CHALLENGE: Driving coast-to-coast without using numbered routes?

[thspfc]

There would be a couple tricky parts. First, crossing major rivers. There are probably only a handful of non-numbered route bridges over the Mississippi and Missouri. But the real pain would be the Rockies. Overall, I feel like the first two thirds ish could be fairly simple. Start in southeastern Georgia and cross Alabama, Tennessee, corners of Kentucky and Illinois, then cross the Mississippi at St. Louis, then cross Missouri and Kansas. That way you avoid the Apps in favor of more flat terrain, and you cross the Mississippi at one of the only places that seems to have surface street bridges. Anyone who can figure out a way to get from Denver to the Pacific without using a numbered route deserves their name in a museum somehwere.

[Max Rockatansky]

I think Nevada and Utah might be less of an obstacle (especially Nevada).

Most of Nevada is one north-south oriented mountain range after another.  The roads that go up into those generally dead-end, and most likely start from a T-intersection on a north-south state or US highway.  Maybe this could be done on an ATV, but anything road-legal, no way.

Everything I've suggest so far requires high clearance four wheel drive at minimum.  The Bradshaw Trail itself is an old wagon road that is fairly reliably known in the off road community.  If we are talking low clearance this challenge is totally impossible. 

[froggie]

Don't forget that a lot of (most?) VA and NC backroads are secondaries, as well.

I revised the description. Both of these are now permissible.

You still haven't mentioned secondaries in your OP.  Nevermind that a large number of the Virginia secondaries are signed like regular routes.

I believe that the first "unnumbered" crossing of the Mississippi is the Parrish Avenue Bridge in Elk River, but it might be signed as CR-42.  The next one might be better, the University Bridge in St. Cloud.

The entirety of Mississippi River bridges that are unnumbered/unsigned routes and that don't require connections via signed routes:

• Eads Bridge in St. Louis
• MLK Bridge in St. Louis
• Wabasha St Bridge in St. Paul
• 10th Ave Bridge in Minneapolis
• Plymouth Ave Bridge in Minneapolis
• Camden Bridge in Minneapolis
• University Bridge in St. Cloud
• St Germain St Bridge in St. Cloud
• Sauk Rapids Bridge
• College Dr Bridge in Brainerd
• Laurel St Bridge in Brainerd
• SE 7th Ave Bridge in Grand Rapids
• Forest Route 2171 northwest of Bena (I'm not sure if this has a driveable outlet on the northeast side

There are two other bridges (McKinley Bridge in St. Louis and Arsenal Bridge in Davenport, IA) that technically are not signed routes but require a connection via a signed state route.

[kphoger]

Continental Divide crossings in Colorado that are not state highways:

La Poudre Pass – No west-side road link

Hagerman Pass – No east-side road link past US-285 that doesn't use state highways

Cottonwood Pass – West-side access past the Gunnison River valley is possible, but I haven't identified a route east to CO-9 that doesn't have at least a tiny bit on a state highway.

[TheGrassGuy]

Continental Divide crossings in Colorado that are not state highways:

La Poudre Pass – No west-side road link

Hagerman Pass – No east-side road link past US-285 that doesn't use state highways

Cottonwood Pass – West-side access past the Gunnison River valley is possible, but I haven't identified a route east to CO-9 that doesn't have at least a tiny bit on a state highway.

Guess we'll have to go Wyoming, then.

Also, do you consider Route 306 a state highway? It's a forest road that uses both rectangular and state markers.

[kphoger]

Continental Divide crossings in Colorado that are not state highways:

La Poudre Pass – No west-side road link

Hagerman Pass – No east-side road link past US-285 that doesn't use state highways

Cottonwood Pass – West-side access past the Gunnison River valley is possible, but I haven't identified a route east to CO-9 that doesn't have at least a tiny bit on a state highway.

Guess we'll have to go Wyoming, then.

Also, do you consider Route 306 a state highway? It's a forest road that uses both rectangular and state markers.

Do you have evidence that it uses state markers?  And I mean other than Google Maps, which is in absolutely no way official?

Because that hasn't been a state highway in more than 30 years.

[TheGrassGuy]

Hmmm, I wonder if any of these backroads cross the Divide...

[kphoger]

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

[jt4]

Some Rocky Mountain crossings in Montana

• Logan Pass (Going-to-The-Sun Rd, Glacier National Park) -- Eastbound path limited as it runs into US-89
• Mullan Pass (Mullan Rd, Helena National Forest) -- seems to dead-end on the west side

If I'm reading the wiki right, there are no auto crossings in Wyoming that qualify.

[TheGrassGuy]

Damn, I give up.

[Evan_Th]

I do know you can cross the Mississippi at St. Louis using the McKinley or MLK Bridges, while crossing into Kansas at Kansas City is easy.

Except the McKinley is only accessible on the Illinois side via IL 3.  The Eads looks like it can be accessed without any numbered routes.

You can still avoid IL 3 by exiting at Bremen St, though.  Then you can follow the backroad by the river that becomes W Second St.

[Revive 755]

You can still avoid IL 3 by exiting at Bremen St, though.  Then you can follow the backroad by the river that becomes W Second St.

Is that route even open to the general public?  From what I can tell on aerial photos (which may not be up to date anymore), it looks like public access would generally be prohibited - there appears to be a gated, pump station type area.

[DandyDan]

I believe that the first "unnumbered" crossing of the Mississippi is the Parrish Avenue Bridge in Elk River, but it might be signed as CR-42.  The next one might be better, the University Bridge in St. Cloud.

The problem I see with this, assuming that St. Louis is impossible, is that all crossings of both the St. Croix and St. Louis Rivers between Minnesota and Wisconsin are signed highways. Therefore, it would have to cross the MN/WI border in the section of the border between those two rivers.

[Evan_Th]

You can still avoid IL 3 by exiting at Bremen St, though.  Then you can follow the backroad by the river that becomes W Second St.

Is that route even open to the general public?  From what I can tell on aerial photos (which may not be up to date anymore), it looks like public access would generally be prohibited - there appears to be a gated, pump station type area.

From the OP, it doesn't matter:  "The only requirement is that roads are marked on Google Maps as roads. Doesn't matter if they're low-clearance, gated off, or even nonexistent."

On the other hand, you're right that Google Maps satellite view doesn't even look like the road goes through between the railroad lines and Bissell St.  Bing Maps doesn't even mark it as a road.

So if we're trying to make this trip doable, and crossing in St. Louis, we'd need to use the Eads Bridge or MLK Bridge.

On the other hand, the Arsenal Bridge in Davenport, IA can also be used, if we go through Rock Island to avoid IL 92 - try this route:  https://goo.gl/maps/yaQpdBWo7pukkjxD9

[pianocello]

On the other hand, the Arsenal Bridge in Davenport, IA can also be used, if we go through Rock Island to avoid IL 92 - try this route:  https://goo.gl/maps/yaQpdBWo7pukkjxD9

I forgot about that option! It's theoretically possible, but difficult due to its status as a US Army base. I'm not sure about the specific rules, but I'm pretty sure you have to attend an event on Arsenal Island, you can't just cross it for fun (I've tried).

Crossing Illinois from there shouldn't be too hard to figure out. The Rock River and Des Plaines/Illinois rivers have at least a few options for non-signed crossings.

[Mapmikey]

Don't forget there are river ferries (including the Mississippi)

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Has anyone tried to go across the Great Divide Basin? Given there are virtually no mountains surrounding that, it should be easy to cross the Continental Divide in that hole.

[Jim]

Coast to coast?  After 20 minutes of looking, I can't even find a way I'd make my <40 mile commute (Amsterdam to Loudonville, NY) without a state/US/I route.  River crossings pose a challenge.  In my case, I either need to cross the Mohawk or cross the Hudson twice.  I can get to the unnumbered Mohawk River crossing at Tribes Hill/Fort Hunter, except I can't get anywhere on the south side without NY 5S or NY 30 that I've figured out.  Then there's Freemans Bridge in Glenville/Schenectady, but I am not seeing a good way to cross NY 147 and NY 50 to get there.

[hotdogPi]

Coast to coast?  After 20 minutes of looking, I can't even find a way I'd make my <40 mile commute (Amsterdam to Loudonville, NY) without a state/US/I route.  River crossings pose a challenge.  In my case, I either need to cross the Mohawk or cross the Hudson twice.  I can get to the unnumbered Mohawk River crossing at Tribes Hill/Fort Hunter, except I can't get anywhere on the south side without NY 5S or NY 30 that I've figured out.  Then there's Freemans Bridge in Glenville/Schenectady, but I am not seeing a good way to cross NY 147 and NY 50 to get there.

It only has to reach the coast, not the easternmost part of the United States. Crossing the Hudson is not required, as anywhere from NJ to FL will still reach the coast.

However, I think it would be easier to prove impossible (by having a curved path from Canada to Mexico that only touches numbered roads) than to actually find a path that works.

[Jim]

Coast to coast?  After 20 minutes of looking, I can't even find a way I'd make my <40 mile commute (Amsterdam to Loudonville, NY) without a state/US/I route.  River crossings pose a challenge.  In my case, I either need to cross the Mohawk or cross the Hudson twice.  I can get to the unnumbered Mohawk River crossing at Tribes Hill/Fort Hunter, except I can't get anywhere on the south side without NY 5S or NY 30 that I've figured out.  Then there's Freemans Bridge in Glenville/Schenectady, but I am not seeing a good way to cross NY 147 and NY 50 to get there.

It only has to reach the coast, not the easternmost part of the United States. Crossing the Hudson is not required, as anywhere from NJ to FL will still reach the coast.

Of course I'm not saying that a solution my smaller version of the problem is required to solve the larger problem, just pointing out that even what I thought would be a fun and easy little puzzle turned out to be a lot more challenging than I thought.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

And how about using OpenStreetMap instead? Using that I've found a Eastwards outlet from Cottonwood Pass to CO 9 and beyond. I have to check if both Park and Teller counties sign their county roads with shields, if both don't then I've found a way to get to Colorado Springs, where the terrain eases out. This would solve this from the East Coast to the Continental Divide. Now, getting to the West Coast is an entirely different story.

[Max Rockatansky]

And how about using OpenStreetMap instead? Using that I've found a Eastwards outlet from Cottonwood Pass to CO 9 and beyond. I have to check if both Park and Teller counties sign their county roads with shields, if both don't then I've found a way to get to Colorado Springs, where the terrain eases out. This would solve this from the East coast to the Continental Divide. Now, getting to the West Coast is an entirely different story.

I thought the OP revised that Signed County Routes are okay?

[skluth]

I do know you can cross the Mississippi at St. Louis using the McKinley or MLK Bridges, while crossing into Kansas at Kansas City is easy.

Except the McKinley is only accessible on the Illinois side via IL 3.  The Eads looks like it can be accessed without any numbered routes.

You are correct on both the Eads and McKinley corrections. The MLK is also possible. Another possibility in the STL area is the St Genevieve - Modoc ferry. I'd also suggest the Golden Eagle Ferry, but I have no idea how to cross the Illinois River from Calhoun County (or anywhere south of Peru/LaSalle). I don't know of any Missouri River crossings downstream from KC that aren't state or national highways, so crossing the Mississippi  from STL and south would mean entering those states no further north than KC.

[TheGrassGuy]

And how about using OpenStreetMap instead? Using that I've found a Eastwards outlet from Cottonwood Pass to CO 9 and beyond. I have to check if both Park and Teller counties sign their county roads with shields, if both don't then I've found a way to get to Colorado Springs, where the terrain eases out. This would solve this from the East coast to the Continental Divide. Now, getting to the West Coast is an entirely different story.

I thought the OP revised that Signed County Routes are okay?

Yep.

[TheGrassGuy]

And how about using OpenStreetMap instead? Using that I've found a Eastwards outlet from Cottonwood Pass to CO 9 and beyond. I have to check if both Park and Teller counties sign their county roads with shields, if both don't then I've found a way to get to Colorado Springs, where the terrain eases out. This would solve this from the East coast to the Continental Divide. Now, getting to the West Coast is an entirely different story.

I thought the OP revised that Signed County Routes are okay?

Yep.