Best Scenic Drives Near Baltimore
There's nothing like a relaxing drive in the country, is there? For a fun and relaxing drive, look no further than Skyline Drive in Virginia. The Skyline Drive is a 105-mile stretch of road in the Shenandoah National Park. The Skyline Drive is the only road that goes through the park. Stretching from north to south, visitors can enter the park at four places along the Skyline Drive. The entry points are Front Royal near Route 66 and Route 340, Thornton Gap at Route 211, Swift Run Gap at Route 33 and Rockfish Gap at Route 64 and Route 250.
The Historic National Road, also known as the Historic National Pike, is a 170-mile stretch of road in Maryland. Starting in the streets of Baltimore, drivers can head "westward into the historic Maryland countryside." Visitors can hike, bike or picnic in state parks and forests along the Historic National Road. On the way, visitors will encounter museums, attractions, restaurant and lodging. Some of these places have been in existence since the road's earliest days.
For mountain views, the Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway has what you are looking for. The Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway features the mountains of Western Maryland. As you drive the Mountain Maryland Scenic Byway the "sweetest sound you'll hear just might be the silence." Drive "through peaceful glades, valleys and marshlands, finally emerging from the thick forests to find the shore of Maryland's largest freshwater lake," Deep Creek Lake. From Deep Creek Lake, drive through "mid-19th-century coal mining villages, as well as mill towns owing their growth to the C&O Canal and B&O Railroad."
The Catoctin Mountains serve as a "sanctuary for wildlife and plants." A drive through the surrounding towns offers a "deep exploration of the area's rich industrial heritage." Located at the "easternmost spur of the Blue Ridge Province" in Maryland, the Catoctin Mountains have an elevation of 1,885 feet above sea level in Thurmont, Maryland. Follow this scenic drive through the Catoctin Mountains to Emmitsburg, Maryland, and on to Point of Rocks, West Virginia.
For sea breezes, look no further than a scenic drive to Chesapeake Country. Your scenic drive will take you "past fertile farmlands graced by handsome -- often historic -- manor houses." The small towns you will drive through on the Chesapeake Country scenic drive are "rich with art, culture and pure country charm." Follow the Chesapeake Country scenic drive from Chesapeake City on the Upper Eastern Shore of Maryland to the quaint shoreline towns of Cambridge, St. Michaels, Oxford, and Rock Hall.
