Road trip stops in the USA
The places worth pulling over for across the USA: the famous ones, the ones locals keep quiet about, and where to sleep on the way.
Plan your road tripThe best stops
Walk · Moab
Delicate Arch
A 3-mile round-trip climb to Utah's most famous freestanding arch.
Scenic drive · Springdale
Zion Canyon Scenic Drive
Shuttle-only canyon road to Temple of Sinawava and the Riverside Walk.
Viewpoint · Grand Canyon Village
Mather Point, Grand Canyon South Rim
First view of the canyon for most visitors; easy rim access.
Scenic drive · Oljato-Monument Valley
Monument Valley Tribal Park
Mesa and butte landscape from countless Western films; scenic drive on a dirt loop.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Crater Lake
Crater Lake Rim Drive
A 33-mile loop around the deepest lake in the US.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Glacier National Park
Going-to-the-Sun Road at Logan Pass
50 miles of mountain road across the Continental Divide, with Logan Pass as the high point.
Scenic drive · Alamogordo
White Sands National Park
Gypsum dunes you can slide down, with a scenic loop drive and sunset walks.
- Cave
Cave · Carlsbad
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
One of the biggest accessible caves in America, with a bat flight at dusk.
- Beach
Beach · Cannon Beach
Haystack Rock
The 235-foot sea stack that defines the Oregon Coast.
Geothermal · Volcano
Kīlauea Visitor Center and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Park with an active volcano, steam vents and lava rock drives.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Cody
Beartooth Pass (Wyoming side)
Charles Kuralt called US 212 the most beautiful drive in America, topping out at 10,947 ft.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Interior
Badlands Loop Road & Big Badlands Overlook
A 30-mile loop of overlooks over striped, eroded badlands.
Hidden gems
Quieter places that are worth the detour.
Walk · Big PineHidden gem
Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest
Short trail among some of the oldest trees on earth.
Beach · Big SurHidden gem
Pfeiffer Beach
Purple-tinged sand and a keyhole rock where the light shines through in winter.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Kings Canyon National ParkHidden gem
Kings Canyon Scenic Byway to Roads End
Deep glacial canyon drive ending at a trailhead river valley.
- History
History · BridgeportHidden gem
Bodie State Historic Park
Preserved gold-rush ghost town kept in a state of arrested decay.
Walk · OrickHidden gem
Fern Canyon
Narrow canyon with 50-foot walls draped in ferns, reached by a gravel road.
- Viewpoint
Viewpoint · North RimHidden gem
North Rim, Cape Royal
Remote rim road with a natural arch at the end.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Mexican HatHidden gem
Valley of the Gods
A 17-mile gravel loop through sandstone monoliths that feels like Monument Valley without the entry fee.
- History
History · DillonHidden gem
Bannack State Park
Montana's first territorial capital, now a ghost town with over 50 original buildings.
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · PaxsonHidden gem
Denali Highway (Paxson to Cantwell)
135 miles of mostly gravel road over tundra with views of three mountain ranges.
By region
- California328
- Texas115
- Oregon94
- Colorado90
- Florida75
- Washington73
- Utah65
- Arizona61
- Michigan59
- New Mexico53
- North Carolina52
- Hawaii51
- Montana47
- Alaska45
- Wyoming45
- Illinois33
- South Dakota33
- Tennessee32
- Wisconsin32
- Minnesota31
- Nevada30
- Georgia28
- Kansas28
- Virginia27
- Idaho26
- Missouri25
- Oklahoma24
- Maine23
- South Carolina22
- Nebraska22
- New York21
- Kentucky18
- Pennsylvania17
- North Dakota16
- Iowa14
- Louisiana14
- Arkansas13
- Ohio12
- Indiana11
- New Hampshire10
- Mississippi8
- Vermont7
- Massachusetts5
- Alabama4
- Connecticut2
- New Jersey2
- Rhode Island1
- West Virginia1
- District of Columbia1
- Maryland1
Food stops worth the detour
- Bakery
Bakery · PolebridgeHidden gem
Polebridge Mercantile
Remote off-grid bakery in the North Fork, famous for huckleberry bear claws.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · LexingtonHidden gem
Snow's BBQ
A Saturday-only barbecue spot in a tiny town, with a pit run by Tootsie Tomanetz, open 8am until sold out.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Savannah
Mrs. Wilkes' Dining Room
Family-style Southern lunch at big shared tables, weekdays only, cash or check.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Taylor
Louie Mueller Barbecue
Central Texas smokehouse that has been serving barbecue since 1949.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Marshall
Hog Island Oyster Farm
Shuck-your-own oysters on a picnic table beside Tomales Bay.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Big Sur
Nepenthe
Cliff-top restaurant famous for the Ambrosiaburger and views along the coast.
Places to stay
Campsites and holiday parks we’d go back to. See every one by region in campsites in the USA and free camping in the USA, or the nearest to you in campsites near me and free camping near me.
- Freedom camping
Freedom camping · Lone PineHidden gem
Alabama Hills dispersed camping
Free BLM camping among rounded boulders beneath Mount Whitney.
Campground · Oljato-Monument Valley
The View Campground
Wake up to Monument Valley's mittens at your door.
- Campground
Campground · Canyon
Palo Duro Canyon State Park
Camping in the second-largest canyon in the US, with red rock walls.
- Campground
Campground · Great Smoky MountainsHidden gem
Cataloochee Campground
Remote Smokies valley with elk.
Campground · Capitol Reef
Fruita Campground
Orchard campground below red cliffs, with fruit pies at the old farmhouse.
Campground · Olympic National Park
Hoh Campground
Camp in the mossy Hoh Rain Forest.
- Motel
Motel · Tucumcari
Blue Swallow Motel
A beautifully kept 1939 motor court with garages and a glowing blue neon sign.
Campground · Hunting Island
Hunting Island State Park
Oceanfront camping among palmettos beside a climbable lighthouse.
- Campground
Campground · Isle au HautHidden gem
Duck Harbor Campground
Five shelters on an island that you reach by mail boat.
Classic road trips in the USA
- Acadia Park Loop Road43 km · 1 day
- Kancamagus Highway52 km · 1 day
- Trail Ridge Road77 km · 1 day
- Tioga Road: Yosemite to Mono Lake80 km · 1 day
- Going-to-the-Sun Road80 km · 2 days
- Road to Hana84 km · 1 day
- Mohawk Trail100 km · 1 day
- Cape Cod: Route 6A to Provincetown105 km · 3 days
- Beartooth Highway110 km · 1 day
- San Juan Skyway: Durango to Ouray113 km · 2 days
- Historic Columbia River Highway119 km · 1 day
- Skyline Drive170 km · 2 days
Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
Rated 4.7 by drivers · 700,000 downloads
