There is something about a road trip that transcends the experience in the United States. It is not merely the hum of tires on asphalt or the horizon that shifts as the car rolls toward the next destination: the open road becomes a stage on which people connect and can become scripted into history. In families, road trips are heirloom in-the-made: inside jokes written in the guestbook of that lowly motel; supposed Broadway theatre production numbers accompanying dusty CDs; and wonder at all of those landscapes that stretch beyond imagination. These highways become the threads that stitch arid deserts, giant mountains, coasts, and small towns with a kindness time fails to measure. In this article, we take you on a journey through seven iconic road trips-the routes that are rituals-one's very journey being the destination.
Route 66
With the epithet "Main Street of America," Route 66 turns out to be a pilgrimage that cuts deeply into the core of the nation. Start it in Chicago, where the first "Begin Route 66" sign perches like a watchman and snake south-westward between amber waves of Illinois and Oklahoma. Chicago is the last stop at the Gemini Giant in Wilmington—fiberglass spaceman holding a rocket—or the Blue Whale of Catoosa: a whimsical product of a family amusement park in the 1970s.
In this case, Texas brings you to the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, where you can spray your name on half-buried cars-an American ritual that seems to be as good as apple pie. Detour north to the Grand Canyon, where the earth cracks open in a symphony of reds; then head into Arizona's Petrified Forest, where ancient trees turned to stone whisper secrets of prehistory. End in Santa Monica, toes in the Pacific, as the Ferris wheel on the pier spins like a kaleidoscope of joy.
Route 66 is a living museum of midcentury kitsch and resilience, treasured by families. Kids stand in awe with jaws dropping as they view dinosaur statues and ply their trade in retro diners serving mile-high pies, while parents anthropomorphize their childhood memories of simpler travels. This road is oh so important as a metaphor for impermanence-it is serpentine to interstates but immortal in song and dream. Its lesson: advance doesn't erase magic; it simply urges the viewing eye to peer more closely. Route: Chicago, IL - Santa Monica, CA (approximately 2,448 miles)
Pacific Coast Highway
The Pacific Coast Highway is a love letter to the edge of the world. Start ambitious in Seattle's misty charm, dive then into Oregon's craggy shores. Cannon Beach's Haystack Rock keeps watch at sunset, while the Sea Lion Caves of Florence echo with a barks and salt spray. Cross into California, where redwoods in Humboldt County tower as nature's cathedral.
But the crown jewel is Big Sur-90 miles, where mountains plunge down into the Pacific. Stop at Bixby Creek Bridge, its arches framing turquoise waves, or McWay Falls, an 80-foot cascade falling onto a hidden beach. In Monterey, kayak with sea-otters floating on their backs, cracking clamshells on their bellies. Finish at San Diego, where palm trees sway to mariachi rhythms.
The PCH is extravagance and whimsy. Tidepooling in Oregon, building driftwood forts, and spotting whales migrating all turn every mile into a classroom with no walls. The endless horizon of the Pacific mirrors the boundless curiosity of childhood, whispering: There's always more to discover. Route: Seattle, WA → San Diego, CA (~1,650 miles)
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| The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) |
Blue Ridge Parkway
America's Favorite Drive is commonly done. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds slowly and lovingly through the Appalachian Highlands. From Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, these are the mornings when early fog clings to the hills like lace. Stop at Mabry Mill, a 1905 gristmill where cornmeal pancakes taste of history.
North Carolina is also home to Linville Falls-three-tiers of thunderous cascade-or the folk art studios of the Southern Highlands. Asheville and his Biltmore Estate offer Gilded Age diversion, but the real magic lives within spontaneous pull-offs: wildflower meadows, blackberry thickets, and fiddle tunes drifting from porch jam sessions.
With a speed limit never exceeding 45 mph, the Parkway encourages lazy picnics and spur-of-the-moment hikes. Children scoop up fallen leaves in autumn, while their parents breathe in air sweetened by rhododendron blooms. To take things slow is not a bad thing. In a fast-paced world, Blue Ridge proclaims: Savor the space between moments. Route: Shenandoah NP, VA → Great Smoky Mountains NP, NC/TN (~469 miles)
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| Blue Ridge Parkway |
The Great River Road
Meandering along the Mississippi River from its Minnesota headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico, the Great River Road indeed becomes a journey through the soul of America. Begin this adventure at Lake Itasca, where it's possible to wade across its humble birthplace. Effigy Mounds National Monument in Iowa protects burial mounds from ancient indigenous peoples who looked like bears and birds.
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Hannibal, Missouri, would also make alive the memories of Mark Twain's childhood, as though you were standing and imagining Tom Sawyer whitewashing fences or Huck Finn rafting on the river. It can be found that Memphis has the shine of Graceland and a bit of the blues from Beale Street; however, be sure to include the juke joints of the Delta, because this is where music feels like an actual heartbeat. Ends it in New Orleans, where jazz meets gumbo and the street performers dance under gaslit lamps.
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| the Great River Road |
The Mississippi is a character—moody, mighty, and full of stories. Children trace its evolution from a trickle to a titan; adults ponder its history in terms of slavery, trade, and song. It symbolizes the currents of life: sometimes gentle, sometimes ferocious, but always moving forward. Route: Lake Itasca, MN→New Orleans, LA (~3,000 miles)
Utah's Mighty 5
These five national parks in Utah are a lesson in geology written in fire and wind. Zion: the Virgin River slices cliffs lofty enough so that the sun is mostly blocked. Hike the Narrows by wading in water mirroring the sky. Hoodoos in Bryce Canyon glow like embers at sunrise-these are spires of orange limestone. Orchards built by Mormon pioneers in the Capitol Reef still give fruits to be picked. Arches National Park is a playground of stone: Delicate Arch frames mountain ranges, while Balanced Rock defies gravity. Canyonlands is where the waters of Colorado and Green Rivers carve a maze of canyons beneath a galaxy unmarred by city lights.
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These parks create a primal wonder. Children climb up slickrock, watch desert bighorn sheep, and roast marshmallows under such clear skies that the Milky Way seems within reach. The desert teaches patience. These rocks took 300 million years to form—a reminder that beauty often asks us to outlast the storm. Route: Zion → Bryce Canyon → Capital Reef → Arches → Canyonlands (~370 miles)
Overseas Highway
The Overseas Highway stretches 113 miles as bridges and islands dangle on pearls into the mouth of the Gulf of Mexico. Start in the pastel shower of Miami's art deco, then south drive in a light haze where the Atlantic and Gulf unite into shades of blue Crayola has never named. Stop by at Islamorada to find hungry tarpon at Robbie's Marina or take a snorkel in John Pennekamp's coral gardens.
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The Seven Mile Bridge feels like driving on water, with horizons so vast you'd question where sky ends and sea begins. In Key West, toast the sunset at Mallory Square, where street performers juggle fire and cats roam Hemingway's former home. Don't forget to try Key lime pie-its tartness and sweet tastes the flavor of freedom.
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| The Overseas Highway |
The Keys are a splash of pure joy. Kids hunt for six-toed cats, snorkel with parrotfish, and lick sticky pie filling from the pan.
Going to the Sun Road
It is a 50-mile highway carved through cliffs and bounded by granite walls in Montana's Glacier National Park. It begins from Lake McDonald, where the water is so clear that you can actually see the silver arrows of darting trout. As you go up, waterfalls cascade down the mountainsides, and meadows are blazing with fire-like bear grass.
At Logan Pass, take the Hidden Lake Trail, where mountain goats scrabble along ridges and wildflowers brighten the tundra. The peak of the road, hewn through the Garden Wall, lays bare glacial valleys so pristine as to feel the dawn of time upon them. Ends at St. Mary Lake, where the peaks of Triple Divide testify in waters colder than memory.
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Raw glacier beauty humbles and excites. Kids earn Junior Ranger badges, spot bighorn sheep, and learn that "glaciers" are rivers of ice-for now. This road is the eulogy and the prayer. The glaciers are retreating, but what will we keep for the future? Route: Glacier National Park, MT (~50 miles)
Conclusion
America road trips are about heritage and not just vacations. It's how the child's hand feels in yours at the scenic overlook, how shared bag of trail mix tastes better at 8,000 feet, how a stranger in a diner becomes a friend before the coffee cools. They remind you that family is not just who you come from-it's who you are when you are untethered, together, under a sky wide enough to hold all your hopes.