The best epic long-distance road trips are the multi-week giants that cross whole countries and continents: Route 66 from Chicago to the Pacific, Argentina's 5,200 km Ruta 40 down the spine of the Andes, and China's G318 climbing from Chengdu to Lhasa. These are not weekend escapes. They are the once-in-a-lifetime drives you plan a year around, measured in thousands of kilometres and weeks on the road, where the journey itself is the destination.
This is a ranked list of ten bucket-list long-haul drives pulled straight from the catalog, with real distances, durations, and best-season windows. Every one runs well over a thousand kilometres, and most reward two weeks or more. Because these are the definition of a big journey, you can browse the wider set in our Epic Long Drives hub and plot your own on the interactive map.
The 10 best epic long-distance road trips at a glance
Here is the ranked shortlist. Distances, durations, and seasons come straight from each route's page, so plan around the months these long roads are genuinely open and at their best.
| # | Route | Country | Distance | Duration | Best season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Route 66 | United States | 3,940 km | 14 to 21 days | Spring or fall |
| 2 | Ruta 40 | Argentina | About 5,200 km | 30 days | Nov to Mar (south) |
| 3 | G318 Sichuan-Tibet Highway | China | 2,142 km | 16 to 18 days | May to Oct |
| 4 | Alaska Highway | Canada to USA | 2,400 km | 8 to 10 days | May to Sep |
| 5 | Carretera Austral | Chile | 1,240 km | 12 to 14 days | Nov to Mar |
| 6 | Ring Road | Iceland | 1,332 km | 9 days | Jun to Sep |
| 7 | Pamir Highway | Tajikistan | 1,252 km | 8 to 10 days | Jun to Sep |
| 8 | Classic Gobi Circuit | Mongolia | About 2,250 km | 12 days | Jun to Sep |
| 9 | Wild Atlantic Way | Ireland | About 1,450 km | 10 days | May to Sep |
| 10 | Great River Road | United States | About 4,800 km | 14 days | Spring to fall |
If you only do one
Drive Route 66. Of all the giants on this list, it is the one you can point a normal car at and simply go: 3,940 km of easy, well-supported two-lane Americana from Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier, drivable in about two weeks and best in spring or fall. Nothing else packs so much myth into so few decisions, from Lou Mitchell's diner and the Gemini Giant outside Chicago to Cadillac Ranch in the Texas panhandle, the neon of Tucumcari, and the desert motels of the Mojave. The hardest miles here are emotional, not technical, which is exactly why it is the epic to start with.
1. Route 66, United States
Route 66 is the archetype every other long-distance road trip is measured against. Its 3,940 km run from Chicago to Santa Monica threads the whole American century together, neon diners, roadside giants, ghost towns, and wide desert sky, and it stays an easy drive the entire way. Give it 14 days at pace or 18 to 21 to linger, and go in spring or fall to dodge the summer heat of the Mojave stretch. Stops like the Chain of Rocks Bridge, Meramec Caverns, the Blue Whale of Catoosa, and the Wigwam Motel are the reason people fly across the world just to drive it.
2. Ruta 40, Argentina
If Route 66 is the friendliest epic, Ruta 40 is the wildest. Argentina's longest highway traces about 5,200 km of the jagged Andes over a full month, from the South Atlantic near Punta Loyola through Los Glaciares, El Chaltén, Bariloche, Mendoza's vineyards, and the painted valleys around Cafayate to the Bolivian border at La Quiaca. It crosses 20 national parks, 18 major rivers, and more than 27 mountain passes, which is why it is rated hard and wants a 4WD. Drive the southern Patagonian half from November to March and the northern high desert from May to September.
3. G318 Sichuan-Tibet Highway, China
Chinese drivers call the G318 Sichuan-Tibet Highway the most beautiful road on Earth, and its numbers back the claim: 2,142 km climbing from Chengdu's basin over 14 passes above 4,000 m, across four great rivers, and into Lhasa, the world's highest capital. Sixteen to eighteen days give the altitude and the scenery their due, past Litang, Ranwu Lake, and the forests of Nyingchi. It is a hard, permit-only route, best from May to October. Foreign travellers cannot drive it independently, so book the compulsory guided vehicle itinerary through a licensed Chinese operator well in advance.
4. Alaska Highway, Canada to USA
The Alaska Highway, the ALCAN, was carved through the boreal wilderness in just eight months in 1942 and remains the last great North American frontier road. Its 2,400 km from Dawson Creek to Fairbanks pass Muncho Lake, the famous Sign Post Forest at Watson Lake, Whitehorse, and the glaciers of Kluane, with more wildlife per kilometre than almost anywhere on the continent. Allow at least eight to ten days, carry passports for the Canada to US crossing, and expect frost heaves and long gaps between services. The window is May to September.
5. Carretera Austral, Chile
Chile's Ruta 7, the Carretera Austral, is one of the world's great adventure roads: 1,240 km of mostly unpaved track cut through Patagonian fjords and ancient rainforest, with almost nobody ahead of you. Over 12 to 14 days it links Puerto Montt to remote Villa O'Higgins by way of Parque Pumalín, the Queulat hanging glacier, the marble caves at Capillas de Mármol, and the tiny stilt village of Caleta Tortel. It is a hard drive that rewards an SUV, and the season is short, roughly November to March.
6. Ring Road, Iceland
Iceland's Ring Road is the most accessible way to circle an entire country in one clean loop. Route 1 makes a 1,332 km clockwise circuit from Reykjavík, and nine days is the sweet spot for the south coast waterfalls, the glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón and its Diamond Beach, the East Fjords, and the geothermal steam of Mývatn before Akureyri and the west. It is a moderate drive on paved roads, at its best from June to September when the whole ring is reliably open. Winter is possible only with specialist planning.
7. Pamir Highway, Tajikistan
The Pamir Highway is the overland classic of Central Asia, a 1,252 km traverse of the roof of the world from Dushanbe to Osh across passes that stay high for days. Eight to ten days carry you through Qalai Khumb and Khorog, along the Tajik Wakhan with Afghanistan across the river, and up over the 4,655 m Ak-Baital Pass to the shore of Lake Karakul. It is a hard, high-altitude route that needs a 4WD, permits, and a border crossing, and the season is a tight June to September.
8. Classic Gobi Circuit, Mongolia
Mongolia's Classic Gobi Circuit is a true desert expedition, about 2,250 km of mostly trackless steppe and sand looping out from Ulaanbaatar and back over 12 days. It strings together the rock formations of Baga Gazriin Chuluu, the ice-filled canyon of Yolyn Am, the singing dunes of Khongoryn Els where you can ride camels, and the flaming cliffs of Bayanzag before returning through the ancient capital at Kharkhorin. There are no signposted roads out here, so it is rated hard and runs with a guide, best from June to September.
9. Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland
Europe's answer to the great coastal epics, the Wild Atlantic Way runs about 1,450 km down Ireland's wave-battered west coast over ten easy days. This northern-to-southern line starts at Malin Head and works through the sea cliffs of Slieve League, Achill Island, Westport, the Cliffs of Moher, and the Dingle Peninsula before finishing on the Ring of Kerry. It is a gentle drive by the standards of this list, which makes it the most relaxed long-haul route here, and the season is a generous May to September.
10. Great River Road, United States
The Great River Road follows the Mississippi for roughly 4,800 km through all ten river states, from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to the delta at New Orleans, over a highlights-focused 14 days. It is less about mountain drama than about the slow unspooling of American culture along the water, Minneapolis and the Quad Cities, the Gateway Arch at St. Louis, the blues of Memphis and the Delta, antebellum Natchez, and the food and music of Louisiana. It stays an easy, paved drive throughout and is best from spring to fall.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best long-distance road trip in the world?
For most travellers, Route 66 is the best place to start: 3,940 km of easy, well-supported driving from Chicago to Los Angeles, doable in about two weeks. If you want something wilder and longer, Argentina's 5,200 km Ruta 40 and China's high-altitude G318 are the ultimate bucket-list epics, though both demand far more planning, time, and vehicle capability.
How long do you need for an epic long-distance road trip?
Plan for two to four weeks. Most of these routes name 8 to 18 days as a realistic pace, and the true giants ask for more: Ruta 40 lists a full 30 days and the G318 wants 16 to 18. Rushing a multi-thousand-kilometre drive wastes it, so budget rest days and build in slack for weather and remote road conditions.
Which epic road trip is easiest to drive?
Route 66, Iceland's Ring Road, the Wild Atlantic Way, and the Great River Road are all rated easy or moderate and run mostly or entirely on paved roads, so a normal car will do. The hard, expedition-grade routes are Ruta 40, the Carretera Austral, the Pamir Highway, the Gobi Circuit, and the G318, which need a 4WD or SUV and, in several cases, permits or a guide.
When is the best time to drive these long routes?
It depends on the hemisphere. The Patagonian routes, Ruta 40's south and the Carretera Austral, are summer drives from November to March, while the northern epics like the Alaska Highway, Iceland, the Pamir, and the Gobi run from roughly May or June to September. Route 66 and the Great River Road are best in spring or fall to avoid summer heat.
Plan your epic road trip
Pick a continent, clear the calendar, and let the distance become the point. For the full stop-by-stop detail on the top pick, read our Route 66 guide, browse the complete Epic Long Drives collection, or trace your own once-in-a-lifetime journey on the interactive map.
