Best Scenic Road Trips to Take in North America

Road tripping in your RV is never better when you find yourself on a road less traveled with scenic views. But it seems like more and more people are hitting the road these days, which means you’re often inclined to rush the ride instead of slow down and take in the scenery. Thankfully, there are roads in North America that deliver on scenery you can’t deny while driving down the highway. We’ve selected the best scenic road trips to help you slow down and take in the world around you.

Head North
If you’re heading north on the highway, you’re most likely looking for a chillier place to relax in your RV. It’s probably summertime and you’re on the prowl for some good views, a gentle breeze and maybe some time spent on the water.

The Alaskan Highway
Though the Alaskan Highway does start down in the U.S. on in Alcan along the border, it doesn’t truly have the title “Alaskan Highway” until you reach the border of British Columbia. Here you can drive up to 1,387 miles to reach the city of Fairbanks, Alaska.

If you’re looking for a remote trip with little distractions and only scenic views, the Alaskan Highway only has a handful of towns to stop in along your journey. You’ll come across mountains bigger than you’ve ever seen them, lakes aplenty, and forests so thick you’ll have a hard time counting the trees.

Yellowstone National Park to Glacier National Park
Take highway 2 or highway 89 to find yourself passing through the states of Wyoming and Montana from Yellowstone National Park to Glacier National Park. These states are less populated than many other National Park states and provide epic views from top to bottom.

Depending on the time of year, you may witness the beauty of thick blankets of snow surrounding bison and antelopes on the grasslands. During busy season, you’ll see just how beautiful spring and summer can be little critters running through woods and mountains.

Both highway 2 and highway 89 pass through National Forests which give you plenty of free camping and BLM land to do as you wish. Adventure and beauty await at geysers and glaciers if you choose to take this trip.

Take a Trip Down South
Driving down south doesn’t seem like it would be as fun as it sounds, but there are tons of things to do while you make your way to the Southern coast. Rain or shine, you’ll bear witness to new kinds of food, music, and people with every stop you make along the way. The culture in the South is thick in the air, so thick that you might come home with an accent.

New Orleans to Lake Charles, Louisiana
After living in Louisiana for several years, I finally understood the enchantment people have with the swamp. The culture, food, people, and history make the road trip from New Orleans to Lake Charles diverse and interesting. Everywhere you go from the in-between cities of Baton Rouge to Lafayette, you’ll witness colorful buildings, art, people, and music.

Though the roads aren’t too terribly great, you can almost always find a place to set up camp along the roads from New Orleans to Lake Charles, most of the time next to a river or body of water where you can get the full experience of living down in the swamp. Whether you stay in New Orleans to check out the party life or decide to go off the beaten path to visit the Frog Capital of the World in Rayne, there’s something to look at every time you turn a corner.

Check out: Cajun Palms RV Resort

Miami to Key West
Looking for a day at the beach? Take Highway 1 south from Miami to enjoy a road trip filled with ocean waves and sun. For a quick detour, you can stop by Everglades National Park or hop on islands like Key Largo or Big Pine Key.

Along this strip of highway, you’ll see the ocean as it should be as it surrounds you everywhere you look.

Check Out an Eastern Route
The Eastern states don’t always receive the love they should for road trips. With harsh weather and unpredictability, people often pass by the Eastern states without a second thought. But with a fresh look at what these states have to offer, you can experience much more than you bargained for including pieces of America’s history, beach towns, and some of the best food in the country. Check out these two road trips to get the best out of your East Coast trips.

The Blue Ridge Parkway
Along the Appalachian Mountains, you’ll find the Blue Ridge Parkway. This stretch of road lies between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Shenandoah National Park. Though the road is windy, you’ll drive through the Ridge, Plateau, Highlands, and Pigsah regions where you’ll see new landscapes with every turn.

Though this area may be busy during the Summer season, road tripping through Blue Ridge Parkway is best during the fall just as the leaves begin to change. On both sides of the road, you’ll witness trees of every shade and wildlife wandering about. For rolling hills and a tranquil drive, map out a trip from North Carolina to Virginia through Blue Ridge Parkway.

Washington D.C. to Charleston, S.C.
From one historic stop to the next, the scenic road trip from Washington D.C. to Charleston isn’t scenic in the way of tranquility. In both cities, you’ll find more history to dig up than almost any other. You can visit some of America’s most famous monuments while enjoying the Eastern seaboard’s finest seafood.

For the most direct course, take I-95 to pass through the city of Richmond, VA, down to Charleston to witness all that the Eastern coastal states have to offer. Along the way, you’ll see historic homes and buildings of the past that are not so often seen today in major cities.

The Best in the West
Though I may be biased, the West offers some of the best views and variety in road trips that other states just can’t match. From the desert to the forest to the ocean, you can see just about any kind of landscape between the Western states. Here are two amazing trips that give you the best of all worlds when road tripping in an RV.

Sedona, AZ to the Top of Utah
Take Highway 89 from Sedona all the way up to Utah to see a little bit of everything. You’ll start your journey in a town full of red rock like you’ve never seen before, make your way up through the treeline in Flagstaff, pass on by the Grand Canyon, find yourself in red rock again, hit Salt Lake City and maybe find yourself lost in the Bonneville Salt Flats, too.

With so much to offer along this route, you could spend months or years traveling up from Arizona to Utah. You’ll always be surprised at what you find and what you missed, even if you go back every year.

For one of the most diverse trips, take the 89 from the Sonoran desert to the Bonneville Salt Flats and see it for yourself.

Check out: Tucson / Lazydays KOA

The California Coastline
You can’t go wrong with a trip down the California coast. Though these coastal roads are more popular than ever before, you can hop on the 1 or the 101 to ride the waves all the way up from Southern California to the very tippy top of Northern California.

Along the way, you’ll find yourself near the Golden Gate bridge, dropping in to see little surf towns, and staring up at redwood forests. There’s nothing you can’t find along these highways that won’t make you stop and feel in awe of the world just outside your RV.

Where Do You Road Trip?
Sure, there are tons of other road trips to take in North America, so many you can’t count them all. For me, these trips offer more than just your average tourist trap (though there is a fair share of them along these routes). When you plan a road trip, it’s important to take the time to slow down and soak it all in.

There are so many things to see and do these days that it can feel overwhelming to pick a place to visit, but I’m hoping that with time, people will slow down once again and find happiness, not just about the destination but the journey it takes to get there.