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 pointâand 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.Â