Region guide
The best driving roads in the Eastern USA
47 driving roads in the Eastern USA, including 4 world icons, each with its route, climb and best seasons.
Roads474 world icons
Combined1,470 mi2,366 km of driving
High point1,974 m6,476 ft
The Eastern United States hides its best driving in the Appalachians: the Blue Ridge, the Smokies and the tight mountain roads of New England in autumn. Here are the best of them.
The roads
Mount Washington Auto Road6 mi · 13 min · 1,909 m summitView the roadbook ›
Blue Ridge Parkway Linn Cove
Overseas Highway
Tail of the Dragon
Grafton Notch
Highland Scenic Highway
Mount Greylock (Rockwell Road)
Rangeley Lakes / Height of Land
Storm King Highway
Brasstown Bald Spur
Foothills Parkway (Western Section)
Mount Equinox Skyline Drive
The Diamondback
Moonshiner 28
Granville Gulf
Mohawk Trail
Natchez Trace Parkway (Tennessee)
Balsam Grove
Mount Mitchell Summit Road
The Snake
Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway
Smugglers’ Notch
Talimena Scenic Drive
Park Loop Road (Acadia)
Back of the Dragon
Hawk’s Nest Highway
Devil’s Whip
Newfound Gap Road
Kancamagus Highway
North Shore Scenic Drive
The Triple Nickel
Skyline Drive
Cherohala Skyway
Leelanau Peninsula
Highway to the Stars
Pig Trail Scenic Byway
Red River Gorge
Brockway Mountain Drive
Great River Road, Prescott to Fountain City
Great River Road, Alton to Grafton
Allegheny Front, Elkins to Franklin
Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway
Hayters Gap to Breaks Interstate Park
Ormond Beach to Matanzas Inlet
Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway
Scenic 7 Byway, Pelsor to Harrison
Talladega Scenic Drive
More of the United States
Driving in the Eastern USA: common questions
What is the best driving road in the Eastern USA?
Mount Washington Auto Road is the place to start. About 4,600 ft of climbing in 7.6 miles, averaging near 12 percent with a final pitch around 22, to the 6,288 ft summit of the Northeast’s highest peak.
How many great driving roads does the Eastern USA have?
47 roads in our catalogue, 1,470 miles of driving in all, every one traced from OpenStreetMap.
What is the highest road in the Eastern USA?
Mount Mitchell Summit Road is the highest, climbing to about 1,974 m (6,476 ft).