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These 12 Fan-Favorite Scenic Byways Are Some of the Best Road Trips in the US

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by Olivia Harden Mar 30, 2022

Amazing sights and pretty views — when traveling on a road trip, sure, there are plenty of stops and attractions to get to. But one of the best parts of a road trip is enjoying the journey and all the scenery along the way. When it comes to popular road trip routes, Route 66 and PCH are, for many people, the top picks for a multi-state road trip, according to our survey of tens of thousands of people in the United States.

And then there are scenic byways — roads that have the promise of good views built right into the name. At the most basic, scenic byways are transportation corridors that are particularly important when it comes to national interest. The US Department of Transportation describes scenic byways as “adventures where no two experiences are the same.”

Branded Research, a company that assists with polls and research, conducted a poll with Matador Network that surveyed 27,050 people in the US to find the best scenic byway road trip.

Here are the top scenic byway road trips, ranked by the percentage of people who voted it as their favorite route.

The best scenic byway road trips in the US:

  1. Florida Keys Scenic Highway in Florida: 31.6 percent
  2. Red Rock Scenic Byway in Arizona: 16.3 percent
  3. Outer Banks Scenic Byway in North Carolina: 9.3 percent
  4. San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway in Colorado: 7.4 percent
  5. Badlands Scenic Byway in South Dakota: 7.0 percent
  6. Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway in Maine: 5.9 percent
  7. Scenic Byway 12 in Utah: 4.9 percent
  8. Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway in New Mexico: 4.4 percent
  9. The High Road to Taos Scenic Byway in New Mexico: 4.3 percent
  10. North Shore Scenic Drive in Minnesota: 4.1 percent
  11. Selma to Montgomery March Byway in Alabama: 2.8 percent
  12. Flint Hills National Scenic Byway in Kansas: 2.0 percent

Many people have fallen in love with the Florida Keys Highway — though less when it comes to people under 25. Only 25 percent of this demographic prefers the route, with 15 percent favoring the Red Rock Scenic Byway in Arizona and 10.6 preferring the Outer Banks in North Carolina. For those unfamiliar with this overlooked road trip, the Florida Keys Highway goes from Key Largo to Key West with access to the only living coral barrier reef in the US, lots of beaches, and great seafood.

The Red Rock Byway, on the other hand, is nowhere near the ocean. While the route is short-lived, there’s plenty to do. Road trippers can marvel at Sedona and come across plenty of hiking, biking, golfing, and lots of shopping and romantic restaurants.

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