Favorite Interstate

[RobbieL2415]

My personal favorite is I-90 from Springfield, MA, to Buffalo, NY.  Love the scenery change.

[CapeCodder]

I have three:

I-70 through Missouri, especially the Mineola Hill in Montgomery County. Funny story about that long stretch of incline.

I-76 (Penna Tpk) Going through the tunnels is awesome, especially at night. During the day the scenery is amazing.

I-95 in New England. So many urban centers.

[fillup420]

Its a close call between I-85 south of Charlotte, and the I-485 beltway around the city. 85 is a thrill because there is usually lots of traffic moving at speed, and EVERYONE goes about 15 over the 60mph speed limit. 485 is nice due to it being completed in the summer of 2015, and when they finished it, the speed limit was raised from 60 to 70.

[roadman]

My favorite Interstate used to be I-93 between Salem and Manchester NH back when it was two lanes.  While I agree the current widening was long overdue, I have to admit the section of roadway between Salem and Londonderry has lost much of its character.

[WhitePoleRD]

I have a few:

I-80 in Iowa, because I will always be an Iowa boy through and through.

I-84 in Oregon is fantastic.

I-5 in Washington

I-94 Between St. Cloud and the Cities

I-95 and I-295 in Maine

I-10 outside NOLA- gotta love that swamp!

[jwolfer]

I always liked 95 between the Beltways in Maryland and 295 just north of i64 in Virginia. I like the wide median and 3+ lanes in each direction

LGMS428

[TheHighwayMan3561]

I-94 Between St. Cloud and the Cities

This one is interesting to me. What do you like about this drive?

[stwoodbury]

I have two favorites:

1. I-90 between Seattle and Montana: this one crosses the Cascades, the Columbia, the sagebrush and volcanic landscape of Eastern Washington,  descends into downtown Spokane, skirts Lake Coeur d'Alene (a bit higher now than the original alignment),  follows the Mullen Road through the Bitterroots and the Silver Valley, crossing Fourth of July Pass and Lookout Pass before crossing into Montana. I also like the route as it continues through Montana, Wyoming (within shouting distance of Devils Tower), and South Dakota (Black Hills, Sturgis, and Wall Drug, and crossing the Missouri; but I am more familiar with the section in Washington and Idaho than further east.

2. I-84 between Portland and Pendleton. The Columbia  Gorge and the more arid stretch near the Dalles are spectacular, with the added bonus of barge traffic and trains on the  UP  and the old SP&S (now BNSF) on the north side of the river.(I would like to include Cabbage and the Blue Mountains in this but so far I've only been through that area by train (the Amtrak Pioneer in 1996 right before it was discontinued).

[Darkchylde]

Let's update the list now that I've got a lot more driving and travel under my belt.

I-70 west of Denver goes without saying. Probably the best scenic segment in the entire system, hands-down. East of Topeka, it's also got some very interesting sections. Denver to Topeka, though... make sure you can stay awake, because it can be boring.

I-85 stays fresh in my memories. Even with the terrible traffic in Charlotte and the indescribably atrocious traffic situation in Atlanta, it's still one I'd drive again, if only to appreciate the rural sections, as well as being one of the de facto Main Streets for the Carolinas.

The western I-84 was surprisingly scenic when I took it from the east end to Boise. Hopefully one day I can see the rest.

I-90 between I-15 in Montana and I-5 in Seattle's one of my bucket list drives. From what I've seen on various road videos, it's a section I want to see for myself.

[stwoodbury]

Let's update the list now that I've got a lot more driving and travel under my belt.

I-70 west of Denver goes without saying. Probably the best scenic segment in the entire system, hands-down. East of Topeka, it's also got some very interesting sections. Denver to Topeka, though... make sure you can stay awake, because it can be boring.

I-85 stays fresh in my memories. Even with the terrible traffic in Charlotte and the indescribably atrocious traffic situation in Atlanta, it's still one I'd drive again, if only to appreciate the rural sections, as well as being one of the de facto Main Streets for the Carolinas.

The western I-84 was surprisingly scenic when I took it from the east end to Boise. Hopefully one day I can see the rest.

I-90 between I-15 in Montana and I-5 in Seattle's one of my bucket list drives. From what I've seen on various road videos, it's a section I want to see for myself.

I just drove the Butte to Coeur d'Alene segment on 90 last fall with all the orange tamaracks contrasted with the dark green spruce. I also drove I-70 between Denver and Green River, UT earlier on that trip with a side detour to Leadville and Aspen.

[InterstateGuy]

My favorite strip of interstate that I have traveled will always be the stretch of 80 between Western New Jersey and the West end of Pennsylvania. Rolling hills and flat farm land the whole way makes for great scenery. I-99 in pennsylvania is also scenic.

[Strider]

My favorite interstate is I-73 (as it is still being built though), but as of the most continuous one, it would be I-40. The stretch in the western NC is amazing. I haven't been on the interstate west of Mississippi River though.. I will need to make a cross-country trip one day.

[SD Mapman]

I-90 from Moorcroft to Spearfish is always going to be my number one (nostalgia purposes). Also, I-80 between Evanston and SLC and I-70 in western CO are pretty neat too.

[LM117]

I-795 in NC. Hands down. I was living in Fremont when the freeway first opened as US-117 in 2006 before changing to I-795 in 2007. There was hardly any traffic at all during it's first few years since there were quite a few people in the area who still did not know the highway existed, so it was like having a drag strip in my backyard. Ah, memories! I had gotten my license in 2006 so it was also the first interstate I drove and clinched.

I last drove I-795 last September during a trip to Goldsboro and encountered a bit more traffic than it used to carry. I also noticed a lot of out of state plates on I-795 as well. I figured it was doing it's job as a shortcut to Wilmington.

[bing101]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_97


I-97 the shortest 2di in the interstate system. even some 3di's are longer than I-97.

[AMLNet49]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_97


I-97 the shortest 2di in the interstate system. even some 3di's are longer than I-97.

It's southern terminus is at a 3DI that is more than twice as long as itself

[texaskdog]

I-70 through the San Rafael Reef area is one of the most beautiful stretches of road I've ever seen in my life. It was then that I felt the west welcoming me for the first time!

for me, that moment was I-20 as I headed well out of the DFW metroplex on my first solo road trip in August, 2003.  Then I turned off onto US-285 in Pecos, TX and the rest is history!

285 my LEAST favorite stretch of road in the world, north from Pecos.

[jakeroot]

I-70 through the San Rafael Reef area is one of the most beautiful stretches of road I've ever seen in my life. It was then that I felt the west welcoming me for the first time!

for me, that moment was I-20 as I headed well out of the DFW metroplex on my first solo road trip in August, 2003.  Then I turned off onto US-285 in Pecos, TX and the rest is history!

285 my LEAST favorite stretch of road in the world, north from Pecos.

Eight years.

[fillup420]

I have another,

Over winter, we drove on I-40 from Gallup, NM to the junction with I-81 in eastern Tennessee. It was part of a longer trip, but we saw 1600 miles of I-40 in the span of about 30 hours. It was a grueling drive, but looking back it was incredible to see that much of the country from one interstate. For that reason, I-40 will always hold a place in my heart.


iPhone

[intelati49]

I-70 through Glenwood Canyon. Fun to drive and incredible to be in the passenger seat.

[MrDisco99]

Some of my favorites:

I-87 Adirondack Northway - drove this a few years ago in October on my way back from Montreal... breathtaking
I-76 original PA Turnpike - also very scenic, and the tunnels are interesting. Also quirky with its thin median and decorated overpasses because it's so old
I-77 in WV - another pretty drive with some interesting bridges and a tunnel
I-95 the whole thing - This has everything... It passes through 15 states and includes... an elevated highway hugging the Miami skyline, some pretty shoreline views in FL and GA, the beltway, NJ Turnpike, GW Bridge, CT Turnpike, MA 128, ME Turnpike, and a gateway to Canada... except the Carolinas, that part is dreadful.
I-15 between Las Vegas, NV and St. George, UT - Very pretty canyon drive
I-10 through New Orleans - some nice views and interesting bridges and causeways
I-278 NY - Goethals Bridge, Verrazano Bridge, BQE (amazing skyline views), Triborough Bridge... my favorite freeway route through NYC
I-190 NY - Nice views of Buffalo and the Grand Island Bridges... always in a good mood here because I'm on my way to someplace fun
I-295 DE - The Delaware Memorial Bridge is one of those iconic gateway landmarks... kinda feels like passing between the two giant statues on the way to Gondor in the Lord of the Rings... just one more state and one more fast straight road before I get to NYC
I-275 FL - Sunshine Skyway, great views of Tampa Bay and direct access to city centers of Tampa and St. Petersburg

And I feel like I should mention I-5 even through I've never driven on it, just because I think it's cool that it's the only interstate that runs from border to border.

[ColossalBlocks]

I-55, because it barely has any auxiliary routes, and I rarely favor Interstates with over 5 aux routes.

[Rothman]

I-55, because it barely has any auxiliary routes, and I rarely favor Interstates with over 5 aux routes.

Why the limit?  If an interstate passes by more than a few major urban areas, why get miffed at more than 5 aux routes?

[CtrlAltDel]

I-55, because it barely has any auxiliary routes, and I rarely favor Interstates with over 5 aux routes.

Why the limit?  If an interstate passes by more than a few major urban areas, why get miffed at more than 5 aux routes?

That's probably it. This person probably prefers ruralness to a high degree and has found an interesting (if imperfect) way to quantify that. 

[frankenroad]

There are a lot of great Interstate drives (and some really sucky ones, too)

One of my favorites is I-75 from around Grayling north to St. Ignace.   Lots of pine forests, and the excitement of catching your first glimpse of the Mackinac Bridge while still several miles away.  And, of course, the bridge itself!   As a kid, driving that stretch meant we were almost to our summer cabin in the UP.

Some of my other favorites include all of I-68, I-90/Mass Pike through the Berkshires, I-84 through the Poconos, and the whole length of I-89.

Clearly, most of my driving experience has been in the north and east!