What to do, decided.

YES in summer/fall: it's the area's classic scenic outing — a gentle historic-railroad grade to an 11,000-ft-plus pass with sweeping views, aspens ablaze in late September, and railroad history (structures at the top).

Breckenridge, COFreescenic-drive

YES, and free.

Savannah, GAFreepark

YES in season for the payoff; a short, dramatic climb from town to the Wasatch crest with huge views and, in late September–early October, some of the best aspen color around — an easy half-day scenic loop when it's open.

Park City, UTFreescenic-drive

YES for hikers and anyone wanting the wilder, quieter side of the coast — a real beach-and-bluff walk with big ocean views and (seasonally) condors overhead.

Big Sur, CA$state-park

YES, a cross-mode must-do.

San Diego, CA$park

YES, the island's signature must-do: the oldest structure in Miami-Dade, a climbable 1825 lighthouse with ocean/bay/skyline views, wrapped in a restored beach-and-hammock park with bike paths and No Name Harbor.

Key Biscayne, FL$park

YES; it's a two-minute stop for the defining Big Sur/Highway 1 image, and it's right on the route.

Big Sur, CA$viewpoint

YES: it's the defining natural sight of the box canyon and Colorado's tallest free-falling waterfall, dramatic even from the canyon floor and more so up close.

Telluride, CO$waterfall

YES for everyone; it's a short, mostly-easy walk to one of the valley's signature falls, and among the more dependable late-season.

Yosemite, CA$waterfall

YES; it's the grand, soaring overlook many consider the single best amphitheater view, and a classic sunrise perch.

Bryce Canyon NP, UT$viewpoint

YES, a cross-mode anchor and one of the great gateway drives.

Cody, WY$scenic-drive

YES for everyone as a stop; standing in El Cap Meadow under the largest granite face on earth is a core Yosemite moment, and spotting climbers is a highlight.

Yosemite, CA$viewpoint

YES, in fall; the bugling in the meadows at dusk is a signature Rocky memory, accessible to everyone from the roadside.

Rocky Mountain NP, CO$wildlife

YES, unequivocally, at least from the overlook; it is the defining Tahoe view and a two-minute walk from the car.

Lake Tahoe$-$$viewpoint

YES, the region's defining free experience and a cross-mode must-do.

Colorado Springs, CO$park

YES; the Soberanes Point/headland bluff loops give some of the best, most accessible ocean-cliff walking on the north coast (and, in late winter/spring, the calla lilies), for free.

Big Sur, CA$state-park

YES, one of the greatest drive-up views in the national park system, WHEN THE ROAD IS OPEN.

Yosemite, CA$viewpoint

YES; it's the park's grandest scenery after the geysers.

Yellowstone, WY$viewpoint

YES; the drive is how you experience Yellowstone, and doing it well is the single biggest lever on whether a trip works.

Yellowstone, WY$scenic-drive

YES; it's one of the most photographed sights in any national park.

Yellowstone, WY$thermal

YES, a genuine bucket-list summit, FOR the fit, permitted, heights-comfortable hiker.

Yosemite, CA$trail

YES, unequivocally; the drive is the single best reason to come to Big Sur and one of the most celebrated coastal drives anywhere.

Big Sur, CA$scenic-drive

YES; it's the definitive look DOWN onto the packed hoodoos of the Silent City, arguably the most photogenic bird's-eye in the park.

Bryce Canyon NP, UT$viewpoint

YES for repeat visitors, crowd-avoiders, and anyone routing along I-15: a short scenic drive into dramatic finger canyons with far fewer people, plus a couple of rewarding hikes.

Zion NP, UT$drive

YES for anyone who values wildlife; it's one of the best places in the world to watch wild wolves and a reliable bison-and-pronghorn valley.

Yellowstone, WY$wildlife

YES; it's a distinct, otherworldly thermal landscape and a natural pairing with the Northern Range wildlife.

Yellowstone, WY$thermal

YES; standing under 2,000-year-old giant sequoias is a different, quieter Yosemite from the granite valley, and the walk scales to any fitness (short accessible loop to the Grizzly Giant, or a longer upper-grove hike).

Yosemite, CA$trail

YES, unequivocally; it is the defining Aspen view and an easy walk from the shuttle drop or the lot.

Aspen, CO$-$$viewpoint

YES, one of the great day hikes in America, and SCALABLE to your fitness: the Vernal Fall footbridge is a rewarding moderate turnaround; the top of Vernal (or on to Nevada) is a bucket- list valley hike for the fit.

Yosemite, CA$trail

YES for photographers and first-timers; the most storied human-made frame in the park, and an easy roadside stop paired with dawn wildlife on Antelope Flats.

Grand Teton, WY$viewpoint

YES, for the fit, experienced, permitted hiker it's one of the finest summit views in the basin (the whole lake below, Desolation's granite behind).

Lake Tahoe$trail

YES, unequivocally; it's the park's defining sight and the densest geyser field in the world.

Yellowstone, WY$thermal

YES, unequivocally; the single most reliable "Grand Teton" frame and the park's best easy wildlife stop, with no hiking required.

Grand Teton, WY$viewpoint

YES for hikers wanting a dramatic, uncrowded short adventure — the tunnel-to-cove walk is one of the coast's memorable little hikes, and it's free.

Big Sur, CA$trail

YES as the southern bookend of the drive and a practical services stop — big clifftop ocean views, a place to refuel and eat where services are otherwise scarce, and an optional steep trail to the beach.

Big Sur, CA$viewpoint

YES; it's the easy way to see the OTHER half of Bryce — a string of high overlooks climbing to 9,115-ft Rainbow/Yovimpa Points and their 100-mile Grand Staircase views.

Bryce Canyon NP, UT$scenic-drive

Yes for a free, beautiful riverfront walk, a run, or a stop with kids — Stephanie's firsthand "great for beautiful walks and playgrounds.

Naples, FLFreepark

WORTH IT, and free: a flat, paved, genuinely scenic waterfront trail past mansions and landmarks (Flagler Museum, Four Arts, Royal Poinciana Plaza) — the loveliest low-cost way to experience the island, on foot or by rented bike.

West Palm Beach, FLFreetrail

YES; it's the payoff of the Trail Ridge drive — the highest visitor center in the park system, real alpine tundra you can walk into on a short trail, and hundred-mile views, all without a hard hike.

Rocky Mountain NP, CO$viewpoint

YES as an easy add-on; paired with a Mormon Row sunrise, the flats are the park's best roadside bison-and-pronghorn drive with the Tetons behind.

Grand Teton, WY$wildlife

YES: a rewarding waterfall hike you can start on foot from Colorado Ave, on a wide, followable road grade, with the option to push higher onto the Wasatch Trail for a big day.

Telluride, CO$trail

YES if you're basing at or passing through Cooke City for the Lamar Valley; it's one of the most scenic high-alpine drives in the country.

Yellowstone, WY$scenic-drive

YES for boaters, anglers, windsurfers, and campers; it's the water-recreation heart of the area.

Cody, WY$state-park

YES for the quiet-couple/outdoors traveler: a rare coastal-dune-lake setting, an uncrowded natural beach, trails, and paddling at PCB's calm west end next to Carillon/30A — the antidote to the central strip.

Panama City Beach, FL$state-park

YES, the essential first-visit drive: 7.

Capitol Reef NP, UT$scenic-drive

YES for fit, acclimatized hikers; the alpine lake beneath Cathedral Peak is a spectacular payoff and one of the area's classic day hikes.

Aspen, CO$trail

YES, but ONLY with the right vehicle and preparation: an unforgettable, empty painted-desert loop past the Temples of the Sun and Moon, one of Utah's great backcountry drives.

Capitol Reef NP, UT$scenic-drive

MINOR add-on.

Cody, WY$viewpoint

YES as the setting for the zoo and the science museum, and for the skyline-and- mountains view across the lake (a classic Denver photo, best late afternoon).

Denver, CO$park

YES, especially as the smart way to reach Sand Harbor without fighting the parking (bike the ~3 miles from Incline Village and skip the closed lot).

Lake Tahoe$trail

YES, and it's the easiest great wildlife valley from a central base.

Yellowstone, WY$wildlife

YES; it's the cleanest, most natural, dune-framed beach in Destin proper, with a short nature trail and boardwalks, at a modest state-park fee — the antidote to the crowded central strip and a top pick for families + couples wanting quiet sugar-white sand.

Destin, FL$state-park

YES as an easy, cheap, in-city nature break — a bike or a paddle on the coastal-dune lake, a shaded trail, and a tunnel-of-trees walk straight to the beach, all minutes from the strip.

Fort Lauderdale, FL$state-park

YES in summer/fall; the ascent to a ~12,095-ft tundra pass over the Continental Divide is one of Colorado's great scenic drives, with an overlook, the Independence ghost town, and gold aspens in late September.

Aspen, CO$scenic-drive

YES; the best big-scenery-for-little-effort in the Moab area.

Moab, UT$trail

YES as a free, peaceful short stop; the boulder-engraved lyrics and riverside setting make a lovely, reflective pause on a downtown or Rio Grande Trail walk, especially in summer.

Aspen, CO$garden

YES: the most convenient real hike in Telluride — a loop straight from town with overlooks down the box canyon, ideal as a half-day outing or a morning trail run without any driving.

Telluride, CO$trail

YES for travelers basing at Grand Lake or traversing Trail Ridge Road, and for anyone who wants MOOSE, quiet, and easy river walks over crowds.

Rocky Mountain NP, CO$wildlife

YES for repeat visitors and solitude-seekers in the warm months: a cool, quiet high-country drive to a sweeping overlook, and the launch for The Subway/backcountry.

Zion NP, UT$drive

YES in season for a spectacular, accessible taste of the high Rockies close to Denver, WITH strong caveats: check the current-year opening dates and reservation/permit requirements first, go prepared for extreme altitude and fast-changing alpine weather (cold, wind, afternoon storms even in summer), and drive cautiously.

Denver, CO$scenic-drive

YES for a nature half-day; wild Florida (gators, birds, big skies) plus the canopy walkway and a boat/tram tour, a genuine change of pace from the Gulf beaches, minutes from town.

Sarasota, FL$trail

YES for anyone drawn to the geology; Norris feels the most raw and alive of the basins.

Yellowstone, WY$thermal

YES as a free, quick, scenic stop and a trail hub.

Colorado Springs, CO$park

YES if it's open and your vehicle qualifies; it's a quieter, more adventurous climb to the same tundra, ideal as the UP leg of an "up Old Fall River, down Trail Ridge" loop.

Rocky Mountain NP, CO$drive

YES as a first stop; the overlook alone is a stunning intro, and the short walk down into the canyon among the monoliths is worth it if legs allow.

Moab, UT$trail

YES; it's the easiest way to walk among Big Sur's coast redwoods along a river, with short family-friendly loops (Pfeiffer Falls / Valley View) and a central location.

Big Sur, CA$state-park

YES as an easy, free, high-delight add-on, especially with kids: the colony is right by the road on the flat trails, the animals are active and vocal, and the setting gives a classic Tower-behind-the-prairie foreground for photos.

Devils Tower, WY$wildlife

YES for hikers, bikers, and climbers wanting red-rock scenery with fewer crowds.

Colorado Springs, CO$park

YES for an easy, beautiful, car-free half-day; ride or walk a flat, scenic stretch along the Roaring Fork River and (biking) shuttle back on RFTA.

Aspen, CO$trail

YES; it's one of Tahoe's most beautiful shoreline hikes, a moderate walk past clear-water coves connecting two of the West Shore's best spots (D.

Lake Tahoe$-$$trail

YES as an easy, high-reward drive and the scenic thread connecting the river resorts, Fisher Towers, and Castle Valley.

Moab, UT$scenic-drive

YES for confident drivers with a high-clearance/4WD vehicle (or on a guided 4x4 tour); it's one of the great backcountry drives in the West, switchbacking off the rim into the canyon world.

Moab, UT$-$$$scenic-drive