States which require special access to clinch all roads

[Duke87]

Having just finished CT last night, this got me thinking. I clinched the entire state highway system and all I needed was a vehicle and a license. But there are some states where it isn't that easy. Most border states, obviously, require a passport and an excuse for crossing the border, but some interior states also have other restricted access problems, usually pertaining to military bases and an inability to make a U-turn in front of the gate or the fact that the highway continues into the base.

Below is what I can say based on my own knowledge, people more familiar with other parts of the country can chime in for restrictions to other states.

AL:
AK: requires entering Canada
AR:
AZ: requires entering Mexico
CA: requires entering Mexico
CO:
CT: none
DC: none
DE: none
FL:
GA:
HI:
IA:
ID: requires entering Canada
IN:
IL:
KS:
KY:
LA: requires visiting Angola prison
MA: none
MD: requires an illegal but physically possible U-turn at Aberdeen Proving Ground (MD 24)
ME: requires entering Canada
MI: requires entering Canada, one state highway is closed to cars but otherwise open to the public
MN: requires entering Canada
MO: requires entering Fort Leonard Wood (I-44 BS)
MS:
MT: requires entering Canada
NC:
ND: requires entering Canada
NE:
NH: none (U-turn available at border crossing)
NJ: requires entering Fort Dix (NJ 68)
NM: requires entering Mexico
NV: none
NY: requires entering Canada, requires a nexus card or ride on Amtrak (NY 182), requires an illegal but physically possible U-turn at Fort Drum (I-781)
OH:
OK:
OR:
PA: none
RI: none
SC:
SD:
TN:
TX: requires entering Mexico
UT:
VA: requires access to state capitol grounds and several prisons
VT: requires entering Canada
WA: requires entering Canada
WI:
WV:
WY: none

[corco]

Pretty strict definition of clinching, honestly- I claim and will continue to claim clinches of the Washington and Arizona systems despite that at most of the border junctions I drove to the last available wide spot in the road to turn around and not enter either Canada or Mexico.

I kind of disagree on Arizona- there are no points where you can't get within about 100 feet of the border and turn around. I-19 ends on city streets that go clean to the border, and SR 189 has a u-turn lane. The others are all regular access roads. US 95 has a u-turn lane, and 85 and 286 are low traffic enough that you can flip a u-turn right at the border. 191 doesn't have a u-turn lane but there is an intersection right at the customs line. Washington has I-5 obviously, but I have crossed into Canada there.

I actually do agree with you on Idaho- US 95 has a solid u-turn route, but the POE on Idaho 1 is kind of offset from the border.

For purposes of this conversation though, with your strict definition- there's a few states out west (WY, UT, CO) where you have to pay a $25 park entrance fee to clinch the highway system. If that doesn't count, Wyoming is a "none."

[Mapmikey]

Virginia has a few primary routes (or portions) that are not open to the public generally...mostly some prisons and also the state capitol driveway.

North Carolina has NC 172 through Camp LeJeune which no longer has through traffic access for non-military.

I believe South Carolina is clean on this question.  SC 125 through the Savannah River Site is still a through route although you do have to stop at gates on each end...

Mapmikey

[Thing 342]

In Virginia, VA 318 is designated over the driveway to the state House in Richmond, and requires special clearance to go past the gate.

[GaryV]

MI: Requires a bicycle or horse

[bassoon1986]

Fort Polk is the place in question in my mind for Louisiana. It has quite a few state highways running through it. I feel like LA 10 is drivable, but I'm not sure about the ones with direct gate entrances such as LA 184.

Also I wonder about Angola prison. I know LA 66 ends at the main gate but I also remember a 3xxx highway that crosses the MS river by ferry on the back side maybe off of LA 1?

Anthony, urbanprairie, and others do y'all have any info I these or others?

[1995hoo]

Virginia has some secondary routes that are not open to the general public; for example, a few near my house that traverse Fort Belvoir used to be accessible but were closed off by the US Army after 9-11 and have never been reopened. There is also some small areas of secondary routes accessible only through North Carolina.

[oscar]

For Hawaii, Interstate H-3 ends just before a cross-street in front of the guard station at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe, so you can clinch it without entering the base.

But a few state and county routes end at base entrances, and there's not always a good opportunity to U-turn ahead of the gate.  HI 92 comes to mind -- if you're still on the highway west of Interstate H-1 exit 15, uninterrupted concrete median dividers force you to go through one of two base gates (fortunately, the guards seem nice about turning you around just past the gate, lost tourists happen to them a lot). 

As noted for Alaska, several state routes end at the border.  For most, you can turn around before Canadian customs, but you'll still have to clear U.S. customs to return to Alaska.  With most customs stations set back from the Alaska/Canada border (almost eight miles away on AK 98, since the border is atop a mountain pass, and U.S. customs uses the nearest patch of flat land), you'll have to drive past U.S. customs to even get within sight of the border. 

As for NY, that "U-turn" (really a left turn, followed by another left on the other side of a median parking lot) between the end of I-781 and the Fort Drum guard station appears to be NOT illegal, as previously discussed elsewhere on this forum.  There are armed sentries at the gate, none of which lodged any objection when I used that turnaround.

Some other states:

ND:  requires entering Canada

MD:  I'm pretty sure the state routes ending at or near military bases (such as MD 24, MD 152, and MD 715 to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 713 to Ft. Meade, MD 210) end at or before "restricted area" signs before the guard stations, where you can make a U-turn with no signs making that move illegal (traffic permitting, of course -- not a good idea heading toward the guard stations when there's heavy traffic leaving the base).  As with I-781 in NY, I was able to make those moves without hassles from either military or civilian police.  MD 246 to Patuxent NAS apparently includes a very short segment between MD 235 and the base entrance, where a U-turn might be harder to pull off, but I was able to clinch the route on a weekend when that entrance was closed and I was able to get as close to the gate as I wanted before turning back.  So I'd put down MD in the "none" category.

[thenetwork]

OHIO:  Requires an auto ferry trip to both Kelley's Island and South Bass Island on Lake Erie.

[empirestate]

As noted for Alaska, several state routes end at the border.  For most, you can turn around before Canadian customs, but you'll still have to clear U.S. customs to return to Alaska.  With most customs stations set back from the Alaska/Canada border (almost eight miles away on AK 98, since the border is atop a mountain pass, and U.S. customs uses the nearest patch of flat land), you'll have to drive past U.S. customs to even get within sight of the border.

What are the ramifications of passing through U.S. entry stations without having left the U.S.? What's the proper way to explain yourself? (It's happened to me once when I visited the north end of NY 22.)

[agentsteel53]

What are the ramifications of passing through U.S. entry stations without having left the U.S.? What's the proper way to explain yourself? (It's happened to me once when I visited the north end of NY 22.)

they look at you funny and ask many questions.  I clinched I-29 this way and they kept me there for about two hours.  it didn't help that it was 2-4am and they were simply bored. 

"you wanted to drive 29 from beginning to end?"
"yes sir, that is correct."
"... why?"
"I want to drive the entire interstate highway system." [I didn't mention that I only wanted to drive the one- and two-digit routes.]
"so you decided to get on 29 in Kansas City, and not stop until the Canadian border?"
"except to get gas and food, essentially yes."
"... why?"

this went on for a while.  it was pretty tedious.

[oscar]

As noted for Alaska, several state routes end at the border.  For most, you can turn around before Canadian customs, but you'll still have to clear U.S. customs to return to Alaska.  With most customs stations set back from the Alaska/Canada border (almost eight miles away on AK 98, since the border is atop a mountain pass, and U.S. customs uses the nearest patch of flat land), you'll have to drive past U.S. customs to even get within sight of the border.

What are the ramifications of passing through U.S. entry stations without having left the U.S.? What's the proper way to explain yourself? (It's happened to me once when I visited the north end of NY 22.)

I can't address this generally, but the one time I did that, where the Alaska Highway crosses the U.S./Canada border, I explained that I wanted to take photos of the small park and other signs at the border.  No problem getting back through U.S. customs.  That was pre-9/11, so things might be a bit tougher now (though in 2012 I did a conventional border crossing from the Yukon into Alaska, which was a trouble-free crossing even though I seem to be a magnet for vehicle searches at other crossings). 

The park at the border includes a bench with the border marked on it, so you can sit in the middle with one butt cheek in the U.S. and the other in Canada.  Customs for both countries seem a bit relaxed about border enforcement in the 20-mile-wide "no man's land" between U.S. and Canadian customs on the Alaska Highway.

There are other places where a hassle-free "spinback" into and out of Canada might be possible, such as the U.S. 281 crossing in North Dakota at the International Peace Garden.  As with the Alaska Highway crossing, you still have to clear customs for your destination (including if you're returning the way you came) after leaving the park, even though you can flit back and forth across the border within the park without hindrance. 

[froggie]

I would disagree with Oscar in regards to Maryland, at least with MD 24, which has apparently seen recent security improvements to the gate approach (I saw these a couple months ago when I clinched it).

Regarding I-781 NY, it depends on where NYSDOT and FHWA consider the terminus to be.  'Course, being active duty (albeit for only another week), I had no problem going through the gate.

Back on topic, Minnesota has a section of state highway (MN 289) that's physically inside a prison, so the general public will be unable to clinch that route.

[Alex]

Some Florida state roads that require turn around's (for road enthusiasts other than froggie during the next week):

You can turn around at an elementary school just before the Eglin AFB entrance on FL 397 south in Valparaiso.

The other end of FL 397 is at the intersection with FL 189, so you turn left there vs. going directly into the Eglin gate.

The south end of FL 295 requires turning around ahead of the Bayou Grande bridge (there are businesses along side the route, so it is permissible). If you feel the need to drive the bridge, you default into the gate. However if you are visiting the Naval Aviation Museum, you are permitted on base (the museum is well worth a visit).

FL 285 traverses a long forested stretch of Eglin AFB and can be closed during maneuvers, but otherwise is unrestricted.

FL 173 officially ends at CR 292, with the small connector to Pensacola NAS as unsigned CR-173. Again you can drive that stretch if you are headed to the Naval Aviation Museum.

Also FL 401 ends at the entrance to Patrick AFB. The road passes by a refinery, where you can turn around before committing to the gate.

[oscar]

I would disagree with Oscar in regards to Maryland, at least with MD 24, which has apparently seen recent security improvements to the gate approach (I saw these a couple months ago when I clinched it).

As with I-781, that depends on exactly where MD 24 ends.  Clinched Highway Mapping places the south end just south of the railroad tracks, within the base but north of the entrance gates and the median divider in the gate area.  Even if there's no turnaround within the gate area, that wouldn't matter if the state route stops short of the gate area.

I was there a few weekends ago, when I clinched the southern end of MD 24 as CHM has it.

[getemngo]

Isn't there a highway somewhere that goes through the grounds of a state prison? I remember reading about a roadgeek getting very reluctant permission from a security guard to clinch it at night. I can't read, since Froggie already mentioned it.

MI: Requires a bicycle or horse

Or your feet! I'm not sure if M-185 counts as "special access required", but since no cars are allowed... maybe.

[Mapmikey]

I was there a few weekends ago, when I clinched the southern end of MD 24 as CHM has it.

CHM has MD 24's end correct.  Check out the vintage BEGIN maintenance sign...

http://goo.gl/maps/iJA5Z

Mapmikey

[oscar]

Some Florida state roads that require turn around's (for road enthusiasts other than froggie during the next week):

....

The south end of FL 295 requires turning around ahead of the Bayou Grande bridge (there are businesses along side the route, so it is permissible). If you feel the need to drive the bridge, you default into the gate. However if you are visiting the Naval Aviation Museum, you are permitted on base (the museum is well worth a visit).

FL 285 traverses a long forested stretch of Eglin AFB and can be closed during maneuvers, but otherwise is unrestricted.

FL 173 officially ends at CR 292, with the small connector to Pensacola NAS as unsigned CR-173. Again you can drive that stretch if you are headed to the Naval Aviation Museum.

Base museums can be a good excuse to get into a base, at least if you're a U.S. citizen, can present a photo ID, there's no heightened security measures, the museums are open during the hours you say you'll be visiting (check ahead to make sure your story will hold up), and you ask for directions to the museum so you don't stray into other areas of the base.

But nobody, not even froggie, should try that at Area 51, which definitely puts out the unwelcome mat for visitors, with "use of deadly force authorized" signs to underscore the point.  Fortunately, AFAIK no Nevada state or other numbered highways go to Area 51.

[oscar]

MO:  An Interstate business spur supposedly goes into the Fort Leonard Wood Army base, well past the base's north entrance gate.  However, there is no route signage to confirm that.

I used the "visiting the museum" explanation to get onto the base, and clinch the supposed business route. 

[agentsteel53]

Customs for both countries seem a bit relaxed about border enforcement in the 20-mile-wide "no man's land" between U.S. and Canadian customs on the Alaska Highway.

the Alaska station on the Alcan was one of the most hassle-free returns to the US from Canada I've ever done.  in fact, it's the only hassle-free one I've had since the mid-2000s.

the Canadian counterpart on the return trip just could not wrap her head around why we would be in Alaska for 2 days and promptly turn around, all in the middle of winter.  (then again, my noting that it was March 22nd, and thus it counted more as "early spring" probably didn't earn me any points.) 

she did the whole bad-cop routine of "if I am to search your car, will I find any surprises?"  I think I responded with something to the effect of "just search the damn car already; enough with the stupid mind games."

[rschen7754]

As far as national parks, a lot of U.S. highways and state highways aren't technically designated through the park. That might not be what cmap has though...

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

Fort Polk is the place in question in my mind for Louisiana. It has quite a few state highways running through it. I feel like LA 10 is drivable, but I'm not sure about the ones with direct gate entrances such as LA 184.

Also I wonder about Angola prison. I know LA 66 ends at the main gate but I also remember a 3xxx highway that crosses the MS river by ferry on the back side maybe off of LA 1?

Anthony, urbanprairie, and others do y'all have any info I these or others?

Glad to help.

LA 10 skirts the south side of the secured part of the base, and is traversable to US 171.

From what can be discerned using the DOTD maps, LA 184, 467 and 469 terminate at the base gates.

Pretty sure LA 66 ends at the entrance to Angola. The roads within the prison would presumably be state maintained, but are not part of the regular state highway system.

LA 3190 comprises the Angola ferry and its approaches. From what I understand, the ferry is only open to prison employees, except during special events like the Angola Rodeo when it is open to the general public.

[Pete from Boston]

Is Centralia, Penn., still an obstacle to Route 61?

[Roadgeek Adam]

Is Centralia, Penn., still an obstacle to Route 61?

Route 61 technically exists on QR/SR 2002 nearby, chevrons points you in that direction. Consider it permanent really. Even if it says END SR 61 nearby.

[bulldog1979]

Isn't there a highway somewhere that goes through the grounds of a state prison? I remember reading about a roadgeek getting very reluctant permission from a security guard to clinch it at night. I can't read, since Froggie already mentioned it.

MI: Requires a bicycle or horse

Or your feet! I'm not sure if M-185 counts as "special access required", but since no cars are allowed... maybe.

Well, you have to pay to access M-185 during the summer. There are only three ways to get to Mackinac Island once the ice bridge melts. You're either going to pay one of two private ferry operators (Arnold and Star Line are owned by the same parent company while Shepler's is independent) for passage to the island, pay an airline to do so, or you're paying marina fees at the state harbor. Once you're on Mackinac Island, unless you're going to walk, you'll need a bicycle which you can conveniently rent. The last time I went, I took my own, which cost $10 to do on the ferry.

In the winter, of course, interested parties can take a snowmobile across the ice bridge and then use that to loop around M-185. There is a way to clinch the highway by car, which is to get a special permit to bring one on the island. The last time one was granted was 1996 for the centennial of the ban. The last time before that was in 1978 when Somewhere in Time was filmed.