America’s Most Scenic Roadways: Tunnel Of Trees Takes Center Stage in National Vote

If you think about the most scenic roads in Michigan what comes to mind? The Brockway Mountain Drive in the Keweenaw? A crossing of the Mackinac Bridge or the highway you can't actually drive on, M-185 around Mackinac Island

How about the iconic Tunnel of Trees the roadway from Harbor Springs to Cross Village, M-119, is famously covered with a thick canopy of foliage for nearly the entire roadway.

It's the Tunnel of Trees that is in a nationwide vote for most scenic roadway in America. Being conducted by Scenic America and running through March, the bracket-style tournament pits 16 scenic byways to whittle down to a champion byway.

For the opening round, Michigan's Tunnel of Trees is up against the Great River Road.

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That means the Tunnel of Trees has a tough road ahead (pun intended) as it's a much shorter route than the Great River Road. The Tunnel of Trees is just 21 miles running through just Emmet Country is sparsely populated northern Michigan while the Great River Road runs 2069 miles through 10 states from Minnesota to Louisiana.

It's David vs Goliath.

Should the Tunnel of Trees prevail, it would square off against the winner of the match-up between California's Big Sur Coast Highway and Newfound Gap Road, a scenic parkway in the Smokey Mountains.

Voting is happening in an online bracket and if you've never driven the Tunnel of Trees, there are countless videos online. Here are some autumn views.

The Tunnel of Trees is the only Michigan route in the Scenic Byways competition so check out all the other routes across America in the running that are likely to give you some roadtrip ideas.