GoCampingAmerica.com | Posted March
    5th, 2017

    Backroads and Byways

    Happy Camper Blog

    As the old
    saying goes, it’s better to focus on the journey than the destination, and a
    trip along America’s scenic backroads and byways offers you the opportunity
    to do just that. Instead of rushing from point A to point B, you can take
    your time and make as many stops as you please. Since these roads often
    travel through remote areas, be sure to top off your gas tank before you
    leave and pack some extra food and water to enjoy along the way. Here are
    just a few of the great trips you can take:

     

    COLORADO | West Elk Loop Scenic
    Byway 

    As the folks at the Colorado Tourism Office like to say, this 200-mile route is shaped
    like a lasso that’s been dropped on Colorado’s pristine West Elk Mountains.
    This route travels through three mining communities and near four diverse
    wilderness areas and it offers opportunities to visit the galleries and
    boutiques in Carbondale, the Pioneer Museum in Gunnison and to take in the
    Victorian charm of Crested Butte which has been designated by the Colorado
    legislature as the “Wildflower Capital of Colorado.” The loop also passes by
    the Black Canyon gorge which is located between Montrose and
    Gunnison.

     

    NEW MEXICO | Enchanted Circle Scenic
    Byway

    The name of this byway alone
    makes you want to go out and explore it. This 85-mile loop is located in the
    northern part of New Mexico and circles around 13,161-foot Wheeler Peak, the
    highest point in the state. The route includes Taos Pueblo, the oldest
    continuously-occupied residence in New Mexico, as well as a shrine to author
    D. H. Lawrence (he’s buried here) and the United States’ first memorial to
    Vietnam War veterans, which is located near Angel Fire. You’ll also find
    scenery you just might recognize from films like Butch Cassidy and
    the Sundance Kid
    and Easy Rider. You can also
    take a 12-mile side trip northwest of Taos to see the Rio Grande Gorge
    Bridge.

     

    MISSISSIPPI/ALABAMA/TENNESSEE | Natchez
    Trace Parkway 

    This 444-mile route
    spans from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee and offers plenty of
    interesting and scenic stops.  Along the way, you’ll find prehistoric
    mounds, historic sites, hiking trails, waterfalls and scenic overlooks. Civil
    War buffs may want to visit the Tupelo National Battlefield and Brices Cross
    Roads National Battlefield located near Tupelo. As you navigate the Parkway,
    you can also gain an appreciation of what it must have been like to travel
    the Old Natchez Trace by foot back in the day.

     

    INDIANA | Parke County

    Located in central Indiana 75 miles west of Indianapolis, Parke County is billed as “the covered bridge capital of the world” because it contains 31 of these historic structures.
    There are five different suggested driving routes that you can take in this
    area, and there are other attractions to enjoy along the way, including
    museums, antique shops, the Covered Bridge Art Gallery and historic sites
    like Bridgeton Mill, which was established in 1823 and continues to offer
    stone ground products, snacks and treats. Sweet Potato Pie ice cream, anyone?
    Parke County is also home to the Covered Bridge Festival which will take
    place on October 13-22 this year.

     

    MAINE | Acadia All-American
    Road 

    Invest three hours to drive this 40-mile route and you’ll be rewarded
    with all kinds of views, from craggy shorelines to granite-capped mountains
    and crystal-clear lakes to spruce and fir forests. Other views include the
    fishing boats and sailboats in Frenchman’s Bay and the summer “cottages”
    built in Bar Harbor by wealthy families that once summered in the area. The
    route also offers access to the hiking trails in Acadia National
    Park.

     

    Interested in finding more backroads and byways? America’s
    Byways
     is an umbrella term used by the U.S.
    Department of Transportation to describe a collection
    of 150 diverse
    roads
     designated by the U.S. Secretary of
    Transportation as National Scenic Byways and All-American Roads. The program
    invites travelers to “come closer to America’s heart and soul.”

    Once you’ve decided where you’re headed, go to our
    “Find a
    Park
      search page to find great
    campgrounds to stay at as you head out to explore America’s backroads and
    byways. It’s easy to refine your search by the geographic area(s) on your
    itinerary. Enjoy the journey!

     

     

     

     

    Photos collected from
    Pixabay.com and Pexels.com