According to a new national survey from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and America's Byways, 70% of Americans are planning on taking at least one road trip this autumn, thanks to a combination of stable gas prices and abundant scenic routes.
The survey, completed by Kelton Research, also finds that most travelers want their journey to be something that is beautiful and unique, not just another trip on a superhighway.
Unlike summer road trips, which focus on the destinations, fall getaway trips are built upon the overall experience of the journey, Goodyear reports. In fact, the overwhelming majority of people (80%) would opt for a scenic, touring drive rather than driving directly to their destination.
"Our survey showed that 97% of Americans planning a fall road trip agree that their overall comfort is the key to enjoying it, so we joined together with America's Byways to unveil a list of the 50 Most Comfortable Touring Drives," says Gary Medalis, general manager for Goodyear consumer tires. "These top 50 touring drives encompass comfort and scenery to enhance the trip and are all within reasonable distance of major metropolitan areas."
"This fall, for not a lot of money, travelers can skip the superhighways and exit to the smaller roadways to experience some of the best roads America has to offer," says Derrick Crandall, spokesperson for America's Byways and president, American Recreation Coalition. "While there are hundreds of fantastic drives along America's Byways, we worked with Goodyear to create a list of some of the best, providing Americans with what they told us they are looking for -- comfortable, nearby drives that provide scenic and unique landscapes.”
Some of the 50 Most Comfortable Touring Drives include: Delaware River Scenic Byway - New Jersey; Great Lakes Seaway Trail - New York, Pennsylvania; San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway – California; Historic Route 66 - Illinois, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma; Lincoln Highway – Illinois; Historic National Road - Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia; - Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina, Virginia; Journey Through Hallowed Ground - Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia; Red Rock Scenic Byway – Arizona; Chinook Scenic Byway – Washington; Mountains to Sound Greenway – Washington; A1A Scenic and Historic Coastal Byway – Florida; Gold Belt Tour Scenic and Historic Byway – Colorado; Ohio River Scenic Byway - Ohio, Illinois, Indiana; Amish Country Byway – Ohio; Mt. Hood Scenic Byway – Oregon; and Las Vegas Strip – Nevada.
For the complete list, visit America's Byways’ Web site at www.byways.org.
For more information on Goodyear Assurance ComforTred Touring tires, see www.goodyeartires.com.
America's Byways is a collection of 150 distinct and diverse roads designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States.
