The USA’s 10 greatest driving roads

Realise your road trip dreams with these iconic routes

America is arguably a nation that was created to drive: no country provides a greater variety of dramatic roads than the USA.

From the grand, stretching Route 66 to asphalt ribbons that wind through the wilderness – such as the Vermont 100 – the Land of the Free has it all.

Throw in a host of iconic road trip movies (from Thelma & Louise to Easy Rider) and writers who glamorised driving for discovery (think Jack Kerouac and John Steinbeck) and you’ve got a country whose roads are part of its national fabric – and for good reason.

Inspired to take a drive? Here are 10 US roads you shouldn’t miss.

10. Nebraska 2: Grand Island to Alliance

Route 2 bisects the north-western corner of Nebraska and the Sand Hills, a mixed-grass prairie covering more than a quarter of the state. Sand Hills has been designated an ‘eco-region’, where as much as 85% of the land is natural habitat – but, thankfully, you can still drive this fantastic piece of asphalt. 

Begin with a visit to the Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer in Grand Island and the historic railroad village, birthplace of Henry Fonda.

10. Nebraska 2: Grand Island to Alliance (cont.)

From there, Nebraska 2 slices through a hauntingly desolate region for 75 miles past the small communities of Cairo, Berwyn and Thedford towards Alliance, home to Carhenge – a Stonehenge replica made from old cars.

Plan carefully, though: food and fuel stops are few. Turn on to the Nebraska 87 North in Alliance to continue to South Dakota and the famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held in August.

9. Route 66: Kingman to Seligman, Arizona

US Route 66 has been called The Mother Road and The Main Street of America. Construction began in 1926 to create a direct route from Chicago to Los Angeles, but the post-war period was the real heyday of this stretch: ex-servicemen returned to California on Route 66 and families took their first automobile vacations to visit the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.

While Route 66 still tops many visitors’ lists of favourite roads in the USA, though, some sections of the drive have much more to offer than others.

9. Route 66: Kingman to Seligman, Arizona (cont.)

The 90-mile stretch between Kingman, Arizona – home to an excellent Route 66 museum – and Seligman is one of the best. This part of the road includes long periods of fast driving through relatively flat, arid terrain as it continues past the Hackberry General Store and through Hulapai Nation Native American land.

Seligman is the home of Angel Delgadillo’s barber shop, where the Historic Route 66 movement began, and the Sno-Cap drive-in, where the welcome sign reads: ‘Sorry, We’re Open.’

8. Vermont 100: Stamford to Newport

Route 100 runs more than 200 miles from the Massachusetts border to Canada, through the heart of one of the most scenic states in the USA.

The highway is lined with old farmhouses set close to the two lanes of the road, with carved black bears and hand-painted signs offering cheese and maple syrup. Attractions abound, from classic white church steeples, old country stores and covered bridges to Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory.

8. Vermont 100: Stamford to Newport (cont.)

Despite the additional attractions, though, the drive is naturally the highlight: the road presents delightful sections of curves and elevation changes as it winds its way north, with fewer and fewer cars on the route.

Be sure to avoid ‘leafers’ taking in the colourful foliage in September and early October if your aim is to enjoy the drive with suitable pace.

7. Texas 173: Bandera to Kerrville

Getting there is half the challenge, but Texas 173 rewards the committed. The drive through Texas Hill Country begins in Bandera – ‘Cowboy Capital of the World’ – 45 miles north-west of San Antonio on Texas 16.

Route 173 then follows the trail of indigenous tribes, Spanish conquistadors and missionaries north through Verde Creek Valley.

7. Texas 173: Bandera to Kerrville (cont.)

The two-lane road is fairly narrow and straight as a Comanche arrow in sections, but crosses and re-crosses the river through spectacular limestone formations.

Kerrville might only be 25 miles to the north, but memories of this drive will doubtless last a lifetime.

6. US 129: Tail of the Dragon, Tennessee/North Carolina

US 129, known as the ‘Tail of the Dragon’, features an incredible 318 curves in a mere 11.1 mile stretch of road, between Deal’s Gap and Tabcat Bridge – with only two crossroads.

The twisty road crosses the Tennessee/North Carolina border at a gap in the peaks marking the south-west corner of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

6. US 129: Tail of the Dragon, Tennessee/North Carolina (cont.)

This tortuous ribbon of Tarmac was a moonshiners’ favourite and was used during filming for Thunder Road in 1958.

Notorious sections have acquired names such as Killboy’s Corner and Gravity Cavity – but, while speed limits have been progressively lowered and the road is heavily patrolled, that hasn’t stopped the several hundred drivers and ’bikers who still sample the road every day.

5. Colorado 92/50: Hotchkiss to Gunnison

Colorado Routes 92 and 50 connect to provide a stunning drive through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Forest.

Start on Route 92 East in Hotchkiss, which is reached by Route 133 from Grand Junction to the west or Carbondale to the east. 92 heads out through the high desert of the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains – Aspen and Snowmass are on the opposite side of the mountain – before skirting the edges of the Black Canyon.

5. Colorado 92/50: Hotchkiss to Gunnison (cont.)

Steep walls formed of black volcanic schist and the lack of sunlight penetrating to depths of over 2000 feet give the canyon its name, but it’s the challenging, twisting, climbing and diving asphalt, together with the vast stands of Aspen trees that make the experience memorable.

Turn on to Route 50 East after to enjoy a relaxed drive past lakes and recreation areas toward Gunnison, a cowboy town once home to the outlaw Wyatt Earp.

4. California 190: Olancha to Death Valley Junction

While Death Valley may seem uninhabitable to some, the combination of its barren landscape, extraordinary heat and raw nature are irresistible to others. But for us it’s all about the road.

US 395 runs north-south through the centre of California, connecting Los Angeles and Reno. Turn off 395 at Olancha on to California 190 through Death Valley and, for the first 30 miles, you’ll find a road that runs through high desert – before plunging down in a series of spiralling corners towards Owens Dry Lake.

4. California 190: Olancha to Death Valley Junction (cont.)

The magnificent road then climbs back up into the mountains and tops Towne Pass, elevation 4946ft, before beginning its long descent, dropping in an uninterrupted downward rush that ends nearly 18 miles later at Stovepipe Wells.

Beyond Stovepipe the road passes through a landscape of sand dunes – where George Lucas filmed parts of the first Star Wars movie – and its lowest point is more than 200ft below sea level.

3. Kentucky 90/US 127

South-eastern Kentucky is home to the preferred roads of many US motoring writers. This David E Davis favourite begins in Burnside, Kentucky, where he was born.

Intriguingly, the town was partially flooded in 1946 when Wolf Creek Dam was built to create Lake Cumberland – and Kentucky 90 follows that lake south-west before intersecting with US 127.

3. Kentucky 90/US 127 (cont.)

After winding through miles of leafy Kentucky countryside, continue south to the Tennessee 52 and 63 to rejoin I-75 north of Knoxville, Tennessee.

There’s also the option of a day trip to Bowling Green, KY, home of the Corvette, by continuing west on Route 90 beyond US 127 and back-tracking.

2. Arizona 88: the Apache Trail

The historic Arizona Route 88 is a 48-mile run through the Wild West, complete with rattlesnakes, rock formations and a ghost town for good measure.

From Phoenix, follow Highway 60 east to Idaho Road, then on to Route 88 at Apache Junction, for mile upon mile of cactus-strewn wilderness.

2. Arizona 88: the Apache Trail (cont.)

The road goes east towards Roosevelt Lake, past Goldfield Ghost Town and Superstition Mountain – home to the Lost Dutchman Mine – to Tortilla Flat, population six.

It then gets narrower, with stretches of gravel and dirt, but is navigable. The stark scenery is the attraction, but the twists and turns make it an adventurous drive, too.

1. California 1: Carmel to Cambria

Windswept and arresting, California 1 – the Pacific Coast Highway – follows the blustery coast for 549 staggering miles, from the beaches of southern California to the redwood forests of the north.

It twists along some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, dotted with small villages and rugged coves, but the stretch between Carmel and Cambria – some 100 miles – is both the most engaging and easily accessible.

1. California 1: Carmel to Cambria (cont.)

Go south from Carmel, stop at the Lucia Store then continue towards Cambria. The road transforms itself from a twisting, cliff-hugging thread to an undulating roller-coaster ride.

Stop at William Randolph Hurst’s ‘castle’ at San Simeon to admire the unobstructed views from above the clouds. At Cambria, turn inland on California 46 to the Paso Robles wine region, or turn around and drive back up California 1.

Two years after the biggest landslide in California's history closed the road, it’s now been repaired and reopened – just in time for that late summer road trip.