If you've ever been at a loss when planning a road trip, you should first turn to our guide to hitting the open road. Afterward, look to the Federal Highway Administration's list of National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. Recognized for their natural beauty, archeological, cultural, historic, or recreational relevance, National Scenic Byways are a guaranteed good starting point—and All-American Roads are essentially the crème de la crème of scenic byways, with two or more of those same qualities. Lucky for us, we just got 49 more, bringing the total to 184 across the country.
For the first time since 2009, the agency has added 34 new National Scenic Byways and 15 All-American Roads to its list, thanks to a bipartisan bill passed two years ago that revived the program and required the FHWA, part of the Department of Transportation, to start soliciting nominations for new National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. The department whittled the 63 nominations down to the 49 additions, which are spread over 28 states. (All states except Hawaii and Texas now have National Scenic Byways.) Note: Some of the new designations are promotions from National Scenic Byways to All-American Roads, like Newfound Gap Road Byway in Tennessee and the Great River Road, which follows the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.
Plenty of recognizable names are on the list of additions, like the Missouri stretch of Route 66 and Florida's A1A along its entire east coast—both now All-American Roads—and a byway through Zion National Park. But some are more obscure. Wisconsin's 55-mile-long Door County Coastal Byway traces the edges of the Door Peninsula, which juts out into Lake Michigan. The Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway in Colorado and Utah has been recognized since 2005, and a segment in New Mexico now has that distinction as well. The new portion starts in the Navajo Nation, heads to the Zuni Reservation, and ends at Chaco Culture National Historic Park, traversing badlands and prehistoric ruins. The longest coastal byway in Maine, the Bold Coast Scenic Byway is just that: 125-miles of striking granite coastline, remote lighthouses, and blueberry fields along the state's southeastern edge. All have found their way onto the list.
Beyond providing new inspiration for travelers on their next road trip, the designations are a huge boon for local hotels, restaurants, shops, and historical sites along the routes.
“The National Scenic Byways Program brings new jobs, tourism, and other benefits to communities along these scenic roads, which are often located in parts of the country where such resources are desperately needed and harder to come by,” said Mark Falzone, president of Scenic America, a nonprofit focused on keeping the country's drives and natural areas accessible and beautiful, in a statement.
You can find a full list of the new additions on the FWHA's site.
.jpeg)
