Rest areas on non-freeway roads

[DandyDan]

I remember Nebraska had one on US 275 east of Norfolk, but it looks like it may have been sold to a private business.

[DandyDan]

Minnesota has a handful of these, mostly on expressway grade roads but a few on two-laners; MN 61 has a lot of rest areas, though some are closed in winter.

The two famous ones, as far as my family is concerned, are US 169 north of LeSueur and MN 60 east of St. James.

[US 89]

Utah has a handful on the state's larger rural US and state route corridors. US 6, 40, 89, 191, and SR 12 and 24 all have at least one.

Where are they on 12 and 24?

The one on SR 12 is a few miles west of the Bryce Canyon junction with SR 63. 24 has one on the Fish Lake climb between the SR 62 and 25 intersections.

I realize now SR 10 also has one, but that one seems a little weirder than the others as it's actually within the town of Emery instead of out in the middle of nowhere. There's also one on SR 30 by Bear Lake...which I shouldn't have forgotten the first time since I've actually stopped there before.

[CtrlAltDel]

Michigan has several Rest Areas ...

(Quoting myself)

I should have also noted that the Welcome Centers in Sault Ste Marie, Mackinaw City, Port Huron and Detroit are technically not on freeways, as you have to take an exit from the Interstate and travel on surface streets to get to the Rest Area.  I'm not even sure how you get to the Detroit one from a freeway; you cross the Ambassador Bridge and follow a surface street to get to it - it's in a building that looks like a strip mall.

Well the Port Huron one is definitely off of the freeway, I got off on it from I-69/I-94 a few years back. If I recall though the older welcome center was off of a street.

The Port Huron welcome center was replaced a few years ago when I-94 was reconstructed and widened by a new rest area / welcome center right on the freeway a mile or so west of the old location.

https://goo.gl/maps/7k2NiVEru7KfieNDA

The old Port Huron Welcome Center was actually in the middle of the ramp for westbound exit 274 on I-94/I-69.

[-- US 175 --]

TX has rest areas in many parts of the state, shown on this site:
https://www.txdot.gov/driver/travel/rest-areas-map.html

Some of those are on interstates, but several others are not.  Many of those have been renovated and upgraded.

For many years, all of TX' roadside stops were signed as "rest areas" but several years ago, a separate signed category, "picnic area", began appearing at some of them.  Picnic areas have a basic offering of parking area, picnic tables (usually covered but not always), and some grills.

This picnic area, a typical one for the most part, along US 175 NW of Athens is the only one that remains along the highway.  The other 2 that were beside the highway were victims of road widening projects.

The "rest area" signing still appears, but indicates stops with more amenities, primarily bathrooms.  Others may include additions like vending machines, pay phones, and wi-fi.  Here is an upgraded one, along US 69 on the north side of Jacksonville at Love's Lookout, a popular scenic overlook:

It includes bathrooms, vending machines, staffed local tourist info center, and a sheriff's substation.  The original rest area at the site was damaged in a 1987 tornado, and was eventually restored and upgraded to what is in place there now.  The architecture of the building there evokes what was used in the city beside its railroads and main street for tomato sheds for many years (the city was known before World War II for its tomato crops).  A state Historical Marker (https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/Details/5073006965) is also at the facility, detailing history of the site and area.

[Dirt Roads]

By the 1960s, West Virginia had an extensive network of "Roadside Rest Areas" scattered on U.S. routes.  These all consisted of hand-dug outhouses (male and female) along with a tall red handpump water fountain.  As they were gradually abandoned, some were rescued by localities.  One that still remains is the St. Albans Roadside Park on MacCorkle Avenue (US-60) alongside the Kanawha River.  This one was a larger facility that included swingsets, slides, teeter-totters, spinner-go-rounds and even a basketball court.  This was close enough to one of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken huts that it got heavy use on the weekends.

I doubt that any of the original facilities are still there, but the St. Albans Roadside Park still gets heavy use.

[ran4sh]

Georgia has a welcome center (which in GA are technically called Visitor Information Centers) near Exit 12 of I-185, north of Columbus. Not only is this rest area accessed from a local road, more recently there has been an apartment complex built, with the entrance to the apartments being accessed via the entrance to the welcome center.

https://goo.gl/maps/eWp1Thsii3DWwcw27

[Roadgeekteen]

I saw one on ME 9.

[GaryV]

Does the Maine Welcome Rest Area on I-95 still have a "back door" to US-1?

[cl94]

Does the Maine Welcome Rest Area on I-95 still have a "back door" to US-1?

It does, complete with its own separate parking area.

[hbelkins]

Ohio's been mentioned. The facility on OH 7 near Gallipolis has a display memorializing the Silver Bridge (US 35) collapse.

[thenetwork]

Most of the rest areas in Colorado ‐‐ west of the Divide -- are off the freeway, as you have to physically exit the freeway and turn onto a crossroad to access the single center that serves both ways.  You could argue that the I-70 Rest Areas through Glenwood Canyon are along the mainline as all "exits" are all NO OUTLETS that serve small areas.

US-40 and CO-13 also have roadside rest areas as well. 

[cl94]

If we want to go across the pond, the Skiach Services along the A9 north of Inverness, Scotland are a signed service area along a 2-lane road. This is notable as the northernmost official service area in the UK. The UK has several official service areas along dual carriageways (expressway-grade roads for those in North America), but very few along 2-lane roads.

[rarnold]

All of these rest areas are on two-lane highways. Idaho does not have many freeways outside of interstate highways.

Idaho
US 12
Lenore
Lolo Pass

US 95
Sheep Creek (South of Riggins)
Mineral Mountain (North of Potlatch)
Winchester

US 93
Lost Trail Pass

Washington
US 195
Horn School (South of Rosalia)

[wxfree]

My first thought in Texas was the one on US 287 north of Decatur.  The road is a four-lane divided highway and the rest area is on one side.  There are crossovers to get there from, and back to, the southbound lanes.  Then I remembered the one near the Guadalupe Mountains.  That's on US 62/180 south of the New Mexico state line.  That's along a two-lane road.

The Marfa Lights viewing area doesn't meet the criteria, because it isn't officially marked.  On Street View I don't see any signs (Marfa doesn't really like to publicize their lights, and TxDOT built this place mainly to keep viewers contained, so they're not parking along the road).  On the state travel map it's shown as a picnic area.  It has very nice restrooms, interpretive displays, binoculars, benches, and a short hiking trail.  What it doesn't have is picnic tables.  That's probably because it's mainly used at night, when the lights are visible.  It must be the only picnic area without picnic tables.

[DandyDan]

My first thought in Texas was the one on US 287 north of Decatur.  The road is a four-lane divided highway and the rest area is on one side.  There are crossovers to get there from, and back to, the southbound lanes.  Then I remembered the one near the Guadalupe Mountains.  That's on US 62/180 south of the New Mexico state line.  That's along a two-lane road.

The Marfa Lights viewing area doesn't meet the criteria, because it isn't officially marked.  On Street View I don't see any signs (Marfa doesn't really like to publicize their lights, and TxDOT built this place mainly to keep viewers contained, so they're not parking along the road).  On the state travel map it's shown as a picnic area.  It has very nice restrooms, interpretive displays, binoculars, benches, and a short hiking trail.  What it doesn't have is picnic tables.  That's probably because it's mainly used at night, when the lights are visible.  It must be the only picnic area without picnic tables.

I've been to that US 62/180 rest area. I like how this board makes me have to remember all of my 2009 El Paso trip.

[TheGrassGuy]

There are a couple in Washington, such as the one on WA-7 on the way to Mt. Rainier.

[Mapmikey]

Others in the south/mid-atlantic not yet mentioned...

US 301 has welcome centers on both sides of the GA/SC border
US 301 has welcome centers on both sides of the VA/MD border
US 17 has welcome centers on both sides of the SC/NC border
It appears this one at US 220/NC 73 jct is closed now - https://goo.gl/maps/UgRd2BkgvT6s9o6m9
US 17 had one south of Vanceboro that was torn down not too long after this GMSV - https://goo.gl/maps/eHbKUrFta4xbZsix8
I'm sure NC had more of these older types but I don't really remember them anywhere else.
US 64 has non-freeway rest areas in Plymouth NC and Manteo NC
Virginia had some waysides that were developed enough to have bathrooms...Carters Wayside on Old US 11 near Ft Chiswell is still around as is Hanover Wayside on US 301 but both of these are parks now.
VA 598 at the VA/WV line appears to still have a rest area

There is also one buried within the skewed interchange of US 7 and VA 279 in Bennington VT
US 2 has several across the expanse of Montana

[jemacedo9]

PA has a few; they tend to be in rural locations but not necessarily.  The ones I've used have either a port-a-potty or an outhouse, with picnic tables.

The only ones I know of are:
US 11/15 south of Selinsgrove
US 15 south of Williamsport

I think there are more but the PA map labels Park-and-Ride lots the same as the Rest Areas so it's hard to tell.

[roadman65]

VA used to call their non freeway rest areas as Waysides and were on state maps.

US 301 had one on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the median north of MD 213 about ten miles or so. It used to have outhouses for facilities. Heck it may still have. Haven't been that way since 2009 and never used it since high school days in the 80s.

[sprjus4]

US 301 has welcome centers on both sides of the VA/MD border

Only the Maryland side has a welcome center, there's none on the Virginia side.

IIRC, the only Virginia non-freeway rest area is along US-13 south of the Maryland border.

US 17 has welcome centers on both sides of the SC/NC border

While there's one on the South Carolina side, the only one in North Carolina is about 15 miles north near Shallote, unless this is what you were referring to.

US 17 had one south of Vanceboro that was torn down not too long after this GMSV - https://goo.gl/maps/eHbKUrFta4xbZsix8

IIRC, the one slightly further north closer to Washington was built specifically to replace this one.

[roadman65]

https://goo.gl/maps/tt1MsTqnDeL2D2nA6

https://goo.gl/maps/DAioBvBr5Rw76TE69

Last GSV both US 22 in Readington, NJ and US 301 in MD are still there.

[Mapmikey]

US 301 has welcome centers on both sides of the VA/MD border

Only the Maryland side has a welcome center, there's none on the Virginia side.

IIRC, the only Virginia non-freeway rest area is along US-13 south of the Maryland border.

US 17 has welcome centers on both sides of the SC/NC border

While there's one on the South Carolina side, the only one in North Carolina is about 15 miles north near Shallote, unless this is what you were referring to.

US 17 had one south of Vanceboro that was torn down not too long after this GMSV - https://goo.gl/maps/eHbKUrFta4xbZsix8

IIRC, the one slightly further north closer to Washington was built specifically to replace this one.

The Wayside is no longer there, but there is still the TIC part of the US 301 facility in Virginia which houses restrooms and a small museum - https://goo.gl/maps/3hGR1AGTf5dDH5kF7

I am referring to the Shalotte rest area.

[doorknob60]

On my ongoing cross-country Street View journey following US 20 from Newport, Oregon to Boston, I came upon a most interesting sight while traversing the empty, wide-open scrublands of Wyoming west of Casper

You passed over multiple rest areas just on US-20.

US-20 in Brothers, OR (east of Bend). I've used this one many many times, very useful driving from Bend to Idaho.

US-20 West of Burns, OR

US-20 East of Burns, OR. This one may be closed now, not sure. At one point it was marked closed but port-a-pottys were still available.

US-20 at ID-75

Oregon has a lot of them, here are more I often have stopped at.

US-26 between Seaside, OR and Manning, OR

US-26 in Government Camp, OR

US-26 East of Prineville, OR. This one is probably one of the most desolate in Oregon, though it's just outhouses and it's co-signed with a sno-park/trailhead.

OR-22 near Gates, OR

US-97 North of Madras, OR

US-97 North of Terrebonne, OR. There is upstream signage marking this one as a Rest Area.

US-97 near Chemult, OR. This one's interesting because there are separate northbound and southbound rest areas, which is usually only the case on freeways.

US-97 South of Klamath Falls, OR

US-97 in Oregon provides very solid rest area coverage, better than some Interstates. And for good measure, there's one in California too. Was closed in 2018 for this GSV but I believe it's open again. US-97 North of Weed, CA

Here's a map of Oregon's. Some of these are not signed as Rest Areas (usually they are State Parks in that case) but many of them are. A majority of these have full plumbed bathrooms and are comparable to what you'd find on an interstate. A few of them are more primitive.

Link with more details

[michravera]

US 95 in Nevada has a bunch as does US 395 in California.

US-95 in western Nevada is two-lane conventional highway for most of the route and has at least one, if not two rest areas.

Here's NDOT's map.  A few of these are nothing but a couple picnic tables and a trash can, as noted in the attached chart, like "Mountain House" near me, but most do have restroom facilities.

Real rest rooms, clean water, and a couple of picnic tables and a trash can, some maybe some "stretch my legs and walk my dog" room. What more do you need? Slot Machines? A couple of gaming tables?