The Most Boring Stretches of Highway

[yanksfan6129]

The Thruway doesn't bug me, and I am very familiar with it all the way from Suffern to Rochester (I-490) (particularly between Syracuse I-81 and Geneva NY 14) at this point. I agree with the consensus that it's "pretty but boring," but I always find that before I know it I'm where I need to exit, so it goes quickly.

My least favorite roads are both in Pennsylvania: I don't like I-80 in PA or I-81 between Scranton and Binghamton. To me they seem extremely boring and always take forever.

[A.J. Bertin]

Outside of IL and IN, I-94 across Lower Michigan is a definite candidate.

I-96 between Lansing and Grand Rapids is much more boring than any of I-94 in Michigan. (I drive the I-96 stretch quite often - talk about "dullsville"... ugh....) I-94 has more interesting things to see (more exits, more billboards, etc.) The scenery on both I-96 and I-94 isn't anything to write home about, but I-94 at least has more "stuff" to look at.

I-80 across IA is dullsville too.

I disagree. I drove across Iowa on I-80 last summer and thought it wasn't too bad. Lots of rolling hills. Plus, Iowa has really nice rest areas. There's one westbound rest area west of Des Moines that has a really tall white tower that you can see for a few miles out. As we were driving closer and closer, my friend and I were asking, "What the heck is that tower?" As we approached it, we realized it was just a rest area! LOL

Nebraska has the Sand Hills and more interesting scenery than most people know. 

I agree. I-80 in Nebraska is not as bad as people might think.

I-80 through WY likewise manages to sidestep the Rocky Mountains in an amazing display of "where are the mountains? I know they're supposed to be here somewhere!?!"  Yes, they exist, but wait until Utah.....

I-80 in both Wyoming and Utah (especially Utah) is gorgeous. You're right though; Wyoming doesn't seem to be very mountainous until the western half of the state. Heck... the entire state of Utah (including I-15) has some incredible scenery.

[AsphaltPlanet]

I don't much care for the NYS Thruway either.  There are some pretty stretches east of Syracuse, but west of Syracuse its very, very boring.  A lot of other New York Roads are much more interesting.  NY 17, particularly east of Binghamton is a fantastic drive, as is much of I-390 south of Rochester.  I've never driven I-88 but from what I've seen it looks like a great drive, particularly during the autumn.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Nebraska has the Sand Hills and more interesting scenery than most people know. 

I agree. I-80 in Nebraska is not as bad as people might think.

I-80 through WY likewise manages to sidestep the Rocky Mountains in an amazing display of "where are the mountains? I know they're supposed to be here somewhere!?!"  Yes, they exist, but wait until Utah.....

I-80 in both Wyoming and Utah (especially Utah) is gorgeous. You're right though; Wyoming doesn't seem to be very mountainous until the western half of the state. Heck... the entire state of Utah (including I-15) has some incredible scenery.

I think the point made by StogieGuy7 was that I-80 misses the more scenic parts of Nebraska, mainly following the relatively featureless North Platte / Platte River valley. I agree.

Other posters have named the plains states or Nevada as boring. My nym probably gives away my preferences, but I enjoy many areas of the plains and think driving across Nevada is spectacular. The most boring stretches of my long drives last year were the walls of trees along the interstates in Wisconsin and Louisiana (94 and 20 respectively). All you see is trees, and you get no sense of terrain behind them.

[vdeane]

I-88 is awesome.  Everyone should drive it at least once.

Over the years I've become WAY too familiar with the Thruway between Rochester and Syracuse.  When I was younger I'd take naps when the family was on it, waking up only when near an exit.  That's no longer an option, but as I've gotten more familiar with it and my sense of time sped up, it's not as bad as it used to be.  Which is a good thing, because between Mar 15 and Mar 24 I might be traveling it no less than 6 times. 

Since most/all of the examples are from the US, here's a couple from Canada: ON 417 east of Ottawa and ON 416.  ON 138 isn't that exciting either.

[mgk920]

One more that I was bored on the first time was westbound I-40 between Knoxville and Nashville, TN.  That highway just seemed to go on and on and on and on and....



Mike

[kphoger]

I-88 is awesome.  Everyone should drive it at least once.

I-88 is boring from the Quad Cities clear to Aurora.

[Brandon]

I-88 is awesome.  Everyone should drive it at least once.

I-88 is boring from the Quad Cities clear to Aurora.

I've never found it that way.  Plenty of farms to see along the way.

[huskeroadgeek]

Unlike most people, I don't find midwest interstates all that boring. They're certainly not interesting by any means, but I don't find them all that bad. The worst ones for me are anything where there is nothing but trees, trees, and more trees lining the interstate for miles. Several interstates in the southeast would fit this description. Somebody mentioned I-16 in Georgia-that was probably the worst I have seen. At least in the midwest you can see the land as it goes by. And I actually find the flat terrain of the plains somewhat interesting because it's so flat and there are so few trees that any rise in the land or anything that rises from the land is visible from a fairly good distance.

[cjk374]

US 167 between Fordyce, AR southward to the Ouachita River is horrible.  Nothing but pine trees, very few if any residences, and an occasional state trooper hiding to get you.  The town of Hampton is about halfway in between Fordyce and the river to break the monotony, but it is definitely a speed trap town.  You wanna speed to get out of the boring woods, and the police profit from it!

[thenetwork]

It seems we've established that one should avoid interstates in Illinois.  Many of the two-laners really aren't too bad, especially in the south, but I agree that several stretches of interstate are rather boring.  A good example of the difference would be mostly dull I-64 between Mount Vernon and Grayville:  IL-15 to IL-130, while slightly longer, provides a more scenic drive.  Even IL-37 from Dix to Goreville is more scenic than the very closely parallel I-57, but that alternative will take a driver much more time due to the many towns along the way.  Unfortunately for I-70, the stretches of US-40 I've driven weren't much better.

But at least the stretches of "abandoned lanes" of US-40 are interesting!!

The only thing that saves US-491 between Cortez, CO and Gallup, NM from being 100% boring is Shiprock (both the city and the rock formation).  After a quick while, even that 5% glitter fades.

The was a reason why this highway used to be called US Route 666 -- it is boring as hell!!!

And to those who can't stand the flat, treeless stretches of Midwest interstates, I disagree. By day, I enjoy passing by fields of corn, wheat or other crops on farmland and the associated smells always change by the mile.  At night, I enjoy seeing the glow of a lonely overhead security light by a farmhouse, or the glow of a group of various lights in a small town 5-10 miles away.

[Sykotyk]

Wow, so many to name.

NY Thruway from Buffalo to Syracuse is up there. Partially because the lack of mileage-based exit numbers makes the drive feel so much longer since the exact length you'll be on the road to your exit is unknown.

I like the west, even the stretches without a lot of anything (including the US20 Riverton-Casper stretch).

I-5 from Wheeler Ridge (junction with CA99), and near Stockton I've driven once, and had nothing nice to say of it. I'd much rather drive CA99 with some scenery.

[BigMattFromTexas]

US 67 going to Big Lake/Ft. Stockton area used to be really boring, now it's best at night, you can see 15-20 oil rigs all lit up like Christmas trees. I-37 between Three Rivers and Corpus Christi is insanely boring, shoot the whole road is..
BigMatt

[corco]

US 67 going to Big Lake/Ft. Stockton area used to be really boring

I actually find the Fort Stockton->Angelo drive quite interesting- the terrain/vegetation mix along that stretch of road is different from anywhere else I've ever seen in the country. Mertzon is one of the more picturesque towns I've ever seen. Past Angelo to about Brownwood is kind of boring, but then it gets interesting again.

[BigMattFromTexas]

In my opinion, the drive to Ft. Stockton is only interesting after about Rankin, or McCamey. Maybe it's cause I've been from San Angelo to Big Lake so many times (trips to see friends, sports, etc).
BigMatt

[djsinco]

I-88 is awesome.  Everyone should drive it at least once.

I-88 is boring from the Quad Cities clear to Aurora.

I've never found it that way.  Plenty of farms to see along the way.

Not to mention the beef plant in Joslin.

[vdeane]

I-88 is awesome.  Everyone should drive it at least once.

I-88 is boring from the Quad Cities clear to Aurora.

Should have been more precise.  I meant the other I-88.  You know, the real one, running from Binghamton to Albany.

[Mamba205]

The entire stretch of I-70 in Illinois is pretty boring. There's hardly anything to look at (including very few billboards).

Really? Most of I-70 in Illinois is over gently rolling terrain, especially in Bond County and near the Embarras River. At the I-70/57 interchange, the trees are thick with many evergreens. I personally find I-70 through Illinois to be quite pretty, except where it passes the strip clubs in Sauget.

[Mamba205]

Most interstates in Illinois would not be so bad if Illinois set its speed limits at a more reasonable 75.  But IMHO at this moment I-72 between Jacksonville and the western edge of Springfield and I-72 between the Riverton Exit (#108) to the western edge of Decatur is the most boring in Illinois.

For some reason the section of US 20 in Iowa near I-35 stands out as one of the most boring freeways I've driven.

I'll second a few others mentioned here.  For sheer boredom, IL outnumbers any other with I-55 (from I-294 to Granite City) being incredibly boring - unless the Amtrak is visible.  I-57 is brutal, basically from the slums of S. Chicago all the way down to I-70.  I-70 is boring from the MS River, through IL and through IN.   I-72 and I-39 are also incredibly monotanous. 

IN is right up there too, most interstates in the Hoosier State are dull as hell.  Only in OH River Valley, where there are hills, is there any relief.

Outside of IL and IN, I-94 across Lower Michigan is a definite candidate.  I-90 from Sioux Falls, SD to Rochester, MN (covering much of southern MN) is basically an above-ground tunnel.  I-80 across IA is dullsville too.

Nebraska has the Sand Hills and more interesting scenery than most people know.  Amazingly, I-80 goes out of its way to miss any - and all - natural sights across the entire width of the state! 

I-80 through WY likewise manages to sidestep the Rocky Mountains in an amazing display of "where are the mountains? I know they're supposed to be here somewhere!?!"  Yes, they exist, but wait until Utah.....

Flat highways with trees are pretty dull too, which is why I-95 south of DC is a solid eastern contender that belongs on this list.  Pretty much any interstate on that coastal plain qualifies for this.   

All that said, IL, IN and IA are the dullest states of all.  MI would be, were it not for the Upper Peninsula that they stole from the cheeseheads.   

Those of you who are citing highways in WA, OR, and CA.....sorry, but you don't know what a boring drive is!!

But not all parts of a boring highway are boring. For example, I-55 in Illinois you say is boring, but it's quite scenic between Lincoln and the Sangamon River, and again near Benld. The terrain is slightly rolling, with plenty of trees.

Likewise, I-70 in Illinois isn't all boring. The terrain is fairly rolling, which looks good with the corn in the summer. Coming into Effingham, there are more hills with some evergreens which are quite scenic.

[Mamba205]

When I drove US 60 west from VA 288 after the first Richmond meet a few years ago, I thought it would never end. I actually welcomed getting to the mountain crossing between Amherst and Buena Vista. Straight and rolling and no ability to use a radar detector to drive faster than the painfully-slow 55 mph speed limit.

Others...

I-64 west of Louisville to St. Louis. Sorry to those of you who like I-64 through southern Indiana. There's nothing about that stretch that excites me. Also I-64 between Richmond and Charlottesville.

I-55 from Cape Girardeau to Memphis.

I-70 from roughly Manhattan, Kansas to Denver.

I-71 between Cincy and C-bus.

I-75 in Ohio all the way from Cincy to Toledo.

I-70 in Ohio (are we sensing a pattern here?)

I-40 from Nashville to Memphis.

I-79 in West Virginia (only because I've driven it a zillion times).

I-81 from Winchester to the I-78 split.

I-70 in Ohio isn't spectacular, but it definitely is a good looking highway. The western half might be a little meh, but the eastern half beginning in Zanesville is very hilly, lots of trees. Then there's the massive interchange with I-77. The most scenic area is approaching the West Virginia state line. And, yes, I must add that I find Wheeling to be scenic...if you take away the trailer parks built into the hills along I-70.

[SSOWorld]

I-55 in the MO boot heel and All of AR.  The stretch in Arkansas I would have fallen asleep if it were not for the bumpy ride.

I-29.  YES the ENTIRE interstate!  Built in the flat valley of both the Missouri and Red rivers - along with tree-less flat and hill in South Dakota.

For WI - I echo I-39 - particularly from Coloma northward - flat and boring.  It doesn't get interesting again until north of Wausau - oh wait... it doesn't go past Wausau

[Revive 755]

I-29.  YES the ENTIRE interstate!  Built in the flat valley of both the Missouri and Red rivers - along with tree-less flat and hill in South Dakota.

You seemed to have missed the hilly section between Mound City and the northern edge of St. Joseph.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=hamburg,+ia&hl=en&ll=39.899693,-94.877966&spn=0.028018,0.066047&sll=42.032432,-88.091192&sspn=0.215992,0.528374&hnear=Hamburg,+Fremont,+Iowa&t=p&z=15&layer=c&cbll=39.899693,-94.877966&panoid=lIbWTXsPu_rmVpqxJHbKjA&cbp=12,307.08,,0,0.47

The Mound City to Iowa border section stays interesting due to I-29 being built close to the edge of the river valley.

[corco]

I-29.  YES the ENTIRE interstate!  Built in the flat valley of both the Missouri and Red rivers - along with tree-less flat and hill in South Dakota.

I-29 is one of my favorite interstates, actually. The stretch from Omaha to Kansas City is especially nice.

[djsinco]

I-29.  YES the ENTIRE interstate!  Built in the flat valley of both the Missouri and Red rivers - along with tree-less flat and hill in South Dakota.

I-29 is one of my favorite interstates, actually. The stretch from Omaha to Kansas City is especially nice.

It is your right to have such an opinion. I guess it is far from the most boring road, but there are so many others which are more beautiful, in the same region.

[OracleUsr]

I've rode by bus on I-75 South from about Warner Robbins to both Tifton and Valdosta (mostly Tifton, where we got off to go US 319 to Tallahassee, but did make our way through Valdosta en route to Tampa), but I drove the stretch one time back in May 1993, heading to Lake City, FL.  I amused myself in the stretch near Adel by counting the number of street lights on I-75 near the Okeefenokee (SP?) swamp area.  I counted 68 northbound.

Mind you, all this was back when Georgia used sequential numbering, so it was between exits 9 and 10.  I see from Google Satellite View that the lights are now in the middle.