Driving Roads in Texas

Explore scenic and exciting driving roads across Texas.

Historic Route 66

United States

Texas Hill Country Trail

United States

48 /100

1021 kmUS

Texas Independence Trail

Driving in Texas

Central Texas is defined by the Edwards Plateau and Hill Country, where narrow ranch roads climb and dip through limestone valleys, river crossings, oak and cedar country, and rugged ridges. The well-known Twisted Sisters—Ranch Roads 335, 336, and 337—showcase this style of driving. Farther west, the landscape becomes larger and more isolated: FM 170 follows the Rio Grande through Big Bend country, while highways around the Davis Mountains provide higher-elevation curves, grasslands, volcanic terrain, and long views. Big Bend National Park adds paved scenic routes such as Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, although its primitive backcountry roads can require high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles. Other parts of the state offer different character, including canyon country in the Panhandle, pine forests in East Texas, and coastal plains near the Gulf of Mexico. Distances and fuel gaps can be substantial in West Texas, so route planning matters.