The Most Boring Stretches of Highway

[leroys73]

Former US 99 from Burlington to Marysville fits a bit of that bill, but it looks like US 6 through most of Nevada may be a better candidate.

I actually really like US-6 through Nevada.  US-50 as well.

They don't call US 50 in Nevada the "lonliest highway" for nothing.  It is on my list by motorcycle.  I have heard it is really an interesting road.  I've been on all of 50 from Newton Kansas to the Atlantic, most by motorcycle, and parts in Colorado.  Now I need to go to Newton and ride west to the Pacific.

[doorknob60]

I-5 from Redding to Wheeler Ridge...oh my, this is the worst, I hate it, and it's so long!

there is Sacramento, but other than that, oh god yes.

I really hope CA 99 isn't the same way...

It's not quite as bad, but still pretty boring. The only thing that makes these stretches tolerable is the occasional city. You know a road is boring when the most interesting thing on it is Fresno or Bakersfield. Yeah, Sacramento is kinda cool I guess, but driving through it takes about 5 minutes, then back to the boring stuff. We drove straight through on a school trip from Bend to Anaheim (on I-5, not CA-99), almost no stops, torture...

[kkt]

Lonely highways are often more interesting, I think.  They let the driver pay some attention to the scenery, not just making sure the driver next to you sees you.

US-97 from Weed to Yakima (this weekend) was interesting.  Lots of nice canyons.  I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass was only interesting in the sense of "it's blinding rain, why the hell don't the other drivers turn their headlights on so I can see them?" sense.  WA-520 was interesting in the sense of "Ha ha!  Closed this weekend!"

I stand by I-5 being the most boring.

[mrose]

From personal experience:

I-88 in Illinois west of Rochelle
I-76 from I-80 to Fort Morgan, CO
I-70 Salina, KS to Limon, CO
I-29 from St Joseph, MO to Iowa border
I-90 in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota
I-57 from I-72 to I-24
US 41 in Indiana from I-64 to I-74

[Brandon]

Former US 99 from Burlington to Marysville fits a bit of that bill, but it looks like US 6 through most of Nevada may be a better candidate.

I actually really like US-6 through Nevada.  US-50 as well.

They don't call US 50 in Nevada the "lonliest highway" for nothing.  It is on my list by motorcycle.  I have heard it is really an interesting road.  I've been on all of 50 from Newton Kansas to the Atlantic, most by motorcycle, and parts in Colorado.  Now I need to go to Newton and ride west to the Pacific.

US-6 in Nevada certainly gives US-50 a run for its money as a lonely road.  Was on there last summer in the middle of the night and saw only a couple of vehicles from Tonopah to Ely, with most of those being in Tonopah and Ely.

[agentsteel53]

US-6 in Nevada certainly gives US-50 a run for its money as a lonely road.  Was on there last summer in the middle of the night and saw only a couple of vehicles from Tonopah to Ely, with most of those being in Tonopah and Ely.

furthermore, if the gas station in Currant, NV is not in operation then there is no gas between those two points.  pay no attention to the signs that say 90 miles to gas - it's really 168.

[golden eagle]

I-55 through Arkansas & Missouri
I-57 south of Champaign-Urbana
I-40 between Forrest City and West Memphis
MS 1 through the MS Delta (minus Greenville)
I-20/59 between Meridian and Tuscaloosa

[roadfro]

US-6 in Nevada certainly gives US-50 a run for its money as a lonely road.  Was on there last summer in the middle of the night and saw only a couple of vehicles from Tonopah to Ely, with most of those being in Tonopah and Ely.

furthermore, if the gas station in Currant, NV is not in operation then there is no gas between those two points.  pay no attention to the signs that say 90 miles to gas - it's really 168.

I think it was discussed somewhere (maybe even a thread on Pacific SW board) that the Currant gas station is closed down and the "next gas" signs were patched/replaced to say 168 miles.

[geoffNOLA]

I-10 between Laplace and Baton Rouge - partly because I've traversed this stretch uncountable times, plus nothing but featureless woodlands for miles. The spillway bridge to the east is excluded since the scenery is far superior, plus you can see the New Orleans skyline on clear days.

I-12 between Denham Springs and Slidell - see above, then throw in heavy truck traffic for good measure.

I-55 from Hammond to just south of Jackson - nothing but forestland for miles with little in between. Of course, much the same can be said of many southern interstates.

I-10: Between Slidell and Mobile, Just west of Mobile Bay to Pensacola, Lafayette to Lake Charles, Beaumont to Houston.
US-98 is pretty boring between Pensacola and Ft. Walton as well.

[Rover_0]

After riding it, though it's not terribly long, I'd nominate US-6/191 between Price and I-70/US-50 and I-70/US-6/US-50 from there east through Utah.

Considering the scenery through Spotted Wolf Canyon (on I-70/US-50 west of there) and the Moab area to the south of Crescent Jct., the contrast between colorful red rocks and the bland grays and yellows is pretty jarring.

While I haven't driven it yet, I'd also nominate I-80 across the Bonneville Salt Flats. You'd appreciate its stark beauty for the first time, but having to cross the Salt Flats on a regular basis would likely get old. For that matter, regularly driving on any road in Utah's west desert would soon become boring. At least there's a lot of sagebrush there and in Nevada, which you can't say for 6/191 or 70/6/50/191.

[The High Plains Traveler]

Former US 99 from Burlington to Marysville fits a bit of that bill, but it looks like US 6 through most of Nevada may be a better candidate.

I actually really like US-6 through Nevada.  US-50 as well.

They don't call US 50 in Nevada the "lonliest highway" for nothing.  It is on my list by motorcycle.  I have heard it is really an interesting road.  I've been on all of 50 from Newton Kansas to the Atlantic, most by motorcycle, and parts in Colorado.  Now I need to go to Newton and ride west to the Pacific.

Lonely does not equate to boring. I found U.S. 50 across Nevada to be spectacular, with increasingly high mountain ranges across the valleys as you go east. I also had adverse childhood memories of U.S. 6-50 from Ely to Delta, but even though you are on the eastern edge of basin and range province along that stretch, it still has that quality to it. I would far prefer this type of scenery to a double wall of trees in otherwise flat terrain.

[corco]

Not quite in Nevada, but I would say that 6/50 heading westbound towards Nevada is one of the most fascinating stretches of road I have ever been on- once you get past Sevier Lake in Utah, you go over a little pass. Once you get to the top of that pass, the road is more or less straight and the descent is faiirly gradual, but you can see the road twenty miles ahead with a lot of clarity and what doesn't seem like that much elevation change. It's one of the most surreal landscapes I've ever been in.

Nevada does get boring to me after a while, but the sheer distance in front of you at times is mind-boggling. They call Montana "Big Sky Country" but if any state deserves that moniker, it's Nevada.

[Pete from Boston]

US-6 in Nevada certainly gives US-50 a run for its money as a lonely road.  Was on there last summer in the middle of the night and saw only a couple of vehicles from Tonopah to Ely, with most of those being in Tonopah and Ely.

furthermore, if the gas station in Currant, NV is not in operation then there is no gas between those two points.  pay no attention to the signs that say 90 miles to gas - it's really 168.

I think it was discussed somewhere (maybe even a thread on Pacific SW board) that the Currant gas station is closed down and the "next gas" signs were patched/replaced to say 168 miles.

When I was through there in 2009 there was also a closed gas station at a point somewhere between Ely and Bishop.  There seemed to be nothing in operation at that intersection, even though it seemed to have a name (that escapes me now) posted on several distant signs.

My pastime on that road was guessing how far it was across the valley in front of me when I came over each rise.  Try it, it's fun. 

[roadfro]

US-6 in Nevada certainly gives US-50 a run for its money as a lonely road.  Was on there last summer in the middle of the night and saw only a couple of vehicles from Tonopah to Ely, with most of those being in Tonopah and Ely.

furthermore, if the gas station in Currant, NV is not in operation then there is no gas between those two points.  pay no attention to the signs that say 90 miles to gas - it's really 168.

I think it was discussed somewhere (maybe even a thread on Pacific SW board) that the Currant gas station is closed down and the "next gas" signs were patched/replaced to say 168 miles.

When I was through there in 2009 there was also a closed gas station at a point somewhere between Ely and Bishop.  There seemed to be nothing in operation at that intersection, even though it seemed to have a name (that escapes me now) posted on several distant signs.

You might be thinking of the old station at Coaldale (where US 6/US 95 split northwest of Tonopah), which is noted as "Coaldale Junction" on 1/2-mile junction signs (and possibly on the distance sign leaving Tonopah). I know this hasn't been in operation since at least 2001 (and looks to have been abandoned well before that).

My pastime on that road was guessing how far it was across the valley in front of me when I came over each rise.  Try it, it's fun.

I did this along US 95 on my first trip up to Reno for college. At the same time, it is fun to see how far the stretches in those valleys stay completely straight. I think there's a valley on US 95 in Nye County that is about 26 miles of straight two-lane highway from one ridge to the other.

[kphoger]

I'd have to say that no highway springs to mind which actually goes through towns along the way.  That's why almost all of my candidates are expressways.

[texaskdog]

I'd have to say that no highway springs to mind which actually goes through towns along the way.  That's why almost all of my candidates are expressways.

Some of the most boring are when bypasses are built and they haven't put any gas stations on the new road yet. 

[wphiii]

I'd have to say that no highway springs to mind which actually goes through towns along the way.  That's why almost all of my candidates are expressways.

Amen!

[US 41]

US 41 in Indiana from I-64 to I-74

How is US 41 in Indiana boring?

[hbelkins]

US 41 in Indiana from I-64 to I-74

How is US 41 in Indiana boring?

Relatively flat and straight.

[Pete from Boston]

A common reaction to the opening of I-69 from folks I know in Evansville is "Thank god there's an alternative to the boring drive on 41."  This tells me that not a lot of them have driven 69, a road not distinguished by its visual distractions, but it corroborates the point about 41.

[roadman65]

Back in 2000 I drove I-70 Eastbound from Limon, CO into Kansas and let me tell you that is one boring stretch of road I encountered.  You would never know its still Colorado as its all flat!  The rest of Colorado that we know of is all mountainous and you never think of it as a part of the great prairie, but it is, especially east of I-25.

[kphoger]

The rest of Colorado that we know of...

Sorry, bro, but I grew up in northwestern Kansas, 55 miles from the Colorado line.  The Colorado that I know is flat and boring.

[MrDisco99]

Alabama's I-65 from the big bridges north of Mobile up to Montgomery is torturous.  There is NOTHING on that road for about 150 miles or so.

The toll roads in Indiana and Ohio are pretty dull as well.  I don't really remember anything about the drive between Portage and the 80/90 split near Cleveland other than toll plazas and service areas.  East of there the turnpike gets more interesting.  The Cuyahoga river bridge is actually kind of cool and the scenery around eastern Ohio is pretty.

I actually really enjoyed the PA Turnpike and NY Thruway.  Some really pretty scenery on those roads, too.

[TEG24601]

I-90 from Ellensburg to Spokane; Bozeman to Billings; Casper to Sioux Falls; Rochester to Madison.

I-94 from Billings to Alexandria; St. Cloud to St. Paul; Gary to Ann Arbor.

I-5 from Vancouver to Olympia.

I-84 from Hood River to Salt Lake City.

I-65 from Chicago to Indianapolis.

[1995hoo]

Alabama's I-65 from the big bridges north of Mobile up to Montgomery is torturous.  There is NOTHING on that road for about 150 miles or so.

....

The times I've been on that road I've set my cruise control at 90 mph (weather permitting) and I found I wasn't passing anyone.