Posted on Feb 17th 2015

---

---

Heading out on the highway, looking for adventure and fun marks the American tradition. Maybe you wish to go for a nice drive but you don't know where to go. We've compiled some of the most beautiful and scenic drives in the United States. Each trip features scenery from some of the most visually stunning areas of the country, and there will be enough visual overloads on the way to fill a hard drive with digital pictures.

Sometimes it's the journey, sometimes it's the destination—and sometimes, it's both. From the dramatic California coast to history-lined thoroughfares of New England, there are countless scenic drives across the country—and some stellar standouts. We’ve picked the American routes with heart-stopping views. On the winding paths of Blue Ridge Parkway, for example, don’t be surprised if the morning mists seduce you like a country melody. The 469-mile road, which turned 75 years old last year, wends its way past limestone caverns, clear mountain springs, and Appalachian majesty, offering different panoramic vistas depending on the season.

But it’s not always the nature’s courtesy; sometimes the man-made sights make the trip. As you cruise on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, the view to the west includes the greatest hits of American architecture, such as Willis Tower, better known as the Sears Tower, once the tallest building in the world. Moreover, 26 miles of Lake Michigan beaches adorn the East .

And on U.S. 1 from Key Largo to Key West, travellers are treated to a good time, Florida style. The island chain’s stretch of road encompasses everything from underwater coral reefs and 7 Mile Bridge, one of the longest in the world, to marinas where you can hand-feed tarpon, and the exclusive beach bars.

On the "Big Island" of Hawaii, three state routes -- 11, 19 and 190 -- form a circle around the perimeter. Locals call it the "Hawaii Belt." Driving around the Hawaii Belt, you'll see deserts of lava, lush jungles, farmland, active lava flows, snow-white beaches, mountains and valleys.

The central New York State houses the chain of the Finger Lakes -- shaped, unsurprisingly, like fingers. The chain consists of 11 lakes: Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga, Skaneateles, Owasco, Otisco, Honeoye, Canadice, Hemlock and Conesus.

If you're looking for something really off beat try Seward Highway in Alaska. This road is 127 miles (204 kilometres) long and connects the cities of Anchorage and Seward. It takes about five hours to make the drive, but many people will spread the trip out over a few days in order to explore the area in depth.

Log on to www.motorshifi.com to grab the ultimate experience of driving through the most picturesque routes of U.S.A.



 

---