The United States boasts a wealth of national parks, each managed by the National Park Service. These parks are famous for their stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife, and distinct natural features, offering drivers some of the most scenic routes in the country if you’d rather take in a road trip.
Yellowstone National Park
The first national park in the U.S. and the world, Yellowstone was established in 1872. Its grand loop offers a drive through the park’s main attractions. Yellowstone Vacations hails these “inspiring routes that traverse through high alpine country, towering rocky spires and terrain dotted with jewel-like cobalt lakes and soaring stands of evergreen forest.”
Glacier National Park
This northwestern park lies on the U.S.-Canada border, adjacent to Canada’s Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. The Going-to-the-Sun Road, a marvel of engineering, offers stunning vistas and crosses the continental divide through Logan Pass at 2,026 meters.
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park in Washington’s Olympic Peninsula is the largest wilderness area in the state. The park has several roads, but none drive deep into its interior. Olympic National Park Trips notes that the “Obstruction Point Road has been called Washington’s scariest road,” making it an excellent drive for brave motorists with views of the alpine ridges.
Grand Teton National Park
This park in northwest Wyoming is only ten miles away from Yellowstone and is connected by the scenic John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. Driving through the park offers unparalleled views of the Teton Range and the opportunity to spot wildlife like bears, eagles, and moose in their natural habitat.
Zion National Park
Established in 1919, Zion National Park in southwestern Utah is famous for its steep red cliffs. Visitors can take the Zion Canyon Scenic Drive through the park’s main section, which leads to forested trails along the Virgin River, and can stop at the Canyon Overlook for breathtaking views of Zion Canyon.
Grand Canyon National Park
Located in Northwestern Arizona, this park is home to the massive Grand Canyon. Drivers can marvel at its vast expanse and depth from the 23-mile-long Desert View Drive, experiencing the colors of the canyon at sunrise or sunset.
Acadia National Park
Acadia National Park in Maine is known for its cobble beaches, exposed granite domes, and U-shaped valleys. The National Park Service hails the 27-mile Park Loop Road as the “go-to scenic drive around the east side of Mount Desert Island, connecting Acadia’s lakes, mountains, and shoreline.”
Rocky Mountain National Park
This park in the Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado is known for its alpine lakes and varied environments with wildlife like bighorn sheep and elk. Visitors can drive the 48-mile Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the U.S., with panoramic views of mountain peaks and valleys.
Joshua Tree National Park
This park in southeastern California is named after the Joshua trees that fill its landscape. Park Boulevard offers a scenic drive through the park, with highlights including Cap Rock, Hidden Valley, Ryan Mountain, and Skull Rock.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This southeastern national park on the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains contains some 16 peaks over 1,800 meters tall and a rich biodiversity of animal and plant species. Visit the USA notes that the “mountains and lush forest” have “more than 211,000 hectares of nature explorable by car, foot and bicycle.”
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is known worldwide for its hoodoos, tall, thin spires of rock formed over centuries of erosion. Driving throughout the Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive offers visitors breathtaking views of the red, orange, and white maze-like hoodoos.
Arches National Park
Arches National Park offers visitors over 2,000 natural sandstone arches to discover, including the iconic Delicate Arch and Landscape Arch, the fifth-longest in the world. Driving the scenic park road, visitors will have views of Balanced Rock and the Windows Section.
Yosemite National Park
Located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite is famous for its beautiful scenery, including waterfalls, deep valleys, ancient sequoia trees, and canyons. Driving on Tioga Road is described by Lonely Planet as “easily one of California’s best drives” that reaches “a dizzying 9945 ft (3031 m) at its apex.”
Sequoia National Park
This park in the southern Sierra Nevada Range is famed for its giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman Tree, the largest on Earth by volume. Driving through the fallen Tunnel Log tree offers visitors a sense of the enormity of these ancient trees.
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park on the California-Nevada border is the hottest and driest national park in the U.S. Driving through Badwater Basin allows visitors to experience the lowest point in Northern America, and drivers can also marvel at the park’s colorful vistas of Artist’s Palette and Zabriskie Point.
Shenandoah National Park
This long, narrow park is only 75 miles away from Washington, D.C. Known for its cascading waterfalls, wildflower fields, and wooded hollows, this park is home to black bears, deer, and songbirds. Cruising along Skyline Drive offers visitors over 75 overlooks with breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Everglades National Park
The largest tropical wilderness in America, the Everglades National Park is home to alligators, manatees, and a plethora of bird species. Driving the Tamiami Trail and the Main Park Road allows visitors to glimpse the Everglades’s diverse ecosystems.
