More than visiting a new destination, the best part of any trip is enjoying the journey. This is particularly true when taking a road trip to the National Parks. From wildlife to landscapes, lake views to sunrises, let the fresh air go through your face and take these 7 best scenic drives in the US National Parks with us.

1. Best scenic drive through Yellowstone: best for wildlife

Geysers and hot springs, Yellowstone is the wild and most beating heart of the US National Parks. The park’s highways traverse geysers and hot springs where visitors can closely see the country’s largest collection of elk, the continent’s oldest, largest wild bison herds and a pristine wilderness roamed by wolves, grizzlies, moose and antelope. This park has some of the most abundant animal habitats of any national park in the United States. As you traverse Lamar Valley Road, you can see and take amazing pictures from a magnificent range and number of animals from the safety of your car.

• The route: Lamar Valley Road.
• Route length: 29 miles.

2. Best scenic drive through Yosemite National Park: best for landscapes

The country’s third-oldest national park, this Unesco World Heritage site receives around four million visitors annually and is without question, one of most beautiful places you will see in your life. You just need to lift your eyes to feel your heart instantly be moved by unrivaled splendors: the Half Dome, the El Capitan, the Yosemite Falls. From the granite walls in the Yosemite Valley to the skyscraping giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove, this place will inspire all the wow’s inside of you. Prepare your camera for the most beautiful breathtaking views and landscapes you will see in the US National Parks. 

• The route: Yosemite Valley Loop.
• Route length: 14 miles from the valley.

It’s not the destination, it’s the journey!

-Ralph Waldo Emerson.

3. Best scenic drive through Glacier National Park: best for glaciers and mountains

Considered by many people to be the best drive in the country, punctuated by some of the most vertiginous drop-offs in the US, the 50-mile Going-to-the-Sun Road was built between 1921 and 1932 to allow visitors to explore the park’s interior without having to hike. That was a unique project for the National Parks Service at the time. This national historic landmark crosses Logan Pass (6,646ft) and the highlights include 26 glaciers and nearly one million acres of breathtaking mountains, waterfalls, lakes, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and endless beautiful views. Plan on spending at least two hours to navigate the snaking turns on this scenic drive.

• The route: Going-to-the-Sun Road.
• Route length: 50 miles

4. Best scenic drive through Arches National Park: best for natural architecture

Known around the globe for its national parks. Utah has five National parks located within a few hours’ drive of each other. Arches is easily the most drivable, paved park of the five. You’ve probably seen some of its Arches on a Utah license plate or in an advertisement promoting the state’s great outdoors. While in the park, highlights include hiking Delicate Arch, Devil’s Garden, Fiery Furnace and the Arches Scenic Drive. On the red sandstone arches that give this Utah national park its name you can drive around the amazing towering rock formations including Balancing Rock, Windows Arch, and the famous Delicate Arch.

• The route: Arches Scenic Drive.
• Route length: 22 miles.

5. Best scenic drive through Crater Lake National Park: best for lake views

Oregon’s sacred place, the Crater Lake National Park is where Indigenous people witnessed a catastrophic volcanic explosion around 7700 years ago, the geological discoveries were predicted by Klamath mythology. Slowly over time, snowfall and rain contributed to the formation of the deepest lake in the US.(1943ft). The scenic Rim Drive, allows visitors looping the crater, following the contours of the deep blue water where you can stop at 30 different lookout points. Those magnificent blue waters of Crater Lake reflect surrounding mountain peaks like a giant dark-blue mirror, making for spectacular photographs and breathtaking lake views. 

• The route: Rim Drive from North Junction.
• Route length: 33 miles (nearly one lookout point per mile of your drive). 

6. Best scenic drive through Death Valley National Park: best for desert landscapes

Holding the US records for hottest temperature (134°F/57°C), lowest point (Badwater, 282ft below sea level) and largest national park outside Alaska (more than 5000 sq miles), Death Valley is a land of superlatives. The park scenic drive is a spectacular show of mother nature, and includes: moving sand dunes, geologic rainbow, water-sculpted canyons, extinct volcanic craters, palm-shaded oases, and plenty of endemic wildlife. With dramatic dips and sharp turns, the Artists Drive is a one-way drive, which passes through eroded, colorful desert hills. The viewpoint known as Artists Palette has the most colorful scenery along the road . This road is the best to see the beauty of Death Valley without having to do a lot of walking, although the drive is beautiful any time of day, be aware that the colors are most dramatic during afternoon light. Parts of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was filmed there.

The route: Artists Drive.

Route length: 9 miles.

7. Best scenic drive through Haleakalā National Park: best for sunrises

Famed for its stellar vistas, particularly at sunrise and sunset, Haleakalā translates as “house of the sun,” and as you can imagine sunrise around the road is memorable as the sun rises illuminating the entire mountain. The Haleakalā is a dormant volcano and the colorful changing topography along the way is worth the drive alone. Once at the top, the temperatures are very chilly and this will probably be the only reason you must add a sweater on your bag to the sunny Maui. The highway is also known as Crater Road and you’ll travel from sea level up to just over 10,000 feet, which is the world’s largest elevation gain in the shortest distance. Some visitors enjoy renting a bike and ride plenty of twists and turns along all the down from the top.

The route: Haleakalā Highway, from Crater Road.

Route length: 37 miles.

What is your favorite road trip? Let us know in the comments.