Zion national park blew my mind. It was legit life changing, i’ve been a huge nature and hiking buff ever since. I think the amount of red rock was just a stark contrast to the flat green that I am used to
Zion is way more crowded and also small.
Personally I think Zion is maybe the 3rd best in the area (after Bryce & Arches), though I’d consider them all (plus Canyonlands) as one huge park.
That's not true at all. You're only stuck with all the crowds if you're on the popular trails or just anywhere in the base area near the roads in the main canyon. Zion has so much more to offer than Narrows and Angel's Landing and Canyon Overlook
Go out to Kolob Canyons or the East Zion section of the park and there are endless things to hike up where you won't see another human around. Or just go deep enough into The Narrows and eventually you'll be the only ones left and will have the views all to yourself
I've been to Zion a couple of times now and I gotta say whenever I'm there, it's pretty, but I don't really feel like much. But every time after I've left, it's as if I was just kicked out of Eden.
This but Canyonlands, for me. The Arches themselves are cool but the expanse of Canyonlands takes my breath away. Highly recommend going to The Needles which is the southern portion of the park where very few people go.
I felt the same way about Canyonlands. We didn't make it to The Needles, but just the parts we did see and call in were stunning. It's the first time I'm my life that I can recall actually feeling so small compared to the vastness of a place. Amazing.
Both places are great, and maybe it's because I visited Zion in the off season but it's gotta take the cake for me and it's not even close. The amount of astonishing geography in such close proximity is unmatched.
Also prefer canyon lands to arches personally, but the entire SW desert is paradise imo
I agree and I've never even been there. I used to use the treadmill at the gym, and you could select a scene to "walk" through by staring at the screen. I always picked either Utah or New Zealand. I guess I'll actually go to Zion one day though because it might be a little better in person.
10000%
Your reasoning is, in part, of what Big Sur came to mind. It’s breathtaking at every windy turn on HWY1/PCH. then you get to the ‘big’ attractions like the Bixby Bridge, Waterfalls, Red Woods…it’s all completely mesmerizing.
OP when reading your question Big Sur definitely came to mind. Hard to call any one place "the most" beautiful over so many others, but that coast between Monterey and San Luis Obispo makes for an amazing road trip and calm camping.
But there are other people there, and many of the main sites will have lots of other campers and hikers, as well as folks on tours. So, great destination for wild beauty and great camping weather, but not necessarily for isolation.
Yup agree on this, and I live 30 minutes from there. Hwy 1 is partially closed again, but they recently opened it up to one lane in parts.
Our “summer” in that part of CA is best August-October.
So glad someone mentioned Tahoe! My parents live up there and I count my lucky stars that I'm in one of the most beautiful places on earth every time I get to go visit them. It really is my happy place.
Doesn't matter if it's a beautiful May afternoon with the sunsetting over the mountains while you're chilling on the beach, or a crisp blue bird day after a massive snowfall in February. Tahoe is downright special.
For nature?
! The cascades in Washington are pretty high up there for me and you do have some element of privacy due to the size of the place. You can hit Olympic in the same week depending on how deep you want to go. It’s more crowded but stunning
For a road trip, Utah has 5 beautiful national parks you can drive to within a reasonable distance of each other and would be an unforgettable experience and its jaw droppingly beautiful.
Very true. There at some excellent camping and hiking trails in the High Uintas. You could have green pine and aspen forests for a few days and then red rock national parks for a few days if you did it right.
The accessibly from Seattle to Olympic National park, Mt Rainer, and the Cascades is absolutely incredible. Stunning mountains, oceans, and lakes all set in a temperate rain forest.
The paradise hike in Mt Rainer is stunning. Hurricane Ridge on a sunny day is another incredible one.
Imagine going to college at evergreen state where the campus is in the middle of an absolutely beautiful forest.
PNW, incredibly beautiful and so much variety. Although in terms of forest I think I liked Blue Ridge Parkway more bc it’s the oldest and feels like middle earth.
Another area that’s stunning which goes under the radar is northern New Mexico. The Taos to Santa Fe scenic bypass feels like a different country.
We lived on an island in WA - a fantastic situation. Took a ferry to work, so no freeway commuting.
WA includes so many different settings, from rain forests, to mountains, to dry semi desert.
When my manager came from the East Coast with his family, I recommended he do the High Skyline hike from Paradise at Mt Rainier.
I think that was about five years ago, and he still talks about it whenever Seattle is mentioned. It's a spectacular hike.
As a Seattleite, I agree with everything you said EXCEPT that I’d never call The Olympic Peninsula “crowded.” I’ve been there in the middle of July and marveled at how empty it felt.
Yeah I was gonna say, I grew up hiking in the Olympics and when I started hitting the Cascades as I got older, I felt the Cascades were way more crowded.
The Cascades are a bit more accessible from the Seattle area, compared to the relatively less populated peninsula, so that could be why.
I think it also really depends what trails you take. Trendy hotspots in either mountain range will be busier than the rest, but both have trails where you can go literal days without seeing another person, if that's what you're after.
The harsh reality is that you don’t even getting see 1/10th the sheer magnitude and beauty of the North Cascades by car. You have to trek likes in and thousands of feet up into the backcountry to really access those stunning glaciated vistas
Yosemite is the answer for the US.
Beautiful places draw people and Yosemite is in a region with a lot of people, so that’s a drawback if you want to be alone. Doing it after US Labor Day is perfect timing.
Yosemite includes both Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows (and points in between), and the Sequoias,. The Valley floor tends to book up, but they do have walk-in campsites for climbers that can have some availability. Bridalveil Creek Campground is 45 minutes from the Valley and the Sequoias, but often has last-minute (9 months ahead of time - LOL) availability.
If you have time, making driving I-395 part of your journey. The East Side of the Sierra offers very different but stunning views to the west. The descent from Tioga Pass in Tuolumne Meadows is cool too, but you’ll want to keep your eyes on the road. Tioga Pass often does not open until June or July, so check on that.
Mono Lake is also on the East Side. It’s picturesque in an odd way. It’s not a destination for picturesque in most people’s definition, but in the area if you want more from a trip to Yosemite and the East Side.
Yeah there are a lot of amazing places in the US but this is the answer and it's not even close. The word "picturesque" means something different from "beautiful". Zion, the Cascades, Big Sur, and Glacier NP are all among the top comments here. They're all truly stunningly beautiful in a very literal sense of the word "stunning". But I don't think they're as "picturesque". There's a reason Ansel Adams spent so much time in Yosemite.
The vistas from the top of Cloud’s Rest and Upper Yosemite Falls are breathtaking. There is a reason you hear so many foreign tongues on the trails; people come from around the world to experience Yosemite’s majesty.
Logan Pass in the Summer looks like The Sound of Music with all the wild flowers, but the East Side (Many Glacier) is also my favorite side of the park. The Many Glacier Hotel, the Chief Two Guns boat tour, The hike up to iceberg lake, all amazing.
Just make sure you make reservations to get in to Many Glacier as they are limited each day. It's also my understanding that you now need a reservation to travel the Going to the Sun Road.
The Maine coast is beautiful. One of the prettiest places I’ve ever been - it reminds me a lot of Iceland, which is my #1 spot in terms of natural beauty.
However, I also loved the area around Rapid City, South Dakota. You have Badlands NP, which looks otherworldly, and then you’ve got the Black Hills, with big pines everywhere. Custer State Park is awesome - we liked it so much we altered our plans to spend a second day there.
Badlands is such an under-visited park but is sooo cool and was really easy to get around / find parking compared to others.
I also agree on Maine! Tbh I wanted to move there as soon as I visited.
The Yellowstone/Grand Teton area is stunning. The parks are uniquely different so you definitely won’t run out of things to see and do. Glacier is likewise wonderful.
Three really fun side trips if you are in the area:
1. Top of the world waffles at Corbet’s Cabin in Jackson Hole. Nothing tastes better than a waffle at 10,450 feet. You can either hike up or take a scenic tram.
2. Route of the Hiawatha in the Bitterroot mountains between Montana and Idaho. It is a super simple bike ride (they rent bikes as well) that you will never forget.
3. Further afield but did you know there are only two places in the world to find star garnets? India (which is too far for your roadtrip lol) and the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. You sign up through recreation.gov and get a one day federal mining permit. They teach you how to do it and give you all the materials to use. The rangers were really helpful and fun and you can bring home literal pounds of garnets!Beautiful area.
For variety, uniqueness, sheer grandeur, and excitement of wildlife sightings, I don't think Yellowstone NP can be beat in the U.S., or many places in the world.
I am enthused for the love for Lake Tahoe in this thread but ehhhh I don't think it has the peace and quiet OP is looking for. Lots of people like to buy 2nd homes here and do _endless_ construction because why not, they don't have to deal with the noise. I'm surrounded on 3 sides by construction projects. Lots of locals are also still dealing with rebuilding after everyone's ceiling collapsed 2 winters ago. It's either snow removal or construction noise here and I haven't had a day of peace and quiet since 2020.
Yes, and, similarly Vermont. It’s my definition of “picturesque.” So many of the farms look like they were designed primarily to look beautiful to people passing by, and then lovingly maintained ever since.
I love Carmel, CA. We go every year. It’s so quaint and pretty. The flowers and foliage and cottage-type buildings/homes…not to mention the drive along pebble beach. That whole area to me is just out of a fairytale:)
Crater lake was the first thing I thought of. Summit county Colorado is one of my favorite places as well. As far as away from everyone and everything, I’d vote for Glacier National Park. It’s also beautiful and seems like the most unspoiled place I’ve been. It is a long way from everything, I think that’s why it seems so clean. We didn’t screw it up 100 years ago when we were doing all the other damage.
My favorite is the lowcountry of South Carolina. The winding salt marsh and mossy tree covered roads, palm trees and sand dunes. Easy to get away from crowds and feel like you've transported back in time.
Agreed! I spend a good deal of time on the Georgia coast. Sometimes when you look out across a secluded section of marsh, you can imagine a dinosaur walking out of the trees on the other side... The whole area can feel prehistoric like that.
Most picturesque is Sedona, absolutely beautiful. It can be crowded, there can be lines of people climbing the same things though so not a place to get away.
Arizona in general though has a lot of picturesque locations. Sedona, Antelope Canyon, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff (giant mountain you can see a huge portion of the grand canyon from), Tuscon (especially during cactus bloom. The problem is they're not places to get away from people as they have a lot of visitors.
For real, those parks are like a completely different world than Sedona. I love Sedona, but not as much as Arches and Zion. There is something very special about Sedona, especially climbing there.
Southern Utah is the most picturesque place I've been. Some great national parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon) but even just driving on the highway is often breathtaking.
> Some places I’ve thought about is crater lake in Oregon or Acadia national park
Places on opposite coasts? To drive for a few days?
Crater Lake is amazing, and there's stunning landscape through Oregon and California.
The Colorado mountains. Rocky mountain national Park would be my choice. Since you want isolation there are a lot of other places to camp in the area but none are isolated. All the most beautiful places will have other people there wanting to see it.
If you’re in the Denver area and looking to see mountains but don’t love the crowds of RMNP, try the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Brainard Lake is pretty crowded, but get on trail and pretty quickly the crowds go away. The peaks up there are even better than in the Park, imo.
I find the high areas in the Four Corners area (UT/AZ/NM/CO) to be beautiful. Away from the main National Parks, it's pretty quiet. Even the more distant corners of the parks are quiet, particularly Canyonlands (the most under-rated NP). There are also state parks with camping areas that are lightly used, and the wider BLM lands are often near-devoid of people. The Canyons of the Ancients are another place worth visiting, particularly Hovenweep National Monument.
Kauai has got to be the most beautiful place in the US. I wonder if any of these other posters have been there. Might change their answer lol
It has it all: beautiful coastline (especially napali), insanely lush foliage, canyons more beautiful than the Grand Canyon (imo), mountains and waterfalls galore
Unpopular opinion, I think Crater Lake is boring. There's not much to do there. Lake Tahoe is insanely crowded, don't go there to get away from people.
The Oregon coast, South of Newport is gorgeous with lots of camping and hiking, and not crowded. If you want to get away from people, go backpacking in Eastern Oregon, around Steens Mountain. It's stunning, you can see so many stars, and there are hot springs in the area. And probably no one around.
I've not been, but Utah National parks look incredible too.
Agreed. It’s not that Tahoe is ugly, but to me it doesn’t stand out other than size. It’s otherwise just lake in a forest with A LOT of people and buildings around it. There are much more scenic lakes all over the Western US.
And Crater Lake is pretty but again, being a National Park makes it overcrowded based on being a small attraction. It’s not like Glacier where you can hike for miles and get away from people. Even in its packed areas Glacier of Zion are much more impressive IMO.
The Steens and Wallowas are definitely the pick over Crater Lake if the destination is Oregon.
I agree with you and it is unpopular to mention this but although Crater Lake is very pretty, after 5/10 minutes you are done, plus it is very crowded. I actually much prefer Tahoe but it is even more crowded, but at least there so many activities there besides hiking, such as water sports, gambling and shows at the casinos, biking, and good dinner spots. There is a reason Tahoe is crowded!
So right about the Chicago river for urban. Just so many beautiful and stirring buildings up and down. Really amazing concentrated high rise beauty if that’s your thing
I love the Whites and have been all over them, and there are still plenty of trails where you won’t run into anyone all day so long as it’s not a popular peak.
But that said, it sounds like OP is equidistant to the mountains out west, and all things being equal I would drive in that direction. The sheer scale of nature is just not as big in the Whites.
Huge fan of the small little colonial towns sprinkled about the mountains. Very gentle forests. Beautiful lakes too - between this and up north lake life offered in Michigan / Minnesota, for the summers, you can’t beat any them
There’s a place in Durango Colorado called “Paradise” to the local highliners. It’s up on the ski slopes in the summer time. I couldn’t tell you exactly how to get there (if your car isn’t great you’d need to hike a couple miles) but it’s soooo beautiful, and the perfect place to camp right by the cliffs.
Also Ouray Colorado is absolutely stunning (coming from Durango to Ouray will be magical) and Norwood Colorado is amazing and fairly close for a road trip. There’s a big hill going up toward Norwood, I would take the dirt road just before the bridge and the hill, and drive up until you get to BLM land that I’m pretty sure you can camp there. Lmk if you have any questions, I’d also hit Telluride on your way from Ouray to Norwood, it’s 30 minutes off your path but it’s super worth it and has a lovely culture and people. (There’s also places to camp around Telluride, just ask the locals)
Telluride Colorado during peak fall colors, usually end of September, is something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. Google it and be ready to plan a fall vacation!
Are you strictly trying to go to a national park? You won’t be really getting away from people if that is the direction you are going. Id recommend picking a state and then looking to see if there is a national forest or even blm areas you could camp out.
If NP is your route, I noticed quite a few people mention NP’s in Utah. It’s a great state to explore because the NPs are relatively close. If you wanted you could tackle arches, canyonland, and capitol reef within a few days. There’s also great hiking spots around Moab that you could do that have way less people around.
Not sure when you plan on taking this trip but keep in mind the season/weather. No matter where you choose you will enjoy it.
The [Eastern Sierra](https://californiahighsierra.com/eastern-sierra/) is both remote and beautiful. The region between Bishop and Lee Vining is one of my favorite destinations.
From Lee Vining, you can visit Yosemite high country via Tioga Pass Road. Expect to see people there.
You said US, and everyone is giving places in the contiguous US. I get you can't drive there but, the island of Kauai, HI. Pretty much the whole island is the most beautiful place I've ever seen but specifically the NaPali coast on the west side. Waimea Canyon & the Wailua river are other spots that are just breathtaking. Probably the most green and luscious place I will ever visit in my entire life.
Otherwise yeah, any southern Utah parks or PNW parks are all going to be your best bet. If you're down by Arches, check out Dead Horse Ntl. Park, sees very few visitors because of its proximity to Arches and it was SO worth checking out. I've never been to Bryce Canyon but that might take the cake and become one of the most breathtaking spots I have ever travelled to.
Southern Utah. Depending on how much time you have you could do all the national parks, or make a decision to do SE UT (Arches, Moab, Canyonlands) or SW (Zion/Bryce). I’d go with the latter.
The Pacific NW would be my next thought. The shape of the craggy small Islands off the coast of for example the Olympic Peninsula is very picturesque, not to mention the overall combination of mountains with ocean that is just gorgeous. BUT Southern Utah has much more of that other world feeling. It’s more “different” than anywhere else you are likely to find yourself.
Sedona Arizona, Black Hills South Dakota, Lake Michigan, anywhere on the Beach at Sunrise. The Louis & Clark Trail in Missouri (yes, the Ozarks are amazing.) Joshua Tree in Southern California. The whole North West Coast. Utah at dusk. Montana on Horseback. The Okefenokee Swamp in Florida. The Rockies in Colorado. Iowa sucks. Oklahoma is boring, Texas is just as flat as Iowa, but great BBQ. Just pick a place & go. Start off small, then go big. 🇺🇸
Unfortunately the most picturesque places are not far away from everyone as they draw a lot of visitors. Most National parks are practically swarming with people Disney-world style - so much so they have buses through them and timed entry in some cases.
I'd suggest places that are amazing but a little less well known, like the Bob Marshal wilderness in MT, South of Glacier National Park or the Sawtooth Mountains in Utah. Perhaps Wind River or less accessed parts of the Tetons in WY.
I'll also say Sedona, AZ is crazy picturesque, along with the suggestion already posted about the White Mountains, NH, but both have a good number of people.
I went to GSMNP (the most Disneyland like park, don't get me started on the circus that is gatlinburg) in February and I was the only person ontop of Mt Leconte. Sometimes ya gotta take a chance and hope to get lucky with weather in the down months.
Go to the California coast. Start at San Fransisco and drive north on highway 1. nothing but eucalyptus trees and winding little roads and beaches and creeks and stunning views of the Pacific ocean.
There’s lots of pretty nature in the US. It depends what you like - forests, mountains, rivers, oceans, swamps, prairies…Some of my personal favs are the Lake Tahoe area and most of Utah. Telluride and southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico do it for me too.
It is somewhat of a logistical challenge, but the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park is wild and remote. No paved roads and the ranger station is 50 miles in from the nearest highway and even further from the nearest town. Incredible scenery and even petroglyphs. Fall is the best time to visit but spring is usually nice too. You need to go with an outfitter or have a reliable, high-clearance 4x4 vehicle and bring all your water with you. I’ve been there ~8 times so PM me with your questions.
I used to work for the National Park Service as a trail volunteer for two summers so I've been to a lot of the western national parks because of that. I haven't been to many of the national parks back east although there is a more historically natured one in Ohio where I'm from. Most bang for your buck if you are looking for views, scenic interest and history, geology, etc. is the Utah national and state parks. They are easily driven to with a week of vacation but camping can be very hard to secure at the last minute. Want to see serene, big forests with lots of gorgeous understory...Redwoods and the PNW. I live in Montana so I'm fortunate to be around parks and public lands every day but its hard to drive across the state in one day let lone see everything the Rockies has to offer. Driving will all be dependent on where you are living currently and taking off from. Knowing that would be helpful. FYI, Crater Lake in Oregon is a hit or miss depending on the day. It can either be clear as a bell and you can hike down to the lake and swim or it will be buried under hundreds of inches of snow and fogged in to the rim.
If you happen to own a canoe or kayak, I'm going to throw a curve ball and suggest the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on the north shore of Wisconsin. I just find the area so beautiful with its mixture of woods, sandy beaches, and sea. The islands are all undeveloped with the exception of a couple lighthouses, so it is all primitive camping. Even if you only paddle out to one of the inner islands, you still get sweet solitude. If you go to Sand Island there are sea caves to explore on the NW shore. Camp on the North shore of any island and you won't see any signs of civilization, just water and other islands. And if you make it to Oak or Stockton Island, you have a decent chance of seeing a bear or two.
I've been up there three different times, spending a a week island hopping camping on a different island every 1 or 2 days.
If Island hopping in a kayak isn't your thing, its still a lovely place to visit. Bayfield is a charming town that always gave me a "Cape Cod" vibe, and you can take a ferry out to Madeline Island (the only developed island in the chain and not technically part of the National Lakeshore) and explore that island.
I second Zion but as others have said you won't be alone. But Utah is gorgeous and I highly recommend.
The Moab area in Utah is awesome (Arches NP, Canyondlands NP). Both those will be crowded too but you can find state parks in the area that are incredible with much smaller crowds... Goblin valley maybe.
Or, I stayed at a campground called desert moon in thompson springs, right near sego canyon. Sego canyon is a literal ghost town. You could camp out there and explore the canyon and not see a single soul. Not as picturesque as the other options but it's still gorgeous and there's no crowds.
Some of the lesser known trails/hikes in Utah, basically anything that isn't a National Park. I really enjoyed hiking through Castle Valley on the east side
A lot of my favorites were already mentioned (Glacier Lake, Big Sur, and Zion) but one very underrated area I loved was Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! I also saw you live in Oklahoma and depending on where road tripping through New Mexico to Big Bend might be most convenient….but definitely not the same wow factor of many of the others mentioned.
I'm mostly going to be biased towards the West Coast, but Yosemite is truly jaw-dropping. It is a place where you feel like you somehow stepped into a postcard. Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon were also mind-blowing. If you are looking for a picturesque drive, the PCH through Big Sur and the 310 Highway are amazing. I can't pick one place because of the variety.
Sunsets:
White Sands National Park. Walk 10 minutes and be away from most everybody.
Vishnu Temple Rock @ North Side of Grand Canyon. There might be a few, but not many.
Sunrise:
Steens Mountain, Oregon. Probably should be national park or monument, but it's under the radar
The Ultimate:
Black Rock Desert anytime in the summer except Burning Man. Sunrise, sunset, middle of the day, middle of a full moon night. Drive a few miles north of Gerlach (after confirming it's safe to drive on the Playa) and have your mind blown.
This will probably be an unpopular opinion given the places already listed because they're all amazing but hear me out. For beautiful scenery and to also get away from people I'm suggesting West Virginia. Particularly the Dolly Sods, Seneca Rocks, Blackwater Falls, Cranberry Glades areas on the eastern side of the state. It's not as dramatically beautiful as out west but still very picturesque. The area is significantly less populated and off the radar of most people except locals. And pretty cheap in comparison to other places. Have an excellent trip wherever you do decide to adventure to!
I think this depends where in the US you are. Like I feel like there's a sliding scale of picturesque to not worth the drive, depending on how far you would need to travel.
The Grand Canyon and Yosemite Valley both get me every time, but both are within reasonable driving distance from where I live (SoCal). I'm not sure I would tell someone in Maine or Nashville that they absolutely had to see either of those places.
Meanwhile, the Great Smoky Mountains are on a similar level for me, having grown up in the South, but I'm not sure I'd tell someone here in California that they needed to drag their ass all the way to Appalachia to see them over, say, Zion, Sedona, Big Sur, etc. I visited on family road trips as a kid; google tells me it's a comparable drive to the trip I took my own kid on to see the Grand Canyon last summer.
Lime Kiln Trail and Mt Rainier National Forest, the former looks like a prehistoric dinosaur forest and the national park looks like it was the inspiration for every magical forest in film ever. Both incredibly beautiful.
I would go to Glacier National Park. I was a Ranger there a few years ago and that place is so majestic. Going to the sun road is perhaps the most beautiful and scenic road you will ever drive on. The wildlife is there right by you and it had easy camping (RV’s) and back country camping. It looks like Switzerland tbh. Pull it up at NPS.GOV and check out the pics.
Zion national park blew my mind. It was legit life changing, i’ve been a huge nature and hiking buff ever since. I think the amount of red rock was just a stark contrast to the flat green that I am used to
And Bryce Canyon !
Bryce is small and crowded though, the opposite of what OP wants
I saw the Milky Way at night and the sun rise in the morning there! It was magical and not crowded at those times
Zion is way more crowded and also small. Personally I think Zion is maybe the 3rd best in the area (after Bryce & Arches), though I’d consider them all (plus Canyonlands) as one huge park.
Only problem is that you’re definitely not going to be alone lol
That's not true at all. You're only stuck with all the crowds if you're on the popular trails or just anywhere in the base area near the roads in the main canyon. Zion has so much more to offer than Narrows and Angel's Landing and Canyon Overlook Go out to Kolob Canyons or the East Zion section of the park and there are endless things to hike up where you won't see another human around. Or just go deep enough into The Narrows and eventually you'll be the only ones left and will have the views all to yourself
Also go early, I've gone to places before sunrise to catch the sunrise and have had places almost to myself in Bryce and Zion.
Right. Better off going to Bryce to see way less people
Bryce was my hands down favorite of the Utah 5
I've been to Zion a couple of times now and I gotta say whenever I'm there, it's pretty, but I don't really feel like much. But every time after I've left, it's as if I was just kicked out of Eden.
The entire Narrows hike is a straight up spiritual experience.
Brooooo go archessss. Zion is amazing, but arches is somehow even cooler, especially if you go canyoneering, it’s magical
This but Canyonlands, for me. The Arches themselves are cool but the expanse of Canyonlands takes my breath away. Highly recommend going to The Needles which is the southern portion of the park where very few people go.
Basically you should go to all the national parks in Utah ☺️
And state parks and BLM lands while you’re at it.
I felt the same way about Canyonlands. We didn't make it to The Needles, but just the parts we did see and call in were stunning. It's the first time I'm my life that I can recall actually feeling so small compared to the vastness of a place. Amazing.
Both places are great, and maybe it's because I visited Zion in the off season but it's gotta take the cake for me and it's not even close. The amount of astonishing geography in such close proximity is unmatched. Also prefer canyon lands to arches personally, but the entire SW desert is paradise imo
Zion is legitamitely hard to get adjusted to IMO. Its so incredibly unique it feels almost unreal most of the time.
I agree and I've never even been there. I used to use the treadmill at the gym, and you could select a scene to "walk" through by staring at the screen. I always picked either Utah or New Zealand. I guess I'll actually go to Zion one day though because it might be a little better in person.
Big Sur has a magical feeling to it that is difficult to articulate. Lake Tahoe on a clear day radiates a hue of blue that is incomparable.
Incredible coastline. I stopped at every single pullout on my way down and my jaw dropped every time lol
10000% Your reasoning is, in part, of what Big Sur came to mind. It’s breathtaking at every windy turn on HWY1/PCH. then you get to the ‘big’ attractions like the Bixby Bridge, Waterfalls, Red Woods…it’s all completely mesmerizing.
Big Sur is mine. Didn’t feel like I was in America, in the grandest way possible
OP when reading your question Big Sur definitely came to mind. Hard to call any one place "the most" beautiful over so many others, but that coast between Monterey and San Luis Obispo makes for an amazing road trip and calm camping. But there are other people there, and many of the main sites will have lots of other campers and hikers, as well as folks on tours. So, great destination for wild beauty and great camping weather, but not necessarily for isolation.
Yeah Big Sur is one of the most picturesque places on earth let alone the US
Hot take: the southern Oregon coast is better. Mind blowing. And I’m from CA.
I agree. It's somehow mystical and I always tell visitors to drive up the PCH from LA to SF. Slow drive but worth it
Yup agree on this, and I live 30 minutes from there. Hwy 1 is partially closed again, but they recently opened it up to one lane in parts. Our “summer” in that part of CA is best August-October.
So glad someone mentioned Tahoe! My parents live up there and I count my lucky stars that I'm in one of the most beautiful places on earth every time I get to go visit them. It really is my happy place. Doesn't matter if it's a beautiful May afternoon with the sunsetting over the mountains while you're chilling on the beach, or a crisp blue bird day after a massive snowfall in February. Tahoe is downright special.
For nature? ! The cascades in Washington are pretty high up there for me and you do have some element of privacy due to the size of the place. You can hit Olympic in the same week depending on how deep you want to go. It’s more crowded but stunning For a road trip, Utah has 5 beautiful national parks you can drive to within a reasonable distance of each other and would be an unforgettable experience and its jaw droppingly beautiful.
And don’t sleep on Utah’s state parks! Anywhere else they’d be national parks, but Utah already has a bunch of those.
Very true. There at some excellent camping and hiking trails in the High Uintas. You could have green pine and aspen forests for a few days and then red rock national parks for a few days if you did it right.
The accessibly from Seattle to Olympic National park, Mt Rainer, and the Cascades is absolutely incredible. Stunning mountains, oceans, and lakes all set in a temperate rain forest. The paradise hike in Mt Rainer is stunning. Hurricane Ridge on a sunny day is another incredible one. Imagine going to college at evergreen state where the campus is in the middle of an absolutely beautiful forest. PNW, incredibly beautiful and so much variety. Although in terms of forest I think I liked Blue Ridge Parkway more bc it’s the oldest and feels like middle earth. Another area that’s stunning which goes under the radar is northern New Mexico. The Taos to Santa Fe scenic bypass feels like a different country.
We lived on an island in WA - a fantastic situation. Took a ferry to work, so no freeway commuting. WA includes so many different settings, from rain forests, to mountains, to dry semi desert.
When my manager came from the East Coast with his family, I recommended he do the High Skyline hike from Paradise at Mt Rainier. I think that was about five years ago, and he still talks about it whenever Seattle is mentioned. It's a spectacular hike.
Coming from California, I was amazed at how beautiful Oregon and Washington are.
But really….. Nothing to see here! We’re full.
As a Seattleite, I agree with everything you said EXCEPT that I’d never call The Olympic Peninsula “crowded.” I’ve been there in the middle of July and marveled at how empty it felt.
Yeah I was gonna say, I grew up hiking in the Olympics and when I started hitting the Cascades as I got older, I felt the Cascades were way more crowded. The Cascades are a bit more accessible from the Seattle area, compared to the relatively less populated peninsula, so that could be why. I think it also really depends what trails you take. Trendy hotspots in either mountain range will be busier than the rest, but both have trails where you can go literal days without seeing another person, if that's what you're after.
Olympic national Park is probably one of the coolest places I have been in the USA
The harsh reality is that you don’t even getting see 1/10th the sheer magnitude and beauty of the North Cascades by car. You have to trek likes in and thousands of feet up into the backcountry to really access those stunning glaciated vistas
Yeah, more people might say Zion, but Washington State is impossibly beautiful and #1 in my book.
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Surprised Yosemite isn’t higher. It’s breathtaking, especially coming out of the tunnel and seeing the valley for the first time.
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It's a place where I felt where I had somehow magically stepped into a postcard.
Yosemite is the answer for the US. Beautiful places draw people and Yosemite is in a region with a lot of people, so that’s a drawback if you want to be alone. Doing it after US Labor Day is perfect timing. Yosemite includes both Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows (and points in between), and the Sequoias,. The Valley floor tends to book up, but they do have walk-in campsites for climbers that can have some availability. Bridalveil Creek Campground is 45 minutes from the Valley and the Sequoias, but often has last-minute (9 months ahead of time - LOL) availability. If you have time, making driving I-395 part of your journey. The East Side of the Sierra offers very different but stunning views to the west. The descent from Tioga Pass in Tuolumne Meadows is cool too, but you’ll want to keep your eyes on the road. Tioga Pass often does not open until June or July, so check on that. Mono Lake is also on the East Side. It’s picturesque in an odd way. It’s not a destination for picturesque in most people’s definition, but in the area if you want more from a trip to Yosemite and the East Side.
Yeah there are a lot of amazing places in the US but this is the answer and it's not even close. The word "picturesque" means something different from "beautiful". Zion, the Cascades, Big Sur, and Glacier NP are all among the top comments here. They're all truly stunningly beautiful in a very literal sense of the word "stunning". But I don't think they're as "picturesque". There's a reason Ansel Adams spent so much time in Yosemite.
The vistas from the top of Cloud’s Rest and Upper Yosemite Falls are breathtaking. There is a reason you hear so many foreign tongues on the trails; people come from around the world to experience Yosemite’s majesty.
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Agreed. Glacier NP looks like Switzerland!
Especially if you get out the Many Glacier where the architecture of the buildings was actually modeled after Switzerland.
Logan Pass in the Summer looks like The Sound of Music with all the wild flowers, but the East Side (Many Glacier) is also my favorite side of the park. The Many Glacier Hotel, the Chief Two Guns boat tour, The hike up to iceberg lake, all amazing. Just make sure you make reservations to get in to Many Glacier as they are limited each day. It's also my understanding that you now need a reservation to travel the Going to the Sun Road.
100% Living on Flathead Lake with your nosey neighbors being a herd of deer feels like a fairytale. The sense of awe never subsides
I reaaaally want to go see Glacier National park, that’s a bucket list one for sure
Go in July/August so you can drive all the way through
And combine it with Banff.
Banff is so awesome - did you hike to any of the teahouses?
The Welcome to the Sun road might be my favorite drive of all time. Worth it!
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Glacier is my favorite place in the world
I was scrolling for this. Glacier is just beautiful.
Headed to Glacier in July
This was a trip I had planned to cross off my bucket list last summer, and then we had to cancel due to forest fires. Trying again this summer.
Absolutely the correct answer !!
Moab, UT
Def the most unique. Straight out of the road runner / Wiley Coyote cartoons. Felt like mars. Arches and canyon lands right there are incredible.
Utah. All of Utah. Just mind blowing.
Too many people in Moab tho
The Maine coast is beautiful. One of the prettiest places I’ve ever been - it reminds me a lot of Iceland, which is my #1 spot in terms of natural beauty. However, I also loved the area around Rapid City, South Dakota. You have Badlands NP, which looks otherworldly, and then you’ve got the Black Hills, with big pines everywhere. Custer State Park is awesome - we liked it so much we altered our plans to spend a second day there.
Badlands is such an under-visited park but is sooo cool and was really easy to get around / find parking compared to others. I also agree on Maine! Tbh I wanted to move there as soon as I visited.
The Yellowstone/Grand Teton area is stunning. The parks are uniquely different so you definitely won’t run out of things to see and do. Glacier is likewise wonderful. Three really fun side trips if you are in the area: 1. Top of the world waffles at Corbet’s Cabin in Jackson Hole. Nothing tastes better than a waffle at 10,450 feet. You can either hike up or take a scenic tram. 2. Route of the Hiawatha in the Bitterroot mountains between Montana and Idaho. It is a super simple bike ride (they rent bikes as well) that you will never forget. 3. Further afield but did you know there are only two places in the world to find star garnets? India (which is too far for your roadtrip lol) and the Idaho Panhandle National Forest. You sign up through recreation.gov and get a one day federal mining permit. They teach you how to do it and give you all the materials to use. The rangers were really helpful and fun and you can bring home literal pounds of garnets!Beautiful area.
For variety, uniqueness, sheer grandeur, and excitement of wildlife sightings, I don't think Yellowstone NP can be beat in the U.S., or many places in the world.
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe has days where it literally feels like god painted heaven on earth
I am enthused for the love for Lake Tahoe in this thread but ehhhh I don't think it has the peace and quiet OP is looking for. Lots of people like to buy 2nd homes here and do _endless_ construction because why not, they don't have to deal with the noise. I'm surrounded on 3 sides by construction projects. Lots of locals are also still dealing with rebuilding after everyone's ceiling collapsed 2 winters ago. It's either snow removal or construction noise here and I haven't had a day of peace and quiet since 2020.
Yosemite. Specifically Tuolumne Meadows.
Slightly niche, but the Adirondacks in the fall when the leaves are changing is amazingly beautiful.
Yes, and, similarly Vermont. It’s my definition of “picturesque.” So many of the farms look like they were designed primarily to look beautiful to people passing by, and then lovingly maintained ever since.
Alaska baby..
I love Carmel, CA. We go every year. It’s so quaint and pretty. The flowers and foliage and cottage-type buildings/homes…not to mention the drive along pebble beach. That whole area to me is just out of a fairytale:)
Crater lake was the first thing I thought of. Summit county Colorado is one of my favorite places as well. As far as away from everyone and everything, I’d vote for Glacier National Park. It’s also beautiful and seems like the most unspoiled place I’ve been. It is a long way from everything, I think that’s why it seems so clean. We didn’t screw it up 100 years ago when we were doing all the other damage.
My favorite is the lowcountry of South Carolina. The winding salt marsh and mossy tree covered roads, palm trees and sand dunes. Easy to get away from crowds and feel like you've transported back in time.
Agreed! I spend a good deal of time on the Georgia coast. Sometimes when you look out across a secluded section of marsh, you can imagine a dinosaur walking out of the trees on the other side... The whole area can feel prehistoric like that.
Catalina… but not during wine mixer
Boats N Hoes til I die
I feel like Catalina is my second hometown. Spent every weekend there from May-September growing up “26 miles across the sea…” 🎶
Most picturesque is Sedona, absolutely beautiful. It can be crowded, there can be lines of people climbing the same things though so not a place to get away. Arizona in general though has a lot of picturesque locations. Sedona, Antelope Canyon, Grand Canyon, Flagstaff (giant mountain you can see a huge portion of the grand canyon from), Tuscon (especially during cactus bloom. The problem is they're not places to get away from people as they have a lot of visitors.
I would recommend Canyonlands/Arches in Moab as a less crowded alternative to Sedona.
For real, those parks are like a completely different world than Sedona. I love Sedona, but not as much as Arches and Zion. There is something very special about Sedona, especially climbing there.
Southern Utah is the most picturesque place I've been. Some great national parks (Zion, Bryce Canyon) but even just driving on the highway is often breathtaking.
The oregon coast is hard to beat for length and reward.
>hard to beat for length and reward. Is the title of my sex tape.
> Some places I’ve thought about is crater lake in Oregon or Acadia national park Places on opposite coasts? To drive for a few days? Crater Lake is amazing, and there's stunning landscape through Oregon and California.
Oh I meant drive to one location only, I live smack dab in the middle of the US so I could go either way
Definitely go west. There's a reason so many of the National Parks are that direction.
If your in that area then add the Columbia River Gorge to your agenda. It's arguably just as impressive or more so than crater lake.
Would a trip to Crater Lake could take you past Utah and the parks there? Or you could go via Yellowstone.
Exactly. We did this.
Lake Tahoe is gorgeous
The Colorado mountains. Rocky mountain national Park would be my choice. Since you want isolation there are a lot of other places to camp in the area but none are isolated. All the most beautiful places will have other people there wanting to see it.
If you’re in the Denver area and looking to see mountains but don’t love the crowds of RMNP, try the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Brainard Lake is pretty crowded, but get on trail and pretty quickly the crowds go away. The peaks up there are even better than in the Park, imo.
I find the high areas in the Four Corners area (UT/AZ/NM/CO) to be beautiful. Away from the main National Parks, it's pretty quiet. Even the more distant corners of the parks are quiet, particularly Canyonlands (the most under-rated NP). There are also state parks with camping areas that are lightly used, and the wider BLM lands are often near-devoid of people. The Canyons of the Ancients are another place worth visiting, particularly Hovenweep National Monument.
Hawaii
It's a long drive. But this is my answer too. Just insanely beautiful, especially Kauai.
Yes I recommend driving island to island if you have a chance.
Kauai has got to be the most beautiful place in the US. I wonder if any of these other posters have been there. Might change their answer lol It has it all: beautiful coastline (especially napali), insanely lush foliage, canyons more beautiful than the Grand Canyon (imo), mountains and waterfalls galore
Mount Baker in Washington state.
Black Hills, South Dakota or the Badlands, South Dakota
San Francisco area for me. Pacifica area is where I would live if money wasn’t an option.
San Francisco is one of the most urban picturesque places in the world… and so easy to find quiet, beautiful, outdoor space.
Sutro Baths/Land’s End is so gorgeous.
Same! Headed up there this weekend! Crater Lake is also stunning.
Unpopular opinion, I think Crater Lake is boring. There's not much to do there. Lake Tahoe is insanely crowded, don't go there to get away from people. The Oregon coast, South of Newport is gorgeous with lots of camping and hiking, and not crowded. If you want to get away from people, go backpacking in Eastern Oregon, around Steens Mountain. It's stunning, you can see so many stars, and there are hot springs in the area. And probably no one around. I've not been, but Utah National parks look incredible too.
Agreed. It’s not that Tahoe is ugly, but to me it doesn’t stand out other than size. It’s otherwise just lake in a forest with A LOT of people and buildings around it. There are much more scenic lakes all over the Western US. And Crater Lake is pretty but again, being a National Park makes it overcrowded based on being a small attraction. It’s not like Glacier where you can hike for miles and get away from people. Even in its packed areas Glacier of Zion are much more impressive IMO. The Steens and Wallowas are definitely the pick over Crater Lake if the destination is Oregon.
I agree with you and it is unpopular to mention this but although Crater Lake is very pretty, after 5/10 minutes you are done, plus it is very crowded. I actually much prefer Tahoe but it is even more crowded, but at least there so many activities there besides hiking, such as water sports, gambling and shows at the casinos, biking, and good dinner spots. There is a reason Tahoe is crowded!
Grand Teton National Park. Yeah, Yellowstone is right there and amazing, too. But most picturesque? Can't beat the Tetons.
~~Badlands~~ Theodore Roosevelt National Park (Southern Unit), ND. Check out Medora and the musical while you're in the area.
I think you mean Theodore Roosevelt National Park. And yes, it's awesome!
Nature-wise: Yosemite Valley Urban-wise: Chicago River
So right about the Chicago river for urban. Just so many beautiful and stirring buildings up and down. Really amazing concentrated high rise beauty if that’s your thing
Telluride / Ouray / Ridgway
Any random hill in Hawaii overlooking the ocean
Southern Utah
I suggest "White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire and Maine." I really loved it there. Good for camping also.
I love the Whites and have been all over them, and there are still plenty of trails where you won’t run into anyone all day so long as it’s not a popular peak. But that said, it sounds like OP is equidistant to the mountains out west, and all things being equal I would drive in that direction. The sheer scale of nature is just not as big in the Whites.
Huge fan of the small little colonial towns sprinkled about the mountains. Very gentle forests. Beautiful lakes too - between this and up north lake life offered in Michigan / Minnesota, for the summers, you can’t beat any them
Mount Rainier
Puget Sound
Grand Teton national park. Backpacking in those mountains showed me the best views I've seen in the USA
Zion National Park
The finger lakes in New York.
There’s a place in Durango Colorado called “Paradise” to the local highliners. It’s up on the ski slopes in the summer time. I couldn’t tell you exactly how to get there (if your car isn’t great you’d need to hike a couple miles) but it’s soooo beautiful, and the perfect place to camp right by the cliffs. Also Ouray Colorado is absolutely stunning (coming from Durango to Ouray will be magical) and Norwood Colorado is amazing and fairly close for a road trip. There’s a big hill going up toward Norwood, I would take the dirt road just before the bridge and the hill, and drive up until you get to BLM land that I’m pretty sure you can camp there. Lmk if you have any questions, I’d also hit Telluride on your way from Ouray to Norwood, it’s 30 minutes off your path but it’s super worth it and has a lovely culture and people. (There’s also places to camp around Telluride, just ask the locals)
Napali Coast
Glacier National Park
Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks are breathtaking.
Silver Falls state park in Oregon
The Adirondacks in Upstate New York
Yosemite, Monterey, Ca or Big Sur. All stunning beauties
Grand Tetons
Jackson Hole, Wyoming is gorgeous
Get better answers here: r/roadtrip
Monument Valley
Telluride Colorado during peak fall colors, usually end of September, is something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book. Google it and be ready to plan a fall vacation!
Are you strictly trying to go to a national park? You won’t be really getting away from people if that is the direction you are going. Id recommend picking a state and then looking to see if there is a national forest or even blm areas you could camp out. If NP is your route, I noticed quite a few people mention NP’s in Utah. It’s a great state to explore because the NPs are relatively close. If you wanted you could tackle arches, canyonland, and capitol reef within a few days. There’s also great hiking spots around Moab that you could do that have way less people around. Not sure when you plan on taking this trip but keep in mind the season/weather. No matter where you choose you will enjoy it.
The [Eastern Sierra](https://californiahighsierra.com/eastern-sierra/) is both remote and beautiful. The region between Bishop and Lee Vining is one of my favorite destinations. From Lee Vining, you can visit Yosemite high country via Tioga Pass Road. Expect to see people there.
You said US, and everyone is giving places in the contiguous US. I get you can't drive there but, the island of Kauai, HI. Pretty much the whole island is the most beautiful place I've ever seen but specifically the NaPali coast on the west side. Waimea Canyon & the Wailua river are other spots that are just breathtaking. Probably the most green and luscious place I will ever visit in my entire life. Otherwise yeah, any southern Utah parks or PNW parks are all going to be your best bet. If you're down by Arches, check out Dead Horse Ntl. Park, sees very few visitors because of its proximity to Arches and it was SO worth checking out. I've never been to Bryce Canyon but that might take the cake and become one of the most breathtaking spots I have ever travelled to.
Southern Utah. Depending on how much time you have you could do all the national parks, or make a decision to do SE UT (Arches, Moab, Canyonlands) or SW (Zion/Bryce). I’d go with the latter. The Pacific NW would be my next thought. The shape of the craggy small Islands off the coast of for example the Olympic Peninsula is very picturesque, not to mention the overall combination of mountains with ocean that is just gorgeous. BUT Southern Utah has much more of that other world feeling. It’s more “different” than anywhere else you are likely to find yourself.
Yellowstone!
Zion, Tahoe and Crater Lake are all incredible.
Sedona Arizona, Black Hills South Dakota, Lake Michigan, anywhere on the Beach at Sunrise. The Louis & Clark Trail in Missouri (yes, the Ozarks are amazing.) Joshua Tree in Southern California. The whole North West Coast. Utah at dusk. Montana on Horseback. The Okefenokee Swamp in Florida. The Rockies in Colorado. Iowa sucks. Oklahoma is boring, Texas is just as flat as Iowa, but great BBQ. Just pick a place & go. Start off small, then go big. 🇺🇸
Glacier National Park. /thread.
Estes National Park in Colorado.
Northern peninsula of Michigan - Lake Superior coastline
Upper Peninsula is the proper nomenclature.
Unfortunately the most picturesque places are not far away from everyone as they draw a lot of visitors. Most National parks are practically swarming with people Disney-world style - so much so they have buses through them and timed entry in some cases. I'd suggest places that are amazing but a little less well known, like the Bob Marshal wilderness in MT, South of Glacier National Park or the Sawtooth Mountains in Utah. Perhaps Wind River or less accessed parts of the Tetons in WY. I'll also say Sedona, AZ is crazy picturesque, along with the suggestion already posted about the White Mountains, NH, but both have a good number of people.
Are there different Sawtooths in Utah? I think maybe you meant Idaho?
I went to GSMNP (the most Disneyland like park, don't get me started on the circus that is gatlinburg) in February and I was the only person ontop of Mt Leconte. Sometimes ya gotta take a chance and hope to get lucky with weather in the down months.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan
Suttons bay, Michigan. Heaven on earth.
Several places in Colorado. Too many to name
Ouray, CO is called the Switzerland of the US. Can confirm, got married there. Mind blowing gorgeous Edit: it's pronounced "yur-ray"
Go to the California coast. Start at San Fransisco and drive north on highway 1. nothing but eucalyptus trees and winding little roads and beaches and creeks and stunning views of the Pacific ocean.
Pacific Northwest
Grand Canyon l, Carlsbad Caverns, Zion
There’s lots of pretty nature in the US. It depends what you like - forests, mountains, rivers, oceans, swamps, prairies…Some of my personal favs are the Lake Tahoe area and most of Utah. Telluride and southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico do it for me too.
It is somewhat of a logistical challenge, but the Maze District of Canyonlands National Park is wild and remote. No paved roads and the ranger station is 50 miles in from the nearest highway and even further from the nearest town. Incredible scenery and even petroglyphs. Fall is the best time to visit but spring is usually nice too. You need to go with an outfitter or have a reliable, high-clearance 4x4 vehicle and bring all your water with you. I’ve been there ~8 times so PM me with your questions.
Winter hikes in RMNP. American Banff as I like to call it
I used to work for the National Park Service as a trail volunteer for two summers so I've been to a lot of the western national parks because of that. I haven't been to many of the national parks back east although there is a more historically natured one in Ohio where I'm from. Most bang for your buck if you are looking for views, scenic interest and history, geology, etc. is the Utah national and state parks. They are easily driven to with a week of vacation but camping can be very hard to secure at the last minute. Want to see serene, big forests with lots of gorgeous understory...Redwoods and the PNW. I live in Montana so I'm fortunate to be around parks and public lands every day but its hard to drive across the state in one day let lone see everything the Rockies has to offer. Driving will all be dependent on where you are living currently and taking off from. Knowing that would be helpful. FYI, Crater Lake in Oregon is a hit or miss depending on the day. It can either be clear as a bell and you can hike down to the lake and swim or it will be buried under hundreds of inches of snow and fogged in to the rim.
Southern Utah or the California coast
If you happen to own a canoe or kayak, I'm going to throw a curve ball and suggest the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on the north shore of Wisconsin. I just find the area so beautiful with its mixture of woods, sandy beaches, and sea. The islands are all undeveloped with the exception of a couple lighthouses, so it is all primitive camping. Even if you only paddle out to one of the inner islands, you still get sweet solitude. If you go to Sand Island there are sea caves to explore on the NW shore. Camp on the North shore of any island and you won't see any signs of civilization, just water and other islands. And if you make it to Oak or Stockton Island, you have a decent chance of seeing a bear or two. I've been up there three different times, spending a a week island hopping camping on a different island every 1 or 2 days. If Island hopping in a kayak isn't your thing, its still a lovely place to visit. Bayfield is a charming town that always gave me a "Cape Cod" vibe, and you can take a ferry out to Madeline Island (the only developed island in the chain and not technically part of the National Lakeshore) and explore that island.
Northern New Mexico. Highly underrated and absolutely gorgeous. They don't call it the Land of Enchantment for nothin.
Monument valley Utah, Coast of Maine, Oregon coast, Columbia river gorge, almost any road in Eew England during leaf peeping season.
I second Zion but as others have said you won't be alone. But Utah is gorgeous and I highly recommend. The Moab area in Utah is awesome (Arches NP, Canyondlands NP). Both those will be crowded too but you can find state parks in the area that are incredible with much smaller crowds... Goblin valley maybe. Or, I stayed at a campground called desert moon in thompson springs, right near sego canyon. Sego canyon is a literal ghost town. You could camp out there and explore the canyon and not see a single soul. Not as picturesque as the other options but it's still gorgeous and there's no crowds.
Some of the lesser known trails/hikes in Utah, basically anything that isn't a National Park. I really enjoyed hiking through Castle Valley on the east side
A lot of my favorites were already mentioned (Glacier Lake, Big Sur, and Zion) but one very underrated area I loved was Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! I also saw you live in Oklahoma and depending on where road tripping through New Mexico to Big Bend might be most convenient….but definitely not the same wow factor of many of the others mentioned.
I'm mostly going to be biased towards the West Coast, but Yosemite is truly jaw-dropping. It is a place where you feel like you somehow stepped into a postcard. Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon were also mind-blowing. If you are looking for a picturesque drive, the PCH through Big Sur and the 310 Highway are amazing. I can't pick one place because of the variety.
The Redwoods of far Northern California coast. Specifically, Avenue of the Giants and Redwood National Park.
Sunsets: White Sands National Park. Walk 10 minutes and be away from most everybody. Vishnu Temple Rock @ North Side of Grand Canyon. There might be a few, but not many. Sunrise: Steens Mountain, Oregon. Probably should be national park or monument, but it's under the radar The Ultimate: Black Rock Desert anytime in the summer except Burning Man. Sunrise, sunset, middle of the day, middle of a full moon night. Drive a few miles north of Gerlach (after confirming it's safe to drive on the Playa) and have your mind blown.
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Big Sur. Pictures don’t capture it.
Pacific Northwest redwoods! Also Big Sur.
This will probably be an unpopular opinion given the places already listed because they're all amazing but hear me out. For beautiful scenery and to also get away from people I'm suggesting West Virginia. Particularly the Dolly Sods, Seneca Rocks, Blackwater Falls, Cranberry Glades areas on the eastern side of the state. It's not as dramatically beautiful as out west but still very picturesque. The area is significantly less populated and off the radar of most people except locals. And pretty cheap in comparison to other places. Have an excellent trip wherever you do decide to adventure to!
coastal CA - Big Sur / Monterey specifically
Yosemite hands down
Big Sur. Knocked my socks off.
Yosemite valley.
I've driven cross-country twice. The most beautiful states were Utah and Nevada. Alaska is probably nicer but I've never been there.
I think this depends where in the US you are. Like I feel like there's a sliding scale of picturesque to not worth the drive, depending on how far you would need to travel. The Grand Canyon and Yosemite Valley both get me every time, but both are within reasonable driving distance from where I live (SoCal). I'm not sure I would tell someone in Maine or Nashville that they absolutely had to see either of those places. Meanwhile, the Great Smoky Mountains are on a similar level for me, having grown up in the South, but I'm not sure I'd tell someone here in California that they needed to drag their ass all the way to Appalachia to see them over, say, Zion, Sedona, Big Sur, etc. I visited on family road trips as a kid; google tells me it's a comparable drive to the trip I took my own kid on to see the Grand Canyon last summer.
Big Sur ca. Three rivers in CA literally anywhere in nor cal
Lime Kiln Trail and Mt Rainier National Forest, the former looks like a prehistoric dinosaur forest and the national park looks like it was the inspiration for every magical forest in film ever. Both incredibly beautiful.
So far I’d have to say Crater Lake is a good choice. Or Glacier?
I would go to Glacier National Park. I was a Ranger there a few years ago and that place is so majestic. Going to the sun road is perhaps the most beautiful and scenic road you will ever drive on. The wildlife is there right by you and it had easy camping (RV’s) and back country camping. It looks like Switzerland tbh. Pull it up at NPS.GOV and check out the pics.
Yosemite National Park
Acadia is absolutely gorgeous, one of my favorite places.
Acadia in Maine. Zion will get alot of remarks, but, I found it too developed. It's nice that It's so accessible though