States you have traveled through, but never made it on an interstate

[1995hoo]

Looking back at this thread, I see I listed Alaska and Wyoming and then mentioned that I didn't think Utah counted because I had only passed through the Salt Lake City airport for about 15 minutes connecting between flights. I got back to Utah a few years ago via a rental car and didn't go anywhere remotely close to an Interstate as all the travel was in the far southeast corner of the state (Bluff, Mexican Hat, Monument Valley), so I can now list that state regardless of such questions.

Those are still the only three I've visited without going on an Interstate at some point, though. I guess technically in Wyoming I drove on the I-80 business route in Laramie, but I don't consider that a true Interstate.

In the course of answering the thread about states in which you've been on an Interstate and/or US highway but not a state highway, I noted my Travel Mapping log doesn't show any Interstate travel in Minnesota. I'm reasonably confident that's wrong because I'm pretty sure I remember riding in a cab on I-35W between MSP airport and downtown Minneapolis on a business trip in the summer of 1999, but I don't remember the route and the exits used, so I don't list it in Travel Mapping.


(edited to fix a typo)

[Flint1979]

Two states for me. Oklahoma and Kansas.

[hobsini2]

Only New Mexico for me.

[webny99]

I thought I had none (out of 26 states visited), but then I remembered Montana. I did quite a bit of surface traveling during my 2016 trip to Flathead County, but never came even remotely close to an interstate!

Colorado I've visited via an airport layover only, so that would potentially count as well.

Came back to this thread because of the "states where you haven't been on a state route" and realized an embarrassing oversight...

I've also never been on an interstate in Vermont. I've crossed I-91 in Brattleboro, but the rest of my travels in Vermont haven't even been near an interstate. So, my current tally is three states (CO*, MT, and VT). That aligns with my TM log, which shows interstate travels in 25 states out of 28 visited.




* I know airport layovers are a whole 'nother subject, but I do count my layover in DEN because we deplaned directly onto the ground outside and walked from there into the airport.

[JayhawkCO]

Hawai'i is my only one. I've only been on a layover there between San Francisco and Majuro, Marshall Islands.

[MATraveler128]

Mine is Florida as I've only flown there. Same for Colorado. I drove down to North Carolina from the Hampton Roads along US 17.

[bulldog1979]

I've been to 13 states and DC. I've been on Interstates in all of them except VA, DC and NY. For NY, I've only been to JFK for a layover, and I've only used the Metro or walked in VA and DC.

I'm up to 25 states plus DC now, and I need to take VA off this list (used I-495, I-95, I-295 and I-64 in the state last December) and add several that I've only visited via Amtrak: IA, NE, CO, UT and NV.  NY is still an airport-only state, and DC is still a walking- and transit-only district.

[doorknob60]

Wyoming is the only real one for me, we visited Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Jackson, but no interstates.

Tennessee is close, I only drove on about 8 miles of I-40 between Foothills Pkwy and the NC State Line. Also Delaware I immediately exited I-295 after the Delaware Memorial Bridge onto US-13 to enter Maryland via US-301. The only place I've been in South Carolina is Carowinds on the border with NC, including less than a mile of I-77 before exiting at the first exit in the state.

If you count airport layovers (I don't count them as visiting, but "travel through" I guess could count), then you can add Colorado (DEN), Texas (IAH, DFW), and Illinois (ORD).

[SEWIGuy]

I am 100% confident that Delaware is on that list for me.  About 95% sure Nebraska is too.

That's it though.

[US 89]

The only state I have road mileage in but no interstates is Maryland.

I've been to Minnesota and Michigan by airport layovers, and I've only passed through New Jersey on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. Obviously, no interstate mileage in those states.

[jp the roadgeek]

Missouri is the only one for me, having never left St Louis airport.  Every other state (and DC) that I've visited, I've managed to hit at least one interstate.  I've clinched every mile of interstate in CT and DE.

[I-55]

New York and Minnesota. The former by the Lincoln Tunnel and Manhattan visit, the latter by MSP airport.

[Flint1979]

Kansas and Oklahoma. For Kansas I just clipped the SE corner by Baxter Springs. For Oklahoma I stayed on US and state highways.

[paulthemapguy]

My sole visit to Delaware was a trip from Philadelphia to Wilmington and back, via SEPTA.  I haven't driven on any roads at all in the state of Delaware.

[formulanone]

Looks like Idaho (clipped US 12, and had to head back to work) and Utah (still just airport-only visits) are my newest answers, since I originally posted.

Still no new visits to Idaho, but visited Utah last year, so it's now 46 states that I've been on an Interstate.

[Rothman]

Been to 49 states and DC.  Been on interstates in all of them.

Been to 50 states.  Only been on Interstates in 49 of them.  AK is the exception.

[hbelkins]

Idaho can come off my list, as I was on sections of I-184 and I-84, along with I-15, last year.

Add North Dakota to my list. We never strayed off US 2 on our trip last year.

[Mdcastle]

Arizona: Layover at Sky Harbor
Nevada: Never got of the Las Vegas strip.
Alabama: Drove into state on US 72, turned around at the first exit.
Delaware: Walked around the Mason Dixon marker.

[Roadgeekteen]

South Carolina for me

[pderocco]

I've been on an interstate highway in every state among the lower 48 except Oklahoma. I drove across its panhandle once on US-54, and later that day passed through the very spot featured in the slide show on this site's home page.

[Bruce]

My list as of this week, to be changed soon:

Montana - Only used US 2 and state highways
Utah - Light rail only
New Jersey - Bus and train only
Minnesota - Airport only
Texas - Airport only

[JayhawkCO]

Been to 49 states and DC.  Been on interstates in all of them.

Been to 50 states.  Only been on Interstates in 49 of them.  AK is the exception.

I'm assuming you don't count unsigned interstates because they're for sissies?

[7/8]

4 states for me.

Arkansas: I went on a day trip to Eureka Springs from Branson, MO (2 counties).
Montana: Stayed in West Yellowstone for a few nights on my 3-week road trip out west (1 county).
New Hampshire: On my Maritimes trip, we passed through Coos County on NH 26 (1 county).
Vermont: I've been several times to Vermont including skiing at Jay's Peak, Killington/Pico, and Okemo, and also drove through the northeast corner on a trip to the Martimes, but none of these trips were near an interstate (4 counties total).

[SkyPesos]

Besides an airport layover at DEN, none for me.

[michravera]

I am curious to know if anyone clinched any of the states, but never traveled its interstates.

I did Nebraska on a 01 trip, but only on I-129.  I never did I-80 or I-76 the state's two only2 digit mainline interstates.

I also, did Alabama and Mississippi the first time there in 91 en route from Florida to Louisiana where I did not travel I-10 in going.   Traveling back I did though use I-10.


I am looking mainly for first visits where you entered a state, but never got to drive its interstates when you did.  I counted NE for myself because I-129 from Iowa does not go very far into the state.   Plus it also does not connect to the rest of the state's interstate system either unless its via I-29 itself via Iowa.

Even leaving aside states that I have visited before the I-system was completed but never since and sections of roads that eventually became interstates:
I've been to West Yellowstone in Montana early I-system, but never on any roads that eventually became interstate
I've been to Miami International Airport in transito a bunch of times, but, never leaving the airport, so never on anything but airport property.
I've been to the San Juan Airport in transito numerous times. The one time that I stayed in town, I stayed at the Condado. It looks like I would have just been on a PR-route and not on anything in the I-system.