Route 66 has been building toward a major milestone throughout the year, with November 11 marking a century since the legendary Mother Road was officially created.
Its 2,448-mile route from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, remains one of America’s most iconic road trips. Yet beyond Route 66 lies a huge network of highways offering equally memorable adventures.
After a decade spent crisscrossing the United States by car — including one complete drive along Route 66 — I can vouch for America’s reputation as the ultimate road-trip destination.
Few experiences match the freedom of the open road: desert landscapes giving way to snow-covered peaks, sleepy small towns appearing between long stretches of highway and famous cities emerging on the horizon.
Ready to plan your next American driving holiday? From the Deep South to the rugged Rockies, these are ten superb alternatives to Route 66.
California’s inland adventure
Highway 395
Highway 395 offers mountain views and passes by Mammoth Lakes in California
Many British visitors head for California’s palm-lined coast and follow Highway 1.
For a different experience, turn inland toward the Eastern Sierra, where stark desert scenery meets the remnants of the Gold Rush.
Heading north from Lone Pine, a tiny mountain town, the road leads to attractions including Mono Lake, an ancient saltwater lake surrounded by unusual rock formations, and Mammoth Lakes, where the landscape shifts dramatically from arid desert to pine forests, clear lakes and snowy summits.
Don’t miss: Detour to Bodie State Historic Park, a former mining settlement preserved as a haunting ghost town, complete with weathered buildings and deserted streets.
Mississippi’s musical highway
Highway 61
Stop by Dockery Farms when cruising along Highway 61 in Mississippi
Highway 61 offers a journey through American music history, running from Memphis, Tennessee, across the Mississippi Delta and down to Vicksburg.
Allow plenty of time for Clarksdale, where neon-lit juke joints host live blues performances, and visit Dockery Farms, the former cotton plantation often described as one of the blues’ birthplaces.
Don’t miss: Visit during the annual Juke Joint Festival, a lively spring celebration when Delta blues pours out of Clarksdale’s bars and onto its streets.
A wild western ride
Beartooth Highway
Wind through the 68-mile Beartooth Highway, through Montana and north-western Wyoming
The grandeur of the American West unfolds across this spectacular 68-mile drive through southern Montana and north-western Wyoming.
Begin in Red Lodge, once a rugged mining town and now a charming destination with an attractive Main Street lined with boutiques and upscale restaurants.
From there, the road climbs into the dramatic Beartooth Mountains. Every bend brings another view of jagged summits, alpine lakes and dense forests.
Watch for wildlife along the way, including grizzly bears and mountain goats, before entering Yellowstone National Park through its north-east gateway.
Don’t miss: Experience Montana’s backcountry on horseback with Elk River Outfitters, which operates from Red Lodge and offers an authentic taste of the Wild West.
Florida’s island-hopping road trip
Overseas Highway
Florida’s Key West, pictured, is the ‘blockbuster finale’ of US Route 1
On Florida’s Overseas Highway, the ocean is never far away. This remarkable road hops between the islands of the Florida Keys, linking the mainland with the famous archipelago.
The 113-mile section of US Route 1 crosses a chain of bridges and islands before reaching its spectacular endpoint.
That finale is Key West, the southernmost city in the contiguous United States. Its lively restaurants, beaches and Ernest Hemingway’s former home make it a fitting conclusion; the lighthouse opposite the house is said to have helped the author find his way home after evenings at a favourite local bar.
On the journey south, stop to snorkel among the coral gardens at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park on Key Largo, America’s first underwater park. On Big Pine Key, look out for the tiny Key deer.
Don’t miss: At the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, discover how injured sea turtles are treated and rehabilitated before being returned to the ocean.
Hunt for UFOs
Extraterrestrial Highway
Stop by the Alien Research Center on Nevada’s Extraterrestrial Highway
Nevada embraces the unusual, and nowhere is that clearer than along State Route 375, better known as the Extraterrestrial Highway.
The 98-mile drive from Crystal Springs to Warm Springs cuts through vast desert scenery with an unmistakably otherworldly atmosphere.
Along the way, eccentric attractions include the Alien Research Center, watched over by a giant silver alien, and the Little A’Le’Inn motel and restaurant in Rachel. Order an Alien Burger while exchanging UFO theories with fellow visitors.
Don’t miss: Head toward the vicinity of the top-secret Area 51, but remember to remain well outside the clearly marked restricted zone.
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Vermont’s storybook scenery
Route 100
Vermont’s Route 100 consists of roads through charming towns
Vermont’s Route 100 feels like a perfect snapshot of New England charm, making it one of America’s most picturesque drives.
The leisurely route links delightful towns filled with clapboard homes and white-steepled churches. Highlights include Weston, home to a wonderfully traditional country store, and Waitsfield, where a historic covered bridge crosses the Mad River.
Stretching 217 miles from Stamford in the south to Newport near the Canadian border, the highway passes through heavily wooded mountains. It is especially beautiful in autumn, when the maple trees turn brilliant shades of red and gold.
Don’t miss: Stop at Green Mountain Sugar House in Ludlow to sample local maple syrup and try a maple creemee, Vermont’s take on soft-serve ice cream.
A taste of Texas
Highway 290
Fredericksburg is the ‘highlight’ of Highway 290
Texas may be best known to British travellers for cowboy culture, but its Hill Country also boasts a thriving wine industry.
Follow Highway 290 between Johnson City and Fredericksburg, passing rolling hills dotted with bluebonnets, historic communities, vineyards and welcoming tasting rooms.
Fredericksburg is the main attraction, combining polished wineries with the Pioneer Museum, which explores the area’s German heritage.
Among the standout wineries is Becker Vineyards, where tastings take place in an atmospheric stone barn surrounded by lavender fields reminiscent of Provence.
Don’t miss: Travel in summer, when roadside stalls overflow with Hill Country peaches, then call at Burg’s Corner in Stonewall for a bowl of peach ice cream.
A Pacific Coast escape
Highway 101
Soak in beuatiful sea views along the Pacific Coast’s Highway 101
Many Pacific Coast road trips end in San Francisco, but Oregon’s coastline offers an equally captivating continuation north of California.
For more than 350 miles, Highway 101 follows the Pacific past driftwood-strewn beaches, towering sea stacks and misty trails beneath enormous Douglas firs.
Make stops in characterful seaside communities such as Astoria, where The Goonies was filmed, and explore waterfalls and coastal scenery at places including Hug Point State Recreation Site.
Don’t miss: Stay at Headlands Coastal Lodge and Spa in Pacific City, where stylish rooms and the hot tub both provide impressive ocean views.
Small-town Southern charm
Natchez Trace Parkway
Neon lights and high energy greets roadtrippers in Nashville
Travellers heading south should put the Natchez Trace Parkway high on their road-trip list.
The scenic 444-mile route runs from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, combining fascinating history, welcoming small towns and striking landscapes.
Key stops include Nashville’s neon-lit honky-tonks along Lower Broadway, Franklin’s picture-perfect Main Street and Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of Elvis Presley.
History is woven throughout the journey, from the gravesite of explorer Meriwether Lewis to the ancient Indigenous earthworks at Pharr Mounds.
Music lovers can extend the trip through Louisiana to New Orleans, where jazz, cocktails, wrought-iron balconies and a famously energetic nightlife await.
Don’t miss: Start the day with breakfast at Nashville’s Loveless Cafe, famed for its Southern biscuits — scone-like baked goods rather than cookies.
A journey through Utah’s canyons
Scenic Byway 12
Red rocks and canyons await you on Scenic Byway 12 in Utah
Utah’s spectacular geology takes centre stage on Scenic Byway 12, one of the state’s most rewarding drives.
The route covers more than 120 miles between the area near Panguitch in the west and Torrey in the north-east, passing through some of southern Utah’s most dramatic red-rock country.
Without stopping, the drive could take less than three hours, but rushing would mean missing much of its appeal.
Set aside time for two of Utah’s “Mighty Five” national parks — Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef — where hoodoos, towering rock formations and narrow slot canyons create unforgettable scenery.
There are also superb hiking opportunities, while the clear desert nights offer spectacular stargazing.
Don’t miss: After exploring southern Utah, continue north, where the landscape gradually changes to forested mountains and alpine-style lakes, with culturally rich stops such as Salt Lake City along the way.
