The National Scenic Byways Program has announced 34 new National Scenic Byways and 15 All-American Roads bringing the total to 184 byways in 48 states. The new designees traverse 28 states and are the first additions to the program since 2009.

Established in 1991, the National Scenic Byways Program recognizes roadways with notable scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archaeological qualities. The new designees—ranging from Utah’s Zion Scenic Byway to New Mexico’s Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway—traverses 28 states, bringing the total of America’s Byways to 184 in 48 states.

The United States Congress included $16 million in funding for the program which has resonance in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With people looking for safe ways to travel, road trips and visits to parks and natural places has widespread appeal. The National Scenic Byways Program brings new jobs, tourism, and other benefits to communities along these scenic roads which are often located in parts of the country where such resources are desperately needed and harder to come by.
In 2019 alone, travel and tourism generated $2.9 trillion in economic impact according to the U.S. Travel Association. Scenic byways contribute strongly to those figures. For example, the Blue Ridge Parkway generated $1.4 billion in economic output and supported 16,300 jobs in North Carolina and Virginia in 2019 according to the National Park Service. During the same year, the Natchez Trace Scenic Parkway brought $13.1 million in economic output to Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi, supporting 161 jobs.
The National Scenic Byways Program is administered by the Federal Highway Administration. Newly designated National Scenic Byways include:

California Historic Route 66 Needles to Barstow Scenic Byway, California
River of Lakes Heritage Corridor, Florida
Scenic Highway 30A, Florida
Boom or Bust Byway, Louisiana
Scenic Highway of Legends, Colorado
Silver Thread Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway, Colorado

Bayou Teche Scenic Byway, Louisiana
Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway, Iowa
Whitewater Canal Scenic Byway, Indiana
Old Frankfort Pike Historic and Scenic Byway, Kentucky

Delaware Bayshore Byway, Delaware
Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway, Massachusetts
Old King’s Highway (Route 6A, Massachusetts
Katahdin Woods and Waters Scenic Byway, Maine
St. John Valley Cultural Byway/Fish River Scenic Byway, Maine
Bold Coast Scenic Byway, Maine

Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway, New Mexico
Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway, Nebraska
Lincoln Highway Scenic and Historic Byway, Nebraska
Western Highlands Scenic Byway, New Jersey
Bayshore Heritage Byway, New Jersey
Palisades Scenic Byway, New Jersey, New York
Pine Barrens Byway, New Jersey
Hocking Hills Scenic Byway, Ohio
Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway, Pennsylvania

Revolutionary Heritage Byway, Rhode Island
Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway, Tennessee
Cumberland Historic Byway, Tennessee

Norris Freeway, Tennessee
Cascade Loop, Washington
Door County Coastal Byway, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Lake Superior Scenic Byway, Wisconsin
Flaming Gorge – Green River Basin Scenic Byway, Wyoming
Newly designated All-American Roads include:
Great River Road National Scenic Byway, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Tennessee Wisconsin
A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway, Florida

Newfound Gap Road Byway, North Carolina, Tennessee
The Battle Road Scenic Byway, Massachusetts
Chesapeake Country, Maryland
Historic Route 66, Missouri
Worth Pondering…
Life’s an open road.
—Bryan Adams, Open Road