States with the best & worst rest areas?

[KCRoadFan]

Hello road fans,

In your opinion, which states do you think have the best rest areas you've been to, and which ones seem to come up a little short?

From my personal experience, I can say that I like Iowa's and Indiana's the most - as I recall, they have very clean and spacious buildings. I think Illinois and Minnesota do fine as well, although their buildings are smaller.

Sadly, I think the ones in my state (Missouri) leave much to be desired - for one, there's no place to go inside other than the restrooms themselves (i.e. they open directly on the outdoors). The elements that appear in the buildings in other states next to the restrooms (big state map, vending machines, etc.) are instead placed under rather small shelters off to the side - which doesn't work so well in the rain.

What do you think based on your travels? What states perform well on the rest area front, and which ones don't do so well in that regard? It would be intriguing to find out more.

[TravelingBethelite]

I always really liked Pennsylvania's rest areas. Very spacious, both in and outside the buildings. Restrooms are generally very clean with a good variety in the products offered by the vending machines. Ohio gets very similar marks.

I'm not such a fan of Oklahoma's, with bars over the vending machines and the small restroom buildings (iirc) feeling like they don't trust the traveling public very much.

[ethanhopkin14]

I like this topic.  I would say maybe not the best, but I remember being blown away the first time was Arizona, because I stopped at multiple and they had air conditioning.  So many states have air conditioned rest areas now that's it's not as big a deal, but sadly my home state of Texas had zero rest areas with air conditioning when I was growing up.  They were kinda dumpy but they hold a special place in my heart because they meant I was on a trip.  Now that Texas has upgraded a few of their rest areas in the last 20 years, I would rank them as middle of the road on average.  Not bad, not good. 

Another reason I am having a hard time picking a rest area out of the ones I have been to is because of the grounds, which are separate from the facilities.  The grounds could be spectacular with an awesome view, but the facility could be a dump.  My favorite rest area in the whole country is The Texas Canyon Rest Area on I-10 outside of Dragoon, Arizona, only because of the rock formations around the rest area, and not because of the facility.  Also my wife and I stopped at the last rest area on I-40 in North Carolina that had very nice grounds and was pretty and even had a sign noting it was the last rest area on I-40.  The rest areas in North Carolina in general are pretty nice.

Now being a new (past 7 months) RV owner, rest areas now have a different use for me since I don't have to use the facilities.  Now they have to have spacious grounds, preferably no sign saying "No overnight parking" (even though this is largely ignored), and a dump station is a super A+.  I haven't gotten to travel all the states in my RV, but in my travels I have noticed that Mississippi, Alabama and Oklahoma have rest areas with dump stations at them.  The one thing I really loved being an RV owner was Florida's rest areas having digital advanced signage telling you how many truck parking spots are left 1.5 miles before the exit.  Very helpful information when you are tired and don't want to waste time exiting only to find there is nowhere to park.  Also, most Florida rest areas have truck areas, then RV areas separate.

Also, being an RV owner, I loved the Mississippi welcome center on I-10 on the Mississippi side of the Pear River for it's dedicated RV parking spots with water hookups, but I think for this thread welcome centers should be excluded since the states go all out on the welcome centers and don't give you a good example of how the rest areas actually are.

Sadly, a lot of north eastern states, I haven't gotten to stop at their rest areas, since I traveled mainly tollways.  New York, I have exclusively driven the Thruway so I stopped at toll oasis, same with New Jersey and Pennsylvania with the New Jersey Turnpike and Pennsylvania Turnpike respectively.  I-95 in Connecticut has nice rest areas but they too are former plaza/oasis.  Again, I am sure you meant to exclude toll oasis/food and gas plazas from this list since they are state/tollway and privately run/built

Lastly, my least favorite are California.  They, to me are all kinda dumpy.  I speak for mostly the desert ones, so prove me wrong.

[jmacswimmer]

Big fan of Virginia's rebuilt rest areas (such as Ladysmith on I-95 or New Kent on I-64) - spacious and clean on the inside while mimicking the exterior of the older buildings they replaced.

The rebuilt ones in Maryland (South Mountain on I-70 & Emmitsburg on US 15) are also nice - they even have playgrounds!

Also appreciate a rest area with a good view - 2 that come to mind are the Youghiogheny Overlook Welcome Center on I-68 (MD) and the Tioga Welcome Center on US 15/Future I-99 (PA).

[Max Rockatansky]

The rest areas in California are terrible.  They are usually very basic and have weird things like metal toilets which give off a vibe of cheapness.  That said, Caltrans recently redid the rest area near Tulare on CA 99 and it was a substantial upgrade.  I was surprised to see things like historical displays, different colored stones, and even somewhat nice landscaping. 

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce. 

[ethanhopkin14]

Honorable mention, one of my favorite rest areas was in Switzerland near the Liechtenstein border on EU-13.  Everything was recently renovated and they had a thing where the toilet and sink were all one component.  Depending on how you viewed it, you were either peeing in the sink or washing your hands in the toilet. 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Good: MN, WI, IA, TN, CO

Hit or miss: MT (meh one S of Billings, nice one W of Missoula), IL (stopped at one that had virtually no exterior lighting), WY

Meh: SD, ND, WA

My favorite rest area is probably the one at Tettegouche Stats Park in Minnesota.

[kphoger]

I have no complaints about any of the Illinois rest areas I've used.

For most states I'm familiar with, I can think of a couple of nice ones and a couple of mediocre ones, so it's hard to say one state is "best".

[Flint1979]

Michigan has pretty good rest areas. They give information about the area, mileage to the next major cities, have vending machines and pretty good restrooms and for the most part they seem to be maintained pretty good as well. The Welcome Centers have more features.

[US 89]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

[Max Rockatansky]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

Some of the rest areas on US 95 south towards Las Vegas are bad enough that it is more sanitary to pee on the side of the road.  The rest area in Luning also had a creepy vibe in the background given the backdrop was a ghost town.

[index]

From my limited experience with SC's rest stops, they all stink and the bathrooms are vile. Also kind of outdated.

[STLmapboy]

Minnesota lists all their amenities (eg wireless internet) on signs before, and the rest areas are usually nice and well maintained (like this one). Even some US routes have rest areas.

I agree with the OP that MO's rest stops are mediocre.

[STLmapboy]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

More recent reviews on Google mention clean bathrooms, but if Nevada waits a long time for maintenance then that's a problem.

I've had no experience with NV personally but CA ones are just alright. I find some of them near urban areas unnecessary (for example on I-5 in Camp Pendleton).

[JayhawkCO]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

More recent reviews on Google mention clean bathrooms, but if Nevada waits a long time for maintenance then that's a problem.

I've had no experience with NV personally but CA ones are just alright. I find some of them near urban areas unnecessary (for example on I-5 in Camp Pendleton).

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Chris

[Max Rockatansky]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

More recent reviews on Google mention clean bathrooms, but if Nevada waits a long time for maintenance then that's a problem.

I've had no experience with NV personally but CA ones are just alright. I find some of them near urban areas unnecessary (for example on I-5 in Camp Pendleton).

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Chris

The one in Camp Pendleton is very handy to have.  It's not exactly a cake walk finding a place that will let you use a restroom on either side of that base.  Most small businesses like gas stations in Southern California are hardcore about not having a public restrooms.  Besides, Camp Pendleton can be quite a long drag if traffic is bad on either side of that base.  I've been caught in backups there which were born out of traffic coming from I-405. 

[StogieGuy7]

From my limited experience with SC's rest stops, they all stink and the bathrooms are vile. Also kind of outdated.

Last fall, I visited the SC Welcome Center on I-85 SB (just south/west of the NC border) and it was perfectly fine.  Good rest rooms, nice space to walk around, pretty nice welcome center with free official state maps (I'm a sucker for that) and brochures.  By coincidence, on my way north, I had to visit the rest area immediately opposite to the welcome center (on I-85 NB) and it was just ok. Much simpler with fewer amenities, but it wasn't bad - nor was it dirty or vile.  A bit outdated though.

[ethanhopkin14]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

More recent reviews on Google mention clean bathrooms, but if Nevada waits a long time for maintenance then that's a problem.

I've had no experience with NV personally but CA ones are just alright. I find some of them near urban areas unnecessary (for example on I-5 in Camp Pendleton).

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Chris

You know, until I became an RVer, I didn't think leaving a review on a rest area was a thing (I know Google can literally let you leave a review for everything), but my wife kept finding reviews for upcoming rest areas and we found them to be helpful mainly for overnight camping.  Come to find out, a lot of the places that RVers say allow overnight camping in their parking lot (grocery stores, Walmart, Target, malls) are pretty all over the map about whether or not they will allow it (some have signs saying no overnight camping) so we have had our antennas up about places coming up on the highway.  The reviews have been more than helpful for that part of the road trip. 

Also, even though I said California has bad rest areas, I have stopped at the Camp Pendleton one several times and have had good experiences there.  It is set up more like a outdoor outlet mall then a rest area!

[kphoger]

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Heck, I've even posted pictures.

For most states I'm familiar with, I can think of a couple of nice ones and a couple of mediocre ones, so it's hard to say one state is "best".

I agree with the OP that MO's rest stops are mediocre.

Missouri is one of those states where I've encountered both awesome rest areas and crappy rest areas.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Heck, I've even posted pictures.

For most states I'm familiar with, I can think of a couple of nice ones and a couple of mediocre ones, so it's hard to say one state is "best".

I agree with the OP that MO's rest stops are mediocre.

Missouri is one of those states where I've encountered both awesome rest areas and crappy rest areas.

Sometimes I incorporate them into Highway articles:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2018/11/california-state-route-99old-us-route.html?m=1

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/08/old-us-route-99-in-goshen-traver-and.html?m=1

[Crown Victoria]

North Carolina did a nice job with the new rest area on I-77 north of Statesville. Their older ones aren't too bad either.

The ones here in PA are fairly decent as well. Nothing too fancy, but not the worst either.

[jeffandnicole]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

More recent reviews on Google mention clean bathrooms, but if Nevada waits a long time for maintenance then that's a problem.

I've had no experience with NV personally but CA ones are just alright. I find some of them near urban areas unnecessary (for example on I-5 in Camp Pendleton).

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Chris

If you're a passenger in a vehicle, you should have the 5 minutes it takes to make a review.

[Scott5114]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

More recent reviews on Google mention clean bathrooms, but if Nevada waits a long time for maintenance then that's a problem.

I've had no experience with NV personally but CA ones are just alright. I find some of them near urban areas unnecessary (for example on I-5 in Camp Pendleton).

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Chris

If you're a passenger in a vehicle, you should have the 5 minutes it takes to make a review.

It's more whether that's a good use of the time, more than anything. Businesses respond to negative reviews because they can cause them to sell less product. Rest areas? If the rest area gets shit-talked enough on the Internet that people stop using it, the government can shut it down for lack of use and then they're off the hook for maintaining it!

If you have problems with the way a rest stop is being run, you'll have way better results spending the time to send an email to your state rep than you will posting to Google.

[STLmapboy]

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce.

The shittiest (literally) rest area I've ever been to was the one off I-80 at the US 95 interchange between Fernley and Lovelock. There was no way that place had been cleaned in months if not years.

More recent reviews on Google mention clean bathrooms, but if Nevada waits a long time for maintenance then that's a problem.

I've had no experience with NV personally but CA ones are just alright. I find some of them near urban areas unnecessary (for example on I-5 in Camp Pendleton).

I think if I ever take the time to fill out a Google review of a rest stop, someone needs to sit me down and have a little talk.

Chris

If you're a passenger in a vehicle, you should have the 5 minutes it takes to make a review.

It's more whether that's a good use of the time, more than anything. Businesses respond to negative reviews because they can cause them to sell less product. Rest areas? If the rest area gets shit-talked enough on the Internet that people stop using it, the government can shut it down for lack of use and then they're off the hook for maintaining it!

If you have problems with the way a rest stop is being run, you'll have way better results spending the time to send an email to your state rep than you will posting to Google.

It's helpful to other travelers to review it, especially more recent ones.

[DTComposer]

The rest areas in California are terrible.  They are usually very basic and have weird things like metal toilets which give off a vibe of cheapness.  That said, Caltrans recently redid the rest area near Tulare on CA 99 and it was a substantial upgrade.  I was surprised to see things like historical displays, different colored stones, and even somewhat nice landscaping. 

Nevada can be incredibly sparse but a good chuck of their rest areas are located in very remote US Route segments in between long gaps in commercial services.  They basically are intended to do nothing more than function as a place take a quick whiz and/or deuce. 

California has also remodeled at least some of the rest areas along I-5 and US-101 - and while still spartan, they are definitely in much better shape than ten years ago. For example, on I-5 if I don't need food/gas I'd much rather stop off at the Caltrans rest area north of the Buttonwillow/CA-58 exit than try my luck at the Buttonwillow exit itself.