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1. Hana Highway in Maui is 52 miles long, but along the way the greens and blues are breathtaking. Stop by the Seven Sacred Pools at the Halekala National Park tor some more natural beauty.
2. 17-Mile Drive in California is really only 10 miles, but the views one gets while driving through the Monterey Peninsula is enough to keep travelers coming back. Sunsets and sea-life, including the Monterey Bay Aquarium, are proof of that.
3. The Blue Ridge Parkway that cuts through the Carolinas and Virginia is almost 500 miles long, but offers colorful vistas along the Appalachian Mountains that bring bird-watchers back annually.
4. Chicago can boast about having one of the prettiest drives in the country with Lake Shore Drive. And of course, residents know about all the fun that can be found on the 26 miles of asphalt -- Millennium Park events, beaches, and the entertainment of nearby museums.
5. The Kancamagus Highway in New Hampshire proffers 36 miles of road amid a canvas of colors prevalent in the White Mountains. And for real nature lovers...there's a three-tiered waterfall to see near the town of Waterville.
6. The drive from Anchorage to Valdez in Alaska is a 300-mile one that ensures road-trippers panaromic scenes of snow-capped mountain ranges/glaciers, waterfalls, and glimpses of the animals and the Alaska pipeline.
7. U.S. 1 in the Florida Keys links the 120-miles of little islands from Key Largo to Key West together, which means all the tourist attractions along the way (bars, coral reef parks) are in the right location for fun.
8. Lemhi Pass traverses Montana and Idaho much in the same way Lewis (of Lewis and Clark) came across it hundreds of years ago. Trekkers can take in the historic views at 2 different national parks along the way.
9. Route 12 in Utah, all 124-miles of it, cuts between red rock majesty in Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon national parks. The hues found in the canyons is enough reason to go, but the quaint towns along the way add something extra.
10. Ocean Drive in Newport, Rhode Island runs 10-miles alongside Narrangansett Bay and historic mansions...a little something for history afficionados and nature lovers.
11. More travel photos from chicagotribune.com
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