What do you guys think they are? Here are my rankings:
1. I-70, Limon to Topeka (very flat)
2. US 60 across southern Missouri, from Rogersville-Sikeston (beautiful, but repetitive)
3. I-44 from Eureka to St. James, and then from Doolittle to Strafford, MO
4. I-70 across most of Ohio (see #1)
5. I-80 across central PA (see #2)
:wave:
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on September 22, 2015, 01:29:32 PM
What do you guys think they are? Here are my rankings:
1. I-70, Limon to Topeka (very flat)
2. US 60 across southern Missouri, from Rogersville-Sikeston (beautiful, but repetitive)
3. I-44 from Eureka to St. James, and then from Doolittle to Strafford, MO
4. I-70 across most of Ohio (see #1)
5. I-80 across central PA (see #2)
:wave:
US 212, Faith to Newell (nothing)
[emoji17] - he's asleep because the road is so boring.
I-80 Nebraska.
I think we've done this a few times in the past, but I'll always chime in with the following.
I-5 from south of Tracy to the Grapevine.....SUCKS!
In the words of Comic Book Guy "Worst. Drive. Ever."
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 22, 2015, 04:35:41 PM
I think we've done this a few times in the past, but I'll always chime in with the following.
I-5 from south of Tracy to the Grapevine.....SUCKS!
In the words of Comic Book Guy "Worst. Drive. Ever."
I whole heartedly agree with this one! The scenery does not change at all from exit 221 (Hwy. 99) to exit 446 (I-580).
Also, U.S. 97 between Bend and Klamath Falls is a real snooze fest as well, especially with the (soon to be gone, thankfully) 55 m.p.h. speed zone.
U.S. 395 between Pasco and Ritzville used to be pretty boring when it was a 55 m.p.h. 2 lane road as well but as a 70 m.p.h. expressway is much more pleasant to drive.
I-81 between PA 581 and I-70 in MD.
I-80 Nebraska. Sorry Huskers!
Quote from: Thunderbyrd316 on September 22, 2015, 04:48:49 PM
Also, U.S. 97 between Bend and Klamath Falls is a real snooze fest as well, especially with the (soon to be gone, thankfully) 55 m.p.h. speed zone.
I enjoy this one. There's some scenery and it's a pretty relaxing drive.
Quote from: noelbotevera on September 22, 2015, 04:52:02 PM
I-81 between PA 581 and I-70 in MD.
I dunno. It does take a lot longer than you'd think to get from PA 581 to the MD/PA border. But, on the other hand, I spent many-a-night in a hotel in Chambersburg. I suppose that stretch is more nostalgia-inducing for me in that regard.
Ah Chambersburg. I once spent a week there one night.
Without a doubt, my least favorite freeway drive is I-55 through Mississippi. No variation in scenery, nothing but trees lining the road.
I'll weigh in with a third vote for I-80 Nebraska.
I do note, however, I have some relatives from Canada that said that section of Interstate was SPECTACULAR !!
They are used to heavy forestation with no sight lines at all, and the wide open flat expanse of Nebraska was 100% different from what they live with up north, they LOVED IT !!
(I still think I'd rather have a root canal than to ever drive across Nebraska again)
I'll add the 4th vote for I-80 across Nebraska. The scenery is much different than what I'm used to in the Northeast, but I found it to be horribly boring. My understanding is that US 30 (which is quite close to I-80 throughout much of Nebraska) is a much better drive. If I ever make it out that way again, (which I most certainly hope to) I'm gonna try US 30 across Nebraska.
It's hard to beat I-5 in the Central Valley, but I-40 in CA might be another worth mentioning.
Any Interstate in Illinois.
I-55 south of Cape Girardeau in MO, AR
I-78 from the first merge with US 22 to Hamburg is long and straight through pretty much constant nothing.
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on September 22, 2015, 01:29:32 PM
What do you guys think they are? Here are my rankings:
1. I-70, Limon to Topeka (very flat)
2. US 60 across southern Missouri, from Rogersville-Sikeston (beautiful, but repetitive)
3. I-44 from Eureka to St. James, and then from Doolittle to Strafford, MO
4. I-70 across most of Ohio (see #1)
5. I-80 across central PA (see #2)
:wave:
I'll second #4. I don't mind the stretch of 70 east of Columbus; it's the part west of Columbus that puts me to sleep.
I-90 between Sioux Falls and Rapid City South Dakota
I-88 between IL-47 and Dixon (25 mile, 13 mile, 17 mile exit gaps in that stretch)
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 22, 2015, 04:35:41 PM
I think we've done this a few times in the past, but I'll always chime in with the following.
I-5 from south of Tracy to the Grapevine.....SUCKS!
In the words of Comic Book Guy "Worst. Drive. Ever."
Word. It's especially frustrating since it's so close to such interesting scenery. Although I'd ammend this to Redding to the Grapevine, excluding Sacramento.
Keeping with the theme of breadbasket states... I-70 through Kansas gets my vote probably because I have never taken I-80 through Nebraska.
Each time I've made the trip from Kansas City through eastern Colorado, I am always taken aback by how few trees there are along that stretch of prairie. It is one very long stretch of no trees, few towns, few waterways, only gentle hills, and not a whole lot to look at besides traffic. I take a lot of enjoyment in scenery, and I've never been able to gain much from that section of Kansas.
Quote from: dcharlie on September 22, 2015, 05:07:46 PM
I-80 Nebraska. Sorry Huskers!
I drove across a good chunk of I-80 in Nebraska in 1988 and thought it was not even remotely as boring as I-5 north of Wheeler Ridge. At least there were some towns to pass through like Grand Island, Kearney and North Platte. Along that stretch of I-5 the only town of any significance is Los Banos and it is so far off the freeway that you can barely even see it.
Quote from: jaehak on September 23, 2015, 12:30:58 PM
Quote from: OCGuy81 on September 22, 2015, 04:35:41 PM
I think we've done this a few times in the past, but I'll always chime in with the following.
I-5 from south of Tracy to the Grapevine.....SUCKS!
In the words of Comic Book Guy "Worst. Drive. Ever."
Word. It's especially frustrating since it's so close to such interesting scenery. Although I'd ammend this to Redding to the Grapevine, excluding Sacramento.
I have always thought that I-5 north of Sacramento was far less boring than in the southern valley. The little towns like Dunnigan, Arbuckle, Williams, Willows, Orland and Corning seem both bigger and closer to the freeway than places like Buttonwillow and Lost Hills and break up the drive much better. Also, the scenery is not nearly so monotonous what with all the grain elevators, palm trees, etc. that are absent from the southern section. And then there are the "big" towns of Woodland and Red Bluff, the elevated section over the delta and the "hilly" section north of Red Bluff. Also, I have always liked that weird little mountain range between Williams and Yuba City (visible to the east of I-5) that is supposedly the smallest mountain range in the world.
Quote from: Thunderbyrd316 on September 23, 2015, 04:14:10 PM
Quote from: dcharlie on September 22, 2015, 05:07:46 PM
I-80 Nebraska. Sorry Huskers!
I drove across a good chunk of I-80 in Nebraska in 1988 and thought it was not even remotely as boring as I-5 north of Wheeler Ridge. At least there were some towns to pass through like Grand Island, Kearney and North Platte. Along that stretch of I-5 the only town of any significance is Los Banos and it is so far off the freeway that you can barely even see it.
Yeah, but on I-5 at least you can see the hills in the distance with a little variety in the peaks. In Nebraska, can't see mountains, and a fairly uniform line of trees keeps you from seeing the river.
I-80 Nebraska, 455 miles.
I-5 from Grapevine to US 50, 297 miles.
Quote from: ET21 on September 23, 2015, 12:28:58 PM
I-90 between Sioux Falls and Rapid City South Dakota
Quote from: signalman on September 23, 2015, 12:45:17 AM
I'll add the 4th vote for I-80 across Nebraska.
Quote from: Chris19001 on September 23, 2015, 01:28:31 PM
Keeping with the theme of breadbasket states... I-70 through Kansas gets my vote probably because I have never taken I-80 through Nebraska.
Each time I've made the trip from Kansas City through eastern Colorado, I am always taken aback by how few trees there are along that stretch of prairie. It is one very long stretch of no trees, few towns, few waterways, only gentle hills, and not a whole lot to look at besides traffic. I take a lot of enjoyment in scenery, and I've never been able to gain much from that section of Kansas.
You know, I think the argument could be made that any of the EW interstates that cross the Great Plains are super boring.
Oh, and you just get used to the fact that there are no trees. I think having lots of trees is weird (but that's just me).
I-495 between Exit 31 and Queens-Midtown Tunnel. What type of skyline am I looking at? is the question here. Am I on the 405 again? I love this traffic! (sarcasm)
US 101 between CA 92 and the Golden Gate Bridge is also that too.
Quote from: SD Mapman on September 23, 2015, 04:33:15 PM
You know, I think the argument could be made that any of the EW interstates that cross the Great Plains are super boring.
Oh, and you just get used to the fact that there are no trees. I think having lots of trees is weird (but that's just me).
I'm originally from California, so I don't expect trees in every bit of scenery. But when there are no trees, there are usually mountains, or hills, or colorful rock in the desert, or something.
I-81 north of Syracuse, NY is another long tree-lined stretch that is surprisingly featureless.
Another is I-90 along Lake Erie in NY and PA.
iPhone
Quote from: kkt on September 23, 2015, 06:18:22 PM
Quote from: SD Mapman on September 23, 2015, 04:33:15 PM
You know, I think the argument could be made that any of the EW interstates that cross the Great Plains are super boring.
Oh, and you just get used to the fact that there are no trees. I think having lots of trees is weird (but that's just me).
I'm originally from California, so I don't expect trees in every bit of scenery. But when there are no trees, there are usually mountains, or hills, or colorful rock in the desert, or something.
Nah, I'm not saying anything about it, just that after you live in the Plains States for a while, you get used to treeless boring drives. I bet the top ten boring drives in the US are in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, or Texas.
I don't understand the inclusion of I-80 in Pennsylvania on these lists. It's an absolutely gorgeous drive.
Quote from: hbelkins on September 23, 2015, 09:56:04 PM
I don't understand the inclusion of I-80 in Pennsylvania on these lists. It's an absolutely gorgeous drive.
...that takes absolutely forever. I don't care if there are bigger states with allegedly longer sections of interstate in them. I-80 takes longer. I think if you steamrolled all those hills out that I-80 in PA would wrap around the world twice.
I've always found the New York Thruway between Buffalo and Albany to be incredibly long and boring.
And there are plenty of trees on that drive! I've taken I-80 across Pennsylvania to avoid the Thruway. I love I-80 in PA.
Quote from: The Nature Boy on September 24, 2015, 07:36:33 AM
I've always found the New York Thruway between Buffalo and Albany to be incredibly long and boring.
FTFY. I used to make this trip about once a month, if not more for work. It is boring, but I'd take it over I-80 any day.
+1 for I-80 in Pennsylvania (and I've driven 80 in NE, 5 in CA central valley*). It's long, repetitive, and somehow provincial, like the world ends at either state line. Imagine how that must have been in the era of 55 MPH.
* I've only done the Nebraska trip once, so perhaps the novelty makes it an unfair comparison
Quote from: TravelingBethelite on September 22, 2015, 01:29:32 PM
4. I-70 across most of Ohio (see #1)
5. I-80 across central PA (see #2)
Another vote for I-70 in Ohio, but only up to MM130 or so. Going East past that point is a pretty nice drive. The boredom extends West on I-70 from the Ohio border to I-465 around Indy.
I kind of think of I-80 in central PA as kind of middle of the road. I like the trees and rolling hills, but I like bigger hills and mountains better.
I'll also cast a vote for I-71 from about MM40 up to I-270 around Columbus. Nothing but flat land, corn and soybeans.
Quote from: hbelkins on September 23, 2015, 09:56:04 PM
I don't understand the inclusion of I-80 in Pennsylvania on these lists. It's an absolutely gorgeous drive.
Parts of it are, where it transitions through the valleys from one ridge to the next. But I think where it loses so many points is that it's so much less gorgeous than it should be given the countryside it traverses. In particular, the whole bit west of I-99 goes through very monotonous scenery, with trees close in and few expansive views. Taking US 6 or 22 through the same area would give you much more interesting results.
But even more boring than I-80, for Pennsylvania highways, would be I-380. It hasn't got a single redeeming mile in my opinion (and mirrors my perception of the Poconos in general: what's the big flippin' deal??).
Quote from: empirestate on September 24, 2015, 11:28:27 AM
Parts of it are, where it transitions through the valleys from one ridge to the next. But I think where it loses so many points is that it's so much less gorgeous than it should be given the countryside it traverses. In particular, the whole bit west of I-99 goes through very monotonous scenery, with trees close in and few expansive views. Taking US 6 or 22 through the same area would give you much more interesting results.
I'd agree with you here. Having explored the roads off I-80, you do get cheated out of seeing some very beautiful scenery you would otherwise experience on the alternate routes.
Quote from: empirestate on September 24, 2015, 11:28:27 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 23, 2015, 09:56:04 PM
I don't understand the inclusion of I-80 in Pennsylvania on these lists. It's an absolutely gorgeous drive.
Parts of it are, where it transitions through the valleys from one ridge to the next. But I think where it loses so many points is that it's so much less gorgeous than it should be given the countryside it traverses. In particular, the whole bit west of I-99 goes through very monotonous scenery, with trees close in and few expansive views. Taking US 6 or 22 through the same area would give you much more interesting results.
But even more boring than I-80, for Pennsylvania highways, would be I-380. It hasn't got a single redeeming mile in my opinion (and mirrors my perception of the Poconos in general: what's the big flippin' deal??).
Totally agree about I-380, too. You come out of there wondering why people even bother with the Poconos (although, to be fair, their heyday was about half-a-century ago).
Quote from: hbelkins on September 23, 2015, 09:56:04 PM
I don't understand the inclusion of I-80 in Pennsylvania on these lists. It's an absolutely gorgeous drive.
At night though it's awful. I once drove it from 81 to Ohio all at night and was bored out of my mind. I do agree though its a lot more scenic during the day.
Quote from: kkt on September 22, 2015, 05:27:14 PM
Quote from: Thunderbyrd316 on September 22, 2015, 04:48:49 PM
Also, U.S. 97 between Bend and Klamath Falls is a real snooze fest as well, especially with the (soon to be gone, thankfully) 55 m.p.h. speed zone.
I enjoy this one. There's some scenery and it's a pretty relaxing drive.
Agreed, there are much worse drives even in Oregon, such as US-20 from Bend to Burns (maybe interesting the first couple times, but after that boring), I-5 from Albany to Eugene, and I-84 from US-730 to Wildhorse Casino (Pendleton). The only thing that can make US-97 suck (aside from the speed limit which I just ignore) is when there is too much traffic in the 2 lane segments. But there are a decent number of passing lanes so it's not too bad.
Quote from: ModernDayWarrior on September 22, 2015, 11:55:11 PM
Without a doubt, my least favorite freeway drive is I-55 through Mississippi. No variation in scenery, nothing but trees lining the road.
That really does give I-80 in Nebraska a run for its money. I'll give the edge to Nebraska for the vile traffic and fun alternatives just a few miles off of I-80.
I-55 through Mississippi is brutal, but there's no reasonable alternative (so far as I could tell from the very few times I've had to do that). I've invented alternatives across Nebraska (and hooray, I'll need another this winter).
Quote from: noelbotevera on September 23, 2015, 05:48:08 PM
I-495 between Exit 31 and Queens-Midtown Tunnel. What type of skyline am I looking at? is the question here. Am I on the 405 again? I love this traffic! (sarcasm)
US 101 between CA 92 and the Golden Gate Bridge is also that too.
When it moves its got its charm, you can see the World's Fair buildings that are still up, theres that elevated section in Maspeth. The part in Rego Park by the Woodhaven Blvd exit is kinda interesting with the tall buildings.
If you wanna talk boring highways in New York City, you left off the Cross Bronx, It's almost always backed up, and inner city Bronx is nothing to look at. Yea theres the interesting underpass under Grand Concourse which also goes under the subway line under the boulevard, and the part with the apartment buildings, but for the most part its a slow, boring ride. Took me an entire hour to get to Jersey from the Throggs Neck in the middle of the daytime!
How did this get to the second page without I-39 being mentioned? Haven't done any of it north of Beloit, but I-39 in Illinois at night is the only Interstate that has ever caused me to fall asleep in the car out of boredom.
I've never done I-70 in KS but I want to try it sometime because, despite the scenery, I tend to enjoy KDOT's freeways, so the infrastructure would be enough to keep me entertained.
I actually like I-70 in Kansas. I was only nine years old when I traveled I-80 in Nebraska, so I don't remember it well enough to make a determination on it.
I-75 between Atlanta and Tampa. Especially south of Macon.
When I was a kid my family would take vacations in Clearwater Beach or Saint Petersburg. We would leave late at night, and my dad would drive straight through. We would usually wake up in Atlanta, seemingly most of the way there by counting states, but really only halfway. The highlight of the remaining segment was counting down the exits, 3, 2, 1, until the Florida border, and even that was slow because of the distance between exits. Even in places full of farms and fields, the Interstate was thickly tree-lined so there was nothing interesting to look at.
As a kid when my dad drove NY 17 from Binghamton to Harriman, I used to think NY 17 was long and boring as well as not deserving of its name the "Quickway."
US 301 in GA between Jesup and Folkston is a long boring ride.
I-70 in Eastern Colorado.
I-90 in South Dakota between Rapid City and the Missouri River.
NJ Turnpike between its southern terminus plaza and Exit 3.
Of course there is I-10 which is rated the most boring by magazines, bus drivers I talked to, and even truckers. Hence that is why Texas is really long to surpass on it.
US 191 between Rock Springs and Boulder, Wyoming
I 16 Macon to I 95. Flat with only Trees, Trees, Trees & county cops with speed traps. I don't remember which county did that but they were out there regularly. The only other views were the businesses at the exits. The one saving grace is its only 181 miles or so but its a long 2:50. :sleep:
Gotta agree with I 75 from Macon south, terrible traffic, trucks trucks truck & the GHP.
I 10 Florida.
I 71 Ohio
Quote from: empirestate on September 23, 2015, 07:48:30 PM
I-81 north of Syracuse, NY is another long tree-lined stretch that is surprisingly featureless.
Another is I-90 along Lake Erie in NY and PA.
iPhone
Well, I disagree on the PA part. There's this sign (https://www.google.com/maps/@42.2341094,-79.7796975,3a,36.8y,27.86h,94.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sByk9Zp1CDcalH6z8ygQejw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656), which I always look forward to seeing because I think it's confused naive people over the years!!!
Quote from: roadman65 on September 26, 2015, 02:16:15 PM
As a kid when my dad drove NY 17 from Binghamton to Harriman, I used to think NY 17 was long and boring as well as not deserving of its name the "Quickway."
What's interesting is that Google Maps only prefers NY 17 over I-80 when you have a starting point in, say, Yonkers (Westchester Co.), to get to Buffalo.
Still, I'm betting when NY 17 was built even to the at-grade four lane highway that those along the tier appreciated the improvement.
I-95 through Virginia and the Carolinas. Featureless, flat, and with pisspoor traffic.
I-64 between Charlottesville and Newport News. I've driven this road hundreds of times, and haven't found anything particularly interesting about it. The pretty views headed west don't start until about exit 124, and heading east into Hampton Roads is just ugh.
A second vote for I-70 east of Indy into Ohio. Even the short section I did (Indy to I-75 in Dayton, only about 100 miles) felt like a long slog.
I-20 east of Atlanta. Aside from a few rolling hills near the Columbia area, this is long slog on bad pavement and with relatively little to see besides pine trees.
In the interest of fairness I would like to amend my previous nomination of U.S. 97 between Bend and Klamath Falls to Bend to Chiloquin as I had forgotten that the segment south of there was actually quite scenic with the views of Upper Klamath Lake and Mount McLoughlin to the west of the highway. (It has been a very long time since I have been on this road that far south and had forgotten about that part.) The continuously monotonous, claustrophobic feeling of being closed in by repetitive trees north of there to Bend however still causes me to rate this highway as far more boring than driving through the wide open spaces farther to the east where you can see for miles. Perhaps growing up and living most of my life in a place (Western Oregon) where I am constantly surrounded by trees has something to do with how I feel about this.