New York
Lakes to Locks Passage All-American Road
New York’s Scenic Byways
The New York State Scenic Byways Program was created by the state legislature in 1992. The program encourages not only economic development but also resource conservation. New York was an early pioneer of scenic road development, building four parkways between 1912 and 1930. Since the creation of New York’s scenic byways program, over 3,100 miles of byways have been designated across the state.
Key Points
- New York is home to 115 scenic byways, boasting one All-American Road along with three national scenic byways and 26 state scenic byways, as well as 48 scenic roads and 37 scenic parkways.
- In 2019, visitor spending totaled $73.6 billion in New York, a cumulative 39% increase in spending since the 2008 recession.
- A 2019 report showed that over 810,000 jobs were sustained by tourism activity in 2019 with a total income of $39.8 billion.
Byways Map
Map Key:
- National Scenic Byways
- State Scenic Byways
- All-American Roads
- Federal Agency Byways
All-American Roads
National Scenic Byways
State Scenic Byways
Additional Scenic Roads
New York is also home to additional legislated scenic roadways, including 48 New York State Scenic Roads and 37 New York State Parkways.
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
New York byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including 180 state parks, 7 national monuments, 10 national historic sites, 4 national scenic and historic trails, and a national seashore.
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.