7 Coastal U.S. Road Trips With Incredible Views

While all road trips have an element of scenery, there’s an additional magnificence with a coastal road trip. Spanning dramatic cliff sides and postcard-worthy views of beaches, this type of journey has a certain je ne sais quoi that all travelers should experience at some point. There are few better countries to journey waterside than in the United States, which has almost 100,000 miles of shoreline between its Atlantic and Pacific coasts—and that’s not counting the freshwater shorelines found inland.

Whether you want to travel along the famed Pacific Coast Highway or explore the reaches of Florida’s Overseas Highway, these seven road trips showcase the best of what land and water have to offer.

1. Overseas Highway

Florida

• Distance: 113 miles
• Start: Miami Beach
• End: Key West

It’s no surprise that Florida has plenty of sun-kissed coastline, and this particular road trip takes travelers through the beauty of its southernmost stretches along U.S. Route 1. Starting in Key Largo and ending in Key West, travelers will cross a series of bridges (42 to be exact), with ocean views from both sides of the car.

Along the way, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the coast. Fishing is a beloved pastime throughout the Keys, and underwater adventure doesn’t get much better than in Key Largo. (Check out a snorkeling or scuba trip at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first undersea park in the country.) Find your new favorite key lime pie at Mrs. Mac’s Kitchen in Key Largo or Green Turtle Inn in Islamorada. You can commemorate the completion of your journey with a picture at Mile Marker 0 in Key West, the southernmost point of Route 1.

Photo by Alla Goferman/Shutterstock

2. Bold Coast National Scenic Byway

Maine

• Distance: 125 miles
• Start: Gouldsboro
• End: Calais

Starting near Gouldsboro, the Bold Coast National Scenic Byway runs alongside the northern half of Maine’s coastline. For 125 miles the route winds near bays, state parks, and hiking trails; the beauty and variety found here even landed it a spot on Afar’s 2025 Where to Go list.

Water excursions abound (try a wildlife-spotting boat tour off the coast of Millbridge with Atlantic Edge Adventures) or spend time on land at riverside villages like Lubec and Machias. There’s plenty of opportunity to sample the state’s famed lobster rolls at spots like Chipman’s Wharf when you get hungry.

Courtesy of Cristofer Maximilian/Unsplash

3. Pacific Coast Highway

California

• Distance: 655 miles
• Start: San Juan Capistrano
• End: Leggett

California’s Pacific Coast Highway is one of the country’s most beloved routes. Often referred to simply as the PCH by travelers, most people consider it to be the whole California stretch of Highway 1. Starting in San Juan Capistrano, visit its mission and historic district before driving north, until U.S. Route 101 merges with Highway 1 just south of Leggett. You can spot the surfers waiting to catch a wave in Southern California and admire the towering redwood trees in the state’s northern regions.

There are so many iconic places to see on this legendary route, including the Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles and Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur. But while it’s a can’t-miss trip for those wanting to get a taste of California’s greatest hits, there are also plenty of opportunities to veer off into relatively unknown sandy stretches (like Seal Beach, the quieter sister to Venice Beach in Los Angeles) and the many small towns dotted throughout.

Photo by Dorinser/Shutterstock

4. U.S. Highway 101

Oregon

• Distance: 363 miles
• Start: Astoria
• End: Brookings

While much of California’s Pacific Coast Highway is known for its relaxed, wind-blowing-through-your-hair kind of energy, a road trip down Oregon’s coast showcases a more dramatic side of the Pacific. Sandwiched between the ocean and the Oregon Coast Range, U.S. Route 101 traces the state’s entire coastline, with wide beaches and jagged sea stacks on one side of the road and thickets of evergreen forest on the other. When fog blankets the route, the road trip feels like a mystical journey into the unknown, not least for otherworldly structures like Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach.

North to south, starting in the fishing port town of Astoria and finishing among the sea stacks of Brookings, this road trip is filled with beauty no matter the season. “In spring, you’ll see hills awash in yellow scotch broom and pink rhododendron bushes. Temperatures peak in the summer, and winter and spring are the prime seasons for whale-watching,” writes Afar staff member Ami Kealoha in an article on Oregon’s coast. “[Oregon] is just developed enough with a selection of boutique lodgings, state parks for camping, and small coastal towns that you can easily be spontaneous or follow a more prescribed plan.”

5. Coastal Connection National Scenic Byway

Alabama

• Distance: 130 miles
• Start: Daphne
• End: Grand Bay

Alabama is one of the most underrated beach states in the USA, and its Coastal Connection National Scenic Byway celebrates the state’s 50 miles of Gulf Beach and nearly 70 miles of bay beaches. From Daphne, the scenic byway heads south until it hits its barrier island, Dauphin Island, and then follows the coast west. The route then turns north and eventually finishes in Mobile County, at a small community called Grand Bay.

This road trip is a great way to explore Alabama’s beaches, but take time to find the beauty in its sand dunes and marshlands, too. The state has more than 12,000 acres of protected lands, where travelers can enjoy bird-watching and hiking: the Dauphin Island Audubon Sanctuary, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and Gulf State Park to name a few.

Photo by Camille Orgel

6. Lake Michigan Circle Tour

Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois

• Distance: 1,100 miles
• Start: Varies
• End: Varies

A memorable waterside adventure doesn’t necessarily mean sticking by an ocean, especially since the United States is home to part of the largest freshwater lake system in the world. The Lake Michigan Circle Tour is a 1,100-mile road trip that loops around that lake. Other Great Lakes also have routes that circle them, but Lake Michigan’s is the longest and the only one completely in the United States.

The road trip (which you can start in either Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, or Michigan) follows some of the most appealing beaches of the Midwest. Plus, lighthouse fans can find more than 100 beacons along the route. Wisconsin’s side is particularly attractive, given all travelers can do, as Afar contributor Jacqueline Kehoe notes in her article on Wisconsin’s coast: “Picture it: Cold-water surfing. Scouting for shipwrecks. Climbing dunes and leaping off cliffs. Chasing waterfalls and napping on empty beaches. Wandering through a tribal park and catching ribbons of northern lights.”

7. Outer Banks National Scenic Byway

North Carolina

• Distance: 137 miles
• Start: Nags Head
• End: Beaufort

Off the coast of North Carolina is a 200-mile string of barrier islands known as the Outer Banks. Travelers on the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway can tour this part of the coast over 137 driveable miles, plus an additional 25 ferry-riding miles between islands.

Part of the fun on this journey is finding the unique flavor of each beach town and island. Ocracoke is full of history—the place where pirate Blackbeard was killed and also home to North Carolina’s oldest operating lighthouse. Kill Devil Hills is famed as the place where the Wright Brothers first took flight. (You can learn more about it at the Wright Brothers National Monument.) Other spots are notable for their natural landscapes, like the 100-foot sand dunes of Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head.