Bruce Gezon of Murrysville is no stranger to a nice, scenic drive. Gezon, a member of the Sports Car Club of America’s Hall of Fame, has been designing rally courses for a half-century. With late-summer temperatures continuing to stay in the 80s and 90s, spending an afternoon outdoors might not be the ideal day trip. But there are plenty of places in the region where drivers can experience some of Pennsylvania’s beautiful scenery and find spots where the temperature isn’t quite so high. "There are some really good ones and it depends on what you’re looking for, and what you consider an interesting drive,” Gezon said. "I like roads that are a little bit away from civilization and have a lot of hills and turns with some good views.” A Florida Volvo dealership surveyed 3,000 U.S. families recently to find some "cooler” road trips, and the results included two roads that pass through Western Pennsylvania. The first is the 185-mile stretch of Lincoln Highway between Gettysburg and Pittsburgh. The drive includes passage through the 85,000-acre Michaux State Forest and several state game lands. It also passes near the Big Mountain Overlook in Fort Loudon’s Buchanan State Forest, and the scenic overlook in Schellsburg. The Flight 93 National Memorial is not far from the Route 30 corridor as well. The road itself was America’s first coast-to-coast highway, and spans nearly 3,400 miles. Gezon said he’s a big fan of Lincoln Highway between Laughlintown and Jennerstown. "Some people may not like that section as much, because as you’re going over the ridge between Laughlintown and Jennerstown, especially headed west, you’re heading downhill through some pretty big curves,” he said. The Route 381 corridor between Ligonier and the Pennsylvania Turnpike also runs through a number of wooded areas and is near Linn Run State Park, the Wilderness Wildlife Museum and the Powdermill Nature Reserve. For those seeking a slightly lengthier trip, heading north on Route 119 will get drivers to the Route 36 corridor which runs through Cook Forest State Park on the border of the Allegheny National Forest. The survey’s top 10 also includes the Laurel Highlands Scenic Byway between Seward and Elliottsville. The drive passes by Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece Fallingwater, the Ohiopyle State Park and a number of scenic overlooks. Gezon also recommended Bethel Church Road near Seward. "Winter doesn’t treat it well and the road surface isn’t that great, but there are some great views,” he said. "There’s a place out near Crabtree where you come over the crest of a hill and the vista of the county is spread out for about six or seven miles.” Gezon’s favorite local drive begins in New Alexandria, heading east on Route 22 and taking Route 981 north to Saltsburg, Route 286 east and making a left on Elder’s Ridge Road. Another left at the Olivet Road intersection will bring drivers to West Lebanon Road, where they will make another left followed by a quick right onto Route 156. A left-hand turn onto State Route 210 will bring drivers through Elderton and Plumville, where they can turn north onto Route 119 heading toward Punxsutawney. For a short trip, Gezon recommended heading east on Route 22, before making a right on Hannastown Road, a left onto Stevens Road and a left on Rizzo Road to come into Crabtree. "There are lots of really scenic drives in the county if you’re on the right roads,” Gezon said. Patrick Varine is a TribLive reporter covering Delmont, Export and Murrysville. He is a Western Pennsylvania native and joined the Trib in 2010 after working as a reporter and editor with the former Dover Post Co. in Delaware. He can be reached at pvarine@triblive.com. Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free. Get Ad-Free > Sign Up for NotificationsStay up-to-date on important news from TribLIVE