The famous American road trips — Route 66, the Pacific Coast Highway — are wonderful and, increasingly, crowded. These ten are the quieter alternatives: underrated, under-driven routes that trade the crowds for empty highways, dark skies, river bluffs, blues towns, and small-town Americana. Together they cover every region and every season, from a 3-day parkway to a 3-week transcontinental haul. Each has its own full guide — here's the shortlist, what makes each one special, and how to pick the route for your dates.
Skip the crowds — ten under-driven routes, one for every season and every region.
Why drive an underrated route?
The best-known American drives are having a moment — and that's exactly the problem. Route 66 hit its centennial in 2026 and the crowds came with it; the marquee national parks dropped reservation systems and promptly filled their parking lots. The reward for going a little off the beaten path has never been bigger: empty two-lane roads, small towns that still feel like themselves, some of the darkest night skies in the country, and lodging you can actually book.
These ten routes aren't obscure for lack of merit — they're the longest road in America, the first transcontinental highway, the byway that follows the Mississippi for 2,000 miles. They're just quieter than they deserve to be. Pick by season and region below, and follow the link on any route for the full day-by-day guide.
The 10 underrated US road trips
Roughly grouped east to west and by season — every one links to its own complete route guide.
Follow the Mississippi for roughly 2,000 miles through 10 states, from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to New Orleans. Bluff country and fall color up north; blues, the Delta, and Southern food down south — a drive you can split by season and do half at a time.
The longest road in America — about 3,365 miles, coast to coast — and the quiet northern answer to Route 66. It runs through the Finger Lakes, the Nebraska Sandhills, Yellowstone, and the lava fields of Idaho, almost entirely on two-lane roads.
Loop the largest freshwater lake on Earth for about 1,300 miles of sea caves, waterfalls, and lighthouses. A coolcation favorite in summer, and home to some of the earliest, most intense fall color in the country — with a passport-free US-side-only option.
The Blue Ridge Parkway of the South: 444 miles with no trucks, no billboards, and almost no traffic lights, tracing a historic trail through Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. Its fall color peaks late, so it catches drivers who missed the northern foliage.
About 400 gloriously empty miles of Nevada's Basin and Range, dotted with Pony Express ruins and hillside mining towns and capped by Great Basin National Park — an International Dark Sky Park with some of the blackest skies in the country. Nevada even gives you a "survival" passport to get stamped along the way.
America's first transcontinental highway, dedicated in 1913 — the original road trip. You navigate it today by historic markers across roughly 14 states, from Times Square to the Sierra Nevada, a quieter and older story than Route 66.
The best winter drive in the country: Big Bend National Park's canyons and the FM 170 River Road along the Rio Grande — among the darkest skies in the Lower 48 — paired with New Mexico's Turquoise Trail and High Road to Taos art towns.
Only 124 miles, but denser in scenery than almost any road in America. Scenic Byway 12 links two national parks through Grand Staircase–Escalante — the smart, uncrowded way to see red-rock Utah while skipping the Zion and Arches crush.
A Revolutionary War road trip down the East Coast for America's 250th, following the 1781 Washington–Rochambeau march from Boston and Newport to the victory at Yorktown — the Revolution's greatest hits, timed to the anniversary year.
Chase the aurora without flying to Alaska. A dark-sky loop through Michigan's Upper Peninsula, northern Minnesota, and North Dakota, timed to the current solar-maximum window — with the honest tools to stack the odds of a show.
Found your route?
Turn any of these into a personalized plan — your dates, your pace, your car — with a live map, daily driving times, weather, and where-to-stay links.
Open the planner →All 10 at a glance
The whole shortlist in one table — sort by the season or region that fits your trip.
| # | Route | Region | Length | Best season | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great River Road | Midwest → South | ~10 days | Fall / winter | Rivers, bluffs & blues |
| 2 | US Route 20 | Coast to coast | ~2 weeks | Summer / fall | The longest road in America |
| 3 | Lake Superior Circle Tour | Upper Midwest | ~7 days | Summer / early fall | Coolcation & fall color |
| 4 | Natchez Trace Parkway | South | ~3 days | Spring / late fall | An unhurried scenic parkway |
| 5 | Loneliest Road (US 50) | Nevada | ~3 days | Spring–fall | Solitude & dark skies |
| 6 | Lincoln Highway | Coast to coast | 2–3 weeks | Summer | History & the original road trip |
| 7 | Big Bend & New Mexico | West TX / N. NM | ~7–10 days | Winter | Warm-season desert & dark skies |
| 8 | Utah Highway 12 | Southern Utah | ~3–4 days | Spring / fall | Red rock without the crowds |
| 9 | America 250 Route | East Coast | ~8–10 days | Spring–fall | Revolutionary War history |
| 10 | Northern Lights (Lower 48) | Northern Midwest | ~5–7 days | Fall / winter | Aurora & stargazing |
How to choose your route
By season
Fall: the Great River Road and Lake Superior up north, then the late-turning Natchez Trace in the South. Winter: head for the desert — Big Bend and New Mexico, or the Great River Road's southern half. Spring & summer: the coast-to-coast hauls (US 20, the Lincoln Highway) and high-country Utah 12 once the passes open.
By vibe
Dark skies & stargazing: the Loneliest Road, Big Bend, and the Lower-48 aurora route. History: the Lincoln Highway and the America 250 Revolutionary route. Big scenery: Utah 12 and US 20 through Yellowstone. Short and sweet: the Natchez Trace or Utah 12 in a long weekend.
Underrated US road trips FAQ
What is the most underrated road trip in the US?
A few stand out: US Route 20 is the longest road in America and almost nobody drives it end to end; the Great River Road follows the Mississippi for 2,000 miles with far fewer crowds than the coastal highways; and the Loneliest Road across Nevada is empty by design. All three are quieter than they deserve to be.
What is the best alternative to Route 66?
Two great ones. US Route 20 is the quiet northern coast-to-coast drive — longer than Route 66, still a live highway, and far less crowded. The Lincoln Highway is the other: America's first transcontinental road, older than Route 66 and full of the same roadside history.
What is the best fall-foliage road trip?
Go north early and south late. The northern half of the Great River Road and the Lake Superior Circle Tour peak in late September and October, while the Natchez Trace Parkway colors late into November — perfect if you missed the northern show.
What is the best winter road trip in the US?
Head for the Southwest desert, where winter is the comfortable season. The Big Bend and New Mexico route is the standout — canyons, art towns, and the darkest skies in the Lower 48 — and the southern half of the Great River Road (Memphis to New Orleans) is a fine cool-weather drive too.
What is the best road trip for stargazing and dark skies?
The Loneliest Road (ending at Great Basin National Park) and the Big Bend route both reach International Dark Sky Parks with some of the blackest skies in the country. To chase the aurora specifically, the Lower-48 northern lights route is built around dark-sky viewing spots.
How did we choose these ten?
Each route is a high-quality drive that's genuinely under-driven — a quiet alternative to the crowded big-name routes, chosen to cover every US region and every season. We wrote a full day-by-day guide for each, so you can plan the whole trip from the link on any route above.
Turning this into your road trip
Start with your dates and let the season narrow the list — fall points north, winter points to the desert, summer opens the coast-to-coast hauls. Pick a route, open its full guide for the day-by-day, then drop your start point and dates into the planner to get a live map, driving times, and where to stay. The best road trip in America this year is probably one you haven't heard of yet.
Plan your own trip
Any of these ten routes, personalized to your dates, pace, and car — with a live map, daily driving times, weather, fuel estimates, and where-to-stay links.
Open the planner →