As searches for ‘American road trip’ have surged by 56% in the past month, travel experts have revealed the best hidden gem road trips across the US.
Slow travel has gained traction this year and is predicted to be a major trend in 2025, with self-drive holidays emerging as the perfect way to embrace this travel style.
With this in mind, the travel experts at Journeyscape have compiled a selection of road trips across America, considering factors like distance to accommodations and dining options, to uncover the best hidden routes in the US.
The top 10 best hidden gem road trips in the US:
| Rank | Road trip | Starting Point | Destination | Stops | States the route passes through | Distance (mi) | % of hotels with parking | % of hotels rated four stars or higher | Total number of hotels at the starting point and destination | % of restaurants rated four stars or higher | Overall score /10 |
| 1 | Roller Coaster Tour | Wisconsin Dells, WI | Jackson, NJ | 13 | 10 | 2,840 | 71.4% | 55.4% | 13 | 53.0% | 6.77 |
| 2 | Pacific Coast Paradise | Seattle, WA | Santa Barbara, CA | 14 | 3 | 1,428 | 37.3% | 52.2% | 222 | 55.1% | 6.72 |
| 3 | Sounds of the South | The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN | New Orleans, LA | 14 | 3 | 659 | 30.6% | 61.8% | 235 | 55.3% | 6.21 |
| 3 | The Stargazing States | Casper, WY | Lincoln, NE | 14 | 3 | 1,740 | 62.6% | 50.4% | 39 | 41.1% | 6.21 |
| 5 | Getting Your Kicks | Collinsville, IL | Santa Monica, CA | 14 | 8 | 2,062 | 45.3% | 44.0% | 29 | 53.6% | 6.06 |
| 6 | Great River Road | Park Rapids, MN | New Orleans, LA | 14 | 7 | 1,719 | 29.2% | 30.0% | 235 | 55.7% | 5.96 |
| 7 | Cross-Country Sporting Successes | Louisville, KY | Boston, MA | 13 | 6 | 1,157 | 42.9% | 54.0% | 332 | 47.2% | 5.76 |
| 8 | Interstate 90 | Bozeman, MT | Cleveland, OH | 13 | 7 | 1,957 | 39.3% | 53.8% | 103 | 41.7% | 5.66 |
| 8 | Roads Paved With Gold | Salt Lake City, UT | Carmel, CA | 12 | 3 | 1,288 | 50.3% | 63.6% | 83 | 50.4% | 5.66 |
| 10 | The Rocky Mountains Road | Neihart, MT | Albuquerque, NM | 13 | 4 | 1,573 | 57.9% | 47.8% | 53 | 44.8% | 5.51 |
Roller Coaster Tour – Wisconsin Dells (WI) to Jackson (NJ):
The number one ranked road trip in America is the almost 3,000-mile-long Roller Coaster Tour, a once-in-a-lifetime trip for thrill seekers wanting to ride some of the best coasters in the world. Even if roller coasters are not your thing, this road trip has much more and would be a scenic trip for everyone as it traverses the Great Lakes of Michigan and Erie before heading down through the Midwest and back up to finish on the East Coast.
Pacific Coast Paradise – Seattle (WA) to Santa Barbara (CA)
Another mammoth journey ranks in second place, as the Pacific Coast Paradise route is just under 1,500 miles from Seattle to Santa Barbara. Along the way, you will see incredible scenery, from high mountains to stunning beaches and everything in between. In addition, there are many vibrant towns, cities, neighbourhoods and outdoor areas along the route, including the stunning Waterfront Park in Portland and Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southwestern Oregon and Northwestern California.
Sounds of the South – The Great Smoky Mountains (TN) to New Orleans (LA)
A road trip for music lovers ranks in joint third place, The Sounds of the South is a mecca for lovers of blues, country, rock and roll, and jazz music. Starting on Tennessee’s eastern border with Kentucky, you travel the length of the state to Memphis before heading down alongside the mighty Mississippi to the southern jazz capital of New Orleans. At 659 miles, this is one of the shorter journeys on this list, making it the perfect road trip if you are looking to immerse yourself in American culture without driving thousands of miles.
The Stargazing States – Casper (WY) to Lincoln (NE)
Sharing third place in the rankings is a 1,700+ mile road trip around the north-central states of Nebraska, Wyoming, and (briefly) Colorado. Famous for its stunning open landscape forged at the end of the last ice age, Wyoming is as sparsely populated as it is beautiful, leaving huge swathes of land unpolluted by human activity — as a result, it is a fantastic area for stargazers as well as lovers of the outdoors.
Getting Your Kicks – Collinsville (IL) to Santa Monica (CA)
While the most famous road in America, Route 66 has technically not existed since the mid-1980s. However, such is the cultural significance of the old road; the old route still attracts many tourists and travellers to follow the ‘Historic Route 66’ for over 2,000 miles through eight states between Illinois and California. Along the way, you’ll pass all manner of different terrains and landscapes and see jaw-dropping sites such as the Grand Canyon
Further Study Insights:
- The Ghost Towns of the West is the road trip home to the most foodie hotspots, with 87.5% of restaurants rated four stars or higher.
- The Appalachian Trail passes through an array of US states, allowing you to explore a fifth of all US states in one trip.
You can view the full research by clicking here.
