States with the most scenic roads? States with the least scenic roads?

[webny99]

New York has almost as much variety of California and/or Colorado, but a lot of it is not as dramatic.

The only thing California has that New York doesn't is desert.

New York's coastline is kinda lame, although seeing skyscrapers over the water is kinda cool.

There's the Long Island coastline, too. And parts of the Great Lakes coastline are scenic, like Chimney Bluffs.

[NWI_Irish96]

I guess the way I look at it is if I could only drive in one state the rest of my life, money and living arrangement considerations aside, I'd choose California and it wouldn't be close.

If I could only drive in 49 states the rest of my life, the state I'd give up would be Nebraska, Kansas or Delaware.

[Flint1979]

Why do you hate Delaware so much? Or are you just being difficult for the sake of being difficult?

Neither one.  I simply realized nobody had challenged the suggestion that Delaware has the least scenic roads, and I didn't think "it has the ocean" was a legitimate counter-argument, considering that the ocean isn't really visible from the state's roads.

So, I was following this conversation last week knowing there was a decent chance I could drive some of Delaware's roads this weekend, and sure enough, it happened.

I have no issues with Delaware being designated State With The Least Scenic Roads[emoji769]. I didn't see anything of particular interest throughout the entire length of the state. Just boring landscape, stoplights, strip malls, and plenty out-of-state license plates.

There is some coast that might be nice if you don't live near the ocean.

Where is that coast visible from the road, other than atop the Indian River Inlet Bridge?

I-295, although it might be considered a river.

I-295 goes over the Delaware River. That's not a coast.

I think that US 9 also goes right to the ocean, and I think DE 1 is next to it to.

The US-9 ferry goes over the entrance to the Delaware Bay which is the outlet of the Delaware River. I guess you could say Delaware has about 20 miles or so of coast but the only highway that goes along it is DE-1.

Is the Delaware Bay fresh or salt water?

It's both. The closer to the ocean the more saltier the water is, closer to the Delaware Memorial Bridge it becomes more fresh water.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

New York has almost as much variety of California and/or Colorado, but a lot of it is not as dramatic.

The only thing California has that New York doesn't is desert.

New York's coastline is kinda lame, although seeing skyscrapers over the water is kinda cool.

There's the Long Island coastline, too. And parts of the Great Lakes coastline are scenic, like Chimney Bluffs.

But strictly in a discussion about the scenic roads, this was about all I could find for an actual lake view as the roads mostly remain inland and out of sight of the lake.

Obviously I'm biased, but this will always be my baseline for a Great Lakes view, right or wrong.

[Scott5114]

And Oklahoma is NOT flat and it's NOT boring!  That's just the crap that Hollywood has fed people along the coasts.

Actually, I think a lot of it is flat and boring.  But it has enough places that aren't, that I can't call the state in general "not scenic".

This is true of most states, though.  And OK has a variety of scenery that is more varied than the likes of Illinois or New Jersey or (certainly) Iowa. The eastern part is "green country" with the Ouachita's that look Appalachian.  The SE corner even has thick pine forests like Mississippi has (near Idabel). The central part has rolling hills and low trees/prairie - and is drier.  Farther west is drier still with small mountain ranges in SW OK that look western.  And then there's the panhandle with volcanic Black Mesa.  There's a lot to see really. 

The thing about Oklahoma is that its geography changes so much from east to west that you can't categorize it as any one thing. You'd have to break it down by county. Oklahoma has a dozen or so awful counties, but most of them have some at least something to mitigate boredom (keeping in mind that the scenery presented may not be everyone's cup of tea, if you have a 'only forests and mountains can be scenic' outlook) or are actively scenic (you have to search a bit to find a spot in Murray County that sucks). But a complaint I've never had about Oklahoma is that it's boring to look at.

If I could only drive in 49 states the rest of my life, the state I'd give up would be Nebraska, Kansas or Delaware.

The eastern half of Kansas is pretty nice-looking (bleeding over from actively-scenic Missouri), and if you're a roadgeek, the infrastructure throughout the state is very well done and offers its own sort of scenery. KDOT standard bridge designs are quite a bit more pleasant than those of the surrounding states, and signage is second to none.

If you have to ditch a central state, ditch Nebraska or Iowa.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

If you have to ditch a central state, ditch Nebraska or Iowa.

Mountain Time Nebraska is actually pretty nice; not amazing, but better than a lot of places.

[Roadgeekteen]

Being from the Northeast, I'm actually intrigued by plains scenery.

[Ben114]

Being from the Northeast, I'm actually intrigued by plains scenery.

If you want plains, I highly recommend the NY Thruway between Syracuse and Buffalo.

[Scott5114]

Being from the Northeast, I'm actually intrigued by plains scenery.

If you want plains, I highly recommend the NY Thruway between Syracuse and Buffalo.

Real plains don't have trees, my guy.

[Roadgeekteen]

Being from the Northeast, I'm actually intrigued by plains scenery.

If you want plains, I highly recommend the NY Thruway between Syracuse and Buffalo.

How is that "plains"?

[webny99]

New York's coastline is kinda lame, although seeing skyscrapers over the water is kinda cool.

There's the Long Island coastline, too. And parts of the Great Lakes coastline are scenic, like Chimney Bluffs.

But strictly in a discussion about the scenic roads, this was about all I could find for an actual lake view as the roads mostly remain inland and out of sight of the lake.

That's true for the most part, but not everywhere. Make sure you don't miss this stop sign, for example. The lake is also visible at points along the Lake Ontario State Parkway and NY 18. And it's not just the Great Lakes: There's the Finger Lakes, the lakes in the Adirondacks, the Thousand Islands, and the list goes on. There's plenty of this type of lakeshore road throughout the state that usually meet my definition of "scenic", but YMMV.

Obviously I'm biased, but this will always be my baseline for a Great Lakes view, right or wrong.

I'm biased too, but not towards anything in NY... US 2, M 28, and M 35 in particular are some of my favorites. Driving M 35 early on a July morning and getting peeks of the sunrise coming up over Lake Michigan while the logging truck traffic whizzed by was hands-down the best hour I've ever spent on the road.

[webny99]

Being from the Northeast, I'm actually intrigued by plains scenery.

If you want plains, I highly recommend the NY Thruway between Syracuse and Buffalo.

How is that "plains"?

plain
/plān/
adjective
not decorated or elaborate; simple or ordinary in character?

Real plains don't have trees, my guy.

Yeah, Upstate NY is not the place to be if you're looking for plains. This is as close as it gets.

[Roadgeekteen]

My home state of Massachusetts is quite average when it comes too roads, the nicest roads are in the Boston area with some nice urban scenery. There are some nice coastal roads, and some mountain scenery out west, but New Hampshire and Vermont have much better mountains than Massachusetts.

[webny99]

So, how do we actually measure "most scenic" in some sort of non-subjective way?
Here's a few building blocks to work from:

(1) Quality of the scenery: advantage western states
(2) Quantity of roads that are scenic: advantage larger states
(3) Percentage of roads that are scenic: Vermont wins, hands down! Why hasn't Vermont come up more often in this thread?

[Scott5114]

So, how do we actually measure "most scenic" in some sort of non-subjective way?

You can't, because "scenic" is a value judgment and is inherently subjective.

[webny99]

So, how do we actually measure "most scenic" in some sort of non-subjective way?

You can't, because "scenic" is a value judgment and is inherently subjective.

True, but there are things everyone can agree on, like California is more scenic than Delaware, and Colorado is more scenic than Iowa.

[GaryV]

Driving M 35 early on a July morning and getting peeks of the sunrise coming up over Lake Huron while the logging truck traffic whizzed by was hands-down the best hour I've ever spent on the road.

If you can see Lake Huron from M-35 you have excellent vision.

[index]

Owing to its boring topography and wooded nature, South Carolina is definitely towards the bottom for scenic routes. US 21 as it ends, transitioning onto Hunting Island is neat, and some of the roads near the microscopic sliver SC has of the Appalachians can be kind of nice, but there's overall not much.

[Max Rockatansky]

So, how do we actually measure "most scenic" in some sort of non-subjective way?

You can't, because "scenic" is a value judgment and is inherently subjective.

True, but there are things everyone can agree on, like California is more scenic than Delaware, and Colorado is more scenic than Iowa.

I would still say that's subjective, even things like I-80 in Nebraska has it's fans on this forum. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Owing to its boring topography and wooded nature, South Carolina is definitely towards the bottom for scenic routes. US 21 as it ends, transitioning onto Hunting Island is neat, and some of the roads near the microscopic sliver SC has of the Appalachians can be kind of nice, but there's overall not much.

I've always liked that wooden nature of the highway system in South Carolina.  I wouldn't put it in the top half of States but I can definitely think of at least five that are more boring. 

[index]

So, how do we actually measure "most scenic" in some sort of non-subjective way?

You can't, because "scenic" is a value judgment and is inherently subjective.

True, but there are things everyone can agree on, like California is more scenic than Delaware, and Colorado is more scenic than Iowa.

I would still say that’s subjective, even things like I-80 in Nebraska has it’s fans on this forum.

I myself actually quite like the aesthetic of the Great Plains...but I'm definitely an outlier. The general consensus is that it's not a particularly scenic area, so it makes sense to use how most people would think as the measure for how scenic something is. 19 times out of 20 if you ask someone to pick between Delaware or California for natural beauty they'll pick California, and those that pick Delaware usually have ties to the area. As someone who's never seen plains before except for a 45-minute layover in Denver, they look neat to me.

Owing to its boring topography and wooded nature, South Carolina is definitely towards the bottom for scenic routes. US 21 as it ends, transitioning onto Hunting Island is neat, and some of the roads near the microscopic sliver SC has of the Appalachians can be kind of nice, but there's overall not much.

I’ve always liked that wooden nature of the highway system in South Carolina.  I wouldn’t put it in the top half of States but I can definitely think of at least five that are more boring.

I'm probably biased against woodlands due to how used I am to them. It's nothing particularly special to me, and they can get dreadfully boring. See: I-85 in Virginia. Wooded median, nothing but you, the road, and trees on both sides for ages. However, I have friends out west (especially from the Midwest) who would kill to get a taste of foliage when they're on the road.

[webny99]

Driving M 35 early on a July morning and getting peeks of the sunrise coming up over Lake Huron while the logging truck traffic whizzed by was hands-down the best hour I've ever spent on the road.

If you can see Lake Huron from M-35 you have excellent vision.

Whoops. I meant Lake Michigan. Fixed.

[Flint1979]

Driving M 35 early on a July morning and getting peeks of the sunrise coming up over Lake Huron while the logging truck traffic whizzed by was hands-down the best hour I've ever spent on the road.

If you can see Lake Huron from M-35 you have excellent vision.

Whoops. I meant Lake Michigan. Fixed.

Actually what you were seeing was Green Bay but that's an arm of Lake Michigan so close enough.

[CoreySamson]

Ok I'll try to sort the states into categories:

1. Amazing Scenery Nearly Everywhere
Hawaii
California
Colorado
Alaska

2. Widespread Great Scenery
Washington
Vermont
West Virginia
Oregon
Maine

3. Great Scenery In Many Places
Arizona
New Hampshire
New York
Utah
New Mexico
Wyoming
Nevada
Idaho
Pennsylvania
Montana

4. Good Scenery, If You Know Where To Look
Texas
Tennessee
North Carolina
Virginia
Kentucky
Missouri
Arkansas

5. Decent Scenery In Localized Areas
Massachusetts
Michigan
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Illinois
Georgia
North Dakota
South Dakota
Maryland

6. Mediocre Scenery
Alabama
Mississippi
Wisconsin
Ohio
South Carolina
Florida

7. Generally Boring
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
New Jersey
Oklahoma
Kansas
Nebraska

8. Bottom Of The Barrel
Louisiana
Delaware

[ozarkman417]

Illinois was duplicated. It is in both #5 and #7. I would have it in #5 because of the "Illinois Ozarks"/Shawnee Nat'l Forest.