Longest, Most Desolate Direct Route Between Two Major Cities

[pdx-wanderer]

What is the longest, most desolate direct route between two major US cities?

Using the suggested routing from Google Maps, Portland to Las Vegas is a distance of 972 miles, and the biggest town you pass through (not in either city's MSA) is Prineville, OR, population 9,900. In fact, Prineville is one of only three incorporated places on the whole route; Winnemucca and Madras being the others (Burns and Hines are ever so slightly bypassed).

I can't think of anything to challenge that. Everything else is either shorter, and/or passes through larger cities.

[Roadgeekteen]

Las Vegas to San Francisco is not even close, but I am always surprised when I realize that there is a 2 lane section on this route.

[webny99]

There's really not much on I-90 between Tomah, WI (the I-94 split) and Seattle. A few small-ish cities, but no large metros.

I don't believe anything can quite compete with the example in the OP - and certainly nothing in the eastern half of the country. Canada may have some good contenders, though. Toronto to Winnipeg, potentially?

[Hurricane Rex]

There's really not much on I-90 between Tomah, WI (the I-94 split) and Seattle. A few small-ish cities, but no large metros.

I don't believe anything can quite compete with the example in the OP - and certainly nothing in the eastern half of the country. Canada may have some good contenders, though. Toronto to Winnipeg, potentially?

Or possibly a route in Alaska as well?

[webny99]

Or possibly a route in Alaska as well?

Possibly... but Anchorage to Fairbanks is much shorter than Portland to Vegas. And with Juneau not accessible by road from either one, there's not really any other "big" cities in Alaska.

[catsynth]

Salt Lake City to Calgary? I-15 + AB 4 + AB 2.

[Hurricane Rex]

Salt Lake City to Calgary? I-15 + AB 4 + AB 2.

2nd longest (860 vs 972) but it still goes through incorporated cities often. Long between, yes. Desolate, by my definition, not until at least Great Falls.

[sparker]

If one considers the only sizeable city along the route to be a bit under 50K population, then Phoenix-Denver via the shortest mileage route -- via Payson, Holbrook, Gallup, Farmington [the city referenced above], Wolf Creek Pass, Saguache, Trout Creek Pass (there's a pattern developing here!), and Fairplay: 748 miles between the east I-10/17 junction and the US 85/285 junction -- might be considered reasonably desolate to us urban folks.  However, while the absolute shortest (at least using state-maintained highways only), it's only marginally longer (by 15 miles) than I-17 to Flagstaff, then US 89 to US 160 and 160 to US 550 south of Durango, where it merges with the shorter route.  But then Flagstaff is considerably larger than Farmington (and with much more in the way of amenities!), so that might be a disqualifying interim point.       

[oscar]

Or possibly a route in Alaska as well?

Possibly... but Anchorage to Fairbanks is much shorter than Portland to Vegas. And with Juneau not accessible by road from either one, there's not really any other "big" cities in Alaska.

If you're willing to ignore the "in the U.S." part of the OP, Anchorage to Edmonton (about 1940 miles, via AK 1-AK 2-YT 1-BC 97-BC 2-AB 43-TCH 16) would be a candidate. From Anchorage, population thins out once you get past Palmer, and the only communities resembling "major" cities the rest of the way would be Whitehorse YT (population about 25,000) and Grande Prairie AB (about 63,000).

If you must have major U.S. cities at both ends of the route, Anchorage to Seattle would be a possibility. But the most direct route (not counting ferries, which would be on far-from-desolate routes) would take you near Vancouver BC, and through Prince George BC (population about 73,000), plus Whitehorse but not Grande Prairie.

[Brandon]

There's really not much on I-90 between Tomah, WI (the I-94 split) and Seattle. A few small-ish cities, but no large metros.

Granted that Tomah isn't very big, but Sioux Falls, Billings, and Spokane would like to have a word with you.

BTW, welcome to west of the Mississippi, where cities aren't usually all that large as compared to out east.

[vdeane]

If you must have major U.S. cities at both ends of the route, Anchorage to Seattle would be a possibility. But the most direct route (not counting ferries, which would be on far-from-desolate routes) would take you near Vancouver BC, and through Prince George BC (population about 73,000).

Anchorage-Boise at least avoids Vancouver.

[Jordanes]

I-80, Cheyenne to Omaha. Boooring after the I-76 junction.

[Brandon]

I-80, Cheyenne to Omaha. Boooring after the I-76 junction.

Lincoln is bigger than Cheyenne.  At that point you might as well say Omaha to Salt Lake.

[JREwing78]

There's really not much on I-90 between Tomah, WI (the I-94 split) and Seattle. A few small-ish cities, but no large metros.

Granted that Tomah isn't very big, but Sioux Falls, Billings, and Spokane would like to have a word with you.

BTW, welcome to west of the Mississippi, where cities aren't usually all that large as compared to out east.

You also forget LaCrosse, WI, which has 52,000 residents, and Onalaska, WI, right next door, with almost 18,000 residents. Rapid City, SD, with 68,000 residents, also has I-90 in its city limits.

[Hurricane Rex]

There's really not much on I-90 between Tomah, WI (the I-94 split) and Seattle. A few small-ish cities, but no large metros.

Granted that Tomah isn't very big, but Sioux Falls, Billings, and Spokane would like to have a word with you.

BTW, welcome to west of the Mississippi, where cities aren't usually all that large as compared to out east.

Missoula would also like a word with you as well.

California and the sunbelt would like to disagree with the 2nd statement (although I know what you mean).

[SD Mapman]

There's really not much on I-90 between Tomah, WI (the I-94 split) and Seattle. A few small-ish cities, but no large metros.

Granted that Tomah isn't very big, but Sioux Falls, Billings, and Spokane would like to have a word with you.

BTW, welcome to west of the Mississippi, where cities aren't usually all that large as compared to out east.

You also forget LaCrosse, WI, which has 52,000 residents, and Onalaska, WI, right next door, with almost 18,000 residents. Rapid City, SD, with 68,000 residents, also has I-90 in its city limits.

Rapid's up to 74000 now!

Anyway, I've been on I-90 from Spokane to Tomah (and points east); I would not call it desolate in the slightest. US 50 in Nevada (heck most of Nevada)? That's desolate. On I-90 I know I can stop for gas/snacks/stretch about every 40 miles or so (probably closer to 50 when you average it out).

Granted, this might be because I'm more used to smaller towns than most people...

[froggie]

What is the OP defining as "desolate"?

Also, it should be noted that the OP's example is not the shortest route between Portland and Las Vegas (that route goes through Salem and Reno), and there is also one segment of his example (east of Bend, OR) that is on an unnumbered road.

[Hurricane Rex]

What is the OP defining as "desolate"?

Also, it should be noted that the OP's example is not the shortest route between Portland and Las Vegas (that route goes through Salem and Reno), and there is also one segment of his example (east of Bend, OR) that is on an unnumbered road.

It is the shortest in mileage but not time (15hrs 34 min vs 15hrs 49 min). The unnumbered road is up for debate but even so, OR 27 lies 3 miles east (estimation). https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Portland,+Oregon/Las+Vegas,+Nevada/@43.2960192,-121.2778799,6.88z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x54950b0b7da97427:0x1c36b9e6f6d18591!2m2!1d-122.6764815!2d45.5230622!1m5!1m1!1s0x80beb782a4f57dd1:0x3accd5e6d5b379a3!2m2!1d-115.1398296!2d36.1699412!3e0

Edit: How did I type 9?

[webny99]

What is the OP defining as "desolate"?

My impression was no intermediate "metro areas" - maybe if the route passes through a city larger than 20,000 it doesn't count? But the OP could say.

and there is also one segment of his example (east of Bend, OR) that is on an unnumbered road.

NYC - Buffalo also uses an unnumbered route. Well, it's technically Co 64, but there's no signage. In any case, I fail to see why it matters if the route uses an unnumbered route.

It is the shortest in mileage but not time (9hrs 34 min vs 9hrs 49 min). The unnumbered road is up for debate but even so, OR 27 lies 3 miles east (estimation).

You're doing good if you can do it in that amount of time  I'm showing 15h40m and 15h52m respectively.

[roadman65]

In SD the two largest cities, even though small cities compared to states like Texas, California, and Florida has I-90 that goes directly between them with hardly any population or development along its route.  Most is all prairie the entire way. Some population east of the Missouri River, but still pretty desolate though.

[hotdogPi]

In SD the two largest cities, even though small cities compared to states like Texas, California, and Florida has I-90 that goes directly between them with hardly any population or development along its route.  Most is all prairie the entire way. Some population east of the Missouri River, but still pretty desolate though.

Sioux Falls and Rapid City are each larger than anything along DC to Buffalo. (Including Frederick MD, which is arguably part of the DC metro.)

[roadman65]

90 drops down to DC?  I think you are mixing I-90 and I-70.

[hotdogPi]

No, I'm comparing two separate routes: one along I-90 through South Dakota (which was already mentioned), and a completely separate route from DC to Buffalo, which has a smaller largest city and is also east of the Mississippi.

[roadman65]

Well if your saying I-90, you have it go through Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Boston.  Yes, Rapid City and Sioux Falls are big, but my point is that in SD they are really big and its really rural in between.

[webny99]

Well if your saying I-90, you have it go through Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Boston.

You don't have to use whole routes; just pick your endpoints and whatever routes are used then so be it.