Drive Cross Country Without Interstates

[Miamicamper]

It has always been a dream of mine to drive from one side of the country without the use of an Interstate and wondered if anybody has done it or if it is even really possible? Just curious.

[Old-Biscuit]

7 yrs FTng.......
Used Secondary/Back roads 99% of our travels
Made 12 trips.....coast to coast/border to border and rarely used same route twice.


Interstates are for weekenders, commuters, truckers
No time limits---secondary/back roads IS the way to travel and see the USA

[Arch Hoagland]

We've done most of Route 2 across the country and most of Route 50.

We've also done Highway 101 from Los Angeles to Washington state.

That would be a fun goal to achieve and you'd get to see some neat things along the way.

[Victory Blue]

I’m sure with a lot of planning you can go just about anywhere without using the Interstate system. But the idea that some have that the Interstates somehow travel in another plane of existence and therefore there’s nothing to see out the window is ludicrous.

[Searching_Ut]

I’ve done several trips either completely across, or most of the way predominately on highways and country roads. I would sometimes hop on the freeway to get through or around big cities.

Longest trip involved 5800 miles from Sacramento Ca to JFK airport over a months time in a beat up car for a military overseas transfer. Zig zagged all over visiting friends, family, and sites we wanted to see such as caves, waterfalls, national monuments and parks, interesting towns etc. deliberately avoiding freeways. At the end, dropped family off at airport, found a place to sell the car basically for scrap, and took a cab back to the airport. Fantastic adventure.

[CIDE]

Yes, you can.

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by CIDE

Yes, you can.

[Alan_Hepburn]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

We've done most of Route 2 across the country and most of Route 50.

We did Hwy 50 in August, from Dodge City, Kansas to Reno, Nevada, with a few detours. Hwy 50 is recognized as the "Loneliest Road In America" but we found that State Hwy 21 from Beaver, Utah to Ely Nevada was MUCH lonelier: on Hwy 50 we saw another vehicle maybe every 5 minutes or so; on SR21 we saw a total of 2 vehicles in the 100 miles we drove!

[dix39]

We grew up in WV and 50 ran nearby so on one of return trips to OR I took 50 all the way to just south of Battle Mountain,NV where we went north to 80 at Battle Mountain. It parallels I-70 so occasionally the two will merge and become 70, but most of it is 50. It continues on past where we got off to Sacramento, CA. I think running 50 took about a day longer than our normal return trip to OR on 70 and 80.

Also 2 from I-5 in WA to near Lake Superior where we went south. To me it was beautiful on both ends, but not so much in the middle, mostly wheat fields there.

We have traveled most of 1-101 from LA to Olympic NP, WA in "chunks" over the years, but not in one continuous trip.

I remember going in to LA on 10 one morning looking for Hwy 1. After three trips back and forth looking for a Hwy 1 sign I finally stopped, looked closely at the map, and determined that what I needed to find was a name instead of a number. The forth trip through I picked the most likely name and it worked. I thought that was odd.

We usually run interstates because they are easier and faster, but occasionally decide to "get off the beaten path".

Steve

[Glenn and Kathy]

101 goes all the way to downtown LA.

Glenn

[Arch Hoagland]

Originally Posted by dix39

We grew up in WV and 50 ran nearby so on one of return trips to OR I took 50 all the way to just south of Battle Mountain,NV where we went north to 80 at Battle Mountain. It parallels I-70 so occasionally the two will merge and become 70, but most of it is 50. It continues on past where we got off to Sacramento, CA. I think running 50 took about a day longer than our normal return trip to OR on 70 and 80.

Also 2 from I-5 in WA to near Lake Superior where we went south. To me it was beautiful on both ends, but not so much in the middle, mostly wheat fields there.

We have traveled most of 1-101 from LA to Olympic NP, WA in "chunks" over the years, but not in one continuous trip.

I remember going in to LA on 10 one morning looking for Hwy 1. After three trips back and forth looking for a Hwy 1 sign I finally stopped, looked closely at the map, and determined that what I needed to find was a name instead of a number. The forth trip through I picked the most likely name and it worked. I thought that was odd.

We usually run interstates because they are easier and faster, but occasionally decide to "get off the beaten path".

Steve

When you were in the Battle Mountain area did you see the giant letters on the side of the mountain.... BM

We always laugh at that, biggest BM we ever saw.

[gvjackson]

Seven months back, I was enjoying a lovely drive across the sprawling central Texas terrain on mostly two lane state highways, when I met a fast moving semi, with a huge flat front bumper, picking up debris which scattered across the large expanse of glass real estate in front of me.

Suddenly, the separation from oncoming traffic offered by Interstate highways became very appealing.

[Teamfoxy]

Last year we drove from Sebago lake in ME to Tifton GA mostly on back roads and no interstates. We prefer to travel secondary roads but at times it doesn't make sense to do that.

[momdoc]

We avoid interstates as much as possible and probably have 95% of our travels on US highways, State Highways and county roads. So much more to see!