"Taking the scenic route" implies taking a less direct alternative to the most direct route toward some destination for the purpose of experiencing more interesting scenery along the way. So, is there an expression, phrase, or idiom that basically means the same thing for smells?
For example, when I walk my dog in the park, I let him choose the route we take. As such, our route through the park will often make erratic turns and circle back on itself in a path generally determined by his nose, i.e. by the direction toward the most interesting (to him) smells each instant.
If I were to be asked later to describe where our walk in the park went, I could euphemistically say, "we took the scenic route" through the park. But that implies my dog was navigating by sight when in fact he was navigating by smell (he is almost blind). So is there an olfactory equivalent to "the scenic route" in a case like this, for smells?
"The smelly route" definitely has a negative connotation. "The mellifluous route" or "The quiet route" might work for an auditory equivalent. But what would be an olfactory equivalent?