Maryland
C & O Canal by C Norris
Maryland's Scenic Byways
Maryland designated its first scenic routes in 1998. Over the past 33 years, the Maryland Scenic Byways Program has established a total of 18 scenic byways encompassing 2,487 miles of Maryland’s beautiful scenic roads, history, and culture. The Scenic Byways Program has also secured over $17 million in direct funding and $3.4 million in matched funding to implement priority projects along the state’s scenic byway system.
Key Points
- Maryland is home to 18 scenic byways, including three All-American Roads, six national scenic byways, and 12 state scenic byways.
- Visitors to Maryland spent over $18.6 billion in 2019, generating $2.6 billion in state and local taxes and creating more than 150,000 jobs.
- Maryland’s national parks generated $313 million in total economic output in gateway communities in 2019, supporting 2,960 jobs and $117 million in labor income.
Maryland Byways
Map Key:
- All-American Roads
- National Scenic Byways
- State Scenic Byways
State Scenic Byways
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
Maryland byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including three national historical parks, 53 state parks, four national historic trails, six parks, three national historic sites, two national battlefields, two memorial parkways, and one national monument.
About the National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program, established by Congress in 1991, recognizes historic, scenic, and culturally important roads, all of which promote economic development and tourism in communities around the U.S. There are more than 1,200 byways in all 50 states.
All scenic byways exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, or natural. For a road to be named a national scenic byway, it must first be designated a state, tribal, or federal agency scenic byway. Once achieving that, a road may apply for national scenic byway designation, but its intrinsic quality must be of regional significance. All-American Roads are the very best of the national scenic byways, demonstrating at least two intrinsic qualities of national significance.