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Wendy Rush

The Most Scenic Road In America Isn’t The Las Vegas Strip

Author Wendy Rush
The Las Vegas Strip at dusk is lit up with colors and light. The sky is a beautiful purple and blue with pink hues near the sunset.

A new study just revealed the most scenic road in America. And to many Nevada locals’ surprise, the Las Vegas Strip is not it. We’ve come to expect our town to land on these kinds of lists. Especially after Boulder City was named one of the most Instagrammable places of 2023. And Las Vegas Boulevard is on this one. In fact, it was number two. But it was actually a road in a neighboring state that took the top spot.

How The Most Scenic Road In America Was Determined

A Boston based law firm called Jason Stone Injury Lawyers recently conducted this study. They did it to determine which roads in the country were so awe-inspiring that they were likely to distract drivers. For the study, they collected the list of All-American Roads (AAR) that were on the Federal Highway Administration website of the US Department of Transportation.

The Federal Highway Administration recognizes a road as an AAR when it has enough unique features to make the road itself a destination to see. Rather than the road being just a means to get to a destination. For this study, the researches focused on the AARs that have been designated up until January 19, 2021 and that had known scenic characteristics.

The researchers cross-referenced that list of AARs with hashtag data from Instagram and reviews from TripAdvisor. With this information, they were able to determine the roads that were rated as most scenic in reviews and that had the most related hashtags on Instagram.

The Most Scenic Road In America Is In Arizona

While the Las Vegas Strip is certainly worthy of stopping and taking a picture, it was actually the Red Rock Scenic Byway in Arizona that took the top spot as the most scenic road. The 7.5 mile stretch near Sedona was rated 5-stars in 4,285 reviews on TripAdvisor. And it had 1.68 million related hashtags on Instagram, according to stoneinjurylawyers.com.

A red sandstone mountain lies at the end of a winding road. Blue skies and white clouds are above it and there are trees on the shoulder.

Blue sky and white clouds contrast nicely with the beautiful Bell Rock formation in Arizona. One of many scenic views on the Red Rock Scenic Byway.

The sandstone formations on the Red Rock Scenic Byway in Sedona, Arizona are popular subjects for those Instagram photos. Especially Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock. And from these photos, you can see why.

A long shot of Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona shows red and cream sandstone layered in hoodoo formation. There is a river and trees in the foreground.

Cathedral Rock in Sedona, Arizona is one of many picture worthy views you’ll see on a road trip through the Red Rock Scenic Byway.

If you live in Vegas and have been to Red Rock Canyon or Valley Of Fire, these formations might not be too impressive. But those who have been on the Red Rock Scenic Byway know pictures don’t do it justice. Video doesn’t fully capture the beauty either, but it gets a little closer.

The Second Most Scenic Road – The Las Vegas Strip

Yes, Arizona has the number one scenic road in America, but Southern Nevada has our own red rock formations to the west and northeast. And we have something Arizona does not: The Las Vegas Strip. Which came in as the second most scenic road in the country.

The study reported that the Strip had 35,021 TripAdvisor reviews with an average of 4.5 stars. And it was tagged on Instagram 1.46 million times during the timeframe of the study. Making it one of the roads most likely to distract drivers. A fact even more true, locals have learned, since the Las Vegas Sphere opened just east of the Strip.

The Las Vegas Sphere is lit up to look like the planet Earth. It is in the foreground with the Las Vegas Strip in the background. The sky is dark and the casinos are lit up.

The Sphere lights up for the first time in celebration of Independence Day on July 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 366-foot-tall, 516-foot-wide venue, the largest spherical structure on Earth, features an Exosphere with a 580,000-square-foot display, the largest LED screen in the world (photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images).

Roads That Made The Top Five

All the places on this study are worthy of being on the list of most scenic roads. And definitely places an avid road tripper should put on their bucket list.

But is it a coincidence, or the power of persuasion, that landed the Red Rock Scenic Byway at number one? Maybe having the word “scenic” in the name didn’t sway the results at all. But for my own little study, I think I’ll start saying I live near “The Scenic Las Vegas Strip”.

Want more from this author? Check out her home page.

Wendy Rush is the midday host on one of Vegas's top stations, 96.3 KKLZ. She has been with the station for ten years and comes with a diverse career background. In addition to being a radio host, Wendy has lived the Vegas life as an entertainer. She has been a celebrity impersonator, rock band singer, and improv comedian. As a content creator for 96.3 KKLZ, Wendy writes about music, celebrities, mental health and wellness, and life as a Las Vegas local.

7 Streets In Las Vegas Named After Real People (And Why)

If you drive around any major city, you’re going to see streets named after famous people. And sometimes the name is so famous that you don’t have to look it up. Bob Hope Drive in Burbank, California. Sam Cooke Way in Chicago, Illinois (thank you, Mental Floss, for both of those examples). And more streets in the country named after U.S. presidents than we can count. And Las Vegas has its share of streets named after the rich and famous. But some of our most-used streets have names that aren’t so well known.

How To Get A Street Named After You

It’s not that hard, logistically speaking, to get a street named after you. For info on that, we turn to one of the states notorious for its famous street names: New York. The West Side Rag reports that the process starts with a petition of multiple signatures of people who advocate for the name. In Manhattan the required signature count is 100. The next step is to provide compelling evidence that the person contributed to that block or community in some significant way.

Sounds easy enough. At least so far. The next steps are a little more difficult. After the petition and supporting evidence, the proposal has to go through the political hoops of getting approved by city council members. And then, finally, signed off by the mayor.

But the really hard part of getting your name on the street sign comes even before the petition. You have to have done something pretty remarkable in your city. Something that makes other people want to commemorate you.

Names We See On Las Vegas Street Signs

Las Vegas has been home to some very famous entertainers. Elvis Presley, Sammy Davis Jr, Frank Sinatra and more all have their own streets here. But less famous people actually contributed just as much to building Sin City. So what did people like Bruce Woodbury or Rafael Rivera ever do for Las Vegas? A lot, it turns out. Here are some of the lesser-known people named on our street signs, and why they deserve to be there.

  • Stewart Avenue

    Stewart Ave, Las Vegas, NV

    Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

    Helen Stewart is one of the most awesome women in Las Vegas history. Her husband ran a ranch in Lincoln County (which included present-day Clark County). After he was murdered, Helen had to learn how to operate the ranch on her own, even though she knew nothing about the business and had four children and one on the way at the time of his death. She was so successful that she started buying up land around her ranch, knowing it would be valuable some day. And by 1890 she was the largest landowner in Lincoln County (nevadawomen.org). And all before she even had the right to vote.

    Besides beating the odds to be a business mogul, Stewart was also appointed the first postmaster in Las Vegas in 1892. Her other contributions to Las Vegas include helping found the Christ Episcopal Church and in 1916 Stewart became the first woman elected to the Clark County School Board (nevadawomen.org).

  • Rafael Rivera Way

    Rafael Rivera Wy, Las Vegas, NV

    Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

    Long before there was Siegfried & Roy or Jerry Tarkanian or anyone else on our list, there was Rafael Rivera. And without him, we don’t know how far along our famous city might be. Sure, someone would have eventually stumbled upon what is now the Las Vegas Valley. But Rivera did it first, when he discovered Las Vegas Springs in January of 1830 (lasvegasnevada.gov).

    And we can thank Rivera’s curious nature for it. He was part of a group traveling on the Spanish Trail. Which ran from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Los Angeles, California. The trail didn’t originally go through the Las Vegas Valley until Rivera literally took a road less-traveled. He broke off from his exploration group and started looking around an unexplored area. That’s when he discovered Las Vegas Springs.

    After Rivera’s discovery, the spot was added to the Spanish Trail, which significantly shortened the travel time from the two major cities it connected (lasvegasnevada.gov).

  • Roy Horn Way

    Roy Horn Wy, Las Vegas, NV

    Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

    Driving along the 215-Beltway around the Durango curve in Las Vegas, you’ll see a street to the immediate south that runs parallel. And you already know who the street is named after. You probably just don’t realize it because we never use his last name. Roy Horn is the Roy from Seigfried & Roy. The famous entertainers who delighted Las Vegas locals and tourists for years at the Mirage Resort on the Vegas Strip.

    Roy Horn Way was renamed that in 2008 (lasvegassun.com), about five years after the Seigfried & Roy show was canceled due to the infamous tiger attack. Both Roy and Siegfried were still alive at this time. But Roy is the only one who got a street named after him. Although, a road going from the Las Vegas Strip to the Mirage Casino was renamed Siegfried & Roy Drive after the resort’s reopening in 2020 (travelweekly.com).

  • Jerry Tarkanian Way

    S Jerry Tarkanian Way, Spring Valley, NV 89148

    Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

    Sports fans in Las Vegas are very familiar with this name. Jerry Tarkanian was a UNLV basketball coach who coached the UNLV Rebels from 1973 to 1992 (unlv.edu). During that time he took the team to four Final Fours and the brought home the trophy in the national NCAA championship in 1990. 

    Tarkanian made history in 2013 as the first UNLV coach or player to be inducted into the national Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also named Coach of the Year by the United Press International in 1983. Besides the road that is parallel to the 215-beltway on the westside of Las Vegas, Tarkanian’s name graces the Thomas & Mack Center basketball court. Which was lovingly referred to as The Shark Tank when Jerry “Tark The Shark” Tarkanian was the coach there (unlv.edu).

  • Brent Thurman Way

    Brent Thurman Way, Spring Valley, NV

    Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

    On the side opposite of Jerry Tarkanian Way at the 215 is Brent Thurman Way, named for a rodeo bull rider who competed in the 1994 National Finals Rodeo at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). Thurman suffered severe injuries when he fell off of the bull he was riding. He got stuck under the bull, who then stepped on his head enough to cause severe cranial damage and facial fractures.

    Thurman was put on life support in critical condition and died six days later, at the University Medical Center (UMC) at the age of 25 (oklahoman.com).

  • Bob Stupak Avenue

    W Bob Stupak Ave, Las Vegas, NV

    Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

    Boy, does this guy deserve his own street in Las Vegas. If it weren’t for him, the STRAT wouldn’t exist as we know it today. And the journey that Bob Stupak had to take to get where he did was just as impressive as his 1,049 foot tall casino. Let’s just say he gambled a lot, and more than once had to go all in to get his dream realized.

    The land that the STRAT now sits on started as a dumping-looking former car lot. Not more than 1.5 acres to work with. And that wasn’t even the beginning of Stupak’s hurdles. His first attempt to build a casino there burned down. But that didn’t stop him. Stupak took all kinds of risks to rebuild, even after losing faith with a lot of investors. He pushed casino coupons, shifted the odds on his tables to get more people in the door, even ran for mayor in 1987 to get publicity.

    Many labeled Stupak reckless and risky. But he was also known for his determination. And because of it, the Vegas Strip was forever changed. That’s definitely worthy of a street sign. Get a more in-depth look at Stupak’s story and contribution to Las Vegas in this 1999 article from the Las Vegas Review Journal.

  • Bruce Woodbury Beltway

    Co Rd 215, Las Vegas, NV

    Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

    Sometimes we call it the 215-Beltway, but it’s other name is the Bruce Woodbury Beltway. Appropriately named for the man who was responsible for its existence. Bruce Woodbury is a former politician who served as Clark County commissioner for 28 years. During that time he made some very important changes to the southern Nevada landscape.

    The Boulder City Review details Woodbury’s contributions to the Las Vegas Valley. In the early 1990’s, he was a member of the Regional Transportation Commission as well as the chairman of the county commission. And he is the one who realized that our roadway system wasn’t nearly big enough to handle the Las Vegas population.

    Woodbury then proposed the Master Transportation Plan that was funded, campaigned for, and then voted on. The approval of the plan lead to the construction of the 215-Beltway. Woodbury was also behind some of our pedestrian walkways over the Strip, and he was behind the improvement of the flood plan in Las Vegas and he proposed the Clean Air Action Plan to improve Las Vegas’s air quality (bouldercityreview.com).

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