Nice DrivesBest Mountain Scenic Drives in the USA
By Dylan Stones · · 8 drives
Mountain roads reward patience and nerve. The best ones trade the efficiency of valley highways for something harder to quantify — the specific quality of altitude, of exposure, of being somewhere that felt unreachable until you drove it. These are the mountain drives worth going out of your way for.
Photo by Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 1: 📍 Montana / Wyoming
Beartooth Highway
64 mi1 hr 56 minmoderate
The highest highway in the northern Rockies, climbing to 10,947 feet on a series of switchbacks before crossing a treeless alpine plateau. Open only late May through October. The view from the Rock Creek Vista Point — looking back down the switchbacks you just climbed — is worth the entire trip.
View the route map, stops & reviews →Photo by D&RG Railfan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 2: 📍 Colorado
Million Dollar Highway
33 mi1 hr 7 minchallenging
Three high mountain passes, no guardrails on the most exposed sections, and some of the most severe vertical exposure available on a paved public road. US-550 between Ouray and Silverton is the serious driver's benchmark for Colorado mountain roads — approach it with respect and appropriate speed.
View the route map, stops & reviews →Photo by David Zhang, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 3: 📍 Colorado
Mount Evans Scenic Byway
28 mi1 hrchallenging
The highest paved road in North America ends at 14,130 feet above sea level — above most clouds on a clear day. Mountain goats frequently block the road near the summit. The air has 40% less oxygen than at sea level, so acclimatise for at least a day in Denver before attempting the drive.
View the route map, stops & reviews →Photo by Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 4: 📍 Utah
Zion-Mount Carmel Highway
25 mi51 minmoderate
A tunnel through solid Navajo sandstone connects two entirely different landscapes. The switchbacks west of the tunnel are carved into the cliff face with open canyon views; the eastern exit opens onto slickrock desert plateau. One of the most geologically dramatic short drives in the American Southwest.
View the route map, stops & reviews →Photo by Acroterion, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 5: 📍 Idaho
Sawtooth Scenic Byway
61 mi1 hr 32 minmoderate
ID-75 runs through the Sawtooth Valley with sharp granite peaks rising abruptly to the west — the range earns its name visually in a way that not all named ranges do. Galena Summit at 8,701 feet gives the most complete view of the Sawtooths available from a paved road. Stanley at the northern end is the gateway to some of the best fly fishing in the country.
View the route map, stops & reviews →Photo by David Ratledge, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 6: 📍 Tennessee / North Carolina
Cherohala Skyway
51 mi1 hr 32 minmoderate
Among the least-known great drives in the eastern United States, the Cherohala crosses the ridgelines of the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests with expansive views unusual for the southern Appalachians. Combine it with the Tail of the Dragon — about 20 miles away — for a full day of mountain driving without repeating a single section of road.
View the route map, stops & reviews →Photo by w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 7: 📍 South Dakota
Needles Highway
33 mi1 hr 2 minmoderate
14 miles through granite spires in the Black Hills, including two tunnels through solid rock narrow enough that wide trucks cannot pass. Governor Peter Norbeck built it specifically to slow visitors down and force them to engage with the landscape rather than pass through it. At a century old, his strategy still works.
View the route map, stops & reviews →Photo by King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Number 8: 📍 New Hampshire
Kancamagus Highway
38 mi1 hr 10 mineasy
The Kanc crosses Kancamagus Pass at 2,855 feet through White Mountain National Forest — modest by western standards, but consistently one of the most beautiful mountain drives in the east. The northern hardwood forest on either side turns in a sustained October color wave that reliably draws visitors from New York and Boston every fall.
View the route map, stops & reviews →
Each drive above is mapped on Nice Drives with its full route, key stops, and elevation profile. Open any card to explore the route on an interactive map before you go.