Furthest apart places in the US where the ideal route involves little Interstate

[JayhawkCO]

For an E/W, Greenbush, MI to just east of Wolf Point, MT is 1,242 miles and uses only 2 miles of I-35 in Duluth and I-75 for the Mackinac Bridge.

You can extend this even further by moving the endpoint further west. Greenbush, MI to Bonners Ferry, ID clocks in at just over 1970 miles and 31 hours estimated travel time.

When I did, it moved the quickest way onto I-94. That was the farthest west that didn't do so.

[Dirt Roads]

Kingsport, Tennessee -to- Columbus, Ohio is 313 miles.  But if you push the destination to Findlay, it is both faster and shorter to go I-81/I-40/I-75 (did someone still try to remind me to use I-640 to get around Knoxville?)

[webny99]

For an E/W, Greenbush, MI to just east of Wolf Point, MT is 1,242 miles and uses only 2 miles of I-35 in Duluth and I-75 for the Mackinac Bridge.

You can extend this even further by moving the endpoint further west. Greenbush, MI to Bonners Ferry, ID clocks in at just over 1970 miles and 31 hours estimated travel time.

When I did, it moved the quickest way onto I-94. That was the farthest west that didn't do so.

It's close enough to a toss-up that it could be affected by the time of day or current traffic conditions. Google was recommending US 2 when I checked yesterday, but is now recommending I-94. Both routes show 31 hours, and US 2 is ~120 miles shorter, so that's close enough for me.

[Road Hog]

Festus, MO to Little Rock, AR: 313 miles on US 67. Part of the fastest route from St Louis to the Texas Triangle cities.

Bit of a nitpick but this is sadly only the fastest route to Houston, not Dallas or Austin/San Antonio. Though, the trek through Oklahoma is miserable enough to consider doing this anyway, I suppose.

I-44/US 69/US 75 is only faster than US 67/I-30 by about 10 minutes (which is not that much when this is a 10 hour drive anyways), but the US 67 routing still have a 2 lane section between Walnut Ridge, AR and just south of Poplar Bluff, MO. I'm expecting that to be upgraded to 4 lanes because of the Future I-57 designation before Oklahoma does anything on their part of US 69, which would make the US 67 routing for St Louis-Dallas more compelling in the future.

I can tell you by experience that the section of US 67 between Festus and Poplar Bluff is infested by smokey bears, so there goes any time savings. The non-divided portion of Future I-57 is an extreme slog as well and not worth the time, although you will realize a shorter distance and some fuel savings.

[webny99]

... the section of US 67 between Festus and Poplar Bluff is infested by smokey bears ...

Are you referring to actual bears, or is this an expression for something else?

[Rothman]

... the section of US 67 between Festus and Poplar Bluff is infested by smokey bears ...

Are you referring to actual bears, or is this an expression for something else?

Somebody needs to listen to C.W. McCall...

[webny99]

... the section of US 67 between Festus and Poplar Bluff is infested by smokey bears ...

Are you referring to actual bears, or is this an expression for something else?

Somebody needs to listen to C.W. McCall...

Based on context I thought maybe it meant truck traffic, but I'd never heard that expression before.

[DandyDan]

Rockford, IL to Orin, WY is 879 miles, mostly US 20, but there are county roads in Nebraska. The only interstates are I-380 in the Waterloo area and I-129 in the Sioux City area when they overlap US 20.

[1995hoo]

I'm thinking anywhere in Hawaii to anywhere else, but upon further reflection perhaps American Samoa or Guam might be better starting points.

[Sctvhound]

From here on James Island you can drive as far as Milledgeville, GA (223 miles) without having to hit a single interstate route.

Same with any US 17 route as far north as New Bern, NC or Morehead City. The only freeway is the I-140 bypass around ILM.

[GaryA]

Phoenix to Boise is 925 miles, most of which is on US 93 (with the northernmost part on I-84, and the southern part to someday become I-11).

[US 89]

Anything from the Pacific Northwest to southern or southeastern Texas involves large chunks of non-interstate between Salt Lake City and Albuquerque (US 6, US 191, US 491, US 64, and US 550) and again southeast of there (US 84 or 285 in NM, then various other US highways depending on where it is in Texas you want to go).

[HighwayStar]

Bonners Ferry, Idaho to Grand Portage, Minnesota on Google Maps is entirely off Interstate. 1433 miles and 23:33 in drive time. This might be the longest. 

[JayhawkCO]

Bonners Ferry, Idaho to Grand Portage, Minnesota on Google Maps is entirely off Interstate. 1433 miles and 23:33 in drive time. This might be the longest. 

Make it Point Roberts, WA and you're up to 1,915 miles and 32h.

[formulanone]

Bonners Ferry, Idaho to Grand Portage, Minnesota on Google Maps is entirely off Interstate. 1433 miles and 23:33 in drive time. This might be the longest. 

Make it Point Roberts, WA and you're up to 1,915 miles and 32h.

...because people from a bustling town with 2000 inhabitants are aching for that laid-back "small town experience" of only 700 people which happens to be incredibly distant.  

[TheCatalyst31]

Madison, WI to Columbia, MO is 413 miles, and the only interstate is about 15 miles of I-380 in Iowa. (Which you can bypass if you want by taking IA 1 through Iowa City, for three college towns in one trip.)

[StogieGuy7]

Not sure if this one was mentioned yet, but I know it from when I lived in Utah: 1,243 miles between Salt Lake City and Dallas, TX. Nearly all of which is on non-interstate highways.

[roadman65]

Going from Fort Smith, AR  to Texarkana is all two lane US 71 hence why I-49 is needed.

Heck in 2001 it was not even completed from Shreveport to Texarkana making the gap longer. It took me nearly all day to go from Neosho, MO to NOLA. The sun set south of Shreveport and I started at 9 am from Neosho after a good breakfast at the now defunct Shoneys.

[RM42]

For an E/W, Greenbush, MI to just east of Wolf Point, MT is 1,242 miles and uses only 2 miles of I-35 in Duluth and I-75 for the Mackinac Bridge.

How do you get across ND?

[JayhawkCO]

For an E/W, Greenbush, MI to just east of Wolf Point, MT is 1,242 miles and uses only 2 miles of I-35 in Duluth and I-75 for the Mackinac Bridge.

How do you get across ND?

US2.

[The Nature Boy]

Michigan and Montana being separated by just over a thousand miles blows my mind for some reason. Always imagined them to be farther apart.

[GaryV]

Michigan and Montana being separated by just over a thousand miles blows my mind for some reason. Always imagined them to be farther apart.

Actually it's just over 700 miles (Ironwood MI to Wibaux MT). Actual state lines are probably a few miles closer.

[Ted$8roadFan]

In a New England context, many west-east routes involve few interstates, especially in parts of Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. In southern New England, Hartford, CT ro Providence, RI (73 miles) is on US-6.

[Rothman]

In a New England context, many west-east routes involve few interstates, especially in parts of Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. In southern New England, Hartford, CT ro Providence, RI (73 miles) is on US-6.

Calais, ME to Watertown, NY: 569 miles with only a short stretch on I-95 from Bangor to Newport.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Phoenix to Portland clocks over 2000 km (1271 miles to be exact) with the only significant section of Interstate being I-80 between Battle Mountain and Winnemucca, with I-40 where concurrent with US 93 and all of I-11 as well.

Whenever you make it to the U.S., I know which town will be your first destination after landing.

Tell me how you know Belvidere, Illinois would be my first destination if/whenever I make it to the USA .