Illinois isn't flat

[Crash_It]

and here's the proof. This shows that if you get off the interstates, you can see some interesting scenery. Even some stretches of interstate in the state has interesting scenery as well...


https://youtu.be/eyA8zXxOiis

[ozarkman417]

Perhaps the best way you can prove that Illinois is not flat is to make a video in Shawnee National Forest and the surrounding "Illinois Ozarks" in far southern Illinois (which, despite its nickname, is not part of the Ozark Plateau).

[texaskdog]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a44JX4wdC8

[Road Hog]

Illinois isn't flat, and I can attest to this while losing traction on a few overpass approaches on I-57 South once it got too cold for road salt to work.

[Rothman]

Illinois isn't flat, and I can attest to this while losing traction on a few overpass approaches on I-57 South once it got too cold for road salt to work.

So, bridge approaches makes a state not flat?

[Roadgeekteen]

Am I missing something? That road seemed pretty flat to me.

[allniter89]

Illinois interstates except I 24 are flat & boring as are most interstates . There are exceptions of course I 70 w of Denver, I 80 over Donner Pass, West Virginia, I 81 Virginia is nice if it wasnt so damn busy, I 68 is nice if u arent dragging 40,000 lbs up the mtns.

[Roadgeekteen]

Illinois interstates except I 24 are flat & boring as are most interstates . There are exceptions of course I 70 w of Denver, I 80 over Donner Pass, West Virginia, I 81 Virginia is nice if it wasnt so damn busy, I 68 is nice if u arent dragging 40,000 lbs up the mtns.

Many interstates in the west are not flat.

[US71]

Illinois isn't flat, and I can attest to this while losing traction on a few overpass approaches on I-57 South once it got too cold for road salt to work.

So, bridge approaches makes a state not flat?

Old joke ( to me at least). Illinois has hills: they call them "off ramps" (or grade separations)

[hbelkins]

Parts of far southern Illinois are hillier than adjacent areas of western Kentucky.

[Crash_It]

Am I missing something? That road seemed pretty flat to me.

The wide angle lens of the dashcam makes things flatter than they really are. The other direction on that road is more interesting as there are signs warning of a 4% grade.

[Crash_It]

Illinois interstates except I 24 are flat & boring as are most interstates . There are exceptions of course I 70 w of Denver, I 80 over Donner Pass, West Virginia, I 81 Virginia is nice if it wasnt so damn busy, I 68 is nice if u arent dragging 40,000 lbs up the mtns.

Wrong. Not I55 through Macoupin and Madison Counties and even through Springfield. I57 from Effingham onward after peotone, I72 through the Quincy area. I355 through will and southern Dupage County (upcoming video), pretty much all of I70 is hilly or gently rolling. There's alot.

[Max Rockatansky]

Some of the Interstates around downtown Chicago at interesting because of the urban scenery.  I always though I-180 was weird enough to justify seeing, but it isn't exactly "scenic."   In terms of natural scenery Illinois is pretty much like the other Midwest States in that there isn't a ton to see in terms of interesting terrain variance.  But I feel like that is something a lot of say about Interstates in general with maybe a half dozen well known exceptions nation wide.

Also, as a former Illinois resident I can attest to the fact that State is one of the flattest in the nation. 

[JayhawkCO]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

[Crash_It]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

[JoePCool14]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the northwest corner of Illinois yet, the good ol' Driftless Area. Jo Daviess and Stephenson Counties are very much not flat. I haven't been to the far south of Illinois so I can't say how they compare though.

[US 89]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

Clearly someone hasn't spent much time east of I-25 in that state...

[Max Rockatansky]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

Clearly someone hasn't spent much time east of I-25 in that state...

I almost find the flat part of Colorado to be more interesting given how many weird largely derelict railroad towns are lurking out there east of the Rockies.

[JREwing78]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the northwest corner of Illinois yet, the good ol' Driftless Area. Jo Daviess and Stephenson Counties are very much not flat. I haven't been to the far south of Illinois so I can't say how they compare though.

Stagecoach Trail east of Galena is a nice squiggly road for motorcycles and sports cars.

[JoePCool14]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the northwest corner of Illinois yet, the good ol' Driftless Area. Jo Daviess and Stephenson Counties are very much not flat. I haven't been to the far south of Illinois so I can't say how they compare though.

Stagecoach Trail east of Galena is a nice squiggly road for motorcycles and sports cars.

I take that road from US-20 to IL-78 in Warren on my way to university. It's a great little road and also acts as *gasp* a Hypotenuse.

[JayhawkCO]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

Clearly someone hasn't spent much time east of I-25 in that state...

I've clinched the state.  My opinion stands.  Even eastern Colorado is hillier than Illinois.

Chris

[US71]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

Ever been to Arkansas?

[Max Rockatansky]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

Ever been to Arkansas?

Now that's a state which can subvert geographic expectations.  Same thing with parts of Oklahoma.

[Crash_It]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

Ever been to Arkansas?

Now that's a state which can subvert geographic expectations.  Same thing with parts of Oklahoma.

Never been there but from some videos I've seen, it does have some flat portions as well. Especially along I55.

[US 89]

Yes it is.

Chris - A proud Coloradan.

Anything is flat compared to that.

Ever been to Arkansas?

Now that's a state which can subvert geographic expectations.  Same thing with parts of Oklahoma.

Never been there but from some videos I've seen, it does have some flat portions as well. Especially along I55.

I've been across Arkansas twice - once on I-40 and once on US 63. The western half of the state offers a surprising amount of terrain variation, and I-40 could even be considered scenic on many portions west of Little Rock. But anything east of US 67 is quite boring and flat - in my opinion worse than the stereotypically boring places like Nebraska and Iowa.