It's not too late: 10 great Labor Day Weekend road trips

By Mary Forgione

Sept. 4, 2015 8:15 AM PT

The lowest gas prices by national average since 2004 plus a three-day weekend equals the perfect time to take a drive of discovery and exploration.

Travel Channel gathered input from editors and outside travel bloggers to come up with "Travel's Best: Road Trips 2015." Lucky for us, the 10 routes favor the West and its dramatic topography, from Utah to California and British Columbia, Canada.

In California, only 17-Mile Drive made the cut (sorry Highway 1), and the cheapest getaway would be the drive along Alabama's Gulf coast where a gallon of regular gas averages $2.06.

Here are the top 10 places to go and enjoy, and don't forget to make a lot of stops.

17-Mile Drive, Monterey Peninsula, California

PEBBLE BEACH: Pebble Beach, the high-end golf retreat on 17-Mile Drive between Carmel and Monterey, is offering a winter Romance Package at the Inn at Spanish Bay that can knock $160 per night off the resort's usual rates.

(Joann Dost )

Where: The private loop ($10 please) along some of the most famous parts of the Monterey Peninsula, including Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove.

What to see: Pebble Beach Golf Links, the famed Lone Cypress tree, Del Monte Forest, the mesmerizing Pacific Coast.

Gallon of regular gas: $3.32

Beartooth Highway, Montana and Wyoming

Beartooth Pass on Beartooth Highway. (Phil Armitage / Wikimedia Commons)

Where: From Red Lodge, Mont., to Yellowstone National Park's northeast entrance.

What to see: Rugged high-elevation landscapes with plenty of switchbacks on this road; three national forests, the Northern Rockies.

Gallon of regular gas: $2.69

Olympic Peninsula, Washington

The view from Hurricane Ridge. (Heather Dillon / Wikimedia Commons)

Where: Loop of about 300 miles on the Olympic Peninsula.

What to see: The lush Hoh Rain Forest; rivers, waterfalls and lakes of Olympic National Park; high point drive up to Hurricane Ridge.

Gallon of regular gas: $2.92

Page, Ariz., to Lake Powell, Utah

PAGE, AZ., AUGUST 30, 2013: Located five-miles from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell, the Colorado River makes a 270-degree curve at Horse Shoe Bend near Page, Arizona just after sunrise August 30, 2013(Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times).

Horseshoe Bend near Page, Ariz. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Where: From Page, Ariz., to Lake Powell

What to see: Jaw-dropping scenery like Horseshoe Bend, Antelope, Rainbow Bridge and the true-West red rock landscape.

Gallon of regular gas: $2.54 to $2.81

Extraterrestrial Highway, Nevada

File - A car moves along the Extraterrestrial Highway near Rachel, Nevada, in this Wednesday, April 10, 2002 file photo. The CIA is acknowledging the existence of Area 51 in newly declassified documents. George Washington University's National Security Archive obtained a CIA history of the U-2 spy plane program through a public records request and released it Thursday Aug. 15, 2013. (AP Laura Rauch, File) ** Usable by LA and DC Only **

(Laura Rauch / Associated Press)

Where: Nevada Highway 375, a few hours north of Las Vegas.

What to see: UFO sightings (if you're lucky)

Gallon of regular gas: $3.11

Great River Road in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota

Bridge over the Mississippi River on the Great River Road.

Bridge over the Mississippi River on Great River Road. (Frank Kovalchek / Wikimedia Commons)

Where: This road travels through 10 states along the Mississippi River.

What to see: Aquarium with Mississippi River fish inDubuque, Iowa; world's largest six-pack in La Crosse, Wis.; National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Wis.

Gallon of regular gas: $2.41 to $2.57

Gulf Coast, Alabama

Cole, Carolyn -- B58417641Z.1 DAUPHIN ISLAND, ALABAMA--MAY 4, 2010--The struggle between business and nature is not new to states along the Gulf Coast. The endangered brown pelican is native to the region and has made a remarkable comeback, but the oil spill presents a new threat. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Pelicans at Dauphin Island, Ala. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Where: Drive along the Gulf of Mexico on Alabama's coast.

What to see: White-sand beaches; foods like Murder Point Oysters and Ginny Lane's blackened shrimp and grits.

Gallon of regular gas: $2.06

Heritage Highway 89, Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park. (Luca Galuzzi / Wikimedia Commons)

Where: From the Sevier Valley to Kanab.

What to see: Ranch country, Butch Cassidy Museum in Richfield and Cassidy's childhood home in Circleville; red rock magic of Kanab and nearby Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks.

Gallon of regular gas: $2.81

Sea to Sky Highway, British Columbia, Canada

Gambier Island's distinct shape, seen from Porteau Cove along the Sea-to-Sky Highway through Howe Sound. (Kyle Pearce / Wikimedia Commons)

Where: From Vancouver to Whistler, British Columbia.

What to see: North Shore Mountains; islands in the Pacific; Squamish for a Sea to Sky Gondola to the top of Stawamus Chief (and don't forget to bring your passport).

Gallon of regular gas: $2.92