North America's Best Drives
5. Vermont Route 100
Stamford, Vermont - Newport, Vermont
Three stoplights, 200 miles of hard ashphalt, all this makes the Vermont 100 a driver's dream. When you throw in the surrounding beauty of the Green Mountain National Forest, the passengers will enjoy it as well. This route, designed to hug the natural inclinations of the valley is meticulously maintained year round to keep the traffic flowing to the adjoining ski areas. Along with the lack of traffic lights, there's one more surprising absence, fast food restaurants! Instead antique stores, inns, & fruit stands occupy the roadside space. If you're looking for accommodation the towns of Plymouth, & Stowe make for a good stopping point.
4. Highway 362 East
Quebec City, Quebec - Charlevoix, Quebec
Where as most people driving east out of Quebec City take Highway 138, the people with the low down will always choose the 362. While significantly slower, the surrounding scenery will make the trip seem all to short. The 37 mile trip witnesses a dramatic change in scenery as the mountain range dips low to meet the St Lawrence River. Just outside of Quebec City are the Montgomery Falls, you should try to coordinate your trip to coincide with the changing of fall leaves, but you should also make sure that it is still warm enough for the whale watching trips that are offered in Charlevoix.
3. (Sandhills Journey) Highway 2
Grand Island, Nebraska - Alliance, Nebraska
The landscape at the beginning of Route 2 develops as many might expect in the Midwest, lots of cows, some fields, even some corn. However once you are a few miles into the drive the scenery takes a drastic turn as you travel west into the Nebraska Sanhills, the largest sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere. This route has an abundance of museums, restored forts, & other points of historical interests, as the road follows the old Burlington Northern Rail Line.
2. Route 1, Pacific Coast Highway
San Juan Capistrano, California - El Rio, California
Running down the beautiful California coast, California Route 1 ranks as one of the world's most scenic drives. Running through San Francisco, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Santa Barbara, & Los Angeles, the total length of the highway surpasses 500 miles. If you are short on time you may want to limit yourself to the stretch between San Luis Obispo & Monterey where the scenery is particularly stunning. The twist & turns in this section of the highway make for particularly fun driving, as the large pine forests stand in contrast to the opposing cliff edges overlooking the Pacfic Ocean.
1. Highway 93
Jasper National Park, Alberta - Nogales, Sonora Desert (Arizona)
You're going to need a fair chunk of time for this trip, but it's a truly worthy experience. Starting in Jasper National Park, located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, highway 93 winds through the Columbia Icefields, the Snake River, & the Bonneville Salt Flats, then finally Las Vegas before coming to a close at the Arizonan/Mexican Border. Spectacular panoramas are definitely in no short supply as alpine Canada gives way to the big sky country of Montana, then the extreme terrain of Sun Valley, & the Western United States desert landscape. The highway then takes a sudden shift into Las Vegas just before crossing the Hoover Dam into Arizona.