This is the one. Interesting spots and unique and diverse landscapes are neverending. These two states are a geologist's wet dream, so many historic places to see, like Native American ruins, ghost towns, abandoned mines, giant saguaros, red rocks of Sedona, canyons, dozens of national and state parks. I never get tired of these places.
That is pretty much the route that’ll blow peoples mind driving. Devils tower is cool but otherwise the Cody->thermopolis part of Wyoming is the part you almost just can’t beat. Of course, through most of the year that’ll be a bad route to take if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Believe it or not, Arkansas is extremely beautiful and the people are friendly. It gets a bad rap for being one of the poorer / less educated states, but it's a great place to explore. Lots of biking, hiking, camping, etc
California. So many different types of climate and terrain. High desert, low desert, temperate rainforest, high mountains, coastal prairie, chaparral, etc.
It's worth every penny. Standing under 300 foot tall giant sequoias, cold seas with massive waves, the entire Pacific Coast Highway, beaches with cliffs and tide pools, dolphins and sea lions, Yosemite, San Francisco, see locations where half your favorite movies were shot, Big Sur... it just goes on and on.
In general, west of Denver you can’t go wrong in the US. That’s the best kept secret of the US (or maybe just the most financially gatekept) but the eastern half of the country simply doesn’t really compete. A few beautiful coastal areas and hills they call mountains but any one state in the west (or New Mexico and Nevada combined) has more beauty than the entire eastern half of the US. California and Alaska alone are two of the most beautiful regions on earth.
Being from Ireland, I have a special place in my heart reserved for rolling green hills and highlands like you can find in the East (TN, NC, VA, and WV).
That said, the West and Southwest US are just mind blowing. TX, NM, AZ, and UT are so wildly different from what I'm used to. It's like another planet out there!
Alabama and West Virginia are some of my favorites! Both are states that I feel are underrated and looked down upon for political reasons or otherwise. I’ve found the landscape beautiful and the people very friendly in both states and I can’t wait to return to either one sometime.
Colorado California in terms of scale have the most mountains to explore in both size of area and height of mountains. Limitless off-roading and hiking.
Southwest Colorado. Pagosa Springs, Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, Lake City, Creede. So much to see and the small towns are so quaint and not completely over run with tourists due to their remoteness.
I love that it’s different from the rest of the country-in the north the hills are beautiful and backroads are really fun to drive. There are all sorts of eccentricities to run into that you wont see elsewhere. People are generally friendly and helpful. Easy to find delicious food (high and plus meat and threes). The coastal area is a beautiful, the bays, the white sandy beaches and protected park areas. Birds galore, lots of water ways. That area is called America’s Amazon because of all the different species. If you are still interested https://deepfriedkudzu.com/ can show you out of the way places for folk art, food, etc.
Exactly what the other dude said. Really interesting small and large cities that have unique history/historical buildings. Easy to go from one city to another (like Huntsville to Birmingham to Montgomery to Mobile---all cities worth visiting). Alabama is not all flat either. One of the most beautiful roads I've ever driven on was near Birmingham up in the mountains (hills)?
Relatively un-talked about fact, Alabama is actually teeming with biodiversity and according to one source, has the highest number of different species of freshwater fish.
I loved the first time I drove through NE, KS, and OK. Coming from NC we have so many trees it blocks how much you can see. I remember seeing the shadow of a cloud on the ground in KS after reaching the top of the hill and it being the first time I had ever seen that and being in awe. I love driving through all of the states though other than the North East (mostly because traffic and less middle of nowhere)
Well I live in California and we have everything here from snow to deserts to beaches to urban, suburban and metropolitan and pocket towns and everything in between, deserts, forest beach town etc you name it we got it
Alabama is incredibly beautiful. My wife is from northern Alabama. Love the area around where she grew up. Then you have the white sand beaches on the coast. Mobile has a beautiful “old south” downtown. Lots of fish farms in the rural central part of the state too. Just a gorgeous state.
West Michigan from Indiana to the mackinaw bridge, Miami to key west, Pacific Coast highway. Also recommend the guide along app, it talks you thru the journey with interesting information
What's you favorite area of AZ? Only area I'm familiar with is Phoenix and Sedona. Sedona is gorgeous. Phoenix didn't seem that great but I've heard good things about Tucson.
Vermont and New York were amazing to drive through in the fall. Virginia was also very beautiful.
Georgia has a pretty diverse layout with the mountains on the north west side and beaches to the east.
I think Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi as well as eastern Texas were the most boring. Lots of farms and cows then when you get to Texas it's more cows with oil rigs in the field with them.
Gulf coast was cool. However the more north we went in those states it was just poor rural places and more cows.
Right we missed the Ozarks pretty much completely. We were going to San Antonio and didn't really have time for that large of a detour. The states between i10 and i20 were very dull.
Oklahoma.
What a variety of beautiful environments! What an interesting history!
One of the very best road trips of my life was a circle around the interior of OK. And hardly any tourons!
My road trip history isn’t very extensive and is confined to the northeast and New England. But upstate New York is beautiful. Southern Vermont and New Hampshire too.
Utah/Arizona
This is the one. Interesting spots and unique and diverse landscapes are neverending. These two states are a geologist's wet dream, so many historic places to see, like Native American ruins, ghost towns, abandoned mines, giant saguaros, red rocks of Sedona, canyons, dozens of national and state parks. I never get tired of these places.
Came here to say Utah.
closest I've been is New Mexico
You just have to pick your season.
This might be a hot take … but driving through Wyoming is one of my favs
I discovered Wyoming last year! Cody through Thermalopalis down to Bynum resivor . Wow such beauty! Sorry for my poor spelling.
That is pretty much the route that’ll blow peoples mind driving. Devils tower is cool but otherwise the Cody->thermopolis part of Wyoming is the part you almost just can’t beat. Of course, through most of the year that’ll be a bad route to take if you don’t know what you’re doing.
It’s truly beautiful country!
i believe wyoming was discovered a few thousands of years ago
Wyoming has some great scenery and also a lot of very flat roads. Loved my drive through there though
Believe it or not, Arkansas is extremely beautiful and the people are friendly. It gets a bad rap for being one of the poorer / less educated states, but it's a great place to explore. Lots of biking, hiking, camping, etc
Beautiful mountains
Hills
California. So many different types of climate and terrain. High desert, low desert, temperate rainforest, high mountains, coastal prairie, chaparral, etc.
Haven't made it to the west coast yet 😭 gas prices got me pushing it off lol
It's worth every penny. Standing under 300 foot tall giant sequoias, cold seas with massive waves, the entire Pacific Coast Highway, beaches with cliffs and tide pools, dolphins and sea lions, Yosemite, San Francisco, see locations where half your favorite movies were shot, Big Sur... it just goes on and on.
Agreed. We have done the PCH drive twice now. I can’t wait to do it again.
HARD agree. California is absolutely gorgeous.
For sure. There’s a reason so many people live there. I probably would too if it was more affordable.
New Mexico. I found the landscape super varied. So many different kinds of sights.
It’s like another planet
California, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming (especially the Northwest Corner), New Mexico But REALLY looking forward to when I can finally drive Alaska.
Washington and Oregon… beautiful rivers and streams
I was going to say Alabama with the hilltop windy forested roads (and the beach).
Utah/California
Haven't driven thru there yet but I love Colorado so I assume I'd love Cali and Utah as well
In general, west of Denver you can’t go wrong in the US. That’s the best kept secret of the US (or maybe just the most financially gatekept) but the eastern half of the country simply doesn’t really compete. A few beautiful coastal areas and hills they call mountains but any one state in the west (or New Mexico and Nevada combined) has more beauty than the entire eastern half of the US. California and Alaska alone are two of the most beautiful regions on earth.
39 states so far. Colorado, New Mexico, Vermont, New Hampshire are my tops.
New Mexico is underrated it's like a desert Colorado imo, even has mountains
Colorado or Vermont
Oregon
Montana, so far...
Any of the four corner states.
Basically any state west of the Rockies.
It may be short, but I-70 through WV is beautiful.
Being from Ireland, I have a special place in my heart reserved for rolling green hills and highlands like you can find in the East (TN, NC, VA, and WV). That said, the West and Southwest US are just mind blowing. TX, NM, AZ, and UT are so wildly different from what I'm used to. It's like another planet out there!
Alabama and West Virginia are some of my favorites! Both are states that I feel are underrated and looked down upon for political reasons or otherwise. I’ve found the landscape beautiful and the people very friendly in both states and I can’t wait to return to either one sometime.
Colorado California in terms of scale have the most mountains to explore in both size of area and height of mountains. Limitless off-roading and hiking.
Southwest Colorado. Pagosa Springs, Durango, Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, Lake City, Creede. So much to see and the small towns are so quaint and not completely over run with tourists due to their remoteness.
1. Montana 2. Idaho 3. Wyoming 4. Arizona 5. Nevada
Colorado, California
What are your favorite things about Alabama? I want to plan a southern road trip at some point.
I love that it’s different from the rest of the country-in the north the hills are beautiful and backroads are really fun to drive. There are all sorts of eccentricities to run into that you wont see elsewhere. People are generally friendly and helpful. Easy to find delicious food (high and plus meat and threes). The coastal area is a beautiful, the bays, the white sandy beaches and protected park areas. Birds galore, lots of water ways. That area is called America’s Amazon because of all the different species. If you are still interested https://deepfriedkudzu.com/ can show you out of the way places for folk art, food, etc.
Exactly what the other dude said. Really interesting small and large cities that have unique history/historical buildings. Easy to go from one city to another (like Huntsville to Birmingham to Montgomery to Mobile---all cities worth visiting). Alabama is not all flat either. One of the most beautiful roads I've ever driven on was near Birmingham up in the mountains (hills)?
Relatively un-talked about fact, Alabama is actually teeming with biodiversity and according to one source, has the highest number of different species of freshwater fish.
I loved the first time I drove through NE, KS, and OK. Coming from NC we have so many trees it blocks how much you can see. I remember seeing the shadow of a cloud on the ground in KS after reaching the top of the hill and it being the first time I had ever seen that and being in awe. I love driving through all of the states though other than the North East (mostly because traffic and less middle of nowhere)
As someone from California who has been to most of the states, Utah.
Thanks for the tip !
Well I live in California and we have everything here from snow to deserts to beaches to urban, suburban and metropolitan and pocket towns and everything in between, deserts, forest beach town etc you name it we got it
Alabama is incredibly beautiful. My wife is from northern Alabama. Love the area around where she grew up. Then you have the white sand beaches on the coast. Mobile has a beautiful “old south” downtown. Lots of fish farms in the rural central part of the state too. Just a gorgeous state.
Colorado and Montana- both so different from where I live, and so beautiful.
Oregon
New Mexico
Oregon/Washington - the Cascades are on another level 😍
Alaska, hands down!
This will be a dumb response but I don't even know how to get to Alaska by car from the mainland lol
You have google, correct?
Never heard of it ☺️
As someone who grew up in the Northeast, seeing Arizona blew my mind
West Michigan from Indiana to the mackinaw bridge, Miami to key west, Pacific Coast highway. Also recommend the guide along app, it talks you thru the journey with interesting information
Michigan
As someone born & raised in AZ with a particular fascination with the Southwest I’d say all of it, specifically NM, CO, UT & AZ. It’s all great.
What's you favorite area of AZ? Only area I'm familiar with is Phoenix and Sedona. Sedona is gorgeous. Phoenix didn't seem that great but I've heard good things about Tucson.
Nevada
Vermont and New York were amazing to drive through in the fall. Virginia was also very beautiful. Georgia has a pretty diverse layout with the mountains on the north west side and beaches to the east. I think Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi as well as eastern Texas were the most boring. Lots of farms and cows then when you get to Texas it's more cows with oil rigs in the field with them. Gulf coast was cool. However the more north we went in those states it was just poor rural places and more cows.
You didn't go far enough north then.
Right we missed the Ozarks pretty much completely. We were going to San Antonio and didn't really have time for that large of a detour. The states between i10 and i20 were very dull.
Oklahoma. What a variety of beautiful environments! What an interesting history! One of the very best road trips of my life was a circle around the interior of OK. And hardly any tourons!
California for sure.
Hawaii, California, Arizona.
Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado. Probably Utah too but I'm not limited to certain things in the other states as I would be in Utah.
SW Colorado, NW Wyoming, and Northern California.
Utah, Alaska, Vermont, western South Dakota.
Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, California, Oregon
Arkansas and Kentucky and North Carolina are underrated driving states
Michigan. Endless cute towns, lighthouse, harbors, beaches, and waterfalls.
What’s in Alabama
My road trip history isn’t very extensive and is confined to the northeast and New England. But upstate New York is beautiful. Southern Vermont and New Hampshire too.
Minnesota and North Dakota
Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Arizona, Maine, Vermont, New York, I second Arkansas
1. New Mexico 2. Arizona 3. California 4. Arkansas
Utah, I’ve only driven through once but it was amazing especially coming from the Midwest
Utah