Underestimated Stretches: Regional US Drives That Rarely Make the Highlight Reels

Dubbed "The Loneliest Road in America" by Life magazine in 1986, US-50 across Nevada has worn that label as a badge of pride ever since. Stretching from Ely to Fernley through roughly 400 miles of Basin and Range country, it passes weathered mining towns, pronghorn antelope territory, and a landscape so open it recalibrates your sense of scale. The emptiness is genuinely striking rather than boring — and small towns like Austin and Eureka have enough history and character to anchor meaningful stops.

Services are sparse but predictable. Fill up at every opportunity and carry extra water; beyond that, the logistics are simpler than the road's reputation suggests.

The Great River Road is a designated National Scenic Byway system tracing both banks of the Mississippi River from Minnesota down to Louisiana. Rather than any single highway, it's a stitched-together network of state roads that keeps the river in view — or at least in reach — almost constantly. The scenery shifts dramatically as you move south: bluffs and river locks give way to cypress swamps and antebellum architecture.

This route rewards slow travel and selective sectioning. A week along the Illinois or Iowa stretch alone delivers river towns, Civil War sites, and excellent regional cooking without requiring a coast-to-coast commitment.

Officially US-212, the Beartooth Highway between Red Lodge, Montana and Cooke City, Wyoming climbs to nearly 11,000 feet and ranks among the most technically dramatic paved roads in the lower 48. It's typically open only from late May through mid-October, so timing matters — always verify current road status with the Montana Department of Transportation before planning your visit.

The 68-mile route isn't long, but the switchbacks demand full attention and reward it with alpine meadows, snowfields in midsummer, and views into Wyoming's Absaroka Range. Pair it with a Yellowstone approach for one of the most satisfying two-day sequences in American driving.

New Mexico State Road 14 — known as the Turquoise Trail — runs about 50 miles between Albuquerque and Santa Fe through the Sandia and Ortiz mountain foothills. It's a genuine alternative to I-25 that takes only marginally longer and delivers exponentially more character. Former mining towns like Madrid and Cerrillos have transformed into art communities without losing their rough-hewn texture.

The route is an ideal day drive or gentle overnight if you're already budgeting time in the Santa Fe–Albuquerque corridor. Elevation changes are moderate, and the high-desert scenery — particularly in morning light — is the kind that sticks with you.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is so geographically distinct from the rest of the state that locals refer to themselves as "Yoopers." State Highway M-28 and its connectors trace the Lake Superior coastline through boreal forest, past waterfalls, and toward the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — a stretch of sandstone cliffs and arches that rivals anything in the national park system for sheer color and drama.

The UP rewards fall visits especially, when hardwood foliage peaks and summer crowds thin considerably. Distances between services are real but manageable with basic planning, and small towns like Munising and Marquette offer solid lodging and notably good pasty shops — a regional specialty worth seeking out.

Technically part of Maui rather than the continental US, the Road to Hana (Hawaii Route 360) earns its place here because it consistently surprises travelers who expect a scenic overlook and get a full-day, fully immersive driving experience instead. The 64-mile route from Kahului to Hana includes roughly 620 curves and 59 bridges, passing waterfalls, black-sand beaches, and rainforest so dense it muffles sound.

The road requires genuine attention — it's narrow and often shared with oncoming traffic on one-lane bridges. Reservations for Hāna Highway access and state park entry may be required depending on season, so verify with Hawaii's DLNR before you go. Drive it eastbound in the morning to minimize sun glare.