New Poll Finds America's Favorite Road Trip to Take in the United States

The best road trips across the United States:

1. Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica: 31.1 percent
2. Pacific Coast Highway from Seattle to San Diego: 25.2 percent
3. Blue Ridge Parkway from Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains: 17.8 percent
4. The Oregon Trail from Cannon Beach, Oregon, to Provincetown, Massachusetts: 7.2 percent
5. The Southern Pacific on I-80 from San Diego to Savannah, Georgia: 7.1 percent
6. Great River Road National Scenic Byway from Park Rapids, Minnesota, to Venice, Louisiana: 6.3 percent
7. The Great Northern on Route 2 from Seattle to Augusta, Maine: 5.3 percent

There were some interesting trends looking at the demographics. Men have a greater preference for Route 66 at 34 percent, compared to 29 percent for women. There’s almost a 10 percent difference in men’s love for Route 66 over Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), but there was only about a five percent difference for women. However, older consumers overall prefer the PCH. Thirty percent of consumers aged 65 and older ranked the PCH as their favorite, versus 26 percent for consumers aged 45 to 64, 24 percent for consumers aged 25 to 44, and 21 percent for consumers under age 25.

It makes sense that the iconic Route 66 is so popular with stretches of Route 66 in Texas alone featuring destinations like Caprock Canyons State Park or the colorful art installations at Cadillac Ranch. However, if you decide to enjoy PCH over Route 66, there are plenty of campsites along the way to stop and enjoy California’s beauty. While you may be tempted to spend all your time on the PCH in California, don’t forget to enjoy some of the prettiest beaches in Oregon and Washington farther north.