Scenic byways and seasonal mountain roads
Every road on this site — 37 of them — in one place: what each road is, who designated it, how far it runs, and whether a gate shuts it for the winter. Every name here opens that road's own record.
America's Byways
The 8 roads here that carry a federal designation — All-American Roads and National Scenic Byways. FHWA keeps the national roster; these are the ones this site follows through the year.
| Road | Designation | Length | Winter | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beartooth Highway | All-American Road (2002) | 68.7 mi | Gated for the winter | Montana, Wyoming |
| Blue Ridge Parkway | All-American Road (1996) | 469 mi | Open all year | North Carolina, Virginia |
| Cherohala Skyway | National Scenic Byway (1996) | 43 mi | Open all year | Tennessee, North Carolina |
| Grand Mesa Scenic Byway | National Scenic Byway (1996) | 63 mi | Open all year | Colorado |
| Lariat Loop | National Scenic Byway (2009) | 40 mi | Open all year | Colorado |
| Million Dollar Highway | Part of the San Juan Skyway, an All-American Road (1996) | — | Open all year | Colorado |
| San Juan Skyway | All-American Road (1996) | 236 mi | Open all year | Colorado |
| Trail Ridge Road | All-American Road (1996) | 43.2 mi | Gated for the winter | Colorado |
State, park and toll roads
Named roads designated by a state byways commission or a land-managing agency, plus the toll roads their operators run themselves. Different authority, same pages.
| Road | Designation | Length | Winter | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Loop | Back Country Byway | 63 mi | Gated for the winter | Colorado |
| Going-to-the-Sun Road | National Park Service road | 50 mi | Gated for the winter | Montana |
| Guanella Pass | Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway | 22 mi | Gated for the winter | Colorado |
| Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway | Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway | 49 mi | Gated for the winter | Colorado |
| Peak to Peak Scenic Byway | Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway | 55 mi | Open all year | Colorado |
| Pikes Peak Highway | Toll road, operated by the City of Colorado Springs | 19 mi | Open all year | Colorado |
The seasonal passes
The high roads with no byway name on them — the ones people look up because a gate shuts them from autumn to summer. Each page carries that road's year-by-year record of opening and closing dates.
| Road | Route | Summit | Usually open by | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artist Point | SR 542 | 5,160 ft | July 1 (22 years) | Washington |
| Cayuse Pass | SR 123 | 4,675 ft | May 7 (52 years) | Washington |
| Chinook Pass | SR 410 | 5,430 ft | May 25 (91 years) | Washington |
| Crater Lake Rim Drive | — | 7,865 ft | July 9 (19 years) | Oregon |
| Dunraven Pass | Grand Loop Road, Tower–Canyon | 8,859 ft | Record in progress | Wyoming |
| Ebbetts Pass | CA-4 | 8,730 ft | Record in progress | California |
| Glacier Point Road | — | 7,214 ft | May 14 (31 years) | California |
| Independence Pass | CO 82 | 12,095 ft | May 26 (10 years) | Colorado |
| Kuwohi Road | — | 6,300 ft | Record in progress | Tennessee, North Carolina |
| Lassen Park Highway | CA-89 | 8,512 ft | June 2 (47 years) | California |
| McKenzie Pass | OR 242 | 5,325 ft | Record in progress | Oregon |
| Medicine Wheel Passage | US 14A | 9,430 ft | May 24 (6 years) | Wyoming |
| Mirror Lake Highway | UT 150 | 10,715 ft | May 31 (6 years) | Utah |
| Monitor Pass | CA-89 | 8,314 ft | Record in progress | California |
| Mount Washington Auto Road | — | 6,288 ft | Record in progress | New Hampshire |
| North Cascades Highway | SR 20 | 5,477 ft | April 23 (54 years) | Washington |
| Old Fall River Road | — | 11,796 ft | June 30 (41 years) | Colorado |
| Rampart Range Road | Forest Service Road 300 | 9,200 ft | Set by agency rule | Colorado |
| Snowy Range Pass | WY 130 | 10,847 ft | Record in progress | Wyoming |
| Sonora Pass | CA-108 | 9,624 ft | Record in progress | California |
| Sunrise Park Road | — | 6,400 ft | Record in progress | Washington |
| Sylvan Pass | East Entrance Road | 8,530 ft | May 4 (8 years) | Wyoming |
| Tioga Pass | CA-120 / Tioga Road | 9,943 ft | May 22 (69 years) | California |
Watching a spring trip? The opening watch board follows every road on this list at once.
Where these facts come from
Designations, lengths and elevations are the managing agency's own figures, and each road's page lists the pages they came from. Opening dates are the medians of the year-by-year records on those pages.