It’s hard to resist the lure of the open road when summer rolls around — and with Penske employee’s favorite scenic drives in the United States, you’ll know exactly where to point your car this year. We’ve listed our favorites. It was hard to narrow it down but we made our decisions based on history, natural scenery, ambiance and for their remote wild beauty. Best of all, most of these routes make for splendid drives all year long, so you can get out and explore the open road whenever the mood strikes. So rev your engines … and hit the road in your Penske vehicle.
Penske Employees Suggest:
- Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park, Montana. This drive past fiord-like St. Mary and McDonald lakes, the glacial scenery of Logan Pass, waterfalls, sheer slopes covered with beargrass, and old-growth forest on Avalanche Creek is the most scenic 50 miles of highway in the US. Don’t miss it.
- Blue Ridge National Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park-Skyline Drive, Virginia. Besides spring flowers and fall leaves, this national parkway offers enough views, hikes, and scenery to justify the extra driving time
- Hawaii 360 (Hana Highway), Maui, Hawaii. Some of the best parts of Hawaii are for hikers only; the Hana road is definitely one of the exceptions.
- Yosemite Valley Drive-California 120-California 41, Yosemite National Park. The valley that inspired John Muir is still unforgettable. After seeing the Valley, get on the Tioga Pass Road to access the Sierra high country of granite mountains and blue lakes. All roads in the Park are scenic, but the Wawona road (Calif. 41) has the best sequoias.
- California 1 (Coast Highway), Leggett-Morro Bay, California. Three hundred miles of the Pacific.
- Rim Drive, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona. Drive by sightseeing is not the best way to experience the Grand Canyon, but it’s better than nothing
- Washington 706, 123 and 410, Mount Rainier National Park. Climbs through forested slopes and encircles Mount Rainier.
- Route 169 from Woodstock to Canterbury, Connecticut. With nearly 200 pre-1855 homes along with farms, historic churches and classic Connecticut village green centers, Route 169 is one of New England’s true hidden gem scenic rides. Don’t forget to roll-down-the-windows and feel good breeze of this scenic byway.
- US 212 (BearTooth Highway), Yellowstone National Park-Red Lodge, Montana. This highway climbs both sides of the 10,000-foot BearTooth Plateau, a million-acre wilderness with awesome views. First part of the drive is Yellowstone National Park backcountry through the Absaroka Mountains.
- 10. Overseas Highway the southernmost leg of U.S. Highway 1, a 127.5-mi highway carrying U.S. Route 1 through the Florida Keys. Sometimes called the Highway That Goes to Sea, is a modern wonder. Besides the natural beauty along the route—tidal flats, teal waters dotted by distant islands—road awes you it stretches across impossible expanses of water.
If at any time in the near future you find yourself and your Penske vehicle on one of these roads send us a picture? Also if you have any additional suggestions feel free to tell us!
