Most Consistently Scenic State Highway In Your State

[Flint1979]

Route 3 has those historical sites along the Mississippi River that are interesting.

[kphoger]

Route 3 has those historical sites along the Mississippi River that are interesting.

Better than 146, you think?

[Flint1979]

Route 3 has those historical sites along the Mississippi River that are interesting.

Better than 146, you think?

IL-146 is right up there, it may be more scenic than IL-3 but I think it's pretty close. IL-146 goes past Dixon Springs and Cave-In-Rock which makes it's interesting. So I don't think you can say that Illinois doesn't have any scenic highways just not a lot of them.

[Takumi]

Does VA-48 count? (Unsigned designation for Blue Ridge Pkwy and Skyline Dr)

Also my first thought. VA 151 is great as well, and VA 6 is nice once you get past the Richmond suburbia. Elsewhere in the state, I always recommend VA 5 for people traveling between Richmond and Williamsburg.

[kphoger]

Route 3 has those historical sites along the Mississippi River that are interesting.

Better than 146, you think?

IL-146 is right up there, it may be more scenic than IL-3 but I think it's pretty close. IL-146 goes past Dixon Springs and Cave-In-Rock which makes it's interesting. So I don't think you can say that Illinois doesn't have any scenic highways just not a lot of them.

Part of the problem with Illinois, for me, is that I can think of a whole BUNCH of scenic stretches of highway, but almost all of them are on long routes that have plenty of boring sections too.

[MikieTimT]

AR-23 end to end is my favorite.  Lots of the roads intersecting it are scenic as well and it encompasses 3 of the major landforms in western AR, the Ozarks, Arkansas River Valley, and Ouachitas.  Crosses the Arkansas River on one of the nicest bridges in the state, and one of the other intersecting roads, AR-187, is also scenic from end to end and crosses Table Rock Lake at the "Little Golden Gate" and also crosses Beaver Lake at Beaver Dam.  The Talimena Scenic Drive portion of AR-88 is also worth seeing any time of year up near Rich Mtn., as well as AR-309 from end to end over Mt. Magazine.

[paulthemapguy]

Part of the problem with Illinois, for me, is that I can think of a whole BUNCH of scenic stretches of highway, but almost all of them are on long routes that have plenty of boring sections too.

Agreed.

Route 146 could be a contender, although I'm unfamiliar with the portion west of Jonesboro.

There isn't much left of it west of Jonesboro, and the western end is one of the most beautiful bridges in the whole state.  With that said, IL-146 is a great suggestion!

[dvferyance]

WI-35.

That's a good one. Another contender would be US-2 along Lake Superior.

[thefraze_1020]

Washington State:

Interstates: Meh, none that are incredibly scenic for significant stretches.

For US Highways, my vote goes to US 97. North to south, it starts at the Columbia Gorge, climbs to a plateau where one can get views of Mount Rainier, Adams, St. Helens, and Hood. Then climbs over Satus Pass, drops into the Yakima Valley, which can be scenic depending on the season. Then the road is multiplexed with I-82 over the Manastash Hills to Ellensburg. This is an interesting drive in it's own right, but the original US 97 route went through the Yakima River canyon. It is now WA-821, and that is very pretty. North of Ellensburg, US 97 crosses Blewett Pass, down the Wenatchee Valley with US 2 then up the Columbia River (the west side of the river is Alt-US 97 through Chelan. The east side of the river is mainline US 97.) Finally US 97 follows the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers all the way to the Canadian border.

I have also always been fond of US 195 from Spokane to the Idaho state line just north of Lewiston. Almost exclusively farmland on the route, but it is rolling hills that is pretty interesting, with occasional pine trees mixed in.

US 101 could also be a contender for obvious reasons, but it does have some long boring stretches when it is away from the ocean.

For state routes, I nominate the following for the top 10:

WA 10 (old segment of US 10 through the Yakima River canyon from Cle Elum to Ellensburg)
WA 11 (Chuckanut Drive)
WA 14 (follows the north side of the Columbia River through the Gorge from Vancouver to Plymouth)
WA 20 (the longest highway of any type in the state, a major portion of it is the North Cascades Highway)
WA 27 (for similar reasons as US 195, except it is narrower and windier)
WA 112 (follows the Strait of Juan de Fuca for its whole length out to Neah Bay)
WA 129 (first portion follows the Snake River from Clarkston to Asotin, then it climbs up a mountain to the tiny town of Anatone, enters the pine forest, drops down to a crossing of the Grand Rhonde River, and climbs back up to the Oregon state line)
WA 410 (a portion of old US 410, crosses Chinook Pass and goes through Mount Rainier National Park)
WA 504 (the rebuilt road to Mount St. Helens)
WA 821 (Yakima River canyon from Ellensburg to Yakima, old route of US 97, mentioned above)

[tq-07fan]

Ohio I would nominate the following
OH 32 Appalachian Highway It stays pretty scenic for almost the entire route even though it is a major highway
OH 73 It has areas that aren't so exciting but they don't last that long.

I would include these but I have not been on the northern ends of them
OH 13 I have not been north of Mansfield
OH 7 very scenic as it follows the Ohio River but I have not been on it north of East Liverpool
OH 93 and OH 60 I have only been as far north as Zanesville

Lots of lesser state highways in the Southeast part of the state that are scenic.

Jim

[noelbotevera]

I'll nominate PA 44 for my home state. Probably has the most varied trek across the state, from mountains in the northern and center parts to farmland in the south; haven't been south of US 15 though. Also has the longest distance in PA without any gas: 71 miles (for a northern state that's not Maine, that's pretty long). PA 120 loses out by being boring west of Emporium, or at least St. Marys.

Other runner ups:
PA 14
PA 120
PA 144
US 6
US 322 west of Harrisburg
US 15 north of Williamsport

[sparker]

In CA, an obvious choice is CA 1, despite parts of it being urban slogs.  Of course Cambria-Carmel, Davenport-Pacifica (at least before the fire!), and Jenner-Leggett would be the three longer stretches that would certainly qualify.  Mill Valley-Bodega Bay is also nice, but seems to be more crowded and troublesome each passing year.  Second on the list would be CA 89.  The two passes between US 395 and US 50 are gorgeous; Tahoe is either unsurpassed or a pain in the ass (little in between).  The Graeagle/Blairsden area has always been a favorite of mine -- and there's always Keddie Wye on the RR line just below CA 70/89 in the Indian Creek canyon -- one of the most spectacular structures of its kind.  Almanor, Lassen, Burney Falls, the south flank of Shasta -- it's one great view after another.  Finally, an unsung outlier -- CA 3.  The south end between CA 36 and CA 299 is an example of what original CA mountainous state routes looked and functioned like in the early decades of the system, while the more recently deployed section over Scott Mountain exemplifies more modern alignment techniques.  Etna and Fort Jones are positively bucolic, and even the Main Street section through Yreka is a trip to times past.  Always a treat!

[Flint1979]

Route 3 has those historical sites along the Mississippi River that are interesting.

Better than 146, you think?

Does it help either route out that they are concurrent for about 11-12 miles?