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

[Evan_Th]

To bump this topic again, I found another route, diverting at Kansas City to head through New Mexico and Arizona to meet the Pacific in Los Angeles!  I added it to my same Google map:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1LrEXo1akfSxw7BQ0xxZNF1XTvPtTCP5x&usp=sharing .

I used Max Rockatansky's route to cross the Colorado at Cibola, AZ.  From there, it was a whole lot of dirt roads using OpenStreetMap.  The hardest part was actually crossing the Rio Grande - I spent all too much time looking north of Albuquerque, and then trying to cross the mountains east of Albuquerque, before I noticed there were a couple bridges south of it that I could try.  I eventually settled on the Pueblitos Rd bridge in Escondida.

Also, I mapped out routes to Mexico and Canada.  Canada was very easy - just head north from the main cross-country route in Ohio to Detroit, and cross on the Ambassador Bridge.  Mexico was a fair amount harder.  It turns out there's only one unnumbered border crossing west of Texas, in Naco, AZ.  Unfortunately, there's no route north of it without following a primary numbered highway.  So, I needed to use the El Paso—Ysleta crossing on Zaragoza Road.  I made it out of Texas without any F/M or R/M highways as soon as I could, and then headed north to my southwest route in New Mexico.  There were a few dodges inside Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range, though, so I'm not sure you could drive it even if you have a car sturdy enough for the rest of these routes!

[TheGrassGuy]

To bump this topic again, I found another route, diverting at Kansas City to head through New Mexico and Arizona to meet the Pacific in Los Angeles!  I added it to my same Google map:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1LrEXo1akfSxw7BQ0xxZNF1XTvPtTCP5x&usp=sharing .

I used Max Rockatansky's route to cross the Colorado at Cibola, AZ.  From there, it was a whole lot of dirt roads using OpenStreetMap.  The hardest part was actually crossing the Rio Grande - I spent all too much time looking north of Albuquerque, and then trying to cross the mountains east of Albuquerque, before I noticed there were a couple bridges south of it that I could try.  I eventually settled on the Pueblitos Rd bridge in Escondida.

Also, I mapped out routes to Mexico and Canada.  Canada was very easy - just head north from the main cross-country route in Ohio to Detroit, and cross on the Ambassador Bridge.  Mexico was a fair amount harder.  It turns out there's only one unnumbered border crossing west of Texas, in Naco, AZ.  Unfortunately, there's no route north of it without following a primary numbered highway.  So, I needed to use the El Paso—Ysleta crossing on Zaragoza Road.  I made it out of Texas without any F/M or R/M highways as soon as I could, and then headed north to my southwest route in New Mexico.  There were a few dodges inside Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range, though, so I'm not sure you could drive it even if you have a car sturdy enough for the rest of these routes!

GG mate. Got any ideas for a new challenge?

[CNGL-Leudimin]

When I saw this thread again I immediately started looking again, this time to see if there was any unnumbered, direct way from US 93 to Golconda NV. I went down to Elko and made it through to Carlin, but I got stuck just West. Guess I'll still have to detour to Idaho then.

EDIT: I've found a route mainly consisting of tracks that are unmarked in both Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, but satellite pictures confirm it does exist. It has to follow closely an electric line in order to get past Emigrant Pass (the totally unmarked section), then detour North before going back to run alongside I-80 between Rixies and Valmy, then cross the Humboldt river again to rejoin the original route East of Golconda.

[kphoger]

tracks that are unmarked in both Google Maps and OpenStreetMap, but satellite pictures confirm it does exist.

Have you confirmed that those tracks are on fenced-in private property?

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Bumping this thread again because I've found a straighter route across the Midwest, without needing to bump down to Missouri. From the South Platte River crossing at Brule, Nebraska and going East:
- Cross again the Platte River at Maxwell, then stay North of it.
- Cross the Missouri River at Bellevue, then cross Iowa on its many county roads.
- Cross the Mississippi River across Rock Island, on the route proposed by Evan_Th.
- Cross the Fox River at Ottawa, then the Illinois River at Marseilles, then proceed Southeast and rejoin the original route near Attica, Indiana.

[chays]

Has this type of challenge been attempted driving between US and Canada?

[TheGrassGuy]

Has this type of challenge been attempted driving between US and Canada?

Wdym?

[wanderer2575]

Has this type of challenge been attempted driving between US and Canada?

Wdym?

I assume he means north-south, border to border.  Your original challenge is east-west.

[Evan_Th]

Has this type of challenge been attempted driving between US and Canada?

Wdym?

I assume he means north-south, border to border.  Your original challenge is east-west.

I did that earlier and mentioned it upthread:

To bump this topic again, I found another route, diverting at Kansas City to head through New Mexico and Arizona to meet the Pacific in Los Angeles!  I added it to my same Google map:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1LrEXo1akfSxw7BQ0xxZNF1XTvPtTCP5x&usp=sharing .

I used Max Rockatansky's route to cross the Colorado at Cibola, AZ.  From there, it was a whole lot of dirt roads using OpenStreetMap.  The hardest part was actually crossing the Rio Grande - I spent all too much time looking north of Albuquerque, and then trying to cross the mountains east of Albuquerque, before I noticed there were a couple bridges south of it that I could try.  I eventually settled on the Pueblitos Rd bridge in Escondida.

Also, I mapped out routes to Mexico and Canada.  Canada was very easy - just head north from the main cross-country route in Ohio to Detroit, and cross on the Ambassador Bridge.  Mexico was a fair amount harder.  It turns out there's only one unnumbered border crossing west of Texas, in Naco, AZ.  Unfortunately, there's no route north of it without following a primary numbered highway.  So, I needed to use the El Paso—Ysleta crossing on Zaragoza Road.  I made it out of Texas without any F/M or R/M highways as soon as I could, and then headed north to my southwest route in New Mexico.  There were a few dodges inside Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range, though, so I'm not sure you could drive it even if you have a car sturdy enough for the rest of these routes!

[Evan_Th]

On another note, I decided to extend this challenge to get to as many states as possible within the same parameters as the OP - not using any numbered unbannered interstate, US, or state highways.

I've gotten to 39 of the 48 contiguous states, and added the routes to my same Google map:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1LrEXo1akfSxw7BQ0xxZNF1XTvPtTCP5x&ll=39.02542610973305%2C-97.59517298526919&z=5

The biggest gap is in the Deep South, where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers can't be crossed below Pittsburgh.  Further east, the West Virginian mountains and Virginia's practice of numbering just about every road keep me from making progress.  However, I can pick up Kentucky (thanks to the Ohio changing course leaving a bit of it north of the modern river), West Virginia (from Pittsburgh), and Virginia (thanks to one usable crossing of the Potomac: the Arlington Memorial Bridge.)  Also, I haven't yet gotten to Maine, or to Louisiana and Tennessee (there's a bit of Tennessee west of the Mississippi, but in both cases, Arkansas is hard to get through).

Virginia and North Carolina do distinguish between primary and secondary state-numbered highways, so if I bend the rules to allow secondary VA and NC highways, I can also pick up NC, SC, and TN.  However, there's no unnumbered crossing of the SC-GA border.  And, I haven't yet found any route through the Appalachians to let me get to the NC-GA border, or through TN to let me at other states beyond it.

(Alaska and Hawaii, of course, are impossible here.  There's no road to Hawaii, and all the roads to Alaska are numbered in Canada.  Of course, if we allow all Canadian highways, we could go from either border crossing on my main route to the unnumbered International St in Hyder... but that's cheating.)

If anyone else can pick up any more states, please let me know!

[CNGL-Leudimin]

By the same bending of rules you should be able to get to Louisiana through Texas and its many FM roads.