10 Best Scenic HIghways in Western US
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- Опубліковано 3 лип 2024
- We drove 9,134 miles and flew 3,500 miles to create this video.
In this video we show the most Scenic Highways in the Western United States. We show scenic road trips in Colorado, Idaho, Oregan, Arizona, Utah, and California. We use drone footage as well as using a GoPro mounted on a vehicle to show you actual footage of these scenic roads.
Although we rate the Pacific Coast Highway pretty high, it is not the number 1 scenic highway on our list.
We show The Redwood Highway in Northern California, The Million Dollar Highway in Colorado. Interstate 70, an engineering marvel in Colorado. We shot state highways that follow the Arkansas River in Colorado, the Payette River in Idaho, the Columbia River in Oregon & Washington. We also drive through the colorful deserts of Monument Valley and the red rocks of Sedona. We shot 3 highways that ride along the Pacific Ocean.
For licensing or Stock Footage of this video contact info@TampaAerialMedia.com.
Took a random detour to Sedona during a road trip and ended up going down the 89a along oak creek, amazing route to stumble upon!
True
Cody Wyoming to Red Lodge Montana over Beartooth Pass is a glaring omission...stunning
To get to Cody travel the Wind River Canyon from Shoshoni Wyoming to Thermopolis Wyoming...20 miles of the most breathtaking vistas I have ever seen
Great Suggestion.
I wonder why this isn’t on here
@@howarddamico1237 yes you were...Chief Joseph Highway...Dead Indian Pass...Sunlight Basin...to Beartooth Highway...to Red Lodge. You should do all of it in the daylight. I am planning on Labor Day weekend to do..
There are 2-3 best scenic roads in Wyoming-Montana area. I was surprised Beartooh highway is not even mentioned!!!
Agree. Lamar Valley to Red Lodge.......truly epic!!
Notably missing are the Beartooth Hwy, Hwy 12 in Utah, Going to the Sun Road, Trail Ridge Road and Zion-Mt Carmel Hwy
Last time I was on the Bear Tooth Pass highway. they were repaving it. 10" different height between lanes, my side still leaking oil, and cars right on my ass wanting me to scrape floorboards getting around the turns in a construction zone. To add to that...my SD card was full before I ever entered that stretch so I got screwed out of good video too. It's always something on a ride which is why I call it adventures in motorcycling, not finely planned, well executed rides.
Hwy 12 in Utah cannot be beat. Just awesome.
Beartooth. Charles Kuralt, who traveled all over the country, called it the most beautiful highway in America. He should know.
I'm 62 and my favorite is going to the sun.
Absolutely stunning roads. Beautiful colorful places.
I would add Scenic Byway #12 in Utah, from Bryce through Grand Staircase Escalante up to Capitol Reef. And then Route 24 through Capitol Reef to Hanskville. Absolutely stunning rock formations, canyons, colors...
Totally agree. I have been on most of these roads and 12 excels!
Oh yeah, I forgot those. I remember being amazed as I drove them!
Highway 12 in Utah, from Bryce Canyon to Torrey. Spectacular!
Good point
I love this video. To me, I love Going To The Sun Road in Glacier National Park.
In 2000,I hiked across "The Sun" in both directions. 100 miles in seven days. Magnificent !
Thankyou for the nice words.
I-70 through the San Rafael Desert in Utah is a familiar favorite for me. So much awesome geology and layers and color!
I like how 5 of the routes (550, US50, I70. AZ 89A and Monument Valley) are ones that I travel dozens of times per year. I work on a road striping crew and get to see the wonders of CO, UT and AZ every day. The West is, truly, the best.
This video is fantastic! I'm Canadian, and I love visiting the United States, especially the west. These all look amazing to drive on. The ones in Arizona, Utah and Colorado look the most appealing to me
Great to hear from Canada, our great friends to the north
So true. On one of our trips we ended up in a small town in rural Utah and stopped at a wonderful museum. It was dusty, cramped and absolutely fantastic. The owner spend the afternoon with us showing us dinosaur prints, old pictures and we enjoyed a discussion that unfolded before our eyes a view of a life lived well. A very fascinating man. Best half a day we ever had while being lost! Not one single customer ventured in the museum except my husband and I. So much is lost if you don't get off the well traveled road.
@@sharonallen6921 Utah was a huge surprise for me. Before I had visited the US, I had never really heard anything about Utah and I has assumed it was just a fly-by state, but I was shocked at how beautiful the state was.
@@sharonallen6921 where was this? I am planning to go to Utah in May and would like to stop by on my way
Seriously good picks. Thanks for the invite to add to this list. My addition is highway 395, about a 200 mile stretch from Carson Valley to well below Lone Pine. The towering spine of the Sierras 2 miles to the West and in places 10,000 feet above the highway. Several miles East the White and lnyo mountains rising to almost to the same height. They are to other mountains what sequoia are the tallest palm tree.
Thanks yea I'm going to have to try that, maybe within the next year
When I travel Nursed all over the country, I chose to drive, rather then fly. I love taking off beaten path roads and discover some places most people only dream of. This is amazing, as I get to travel back in time, and see some of the roads going through gorgeous places that our song "America, the Beautiful" describes. Thank you! Love the music, btw!
Thanks for the feedback on the music.
Thank you for your video. I am English. I have spent a it of time driving Western highways. I honestly believe that Hwy 395 in California , is very under-rated. It is beautiful, and scenic. I have to go back there whenever I am on California.
Fully agree with you Ken, from another Brit that loves the U.S.
Highway 89 north from Kanab Utah to Salt Lake City is my favorite. It goes right through my town of Glendale Utah and it's God inspired. Zion national park is about 30 miles from Glendale and the Grande Canyon is about 90 miles so.....Cheers.
I've been lucky enough to have driven most of these highways.
So did me and my wife mostly in the ninetees . We are from germany and spent more than two handful of holidays in the south and western part of the U.S.
I've actually been on all (or most portions) of each of these. I see others have pointed out the Beartooth Highway, which is stunning. US 191 in Arizona from Alpine to Morenci is an amazing mountain road with 50 miles of switchbacks and hairpin turns. North Cascade Highway in Washington is another stunning mountain drive.
Cortez to Telluride on Colorado 145.
So thankful I toured Colorado on motorcycle.
Yep that is a real good one, did that last year.
Utah route 128 along the Colorado - short but stunning. Loved the video and taking notes for the next road trip. Last one went NJ-WA-CA-TX-NC-NJ. Hertz guy couldn't believe it.
Yep on this video I did over 9,000 miles on the rental car, the Avis guy thought that had to be a mistake, I told him "no it is correct"
@@TampaAerialMedia The Hertz guy had to override the computer to accept 8,500 miles in 14 days. Where the hell did you go??? (in NJ) Uh, TX, CA, WA. Sent that one to the used car lot.
Haha I’m curious about this. Wouldn’t the car need some sort of oil change at some point?
Beautiful! I feel fortunate enough to have traveled some of these, but need to see more.
Monument Valley is something special....was lucky enough to drive it without another car in sight. I'll add an honorable mention for Arizona Highway 87 from Fountain Hills to Winslow. You start in a saguaro-filled desert, climb through the mountains near Payson, and then into the high desert of Winslow.....all on a two-lane highway.
Great suggestion. Yep, probably every road in this part of the country is very scenic
Beautiful!!
My retirement is less than a year away. Your travel videos give me so many ideas for post retirement travel, including a road trip on some of these highways. Thanks for sharing another excellent video!
Thankyou for the nice words, yea enjoy that retirement.
Awesome video
really like this video so I watch it every time in my free time.
The video mentions I-70 in Colorado, but I think that freeway is even more scenic as it passes through the San Rafael Swell in Utah (between Green River and Salina). Some of the overlooks remind me of the Grand Canyon or Canyonlands NP. Especially during the golden hour in the morning and evenings.
How does this have only 3k views, the production quality is amazing! keep up the great work
Thankyou for the feedback, yea I wonder the same, although sometimes it just takes youtube awhile before they really start pushing a video.
@@TampaAerialMedia its the algorithm man, i randomly stumbled upon this video, don't regret watching all of it. meticulous effort
Absolutely delightful video.
Too tempting to visit.
Maybe 2021 summer. On our next trip to the USA. .....
For the Columbia River Gorge if you really want to see more of what it has to offer I recommend the old highway instead of I-84.
Great video, definitely deserves more views!
Thankyou for saying that. I think eventually youtube will push it more.
Thank you for this wonderful video suggested by Geography King. I am bookmarking it and will be picking it apart for vacation ideas for a long time.
You are welcome, yep I think you'll enjoy any of these areas
We are headed back out was to the Lake Tahoe are in early Sep 2022 to do videos in Lake Tahoe, would love to hear your suggestions for Nevada, Northern Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Southern Colorado.
Great video
Nice video
Great video! As a native to one of the areas pictured, it’s easy to take for granted until it’s featured by someone else. Wish I had a little more of the shutterbug. Thanks for sharing!
Thankyou for the nice words.
Scenic Byway 12 should absolutely be on there in Utah -- Zion-Mt Carmel is nice but may be too short to put on here
good suggestion
Nice video. I have done many of these. My favorite is always the last one. In this case Wyo 16 from Ten Sleep to Buffalo. Not famous but fantastic.
Thanks 🙏 very beautiful . I love ❤️ this
I'm glad you like it
Hwy 108 in CA....it starrs from Modesto and goes east and ending at Hwy 395 at Sonora Junction.....half of route is flat moving thru small towns....once out of oakdale tho it travels thru rolling foothills eventually moving thru some of the most pristine mountions n forest in the sierra Nevadas....the legendary Dardanelle cones r also along this route heading up towards kennedy meadows and sonora pass....itz always been close to my heart....ive been traveling thru there ever since a lil kid camping and fishing the many streams rivers n lakes along rhe way....def a must if u enjoy peace serenity and quiet!!
Grew up in Oxnard and now live in the Santa Cruz. Never knew the PCH was so well-known! Big Sur is definitely one of my favorite drives, but now I definitely gotta check out Oregon! Great vid, thanks for sharing 😎🤙🏻
Thankyou, yea the Oregon part is great, I'd reccomend to do the whole thing.
Great video, but hard to believe missing out UT-12 :)
highway 12 from bryce canyon to grover and capitol reef np is a very nice winding road through sandstone, forrest, etc
good suggestion.
To each his own!
Very good job on this video
Thankyou for the nice words
Nicely done video. I've driven 9 of 10 of these. All fantastic but I hate I-70.
A memorable one for me was NV 266 to CA 168 to US 395. UT 9 through Zion NP is amazing. US 34 through Rocky Mountain NP is great. US 212 from Red Lodge, MT down into Yellowstone was memorable.
I used to go from Denver to Grand Junction a lot and although the scenery is amazing, I got tired of I-70, particularly if I got stuck in Sunday ski traffic.
One of my favorite scenic highways is Calif route 33 from Taft in the southern San Joaquin Valley to Ventura on the coast. Just beautiful with incredible variety of scenery. Best in the spring or winter (if the road isn't closed by snow). And it's worth a short side trip on route 150 into the charming small town of Ojai.
Great suggestion, thanks for sharing.
Stunning scenery.Hubby and I have done the coast ones. We have not done the Colorado ones and I'm not sure I could do that one by Durango. Scary! I'd like to add 2 from Wyoming. Highway 16 between Worland and Buffalo and also 14A between Sheridan and Lovell. Happy Driving to all.
Great suggestions, might check those out next time I'm up there
Hwy 2 in Washington State, from Everett to Wenatchee. It's winds through the cascades and it's full of some beautiful scenery and green glacier fed lakes. Also, Hwy 2 through Glacier National park. Both far more interesting than driving through the deserts of California, even if it is by the ocean.
Good suggestion
Excellent video. The western US have really diverse landscapes as compared to the eastern
Idk New Jersey and up seems pretty breathtaking, other than that it’s kinda boring except Tennessee and the Carolina’s
I love that you included WA-14. A great scenic East-West alternative to I-84 with lots of good views and interesting sites.
Going to the Sun Road, Chief Joseph Highway & Beartooth Highway are the best!
Been there and done that on all 10. I agree with all 10 being top drawer.
The first road, through the mountains, was just insane with those drop offs.
Multnomah Falls is a good stop. Hike to the top and then have dinner at the lodge. Get on old highway 30 which parallels interstate 84 and stop at 6 waterfalls.
Hello, I have goose bumps, a majestic landscape. Last september i had to go to arizona, utha, nevada and i'm not finishing california, unfortunately due to covid19 i had to cancel my reservations. Your video is magnificent, strongly the end of covid19, so that I can visit again the beauty of your country (well, it's a continent, it's so big). America is very beautiful, each state has its own charm and beauty. Long live America and long live the Americans without exception.
Thankyou, yea California, while can be beautiful, they are doing some crazy things in LA & SF, where crime is rising, so would probably avoid those areas, but yea nothing like a good roadtrip in the western US.
Pretty good list and I have done all of them most of the both ways. Also have done all the roads mentioned in the comments that I have read so far. On top of that! There are roads that everyone missed. Nope! You gotta find them on your own. But believe me they are out there. To many to list so you'll always miss some. We have started to drive the roads of B.C. and Alberta. Wow! Mostly we just like being with each other. Every trip is an adventure!
While it may be difficult to differentiate between highways and byways, I would rate the Beartooth Highway No. 1 and Going to the Sun Road No. 2. There are a lot of scenic drives in Washington's North Cascades, most notably the road to Mount Baker.
Agree, The Beartooth should make every top 10 scenic drive list.
395 through Eastern Sierras is my favorite!
Highway 26 from Johnson City, TN to Asheville NC is extremely beautiful. It passes through the rugged Appalachian Mountains. You should check that one out.
Yep just traveled that way a month ago, that is a good idea if we do a 10 Scenic Highways of the East
not in the WEST
Just subscribed to your channel 😁😁. Am ready to be electrified by your amazing contents 😁😁😁😁
Thankyou for the sub, welcome aboard. I think our next video "The Space Coast" this sunday night, will have the best most entertaining opening of any video we have done.
@@TampaAerialMedia Anxiously waiting
I think you could include interstate 15 from butte to great falls Montana , it has some amazing scenic views
Try the Natchez Trace Parkway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Cherohala Skyway and the Talimena Scenic Drive.
Highway 112 in nw Washington along the straight of Juan de Fuca is magical a must see!
good suggestion, thanks for sharing
These are all just examples of how wonderful it is to travel around the US. I've been on many of the roads you cited but my favorite has to be the #4 choice, from let's say Eureka (I could say SF) up to Crescent City on the California coast. You get it all, redwood forests and sequoias to awe-inspiring sandy beaches, coves, inlets and mountains. All in one easy drive.
Yep, I agree
I have driven them all and agree, though I might change the order a bit. HWY 395 on the east side of the Sierra is great, also the Beartooth HWY and Chief Joseph HWY, near Cody, WY. There are some beautiful but short stretches of road as well, especially in Red Rock country.
Thanks, yea might be doing Hwy 395 next month.
Lovely. :) But I am from the Intermountain west, and have been on every one of these drinves, many of yhem several times. You should do a video on dreves east of thr Mississippi. Three suggestions:
1) The Blue Nountain Parkway in western Virginia and North Carolina.
2) The New River Gorge, which is best seen from a tangle of mountain riads best driven withban AWD or 4WD vehicle. DO NOT MISS Thurmond or the few bridges over the river!
3) State Hwy 3 and other roads circling, and crossing, Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park off the Atlantic coast of Maine.
You left out Beartooth from Cooke City to Red Lodge Montana. A tough drive, yet spectacular. No going- to- the - sun in Glacier National Park. There is a nominal fee, yet worth it. Easy to miss is state route 299 from Redding to Arcata. Varied topography with old Shasta town remnants, the gem of Weaverville, national forest, tribal lands ti the north and windswept fresh coastal air in Arcata as a rewarding end. Keep in mind that summer Temps are regularly 50 degrees cooler at ocean from the 5 in Redding.
Yep good suggestion
Surprised Utah Hwy 12 didn’t make the list. But maybe next video will be the top 20
good point. Utah has some great highways.
One of the most magnificent routes I’ve ever driven!
If your visiting Anchorage, Alaska I’d recommend going south to like Portage Glacier or Girdwood trust me living in Anchorage for 14 years and going there is just beautiful and the Seward Highway.
Alaska is one of only 2 states we have not been to, and the one I really want to do the most. Wont be this summer, but possibly next summer. Thankyou for the suggestions.
TampaAerialMedia You are welcome.
And good luck trying to sleep because Alaska is the land of the midnight sun(Only in the summers) just in Juneau it gets 18 hours of sunlight
Anchorage to Seward Alaska is rated in the top three most scenic drives in the world. I agree with that ranking.
Great video. I wonder if we will be seeing the "10 Best Scenic HIghways in Eastern US", some time soon... 😀
I Should, when we get into a down time might edit one, certainly have the footage to do it
@@TampaAerialMedia It would be great to watch for sure. Looking forward to it.
Try 395 going from So. California up through Lone Pine and Bishop to the Eastern Sierras
great suggestion.
The Cascade loop byway in Washington State is worth mentioning.
good tip, thankyou John
Head to Gatlinburg Tenn. and do the 75 minute drive over to Cherokee. You will see heaven along the way. Scenic over
Oops and a ride worth the trip
Thanks for the video. Now I don't have to drive it myself. Hate driving far
We are truly blessed to have such a beautiful country. You can spend a lifetime here and never see it all. Note you did not even address the roads through the western national parks.
I love God's creation!! There are many beautiful places to travel, observe, and absorb!!! As with others commenting here, I too have traveled many of these highways that you highlighted and I love them all. Getting off the beaten path sometimes lead to breathtaking views you just don't see along the highways. Great video, thanks for sharing!!
I've been on six of them.
Highway 12!
Going to the Sun highway....👍👍👍
You forgot to include 17-mile Drive in California as ~#7. Collection is great.
UT-12 especially the Hogback. North shore of Minnesota
Nice vlog. Great coverage. Nice scenic views. Only problem is that there are lots of parts of the videos that are overly bright. Feels like the camera lens is dirty. Probably adding a polarize filter would make it less brighter.
Yep this is an old video, we use ND filters now
@@TampaAerialMedia that’s great. More power to you and your vlogs.
You missed out on WA Highway 20, crossing Ross and Diablo lakes and the North Cascades National Park. Of course, due to it's mile-plus elevation and near-Canada latitude, it's only open four-to-five months a year. Far more spectacular than the Columbia, but it's generally an all-day commitment to make the loop around Lake Chelan and back on US Highway 2 over Stevens Pass. Still a great list though.
Yep good suggestion
Where is Highway 395? Driving along Eastern Sierras and the California desert is an amazing ride.
Quando eu ganhar na mega Sena vou fazer todas essas totas de moto.
The Seward highway from anchorage to Seward
US98 US319 from Panama City to Tallahassee, FL
I may do a video of that route, as I have to do Tallahassee at somepoint.
The Million Dollar Highway in Colorado.
been on all the roads in numbers 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8
I have not driven all the roads on your list, though I have some of them. It's a good list, but for my money Utah 12 from Escalante to Torrey is number 1.
I've done all 10, some of them several times, and I agree Escalante to Torrey is at least as good as many of these
What about Logan Canyon in Northern Utah??
You did miss the Hwy connecting Cody Wyoming and Yellowstone, also you missed out on Beartooth Hwy entering Yellowstone from Montana in the Northeast.... you also forgot Hwy 34 Rocky National park Colorado
Yep those are very scenic roads as well.
music was a little loud, but great video
True, Ive been more careful about that in our recent videos
I d like to drive this road myself…..
I agree that the Oregon Coast Highway should be number one, but by way of correction, there are no redwoods along any part of the Oregon coast. They barely exist many miles inland in a remote part of southwestern Oregon, but are never visible anywhere close to the coast. I would have liked to have you spend a minute or two talking about the many spectacular waterfalls (not just Multnomah Falls) in the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon side. It is most what it is known for.
highway 1 from Carmel to Morro Bay is closed and has been closed now for over a year and probably will not be open again for at least a year or several years due to a landslide.
Thankyou for that update
Chief Joseph hwy and Beartooth hwy in Wyoming
I am biased as I live in Newport, Oregon so I am not going to disagree with your selection of the Oregon coast Highway as the best in the West. Before you move here, real estate prices have been jumping in the past several years.
Wait! What?! No mention of Scenic Byway 12 in Utah? An “All-American Road”. Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Escalante Grand Staircase, Hogsback, Calf Creek Trail & Falls, White Slickrock, etc, etc. I have no idea why this would not have been included. 🤔
Yep you are right, might be doing that road next month
Agree, and also agree that there are many others to recommend, but Sc Biway 12 in Utah has to be among the very best. I once saw a world best 10, and this was no 2 (after Milford Sound in NZ), no 2 in the world and it doesn't make your list!
US-191: "Am I a joke to you?"
You forgot about California's scenic Highway 395 along the eastern Sierras :)
Yep, that certainly should have been in the list
I know that there are no way to include all the great scenic highways in the west, but you missed a great one, the Beartooth Highway in Montana!
yea, would have love to have done more of Montana such a beautiful state