The Most Boring Stretches of Highway

[kphoger]

It seems we've established that one should avoid interstates in Illinois.  Many of the two-laners really aren't too bad, especially in the south, but I agree that several stretches of interstate are rather boring.  A good example of the difference would be mostly dull I-64 between Mount Vernon and Grayville:  IL-15 to IL-130, while slightly longer, provides a more scenic drive.  Even IL-37 from Dix to Goreville is more scenic than the very closely parallel I-57, but that alternative will take a driver much more time due to the many towns along the way.  Unfortunately for I-70, the stretches of US-40 I've driven weren't much better.

[wxfree]

I love quiet and desolation, so to me west Texas is beautiful, although most would consider it boring.  I like back roads anywhere.  Driving in a big city isn't boring, though.  To me what's boring is a busy Interstate away from big cities, like most of I-35 between DFW and Austin.  There's too much traffic and construction to appreciate the bits of natural landscape that are left along the route.  I'm also bored by semi-urban highways having neither natural landscape nor big-city features.  No specific one stands out.

[corco]

the only parts of 395 that suck are the first few miles in Adelanto (I always take Air Expressway to avoid most of that), the Nevada line to I-580, and a bit of the northern dregs of Spokane.  the rest is all excellent scenery.

Actually, I was going to throw 395 between the Tri-Cities and Spokane as another really boring stretch of road- you like that area?

To me what's boring is a busy Interstate away from big cities, like most of I-35 between DFW and Austin.  There's too much traffic and construction to appreciate the bits of natural landscape that are left along the route.  I'm also bored by semi-urban highways having neither natural landscape nor big-city features.  No specific one stands out.

Amen to that- if I never did another Phoenix->Tucson haul, it would be too soon.

[agentsteel53]

Actually, I was going to throw 395 between the Tri-Cities and Spokane as another really boring stretch of road- you like that area?

actually, yes.  not as much as, say, WA-26 or any of the rural two-laners, but for a freeway it's really not bad.  it does get a bit suburban around Spokane, but as long as I'm going 75mph, I do not mind it.  it's a hell of a lot better than 25mph with endless traffic lights in Mindenville, NV.

[AsphaltPlanet]

I-75 north of Bay City, MI is pretty boring.  The highway runs through a forest pretty from north of Bay City all the way through the border at SSM.  Of course, the Mighty Mac bridge is a noteworthy exception.

[theline]

The Indy 500. Any NASCAR restrictor plate race.

FTFY.

I suppose that may start an argument between the NASCAR and open-wheel fans.

Anyway, the most boring drive I had was when I was a tween, riding across Kansas in July on US 50 in a non-AC car. We could roll down the windows to get a little air and be caked with dust or roll them up and nearly suffocate. OK, maybe it was more miserable than boring. The only good part, other than Dodge City, was reaching eastern Colorado and seeing the Rockies start looming on the horizon. The boredom of Kansas made the beauty of the mountains even sweeter.

[Mr_Northside]

I-71 in between the Columbus metro area and the Cincinnati metro area.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Any straight section of highway on a plain is boring.

[InterstateNG]

The entire stretch of I-70 in Illinois is pretty boring. There's hardly anything to look at (including very few billboards).

There's that giant cross in Effingham.

Try going from Indy to Memphis via 70-57-55 some time.  That was easily the most boring trip I've been on.

To me what's boring is a busy Interstate away from big cities, like most of I-35 between DFW and Austin.  There's too much traffic and construction to appreciate the bits of natural landscape that are left along the route.

I wouldn't call that stretch of road boring.  Its certainly not fun.

[DandyDan]

It seems we've established that one should avoid interstates in Illinois.

I couldn't agree more.  When I was a kid in Minnesota, my grandparents lived in one of the towns of the Illinois river valley and to get there, we exited the NW tollway at Genoa Road and took a whole bunch of different roads to get to my grandparent's house.  Then they built I-39 south of Rockford and I dreaded that road from the day it was built.  And the last time I was on it, it wasn't any better.

[ce929wax]

I'm not a fan of I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis and I-55 from West Memphis to I-57.  You can add I-57 from Mt. Vernon to I-80 to that list too.  Out west, US 62-180 between El Paso and Carlsbad was bad too, and the drive been Carlsbad and Hobbs wasn't much better.

[SteveG1988]

NJ 70 or NJ72 in the pine barrens, miles upon miles of nothing.

[Scott5114]

Can't second the I-39 in IL posts enough. I generally can't sleep in the car, gotta be looking at all the sights. I slept through most of I-39, only waking up around Rockford or so.

US-412 and friends through the Oklahoma Panhandle is pure torture. Flat, featureless, two-lane, and there's traffic. Did it once, trapped behind a guy I mentally referred to as Boat Ass, and I don't really have much of an inclination to go up there ever again.

I-35 (the Kansas Turnpike) through the Flint Hills is a stretch I always dread. It does have some scenery and curves, but I've done it enough times to be numb to those, and the lack of exits makes it seem a lot more featureless than it otherwise would. I-44 in northeast Oklahoma (the Will Rogers Turnpike) is another one I hate; I've done it even more often than the Flint Hills part of I-35, and it's even more featureless. It shares the Kansas Turnpike's lack of exits. I guess it's just the feeling of not making any progress because you're not seeing exits fly past that makes these two stretches of road seem tedious.

[agentsteel53]

I guess it's just the feeling of not making any progress because you're not seeing exits fly past that makes these two stretches of road seem tedious.

that is the problem with I-10 in Florida as well.  I think there's a stretch of 28 miles between exits.  add to that those extra-tall trees blocking the view.  you'd think you're completely out in the middle of nowhere, but this isn't true - US-90 parallels it and it has plenty of little towns.

[dgolub]

How about the southern portion of the New Jersey Turnpike (NJ 700)?  There's really not much there, and the exits are pretty far apart.

[bugo]

I love I-35 through the Flint Hills.

[nwi_navigator_1181]

Interstate 75 in Georgia is pretty boring, mainly because you feel like you're never going to get out of Georgia and finally get into Florida.

See, I actually did like the stretch of I-75 from Chattanooga to Atlanta. However, that's the only portion of I-75 I drove in Georgia, so what's south of there is oblivious to me.

What was really worrisome about I-75 in that section is that if you do the speed limit - or even five over (70 to 75) - you'll still get swallowed up by traffic.

[agentsteel53]

I love I-35 through the Flint Hills.

so do I - but I've only driven it once.

[corco]

US-412 and friends through the Oklahoma Panhandle is pure torture. Flat, featureless, two-lane, and there's traffic. Did it once, trapped behind a guy I mentally referred to as Boat Ass, and I don't really have much of an inclination to go up there ever again.

I actually enjoy the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The sheer flatness of it is kind of awe-inspiring.

[J N Winkler]

I-35 (the Kansas Turnpike) through the Flint Hills is a stretch I always dread. It does have some scenery and curves, but I've done it enough times to be numb to those, and the lack of exits makes it seem a lot more featureless than it otherwise would.

When I drive on the Turnpike between Wichita and Topeka, the part I dread is always the length between Emporia and South Topeka (MP 127 to MP 177), not the high Flint Hills stretch (MP 92 to MP 127).  Yes, the latter is 35 miles between interchanges, but it is not 35 miles between exits because of the Matfield Green service area and the cattle pens.  On the other hand, the former has no service areas and is a completely closed corridor except for the Admire exit (MP 147).

[bugo]

US-412 and friends through the Oklahoma Panhandle is pure torture. Flat, featureless, two-lane, and there's traffic. Did it once, trapped behind a guy I mentally referred to as Boat Ass, and I don't really have much of an inclination to go up there ever again.

I actually enjoy the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. The sheer flatness of it is kind of awe-inspiring.

Have you been to the Delta, such as southeastern Arkansas?

[corco]

I have not, but I can't imagine it could be flatter than the Panhandles

[mgk920]

Unlike most of the others in here, I've always found those midwest interstates (ie, I-39, I-57, etc.) to be strangely interesting drives.



OTOH, My first drive down I-90 between I-271 in the Cleveland, OH area and the Pennsylvania state line bored me to tears.

As for within my home state of Wisconsin, my only real boredom-central ride is the WI 26 and US 151 corridor between US(I)-41 in Oshkosh (and Fond du Lac, for that matter) and the Madison area.  It is, to me, the epitome of boredom!



Mike

[Some_Person]

The majority of I-95 between Richmond and Jacksonville.  OK, maybe the 1st time or two it's interesting, but it gets old quick.

This is what I was going to say as well. I've driven I-95 from the New Jersey Turnpike to Cocoa, FL, and once you get past Richmond and Petersburg there's not much at all interesting until you get to Jacksonville. Even from there there's not much to see until you get near Miami, almost 200 more miles down.

[Duke87]

A-10 from Magog to Montreal. There's some interesting stuff to see if you poke around interchanges and whatnot, but the drive done straight through without stopping is boring as hell.

I-70 from Kansas City to Denver was a lot of fun once but I'd want to shoot myself if I had to do it frequently and repeatedly. I-70 across Missouri was boring even the first time.