of it, but what I did of it, completely blew me away. In a state famous for its high mountains (Colorado has 53 14.000 foot peaks with at least 300 foot of prominence), the San Juan skyway encompasses several ranges such as the La Plata mountains, the San Juan, and the Uncompahgre. You might be driving behind a ridge, crossing a bridge over a cold river, to just turn the corner and have your eyes spanning over glorious mountains which feet are covered in dense vegetation - the sort of scene that will make you think you're driving into a Paramount movie opening titles! I drove just about half of it and I can't wait to complete: it stands on top of my to do list for my next US trip (which is a great compliment, you know).

1. Going-to-the-Sun road, Montana - 53mi/85km

A perspective of what this road is: not just an unbelievably sweet spectacle of a drive, but also an astonishing feat of engineering

It can't be otherwise I suppouse. It's not about length, it's not about traffic volume - even though, remember, in August it gets C-R-A-Z-Y out there, crazy!! Bumper to bumper with another half a million cars (no, I slightly exaggerated) and no room at Logan visitor center parking lot. It's about what this road is. Besides from being a quite cool engineering fact - it took from 1921 to 1933 to build the steep mountain road that goes from switchbacks to a long, straight stretch along the Garden Wall (picture) that links East Glacier with West Glacier (national park) - the GTTS is also remarkably scenic. The Garden Wall with its crests looking like a stegosaurus back, Logan Pass with iconic Mount Logan, the many valleys: it's one of those roads where you can't fall asleep for a second. You might even miss a bear or a chilled-looking mountain goat. This road is a jewel, nestled in what's called "The Crown of the Continent" for some pretty truthful reason, and as most of the times with these places, comes with pros and cons. The main con is snow. The road might open as late as early July, and stay open until September or so. It's a short window of time, and arguably you'll have to battle the crowds to experience it, but I can think about few other things worth the hassle more than this road! Enjoy!