5 Radical, Romantic Road Trips Around the United States

When most people think of vacations, they think of the destination. However, when you are traveling with your sweetheart, you may find it much more rewarding to focus more on the journey. A road trip is an excellent opportunity to connect deeply with your love and the land, as you have hours available to grow closer with one another and the unique scenery that surrounds you.

On your next couples’ adventure, you should consider hopping in the car and enjoying any of the following five trips that are destined to make you fall head-over-heels.

1. Pacific Coast

Also known as the Pacific Coast Highway, the California 1 stretches 735 miles along California’s western edge, hugging the awesome Pacific Coast for most of its length. Driving north to south, you never lose sight of the ocean, and you’ll see the fascinating scope of California wildlife as the dense forests and jagged mountains transform into white-sand beaches bathing in bright sunlight.

Inarguably, the most outstanding section of the drive is from Monterey to Morro Bay, which includes the stunning region of Big Sur. Here, the air is fresh from the nearby Redwood Forest, and the beaches are remarkable unspoiled. If you need to stop and stretch your legs — or catch your breath after driving along precipitous cliffs — outdoor spaces make for excellent hiking and picnics, and small towns nearby have superb shops and restaurants to explore.

2. Great Lakes

For a longer and more varied journey, you and your love can travel around the Great Lakes to sightsee in as many as seven U.S. states and one Canadian province. The five massive lakes boast more than a fifth of the world’s freshwater, which makes the land around them incredibly fecund and wonderful to view.

If you start in New York, you can head directly to the Niagara Falls, which straddles the land between lakes Ontario and Eerie. Long heralded as one of the most passionate destinations in the world, Niagara Falls offers many romantic activities, from picnics in the parks to vineyard tours in the exploding wine country. You can then head north to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a glimpse of old-world charm on the shores of Lake Ontario, and head west through the Canadian province to see the lush scenery and rich history around Lake Huron. Cutting across Michigan, you can end your journey on the warm beaches of lakes Michigan and Superior, which certainly offer the most breathtaking views.

3. Golden Isles

The South isn’t known for being fast, as Southerners notoriously talk as sluggishly as molasses in the warm, humid summers. This speed is ideal for a lazy couple’s trip through Georgia’s gorgeous Golden Isles. Following highways that wind you through marshes, over rivers, and around estuaries, you’ll see some of the most charming natural scenes the South has to offer. Every once in a while, consider branching off down a dirt road to see what hidden gems the landscape has to offer.

For example, you might find you and your love in the quiet village of Shellman Bluff, where views of the intertwining rivers and marshes are unsurpassed. Additionally, for the ultimate in Southern romance, stay a night in the Cloister Hotel, where more than 37,000 newlyweds have honeymooned in bliss since 1940.

4. Beartooth Highway

If you are hoping that a romantic road trip injects some intensity into your relationship, you should set your GPS for U.S. Highway 212, better known as Beartooth Highway for the way the road zigs and zags around the treacherous glaciated mountains of Wyoming and Montana. You and your honey will grow that much closer while you navigate the ups, downs, and turns while holding hands clutched with white-knuckle grips.

Of course, the perilous drive is well-worth the seeming danger. Tucked into this oft-forgotten and virtually untouched natural region of the U.S. are dense forests hiding all manner of wild creature, from moose and elk to black and grizzly bears. Then, at the end of the drive, you will be rewarded with the ultimate in outdoor adventure: Yellowstone Natural Park, filled with even more natural wonders sure to induce love.

5. Red Rock Scenic Byway

A region doesn’t have to be green and fertile to inspire passion — as demonstrated by the bright red rocks of the landscape surrounding Arizona’s Red Rock Scenic Byway. The sandstone here gets its unique color from hematite, and is found no other place in the world.

You can start in Sedona, where you’ll find all manner of fun and funky shops and restaurants to expand your horizons. As you travel south, you can pull of almost anywhere along the byway and find a worthwhile place to picnic or explore. Outdoor sports are common here, north of the scorching heat of Arizona’s central valley, so you’ll likely cross paths with several mountain climbers, cyclists, and hikers. Eventually, you’ll start to drive through Coconino National Forest, where the landscape is dotted with diverse and striking desert plants like pinon pine and cactus.

photo credit: (Beartooth) Highway don’t care via photopin (license)