Road Trips to Fit Every Personality

Experience Bryce Canyon’s hoodoos, thin spires that look straight from a fairy tale. Capitol Reef displays a trove of cliffs, domes and more canyons.

You’ll discover the highest concentration of natural stone arches anywhere in Arches National Park. Nearby is the expansive Canyonlands, with four distinct regions and hundreds of hiking trails.

Award-winning nature photographer Stan Ford, 70, owner of Fotos by Ford, considers Arches the top spot in the area to visit. “It is defined by the detail and texture of the rocks and the brilliance of the light reflecting on them. You also can’t beat it for brilliant night skies.”

Fuel up: Cool off with a milkshake from the old-fashioned soda fountain at Kanab Drug, which also serves up its “ultimate” series of fancy sundae concoctions. Stop by the Peekaboo Canyon Wood-Fired Grill, named after nearby Peekaboo Slot Canyon, with a spectacular trail that winds through a tall, narrow red-stone canyon. “I think we all believe the beauty of this area is its most valuable resource,” says Silva Battista, the restaurant’s co-owner. “It’s irreplaceable.”

Visitor view: “Visiting Utah is like stepping back in time,” says Barry Williams, 50, cofounder of Hiking My Feelings, a nonprofit dedicated to improving mental health through nature. “You’ll find petroglyphs, pictographs from the Indigenous people, and discover a landscape that’s taken thousands of years to create.”

There are more than 30 wineries in Chelan, Washington, including Siren Song Vineyard, where patrons can grab a bite to eat.

Siren Song Vineyard

The foodie

Who doesn’t want great meals on a vacation? But this traveler takes it to the next level, building trips specifically to explore a region's unique cuisine.

The journey: Farm to Table in Washington State (405 miles)

The route: Bellingham, Skagit Valley, Methow Valley, Chelan, Leavenworth

Top stops: Mallard Ice Cream in Bellingham serves artisan flavors, including rose, cardamom, turmeric and brown butter miso.

A must stop for oyster lovers is the Skagit Valley’s Taylor Shellfish Farms, a fifth-generation business. From there, follow the Bow-Edison Food Trail, which links 18 artisan farms and food and spirits outlets.

Bellingham boasts 17 craft breweries, while the Chelan area has more than 30 wineries. Find honey and orchard fruits at the Methow Valley Farmers Market.

Savor fresh fruit, cheese, cider and more at Wenatchee’s Pybus Public Market and handcrafted chocolates at Schocolat in the Bavarian village of Leavenworth.

Soak in the scenery: From the flowering fruit trees of Leavenworth, Wenatchee and Lake Chelan to acres of farmland in the Methow and Skagit valleys, road trippers uncover serene, rural beauty at every turn.

Grand Marais, Minnesota, is an arts haven and offers gorgeous views of Lake Superior.

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The back roads wanderer

Forget the interstate. This road tripper takes joy in meandering along country roads, visiting general stores, cafés and overflowing farm stands.

The journey: Minnesota’s North Shore (110 miles)

The route: Duluth, Two Harbors, Grand Marais

Top stops: In Duluth, explore the Aerial Lift Bridge, which is raised for ships to pass, and walk along the canal. Then pick up provisions at the historic DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace for a scenic picnic at Brighton Beach Park, which offers unobstructed views of Lake Superior.

Northeast of Duluth is Two Harbors, which was once among the country’s leading sources of iron ore. Today, one of Minnesota’s oldest continuously operating city bands plays every Thursday in the summer at the bandshell in Two Harbors’ Thomas Owens Park.

Grand Marais is an arts haven on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior, with quirky restaurants and interesting shops and galleries. The town has an events calendar packed with live music and festivals.

While there, try the Angry Trout Café, a small indoor/outdoor restaurant housed in an old commercial fishing shanty. Crafters will love the North House Folk School, which offers classes and programs in blacksmithing, woodworking, bread baking and basketmaking.

Also allow some time for skipping stones and admiring the ships in the Grand Marais harbor.

Soak in the scenery: You’ll find plenty of lighthouses, agate-lined beaches, and quaint parks and villages as you travel along the shoreline.

Visitor view: “This is an area where wilderness rules and civilization is the exception,” says polar explorer and former Minnesota resident Eric Larsen, 53. “But the towns each have their own unique personalities, with great food and excellent shops.”

The "Take My Hand" mural of Harriet Tubman, painted by artist Michael Rosato, covers the side of the Dorchester County Visitor Center in Cambridge, Maryland.

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The history buff

Discovering new parts of our country’s past is the point for this traveler, who finds experiencing history deeply satisfying.

The journey: Tracking the Underground Railroad (125 miles)

The route: Cambridge, Maryland, Church Creek, Maryland, Dover, Delaware, Philadelphia

Top stops: At the Dorchester County Visitor Center in Cambridge, a mural brings the legend of Harriet Tubman to life. Visit nearby Brodess Farm, where Tubman lived and toiled, then head to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National ​Historical Park in Church Creek.

The Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage in Dover includes nine historic buildings and more than 3 million artifacts.

In Philadelphia, take a walking tour with the 1838 Black Metropolis group.

Visitor view: “It is so incredible to see written correspondence from [Underground Railroad conductor] William Still talking about how they’re getting people to freedom,” says Justina Barrett of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. “You’re literally touching the past.”