Best Scenic Drives in the National Parks

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Podcast Episode Overview

If you love a drive that has you gasping, laughing, and pulling over every few minutes for “just one more” viewpoint, you are going to have so much fun with this episode. We’re sharing 15 of our favorite scenic drives across the national parks and how you can plan your own visit to each!

In this episode, we cover:

• Our top 15 national park scenic drives, grouped into big bucket list roads, overlooked drives in popular parks, and hidden gems in lesser-known parks
• Key logistics for each drive, including typical opening seasons, road lengths, and important vehicle size or road condition notes
• The hikes, overlooks, and viewpoints we love along these roads, plus the wildlife you are most likely to see
• How these drives fit into a bigger trip so you can plan your time around sunrise, sunset, and trail days

Your task for today: Pick one of the 15 scenic drives from this episode and move it to the very top of your national park bucket list, then head over to the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram page and tell us which drive you are most excited to experience next!

Planning your own scenic drive adventure?

• Episode 117: Favorite national parks road trips: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/favorite-national-park-road-trips/ 
• Episode 23: Scariest national park roads ranked: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/episode-23-scariest-national-park-roads-ranked/ 
• Episode 81: Insider tips for driving Going to the Sun Road: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/insider-tips-for-driving-glaciers-going-to-the-sun-road/ 
• Dirt In My Shoes Itineraries: https://shop.dirtinmyshoes.com/ 
• Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/
• National Park Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/ 
• Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/

Best Scenic Drives in the National Parks

I love a good national park scenic drive, especially when every curve in the road reveals a new mountain, canyon, or forest view to explore. These drives are an easy way to see a lot in a short amount of time and still stop for hikes, overlooks, and wildlife along the way. In this episode, we pulled together 15 of our favorite roads that either anchor a classic bucket list trip or end up being the surprise highlight of your visit.

The Big Bucket List Drives

Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park

Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park is a 50-mile masterpiece carved into the mountains with very few switchbacks, historic red bus tours and shuttles, water crashing down cliffs, and trailheads like the Highline Trail and Hidden Lake Overlook. Tight vehicle size restrictions and a short season that usually runs from late June through mid-October make timing crucial, and one of our trips lined up with a July opening that kept us glued to the snow reports.

Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park

Tioga Road in Yosemite is a 47-mile high-country drive that climbs to almost 9,900 feet and feels like a deep breath after the congestion of Yosemite Valley, offering granite domes, high alpine lakes, Tuolumne Meadows, Tanaya Lake, and views from Olmsted Point. It is best planned for a window between about June and October because May openings have become rare. 

Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Newfound Gap Road in Great Smoky Mountains crosses the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina, passes Newfound Gap at just over 5,000 feet, and links big name spots like Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome), Alum Cave Bluffs, Chimney Tops, Mingus Mill, and the elk-filled fields near the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, all on a road that is technically open year round but often restricted by winter conditions.

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is a 48-mile route that climbs above treeline into fragile tundra at 12,183 feet, the highest continuous paved road in the United States, with elk grazing in the high country, wide open views from Forest Canyon Overlook toward Longs Peak, and a stop at the Alpine Visitor Center. The season usually starts around Memorial Day and stretches into October, but heavy snow can shorten either end. 

Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper National Parks (Canadian Rockies)

The Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper rounds out this group, a 144 mile drive through the spine of the Canadian Rockies where glacial rivers follow the road, hanging glaciers cling to cliffs, turquoise lakes like Peyto Lake shine below, and favorite hikes such as Wilcox Pass, Parker Ridge, and the Athabasca Glacier fill the day, and it feels most comfortable in summer or fall when weather and services are more predictable.

Overlooked Drives in Popular Parks

Badlands Loop in Badlands National Park

The Badlands Loop Road in Badlands National Park is a 40-mile loop with 12 official overlooks, glowing golden-hour light on the formations, and frequent sightings of bison, bighorn sheep, and prairie dogs. Along this road, the ladder section of the Notch Trail and the fossil work at the Ben Reifel Visitor Center’s Paleontology Center add even more reasons to slow down and explore.

Desert View Drive in Grand Canyon National Park

On the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Desert View Drive offers a quieter 23-mile stretch with viewpoint after viewpoint, each revealing a new angle on the canyon and sometimes the river below, and it is a beautiful place to settle in for sunrise or sunset, even though it is often the first area to close when winter storms roll through. 

Generals Highway in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Generals Highway in Sequoia and Kings Canyon links Grant Grove and the General Grant tree to Sequoia’s big tree area with the General Sherman tree and Moro Rock, and it is one of those roads where giant orange trunks suddenly surround your car, while winter storms and the steep, narrow, hand-built switchbacks from the Three Rivers side demand respect and smaller vehicles.

Rim Drive in Crater Lake National Park

Crater Lake’s Rim Drive in Oregon is a 33-mile loop around the rim of a volcanic crater, with about 30 overlooks, a trolley option, a popular bike route, and unique features like the Phantom Ship, Pumice Castle, and the Cleetwood Cove Trail, the only way down to the lakeshore. Deep snow and high elevation mean the road often opens in segments, and a full loop usually has to wait until around mid-June. 

Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park

Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park completes this category as a 105-mile ridge-top route along Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, lined with more than 75 overlooks, classic fall color views, and high starting points for short summit hikes, and it shines at golden hour, especially considering the easy access from the Washington, DC area.

Hidden Scenic Gems You Might Not Know About

Chain of Craters Road in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park 

In Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island, the Chain of Craters Road drops about 3,700 feet from the summit area of Kīlauea toward the ocean, passing one volcanic crater after another and crossing hardened lava flows that change color and texture with age and chemistry, and the drive itself shows how the island is built while the weather can feel completely different at the top and the bottom even though the road is open all year.

Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive in Great Basin National Park

In Nevada, the 12-mile Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive in Great Basin National Park leaves the desert behind as it climbs above 10,000 feet into cool air, aspen groves, and a true alpine landscape. The end of the road is a jumping-off point for mountain lakes, the summit of Wheeler Peak at over 13,000 feet, and the ancient bristlecone pines near a small glacier, all of which can feel extra magical when the valley below is still hot and dry. 

Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway in Redwood National and State Parks

The Drury Scenic Parkway in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, within the Redwood National and State Parks complex of northern California, is a 10-mile side road off Highway 101 that pulls you deep into the redwood forest and often delivers elk sightings in nearby meadows, and the nearby Avenue of the Giants provides even more towering trees just beyond the park boundaries.

South Unit Scenic Drive in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The Scenic Loop Drive in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota winds through badlands and prairie and often provides some of the closest and most active bison sightings anywhere, along with wild horses moving across the hills and unforgettable golden hour light around the Wind Canyon trail, and a visit can easily end with an evening in the nearby town of Medora. 

Cathedral Valley and Burr Trail in Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef National Park in Utah closes out the list with two backcountry drives that most visitors never see: Cathedral Valley, a 58 mile loop for high clearance, four wheel drive vehicles that features the Temple of the Sun and Moon, the colorful clay of the Bentonite Hills, and a river ford near the beginning, and the Burr Trail, also called Loop the Fold, which follows the Waterpocket Fold through tilted rock layers and slot canyon access, with the spur to Strike Valley Overlook needing serious four wheel drive but rewarding the effort with one of the best wide angle views in the park.

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Links mentioned in this podcast episode:

• Episode 117: Favorite national parks road trips
• Episode 23: Scariest national park roads ranked
• Episode 81: Insider tips for driving Going to the Sun Road
• Going to the Sun Road – Glacier National Park
• Tioga Road – Yosemite National Park
• Newfound Gap Road – Great Smoky Mountains National Park
• Trail Ridge Road – Rocky Mountain National Park
• Icefields Parkway – Banff and Jasper National Parks
• Badlands Loop Road – Badlands National Park
• Desert View Drive – Grand Canyon National Park, South Rim
• Generals Highway – Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
• Rim Drive – Crater Lake National Park
• Skyline Drive – Shenandoah National Park
• Chain of Craters Road – Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
• Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive – Great Basin National Park
• Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway – Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park
• Scenic Loop Drive, South Unit – Theodore Roosevelt National Park
• Cathedral Valley – Capitol Reef National Park
• Burr Trail – Capitol Reef National Park

Are you hoping to visit all of the national parks? Sign up for your FREE NATIONAL PARKS CHECKLIST so you can easily see where you’ve been and where you still need to go!