There’s no better way to enjoy nature than partaking in some of the most scenic drives in the world. Road trips allow for slow and steady travel, filled with a flexible schedule that allows for stopping at every photo spot and viewpoint.
I still cannot believe how blessed we’ve been to be able to explore so much beautiful Creation around the world. Whenever we can, we choose road trip travel over anything else. Filling drives with great conversations, way too many stops at every breathtaking sight, and moments of silence, realizing how blessed we are to be where we’re at. And I’m stoked we get to share these scenic drives with you!
Each of the scenic drives below will be geotagged to the general location of the road, and will eventually have real time video footage of driving sections of these roads. Grab a glass of wine, turn on some soothing music, and start dreaming of what epic road trip you’ll go on next!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through one of our links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read our full disclosure policy.
Most Scenic Drives in the USA
John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway in Yellowstone in Montana
Linking Yellowstone National Park to Grand Tetons National Park is the John D. Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway. This road, in our opinion, is best driven from north to south so you get the views of the Teton Mountains as you approach the national park.
This road is maintained during the winter months, however, be prepared for some crazy weather if you choose to drive this parkway October – April. In the summer, the road can be quite crowded with tourists flocking the area. Best to do the drive early in the morning or in the evening! Be sure to be on the look out for wild bears (there are lots of them), bison (give them distance), and all sorts of other animals!
Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor in Oregon
This is easily one of the most scenic sections of Highway 101 down the Oregon Coast. Samuel H. Boardman is on the southern bit of the Oregon Coast. It’s just before hitting the town of Brookings, and has so many pull offs with amazing views, you could spend a full day just in this area.
There’s a great trail going all along the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor, if you’re up for walking — be sure to hike some of this trail!
Highway 101 in Oregon
Arguably better witnessed on a bicycle, Highway 101 in Oregon is a truly astonishing scenic drive. The haystack rocks, sea creatures to see, and dramatic coastline makes for a dreamy road trip. There’s so much peace brought when watching the Pacific Ocean waves crash on the coastline. Honestly, one of the best places to go to escape and leave feeling rejuvenated!
{Traveler’s Tip… This drive is best done from north to south, as this allows you easy access to all the pullouts on the coast side of the road! Trust us, you don’t want to have to cross traffic for every pullout and reentrance to the highway!}
Highway 1 in California
Similar to Highway 101 in Oregon, Highway 1 in California is the highway going all the way down the Californian coast. Highway 1 is also a fun highway to bicycle, but with brutal hills, it’s not recommended for everyone! Driving down Highway 1, you’ll be greeted with sea creatures like dolphins, sea lions, and even whales at certain times of the year! There are plenty of scenic pull offs, and you’ll drive though some of California’s most iconic cities.
The further south you drive the warmer the water gets.. so be sure to pack the swimsuits and sun screen and enjoy the California sun!
{Traveler’s Tip… This drive is best done from north to south, as this allows you easy access to all the pullouts on the coast side of the road! Trust us, you don’t want to have to cross traffic for every pullout and reentrance to the highway!}
Monument Valley in Utah
Honestly, the whole bit of southern Utah could make this scenic drive list. The roads in Zion National Park and the rest of Utah’s Big Five are absolutely incredible. Monument Valley is a bit further east than the area of Utah’s five national parks, so you could really extend this road trip and spend a week or more in this area.
Monument Valley is the super popular, over-photographed area us Utah with incredible red sandstone towers and long desert-like drives.
Route 66
Historic Route 66 takes travelers back in time to a place of easy living. With old-time ma and pop shops, historic stops all along the nearly 2,500 miles it is slow and steady travel down Route 66. When we traveled across the United States and back, we didn’t do the whole of Route 66, instead jumped on it here and there. We quickly found out that this route in America is always under construction, improving it as time goes on.. making it not as dreamy of a drive from start to finish.
With that said, it’s still well worth partaking on some of Route 66. There’s so much historic charm and just a feeling of nostalgia when traveling even the smallest bits of Route 66.
Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway in Oregon
This scenic byway in Oregon offers 14 alpine lakes, and stunning views of some of Oregon’s most famous mountains, and is a true outdoor lover’s paradise. There are so many places to stop and hike, bike, or do any multitude of water sports. Even in the busy months, you’ll surely find a place for yourself!
Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway is closed in the winter months as there’s much too much snow and it makes it dangerous for inexperienced visitors in the area. Check out Lava Flow Campground or Sparks Lake Camping for two free great campsites on Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway.
Journey Through Time in Oregon
It wasn’t until we left Oregon, then moved back that we took a trip to the Painted Hills of Oregon. This trip was our first trip in the van, the first time exploring with the start of COVID-19, and the first time in over a year that we felt like we were experiencing something new. It seemed like around every turn on the Journey Through Time Scenic Byway we were just in awe of how other-worldly this area of Oregon was!
The Journey Through Time National Scenic Byway takes travelers through the Painted Hills, The Blue Basin of Oregon, and Fossilized leaves and trees. Can’t recommend this area of Oregon enough!
Highway 395 in California
Our Uncle Jeff always talks so highly of Highway 395 in California, so when we took on our US road trip years ago, we knew we needed to drive some of this road! Highway 395 runs from north to south in California right along the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This scenic highway has hot springs, great hikes, and the cutest ski towns around! Honestly, Highway 395 really makes you feel like you’re in another state — not in California at all.
When doing the entire Highway 395 drive, you’ll pass through many of California’s National Parks. Find out more about California’s National Parks here.
Europe‘s Most Scenic Drives
Sella Pass in Italy
We’ll be the first to admit that we never even heard of this area of Italy until we started seeing amazing pictures of The Dolomites on a fellow vanlifer’s Instagram page. The Dolomites are located in the northern part of Italy and is honestly one of the top five most beautiful places we’ve ever been. We spent a month in the Dolomites, camping for days on end just enjoying the views all around.
Sella Pass is one of the more popular passes in the Italian Dolomites, as you really do drive right in the giant rock formations. If you have a limited amount of time in the area — we recommend driving Sella Pass.
Furka Pass in Switzerland
Hairpin turn after hairpin turn. Furka Pass climbs up into the Swiss Alps and does so rather quickly. Not until reaching the top, do you realize that some of those hairpin turns you just drove were really just floating off the edge of a cliff! As will most Swiss Alps drives, the views are great. There’s some great wild camping in this area, fantastic wild blueberries, and awesome hikes leading to viewpoints even better than the roads provide!
Grindelwald Pass in Switzerland
Oh man, is the Grindelwald Pass dreamy! Coming off of a drive up in and through Lauterbrunnen, also amazing, but not as good.. The Grindelwald Pass will surely take your breath away! You’ll find crazy mountain homes, get up close and personal with the snow-capped Swiss Alps, and obviously have views that will just knock your socks off.
There are a couple of places that you can actually camp out on this drive, just be sure that they’re actually parking places and not pullouts or passing places. And.. as distracting as the views are, pay close attention to the road! Bicyclists ride up and down this pass often, and you need to keep space for them!
Drive on Mars in Norway
You’ll literally feel like you’re in another world when you drive here! The road is like a rollercoaster, with views to die for all around. If you’re lucky, you can stop in the snow and sled for a bit! We wrapped a trash bag around one of our mattresses and hit the snow, for some epic fun!
Park at any of the actual pull-outs (not passing places) and enjoy a night away from it all here. Disclaimer.. by taking on this road, you skip the world’s longest tunnel — something we’d gladly do time and time again to experience views like these!
Best Drives in the United Kingdom
NC500 in Scotland
This loop of just over 500 kilometers was never really a popular route until someone coined the route as the NC500, or the North Coast 500. This has been both good and bad for this area of Scotland. As it’s brought great tourism to the area, but has also overcrowded the single track Scottish roads in the north.
If at all possible, do not do this drive in the summer months, as the roads are way too crowded for it to even be enjoyable. And if you’re concerned about the weather in the summer months.. don’t be! There’s a saying in Scotland that goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes”, and that saying is true for any time of the year. The only thing you have to take into consideration is the shorter days in the north of Scotland in the winter. Be sure to check sunrise and sunset times before embarking on your NC500 road trip!
A93 (Aberdeenshire) in Scotland
Any chance we had, we chose to drive on A93. There are few roads in Scotland that are as well up-kept as A93. It runs right on the river, passing by multiple castles, glens, lochs, and through one of Scotland’s National Parks — The Cairngorms. It’s a great road to take from Aberdeen to Pitlochry, a fantastic wee village connecting Edinburgh to the north of Scotland.
Epic Drives in South America
Carretera Austral in Chile
Glaciers, Cypress walkways, marble caves, astonishing views, and water you can drink straight from the streams and rivers await you on the Carretera Austral. The Patagonia region of South America is located in both Chile and Argentina, with the Carretera Austral giving access to the Chilean side.
This road is rough and rugged. It’s all dirt, and many accidents occur on a daily basis. Be sure that if renting a car, you hire an all-wheel drive vehicle so you have more control on the dirt road.
The World’s Deadliest Road in Bolivia
Okay, this one really shouldn’t be on this list. We DO NOT recommend actually driving this road, as it truly is a very deadly drive. However, we do recommend experiencing this road! It’s best experienced on a mountain biking tour. In La Paz, there are many tour companies offering down hill mountain biking this road! It’s a scary but really cool experience to have. And just seeing what people in Bolivia drive in day after day really makes you grateful for even the worst roads in your area.
Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia
Talk about other-worldly drives… there are no roads on the salt flats in Bolivia. You simply just drive and drive with no real direction. We didn’t have our own vehicle when in South America, and we actually did this trip as a tour through Salar de Uyuni (the salt flats), and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. There’s truly nothing else around in the area and you can only see salt for miles and miles, making for some fun photo opportunities.
Atacama Desert Drive in Chile
Driving in the Atacama Desert is included as part of the Salt Flats tour mentioned above, however, if you’re driving on your own, this is technically a separate area. The Atacama Desert sits at 16,000 feet in elevation and is a super unique “desert” with geysers, salt flats, and super vibrant lakes, which are home to flamingos! If you don’t have time to do the entire Salt Flat tour mentioned above, certainly make the time to drive in the Atacama Desert!
What to Pack for the Best Experience on These Most Scenic Drives Around the World
If you plan on camping while driving some of these most scenic drives around the world, we have a complete car camping gear list here. This list is our tried and true camping list. From weekend camping trips to living out of our car road-tripping across the US to backpacking in South America, and then van life, this has got to be the ultimate camping list around!
To capture your trip for memories for years to come, you can certainly use any camera around. In fact, most phones these days come with amazing cameras, that work well enough for a lot of people. However, if you’re a bit more into photography and want more control over your photos, we recommend upping your camera game! And you guessed it, we have a page of all the goods we have in our camera bag to share with you…
If you wondering what to pack for a trip to see any of these scenic drives, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Packing light, while bringing all the necessities has become something that we’re experts in. It all comes down to the type of fabric you wear, layers, and packing things that have dual purposes. Here’s our list of what to pack for legit any trip, anywhere…
Where to Rent a Car to Drive the Most Scenic Drives In the World
We like to compare prices for rental cars on Momondo or on discover cars. The widget is below.. We’ve found the best deals with these two search engines…for real, not just for the affiliate! Our biggest tip/hack for renting a car is to rent your car with a credit card like this that offers rental car insurance. This will save you an insane amount of money!
Need to Fly?! Check Current Flight Pricing Here..
Save This Post to Remember the Most Scenic Drives in the World Here…
