America’s Most Scenic Drives to Visit This Fall, According to New Study
America’s most breathtaking road isn’t in Florida or Colorado, it’s the Red Rock Scenic Byway in Arizona. Lake’s new report on America’s most scenic drives to make this fall offers travelers sweeping natural vistas and unforgettable scenic lookouts.
Driving The News
- Arizona’s Red Rock is America’s most scenic drive, with 1.74 million Instagram mentions and 4,293 glowing Tripadvisor reviews rating it 4.8 out of 5.
- Nevada’s Las Vegas Strip, California’s Pacific Coast Highway, North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway and Maine’s Acadia Byway are the next most scenic roads in America.
- Six of the top ten most scenic roads are waterfront destinations.
Bucketlist Road Trips At a Glance
Red Rock Scenic Byway in Arizona is America’s most scenic road, followed by Nevada’s dazzling Las Vegas Strip. Ranked as the third-most dramatic, Instagram-worthy drive, the Pacific Coast Highway in California offers two fun coastal road trip options in San Luis Obispo and Big Sur. The Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and the Acadia Byway in Maine came in fourth and fifth place, featuring spectacular natural vistas.
This is according to a new study from vacation rental platform Lake.com, which analyzed America’s byways officially designated as All-American Roads (AAR) with intrinsic scenic qualities. The Federal Highway Administration officially recognizes each of these as a ‘destination unto itself’ worth a trip for its ‘one-of-a-kind features.’ The study ranks all the scenic AARs based on how many related hashtags each of them has on Instagram and how well and often they were rated on Tripadvisor, as of September 16th, 2025.
Key Highlights
- Arizona’s Red Rock is America’s most scenic drive.
- Nevada’s Las Vegas Strip, California’s Pacific Coast Highway, North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway, and Maine’s Acadia Byway are the next most scenic roads in America.
- Six of the top ten most scenic roads are waterfront destinations.
Top 10 Most Scenic Drives in America
| # | Road | State(s) | Instagram hashtag mentions | Tripadvisor reviews | Tripadvisor rating | Final Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Red Rock Scenic Byway | Arizona | 1,736,559 | 4,293 | 4.8 | 1,757,165 |
| 2 | Las Vegas Strip | Nevada | 1,505,998 | 35,120 | 4.4 | 1,660,526 |
| 3 | San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway – Route 1 / Big Sur Coast Highway – Route 1 | California | 1,036,076 | 1,857 | 4.8 | 1,044,990 |
| 4 | Blue Ridge Parkway | North Carolina / Virginia | 756,843 | 6,994 | 4.8 | 790,414 |
| 5 | Acadia All-American Road (Acadia Byway) | Maine | 652,387 | 1,629 | 4.7 | 660,043 |
| 6 | North Shore Scenic Drive | Minnesota | 81,769 | 2,022 | 4.8 | 91,475 |
| 7 | Natchez Trace Parkway | Mississippi / Alabama / Tennessee | 64,617 | 2,238 | 4.6 | 74,942 |
| 8 | Trail Ridge Road / Beaver Meadow Road | Colorado | 37,833 | 3,490 | 4.9 | 54,934 |
| 9 | Beartooth Highway | Montana / Wyoming | 46,356 | 992 | 4.9 | 51,208 |
| 10 | Florida Keys Scenic Highway | Florida | 17,364 | 7,006 | 4.5 | 48,891 |
Best Scenic Drives for a Road Trip
Red Rock Scenic Byway in Arizona is the most scenic road in the US. The iconic red sandstone canyon near Sedona measures only 7.5 miles, but visitors will likely spend more time there than the 20 minutes it takes to travel its entire length. Red Rock has a record 1,736,599 related hashtag mentions on Instagram and 4,293 reviews on Tripadvisor rating it as a 4.8-star scenic drive.
Five hours away from Red Rock is the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, ranked as the second most scenic road in America. Stretching over 4.5 neon-filled miles, the Las Vegas Boulevard is one of the only night-time byways in America. Instagram users had tagged the eye-catching Vegas Strip 1,505,998 times by September 16, 2025. Another 35,120 guests left glowing reviews on Tripadvisor, rating it, on average, with 4.4 stars out of 5.
California’s Pacific Coast Highway steals the third spot in the ranking, jointly shared by the San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway and the Big Sur Coast Highway, both on Route 1. Their hashtags and Tripadvisor listings overlap, but they are technically considered two separate AARs. With 1,848 reviews on Tripadvisor in total, visitors believe the Pacific Coast Highway, in general, is a 4.8-star destination perfect for an epic weekend road trip with the girls or the boys. The two byways share over one million hashtags on Instagram in footage featuring film-worthy beach life.
Blue Ridge Parkway, a spectacular namesake road through the Blue Ridge Mountains, ranked as the fourth-most scenic road in America. This 469-mile drive across North Carolina and Virginia takes at least four days to fully enjoy. Netizens have so far shared 756,843 photos and videos of it on Instagram. On Tripadvisor, 6,994 visitors think it is a 4.8-star destination.
The fifth-most scenic road in America is the Acadia Byway in Maine, ideal for family day trips or weekend getaways. This 40-mile oasis of tranquility boasts crystal-clear lakes, wild gardens, sandy beaches, panoramic mountain views and birdwatching opportunities. Most of this byway is within the Acadia National Park and includes the Park Loop Road along Mount Desert Island. Totaling over 652,387 related hashtags on Instagram and 1,629 Tripadvisor reviews averaging 4.7 stars, Acadia Byway’s spectacular golden colors make it a bucket list road trip this fall.
“In 1990, fewer than one in 20 Americans had a passport, whereas by last year, every other US citizen did,” says David Ciccarelli, CEO of Lake.com. “Over the past three and a half decades, we have been chasing the promise of sunrays, especially with trips to Mexico. It is America’s favorite destination abroad, where 41.9% of US citizens travel even in December. It makes sense: you hop on a plane for a couple of hours and enjoy beautiful beaches and great weather.
“In our pursuit of buying sunshine, we might be overlooking the golden shorelines closer to home. If you want to make that journey part of your vacation this fall, you will find the best views along the Acadia Byway in Maine, Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina and Virginia, Minnesota’s North Shore Scenic Drive and the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.”
Notes for Editors
Sources: Lake.com, US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, Instagram and Tripadvisor.
Credit with link: If you use this story, please ensure to include a linked mention of Lake.com.
Methodology
- The researchers selected all routes listed under the National Scenic Byways Program, specifically those designated as All-American Roads (AAR) with scenic intrinsic qualities, from the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration website.
- The most popular and relevant Instagram hashtags were identified for each AAR. Some overlap with hashtags referring to the road’s area likely occurred. Where hashtags included roads split across more than one AAR or National Scenic Byway, the researchers assigned the count of hashtags to each AAR individually.
- TripAdvisor listings were identified for each AAR, mostly classed as a scenic drive, with two exceptions for Alaska’s Marine Highway, classed on Tripadvisor as a boat tour, and the Las Vegas Strip, considered a historic walking area. Their review counts and ratings, expressed in stars from zero to five, were collected on September 16th, 2025.
- Where hashtags and Tripadvisor listings overlapped for the same road across two or more states, they were merged.
- A final score was calculated by multiplying the number of Tripadvisor reviews for each AAR by the average Tripadvisor rating, then adding the number of Instagram hashtags.
The AARs were ranked from highest to lowest based on their final scores.
Contact Details
Should you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact Ruxanda Josan at [email protected].
