Your favorite/least favorite "home stretches"

[TheHighwayMan3561]

When I was going to college in Superior, there was no feeling like coming over Thompson Hill on I-35.

[citrus]

For San Francisco, my favorite is US 101 from the north - for a longer trip, it starts to feel like the "home stretch" around Healdsburg. CA-1 from the north is even better, but it's not really conducive to a longer trip.
My least favorite by a wide margin is I-80 from Sacramento.

I suppose there's the question of where is the "home stretch"? For me, on a longer trip (i.e. takes me out of the Bay Area), I'd say it's one of:
- leaving Monterey on CA-1
- leaving Salinas on US-101
- getting off I-5 for CA-152 over Pacheco Pass
- getting off I-5 for I-580
- hitting the freeway portion of CA-120 west (and then the slog through I-5 and I-205)
- making it through the US-50 / I-80 merge in West Sacramento
- getting off I-5 for I-505
- pulling into Calistoga on CA-29
- going through Healdsburg on US-101 south
- CA-1, I dunno, probably going through Jenner or Sea Ranch

[hbelkins]

Not sure that I have a favorite, but I have (or have had in the past) least favorites.

The leader of the least favorites used to be KY 30 coming off I-75 at London, used for returning from trips to the south or southwest. The road was narrow, hilly, and curvy, and riding in the back seat of the family car as a kid was a nauseating experience (literally).

Over the last 20 years, the old 40-mile stretch has been relocated onto a new, modern, shorter alignment. The last section opened in February. I have yet to take a trip that utilizes the entirety of the new route (I drove the newly-opened stretch between KY 847 and US 421 back in February shortly after it opened) but it will certainly make me dread that last part of the drive a lot less.

Increasingly, I have come to dislike the route home from the southeast -- specifically, the part that involves KY 15 between Whitesburg and Jackson. It's a reasonably scenic road, and pavement projects have made it a lot smoother in recent years, but it just seems like a very long 60-mile segment. I drove it so often there for awhile that what was once a treat has become a chore. And then when you add on the fact that the portion from Jackson on home is the route i drive to and from work, there's nothing thrilling about it.

I'm also coming to tire of the two routes that I use that lead from I-64 to my home area, US 23/US 460/Mountain Parkway, and KY 7/US 460/KY 205/Mountain Parkway. All of the former is a modern route, and most of the latter has been rebuilt in recent years, but they've still lost some of their charm.

The only other real candidate is the US 25E/KY 11 corridor. If there's lots of traffic in Middlesboro, 25E is a PITA with all the signals. Cops like to patrol between Pineville and Barbourville, so watch your speed. And KY 11 between US 421 and KY 66 at Oneida is in terrible shape.

The routes from the west are ones I use for most of my non-leisure travel so I'm not sure how to count them.

Part of the drudge of travel is that you start running out of new ways to get to new places. As beautiful of a drive as it is, I've gotten tired of I-68 simply because I've been on it so often. Ditto Alternate US 58 between Norton and Abingdon, Va.

[webny99]

Increasingly, I have come to dislike the route home from the southeast -- specifically, the part that involves KY 15 between Whitesburg and Jackson. It's a reasonably scenic road, and pavement projects have made it a lot smoother in recent years, but it just seems like a very long 60-mile segment. I drove it so often there for awhile that what was once a treat has become a chore. And then when you add on the fact that the portion from Jackson on home is the route i drive to and from work, there's nothing thrilling about it.

This comment has me thinking that I'm not thankful enough that my "home stretches" almost always involve interstate or interstate-grade highways. Sure, they're not as interesting or scenic as two-lane highways, but I certainly wouldn't like being stuck behind other traffic or constantly stopping at signals on the final stretch of the trip home. And I like being able to safely drive a little faster than I would otherwise to make up some time.

Part of the drudge of travel is that you start running out of new ways to get to new places. As beautiful of a drive as it is, I've gotten tired of I-68 simply because I've been on it so often. Ditto Alternate US 58 between Norton and Abingdon, Va.

Agreed, but this seems to apply to some corridors more than others. For me the Thruway between Rochester and Buffalo is at one end of the spectrum - it holds very little intrigue anymore and is a good chance for a snooze if I'm not driving, while the I-390/US 15 corridor is at the other end - I never seem to find it truly boring no matter how many times I've been on it. Always enough scenery and views to keep some level of interest, even at night when the lights of the towns/cities dot the countryside.

[SkyPesos]

Increasingly, I have come to dislike the route home from the southeast -- specifically, the part that involves KY 15 between Whitesburg and Jackson. It's a reasonably scenic road, and pavement projects have made it a lot smoother in recent years, but it just seems like a very long 60-mile segment. I drove it so often there for awhile that what was once a treat has become a chore. And then when you add on the fact that the portion from Jackson on home is the route i drive to and from work, there's nothing thrilling about it.

This comment has me thinking that I'm not thankful enough that my "home stretches" almost always involve interstate or interstate-grade highways. Sure, they're not as interesting or scenic as two-lane highways, but I certainly wouldn't like being stuck behind other traffic or constantly stopping at signals on the final stretch of the trip home. And I like being able to safely drive a little faster than I would otherwise to make up some time.

Mine are all interstate highways unless if you're coming from the east or southeast (as I-74 haven't and most likely will never be extended east of Cincinnati). There are 2 viable options that's not an interstate until you enter the metro area: OH 32 or KY 9. Not sure which I prefer of these two, since both have their goods and bads.

There's also US 35/I-71, but at that point, the home stretch would probably be just I-71 then.

[webny99]

When I was going to college in Superior, there was no feeling like coming over Thompson Hill on I-35.

My equivalent of that would be coming around the final bend on I-390 NB when the Rochester skyline comes into view right here.    And the reverse, for outbound trips, would be right here on I-390 SB where the entire Genesee River valley comes into view (spectacular on a clear day) and that's the point at which it starts to feel like a real road trip.

I can't think of anything similar for the other main routes to/from home, except maybe right here on the Thruway EB where you can see several miles of the upcoming six-lane section. It's one of the only places in the entire state where you can see a long stretch of six lanes of oncoming headlights, which brings me a special joy (no surprise given my advocacy for more six lane rural freeways), so I find this approach especially spectacular at night.

[gonealookin]

US 50 coming from Placerville to Lake Tahoe is a lot of fun to drive if there's no traffic in the direction you're traveling.  I plan my trips to the Bay Area so I'm not coming eastbound anytime on Friday or Saturday, or certain other days depending on holidays, and the traffic is usually not much of an issue (and there are passing lanes every 4 miles or so if you get behind somebody slow).  That trip is capped nicely by the views coming around the bend eastbound at Echo Summit and on the descent into Meyers.

When I lived in the Bay Area and was coming to the mountains on trips, the home stretch on I-80 for its entire length west of I-5 was just awful.  There are a number of extended merge lanes along there which drop after a short distance, 4 lanes down to 3, and every time speeds get up to 40-45 mph or so you're quickly greeted by yet another sea of brake lights.

[thenetwork]

Going home to the Grand Junction, CO area from anywhere in Utah, crossing into Colorado on I-70 East is my most welcomed home stretch:

30 minutes from home, rolling scenic terrain (instead of Utah's flat, desert Mars-scapes), traffic and exits with services within a couple of miles.

[webny99]

This comment has me thinking that I'm not thankful enough that my "home stretches" almost always involve interstate or interstate-grade highways. Sure, they're not as interesting or scenic as two-lane highways, but I certainly wouldn't like being stuck behind other traffic or constantly stopping at signals on the final stretch of the trip home. And I like being able to safely drive a little faster than I would otherwise to make up some time.

Mine are all interstate highways unless if you're coming from the east or southeast (as I-74 haven't and most likely will never be extended east of Cincinnati). There are 2 viable options that's not an interstate until you enter the metro area: OH 32 or KY 9. Not sure which I prefer of these two, since both have their goods and bads.

There's also US 35/I-71, but at that point, the home stretch would probably be just I-71 then.

I'm not sure I can even come up with two viable non-interstate "home stretches". I suppose NY 104 (east to I-81 and west to Niagara Falls/Canada as an alternate to the Thruway) would be the closest thing. Coming from the east, 104 is a high quality road, basically a super-2, but it's also a slog. It seems to usually be OK until this signal, which is the first one in a while and always collects up long strings of traffic. From there past Sodus until you finally get four lanes at Williamson, it's pretty much 50-55 mph following a long string of cars. It's annoying, but at least it's consistent.

The only other other non-freeways that would be part of a long return trip would be (1) NY 36 connecting between I-86 and I-390, which is busy with noticeable truck traffic, but a decent road and usually moves well, and (2) NY 67 connecting between I-87 and I-90. It's terrible through Amsterdam, but a decent road other than that.

[US 89]

Going home to the Grand Junction, CO area from anywhere in Utah, crossing into Colorado on I-70 East is my most welcomed home stretch:

30 minutes from home, rolling scenic terrain (instead of Utah's flat, desert Mars-scapes), traffic and exits with services within a couple of miles.

See, I'm not a huge fan of that area because every time I go through there it's absolutely swarming with police, trying to catch people who don't realize the speed limit drops from 80 to 75 at the state line.

Agreed it's better scenery though. People will post stuff on here like "OMG all of 70 west of Denver is amazing" ...and a lot of it is, but I just can't get behind the part between Green River and the Colorado line. I find that to be the most boring interstate in Utah.

[JayhawkCO]

Going home to the Grand Junction, CO area from anywhere in Utah, crossing into Colorado on I-70 East is my most welcomed home stretch:

30 minutes from home, rolling scenic terrain (instead of Utah's flat, desert Mars-scapes), traffic and exits with services within a couple of miles.

See, I'm not a huge fan of that area because every time I go through there it's absolutely swarming with police, trying to catch people who don't realize the speed limit drops from 80 to 75 at the state line.

Agreed it's better scenery though. People will post stuff on here like "OMG all of 70 west of Denver is amazing" ...and a lot of it is, but I just can't get behind the part between Green River and the Colorado line. I find that to be the most boring interstate in Utah.

Still better than probably 70% of the interstates in the country though.

[jdbx]

For San Francisco, my favorite is US 101 from the north - for a longer trip, it starts to feel like the "home stretch" around Healdsburg. CA-1 from the north is even better, but it's not really conducive to a longer trip.
My least favorite by a wide margin is I-80 from Sacramento.

I suppose there's the question of where is the "home stretch"? For me, on a longer trip (i.e. takes me out of the Bay Area), I'd say it's one of:
- leaving Monterey on CA-1
- leaving Salinas on US-101
- getting off I-5 for CA-152 over Pacheco Pass
- getting off I-5 for I-580
- hitting the freeway portion of CA-120 west (and then the slog through I-5 and I-205)
- making it through the US-50 / I-80 merge in West Sacramento
- getting off I-5 for I-505
- pulling into Calistoga on CA-29
- going through Healdsburg on US-101 south
- CA-1, I dunno, probably going through Jenner or Sea Ranch

I have similar feelings.  My favorite "home stretch" is where I-5 turns off from itself at I-580.  The truck traffic drops considerably and after many hours of being stuck behind those truck-induced jogjams heading north on I-5, it's a wonderful respite.  That interchange also is just about exactly 1 hour from home, so there is the psychological element there too.

My least favorite is turning home from the North/East along I-80 on a Sunday or following a holiday weekend.  It's always a bumper-to-bumper mess from West Sacramento to past Fairfield.  If the road is clear, it's less than an hour away from home, but it never works out that way.

[JayhawkCO]

Coming back from anywhere in the mountains isn't so bad when you get to drive through more mountains to get home. Unless the traffic on I-70 sucks, then it's the worst home stretch ever.

I should probably expound. I-70 eastbound is one of the coolest home stretches you can have. I-70 westbound is one of the worst. I-25 northbound isn't too bad since you have a couple of towns to pass through on the way breaking it up. I-25 southbound is pretty crappy since traffic between Fort Collins and Denver is typically horrible, especially with the road construction up there. US285 northbound out of the mountains is a really nice drive and the stretch from Conifer to C-470 is fun with lots of turns.

[7/8]

Highway 6 is a really nice road even though it's not a freeway - one of the better non-divided roadways I've been on. It's a much better road than Highways 5/8 which are both two-lane slogs. Highway 5 in particular seems to move very slowly with constant platoons of cars in both directions.

It does move pretty well, but I think they should get rid of the centre turn lane and make it a four-lane highway with jersey barrier. Traffic regularly goes 100+ and with the high traffic counts, it's pretty sketchy to make left out of the driveways and side streets! Though I still agree with you that I'd rather take 6 over 5>8 any day.

Some friends of mine commute on that stretch of the QEW and I do not envy them at all - it's always busy which keeps it interesting, and the 110 km/h limit is nice, but it's also not a road I would want to drive every day. It's really starting to need 8 lanes, especially between the Red Hill Valley Pkwy and Grimsby.

The only time I regularly used the highway was for a four-month period where I lived in St. Catharines and drove home on Friday evenings. I found the left lane hogs were particularly bad on it, so I'd be pretty frustrated to drive it everyday! But yeah, the two skyways are pretty neat and the scenery is about the best you'll get for a freeway in that part of Ontario.

[thenetwork]

Coming back from anywhere in the mountains isn't so bad when you get to drive through more mountains to get home. Unless the traffic on I-70 sucks, then it's the worst home stretch ever.

I should probably expound. I-70 eastbound is one of the coolest home stretches you can have. I-70 westbound is one of the worst. I-25 northbound isn't too bad since you have a couple of towns to pass through on the way breaking it up. I-25 southbound is pretty crappy since traffic between Fort Collins and Denver is typically horrible, especially with the road construction up there. US285 northbound out of the mountains is a really nice drive and the stretch from Conifer to C-470 is fun with lots of turns.

For those of us who live west of the divide and/or Vail, westbound I-70 put of Denver is a welcome sight on Sunday afternoons when we go at or above posted speeds while the Denver-bound traffic is at a near crawl for dozens of miles!!!

[1995hoo]

I doubt it will surprise anyone that when I'm arriving home from trips to the south, I usually find the segment of I-95 between Richmond and Northern Virginia to be quite unpleasant. There have been exceptions to that, of course; there are times when the traffic isn't bad. But most of the time there's some sort of problem somewhere, plus even when the traffic is moving at a good pace the number of extremely aggressive drivers (tailgating, cutting people off, weaving in and out) makes for a very unpleasant trip. I think at the end of longer trips it just seems that much more unpleasant. (I can think of one trip coming back from Florida on which the car's trip computer showed I'd been averaging 73 mph since we stopped for gas near Florence, SC, and then the last 90 miles home north of I-295 took almost three hours. On that trip, we got back on I-95 from I-295 and got back off at the very next exit in favor of US-1.)

I-270 in Maryland is a close dishonorable mention. It always feels like a total rat race where everyone is fighting with everyone else, especially if I come down US-15 from Pennsylvania, which is a relaxing, easy drive.

[oscar]

I doubt it will surprise anyone that when I'm arriving home from trips to the south, I usually find the segment of I-95 between Richmond and Northern Virginia to be quite unpleasant. There have been exceptions to that, of course; there are times when the traffic isn't bad. But most of the time there's some sort of problem somewhere, plus even when the traffic is moving at a good pace the number of extremely aggressive drivers (tailgating, cutting people off, weaving in and out) makes for a very unpleasant trip. I think at the end of longer trips it just seems that much more unpleasant. (I can think of one trip coming back from Florida on which the car's trip computer showed I'd been averaging 73 mph since we stopped for gas near Florence, SC, and then the last 90 miles home north of I-295 took almost three hours. On that trip, we got back on I-95 from I-295 and got back off at the very next exit in favor of US-1.)

I-270 in Maryland is a close dishonorable mention. It always feels like a total rat race where everyone is fighting with everyone else, especially if I come down US-15 from Pennsylvania, which is a relaxing, easy drive.

That notwithstanding, I-270 is the tail end of one of my least unpleasant home stretches, from I-68 and I-70.

At the other end of the scale, there's I-81 (from I-40 in TN, or I-64 in WV) to I-66 -- I-66 itself wouldn't be so bad if it weren't in a prolonged rebuild. Or, as you note, I-95 from NC (or the alternate one including I-64 from Norfolk, also no walk in the park). Or the "Trail of Tolls" following I-95 and the NJ Turnpike from the New York metro area.

[1995hoo]

I doubt it will surprise anyone that when I'm arriving home from trips to the south, I usually find the segment of I-95 between Richmond and Northern Virginia to be quite unpleasant. There have been exceptions to that, of course; there are times when the traffic isn't bad. But most of the time there's some sort of problem somewhere, plus even when the traffic is moving at a good pace the number of extremely aggressive drivers (tailgating, cutting people off, weaving in and out) makes for a very unpleasant trip. I think at the end of longer trips it just seems that much more unpleasant. (I can think of one trip coming back from Florida on which the car's trip computer showed I'd been averaging 73 mph since we stopped for gas near Florence, SC, and then the last 90 miles home north of I-295 took almost three hours. On that trip, we got back on I-95 from I-295 and got back off at the very next exit in favor of US-1.)

I-270 in Maryland is a close dishonorable mention. It always feels like a total rat race where everyone is fighting with everyone else, especially if I come down US-15 from Pennsylvania, which is a relaxing, easy drive.

That notwithstanding, I-270 is the tail end of one of my least unpleasant home stretches, from I-68 and I-70.

At the other end of the scale, there's I-81 (from I-40 in TN, or I-64 in WV) to I-66 -- I-66 itself wouldn't be so bad if it weren't in a prolonged rebuild. Or, as you note, I-95 from NC (or the alternate one including I-64 from Norfolk, also no walk in the park). Or the "Trail of Tolls" following I-95 and the NJ Turnpike from the New York metro area.

The construction is why I omitted I-66 from my post–I kind of feel like because the construction is a temporary thing, it's not really fair to hold it against it in the same sense that I-95 has been annoying for a long time. Coming home from Florida, I sometimes cut west to Columbia just to come up through Greensboro and then take US-29 if it's a time of year when I-95 in Virginia is likely to be especially bad. (If we were going to drive instead of using the Auto Train, our next trip would be an excellent example of that because we're coming home right before a holiday weekend.)

My travels don't require me to use I-81 on the way home very often these days. The last time we were on a trip that would have brought us home via I-81, signs warning of a huge wreck caused me to bail off to US-340 instead (side benefit: finishing my clinch of said route).

[jOnstar1979]

My most hated part of any out of state trip back home from the south or west would have to be I-94 between I-75 & M-102 8 Mile rd. It is (in my opinion) the worst section of 94 in the state of Michigan. The moment the ramp merges from NB 75 to EB 94, I feel a sense of dread! It's a whole lot of anxiety in such a short stretch dodging the potholes, weaving lanes avoiding the 45mph drivers in the middle lane and trying not to get run over by the 80mph drivers in the left. This area is also the most dangerous (crime) area in Detroit. I always worry about blowing a tire and having to pull over or exit here.

Once you get out of Wayne County and pass 8 mile, you can breathe better and relax a bit as the freeway gets a bit smoother and the traffic seems more calm.

Now coming from the north... I-69 from Flint east is a very fast pleasant ride. I feel very at ease thinking I am almost home. The only anxiety I feel on this stretch is little because of the deer that likes to play frogger across the freeway in the wide-open fields around Lapeer to Capac.

[index]

NC 105 northbound when I'm coming back to Boone from Johnson City. Nowhere to pass except just before you get into town and people love to ride their brakes down the hill getting out of Avery County. That or you'll get stuck behind a truck. Either way you'll be going 10-15 under the limit. The stupid 35/40 limits through Foscoe and Seven Devils are also annoying.

[Flint1979]

I've had a place in the Upper Peninsula for years and go back and forth between lower Michigan and the U.P. all the time so that always involves crossing the Mac. Once I bit the bridge I know I'm about 40 miles from where I stay in the U.P. it's about 20 miles north on I-75 and about 20 miles east on M-134 to Cedarville. From the bridge to my house is just under 3 hours so it's not much of a home stretch coming back to my regular house.

[kphoger]

A pair of favorites...

For our somewhat-regular trips to/from Parras, Coahuila, Mexico:

southbound – turning south from Mexico-40 onto Coahuila-102 at Paila.  After more than 1000 miles of driving, of which the last 45 have been westward through hard desert facing the setting sun, we finally turn towards our final destination–now just 17 miles away.  Along the way, now we pass between vineyards and pecan orchards, and the highway is dappled with the shadow of trees.

northbound – crossing the state line from Oklahoma into Kansas on I-35.  Home is now about 45 to 50 minutes away.  Plus, it's the beginning of the Kansas Turnpike, which means I no longer have to deal with Oklahoma's excuse for pavement.  Just a smooth turnpike stretching out ahead, with pleasant green farmland all around.  Wichita itself doesn't have bad traffic, and our route home is all freeway until the final mile.

[Henry]

Favorite home stretch: Any freeway (expressway) leading into Chicago, because of the skyline views.

Least favorite one: All the freeways in L.A., with the heavy traffic and daily threats of smog. And downtown easily pales in comparison to the former.

[NWI_Irish96]

Favorite home stretch: Any freeway (expressway) leading into Chicago, because of the skyline views.

Least favorite one: All the freeways in L.A., with the heavy traffic and daily threats of smog. And downtown easily pales in comparison to the former.

You might appreciate this more than most--back in 2019, my family was at both ends of US 66 on the same day.

[hbelkins]

NC 105 northbound when I'm coming back to Boone from Johnson City. Nowhere to pass except just before you get into town and people love to ride their brakes down the hill getting out of Avery County. That or you'll get stuck behind a truck. Either way you'll be going 10-15 under the limit. The stupid 35/40 limits through Foscoe and Seven Devils are also annoying.

What route do you take? Any reason you don't use US 321 the entire way?