Rediscover the open road with these 9 timeless routes your Boomer parents probably loved—and why they still matter today.
If there’s one thing Boomers got right, it’s the art of the road trip.
No digital itinerary. No endless scrolling for the “perfect” Airbnb. Just a full tank, a bag of snacks, and the wide-open road.
I’ve come to believe that road trips are more than travel—they’re a psychological reset. They help you slow down enough to notice the landscape, and in doing so, notice yourself again.
Let’s revisit nine classic routes your Boomer parents probably did—and that deserve a spot on your own bucket list.
1. The Pacific Coast Highway
This one’s practically a rite of passage for anyone living in California. My parents took it in a beat-up Volkswagen decades ago; I’ve done it with an electric car and a thermos of pour-over coffee.
The difference? Not much that matters. The cliffs still fall dramatically into the Pacific. The sunsets still stop you mid-sentence.
Research backs this up. “Exposure to green space results in mental restoration and increased positive emotions and decreased anxiety and rumination.”
It’s science telling us what Boomers already knew: sometimes the best therapy is a winding road by the ocean.
2. Route 66
The “Mother Road” is more than nostalgia—it’s America’s collective memory on asphalt.
There’s something grounding about driving through ghost towns and neon-lit diners that have outlasted trends and algorithms.
It’s a reminder, as Winston Churchill once said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.”
Every rusted sign and faded billboard tells you something about endurance. About the way stories—like people—refuse to die quietly.
3. The Blue Ridge Parkway
If you’ve ever driven through a mountain fog at dawn, you know what awe feels like. It’s not the loud, cinematic kind. It’s quiet. Almost sacred.
And research backs this up. Studies on ‘awe experiences’ show they lower stress and make people feel more connected to others.
When I took the Blue Ridge in early fall, I remember pulling over just to sit on a rock and watch the mist move through the trees. No music, no talking. Just being.
You don’t forget moments like that—not because they’re dramatic, but because they feel like remembering something you’d lost.
4. Yellowstone to Grand Teton
Boomers didn’t go there for the Instagram shots. They went because the earth itself demanded attention—geysers roaring, bison crossing.
This route isn’t about seeing nature; it’s about being humbled by it.
Driving between these national parks, you can feel stories of time, erosion, and resilience written right into the land.
I’ve driven it myself, and it reminded me that some places don’t just show you beauty—they show you your smallness in the best possible way.
5. The Great River Road
Following the Mississippi feels like flipping through the pages of a living history book. From Minnesota to Louisiana, you watch the culture, climate, and conversation shift mile by mile.
It’s also a masterclass in patience. The road isn’t glamorous—it meanders. But maybe that’s the point.
In a world obsessed with shortcuts, there’s something beautifully rebellious about taking the long way.
6. The Southwest Desert Loop
Arizona, Utah, New Mexico—landscapes that look like another planet.
I once spent a week weaving between red rock canyons and endless skies, and it changed the way I think about stillness. There’s a clarity that only comes when there’s nothing around to distract you.
You realize how much space your mind can hold when it’s not filled with noise.
Fear, too, feels smaller out there. As Rudá Iandê writes in Laughing in the Face of Chaos, “Fear is not something to be overcome, but an essential part of the human experience.”
That line stayed with me as I hiked near Monument Valley. Maybe the Boomer impulse to get lost in the desert wasn’t escapism—it was a form of therapy before therapy went mainstream.
7. The Great Lakes Circle Tour
Not all great drives are through mountains or deserts. This one is a water-lover’s dream.
The lakes act like oceans without the chaos—calm, vast, and restorative.
The Boomer generation made this trip for the fishing towns, but I’d argue it’s the stillness that makes it worth doing now.
There’s something meditative about the rhythm of waves hitting old piers. The more I travel, the more convinced I am that peace isn’t a place; it’s a practice.
8. The New England Fall Foliage Trail
Leaf peeping might sound like a quaint pastime, but honestly? It’s a masterclass in impermanence.
When I drove through Vermont last October, I realized why my parents were so into it. Watching the trees blaze red, orange, and gold isn’t just pretty—it’s grounding.
It’s a reminder that change is natural, necessary, even beautiful.
And there’s a quiet joy in embracing that cycle rather than resisting it.
As noted by behavioral experts, awe and seasonal shifts reconnect us to something primal—the feeling that we belong to nature, not the other way around.
9. The Pacific Northwest Loop
This one is for those who crave rain, pine forests, and moody skies. Seattle to Portland to the Oregon Coast and back.
It’s not a sunshine-and-sand kind of trip—it’s more introspective. The mist blurs the edges of everything, including your own thoughts.
I did this drive alone once, right after leaving a long-term relationship. Somewhere along the Columbia River Gorge, I felt something loosen inside me.
Maybe it was acceptance. Maybe it was the reminder that, like the river, we’re meant to keep moving.
The bottom line
Boomers took road trips to explore the world; we should take them to reconnect with it.
Because in the end, driving isn’t about the miles—it’s about the meaning you make along the way.
So if you’ve been feeling restless or stuck, don’t overthink it. Pick a route, pack light, and go.
You might just find that the best version of yourself is waiting somewhere between Point A and Point B.
If You Were a Healing Herb, Which Would You Be?
Each herb holds a unique kind of magic — soothing, awakening, grounding, or clarifying.
This 9-question quiz reveals the healing plant that mirrors your energy right now and what it says about your natural rhythm.
✨ Instant results. Deeply insightful.
