Your bag is empty.
Okay, yes; road trips are usually reserved for summer months when you can roll the windows down and blast music. But there is something pretty amazing about driving through America’s most scenic routes and National Parks in the dead of winter. Because snow can be pretty sometimes, right? From some of Utah’s coolest national parks to highways in Alaska, here’s 5 incredibly cool U.S. drives you should consider taking a drive through this winter. The pictures barely do some of these drives justice.
MESA ARCH CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, UTAH
This national park in Utah provides some of the most stunning landscape in the whole damn state. Add a little snow, and it’s even more beautiful. And don’t miss the sunrise at Mesa Arch, either.
LAKE TAHOE, NEVADA
It’s Lake Tahoe — the best time to drive through it is the winter. Whether you’re heading up there for a weekend ski trip or just to have an excuse to drink in a cabin with your friends all weekend, it’s worth the eight hour drive from Los Angeles.
GREAT SMOKY NATIONAL PARK, TENNESSEE AND NORTH CAROLINA
Straddling the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, driving through Great Smoky National Park in the colder months is something you should do at least once. You’ll see waterfalls, hiking routes along the Appalachian Trail and flower fields that bloom all year long.
SEWARD HIGHWAY, ALASKA
This has to be one of my favorite drives on this list. There’s over 100 miles of scenic driving on Seward Highway, connecting Seward to Anchorage. The highway runs through Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Turnagain Arm and the Kenai Mountains.
SIYEH BEND, MONTANA
Going through Montana’s famed Glacier National Park, Siyeh Bend is as pretty in the winter as it is during the warmer months. Stop and go for a winter hike or just enjoy the view from the warmth of your car.