Longest A to B within a state

[MrDisco99]

A while back I drove from Key West to Mobile and was surprised at how long of a drive you could take in Florida.  It doesn't seem like a big state, but from Key West to the I-10 border crossing it's 840 miles.  That's taking the straight and fast Google Maps way with no sidetracks.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Southernmost+Point,+South+Street,+Key+West,+FL&daddr=I-10&hl=en&sll=24.567108,-81.760254&sspn=0.156434,0.216637&geocode=FcCMdgEdnd4f-yHdS9mchdNd2inrsw5O3LbRiDHdS9mchdNd2g%3BFbGE0gEdYTLK-g&oq=southernmost+Key+West,+FL&t=h&mra=ls&z=6

That got me thinking about what's the longest Google Mappable A to B route you could take within a state.  Is it possible to drive straight within one state for more than a day?

Here's what I came up with in CA...

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=I-8+W&daddr=Hwy+101+N%2FUS-101+N%2FOregon+Coast+Hwy&hl=en&sll=40.199855,-74.696045&sspn=0.525503,0.866547&geocode=FT1m8wEdVRIr-Q%3BFU_YgAIdY7uY-A&oq=key+west&t=h&mra=ls&z=5

You can probably do longer in CA if you play around with the end points.  Or maybe you can get even longer in TX or MT.  For the sake of directness, I'd say if there are multiple suggested routes, it should be the first suggestion.  What do you guys think?

[1995hoo]

I asked it for directions from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Homer and it returned 1,072 miles and 26 hours: http://goo.gl/maps/XUfFS 

If I change it to end in Unalaska it becomes 1,864 miles and 77 hours, but there's a lengthy ferry transit so I'm not sure that should really count.

[hotdogPi]

Massachusetts: 4 hours and 47 minutes
Rhode Island: 1 hour and 25 minutes


You will probably be able to get slightly longer.

[Thing 342]

From Pocomoke City, MD to the Cumberland Gap is about 586 miles via US 13 & 58, and almost all through Virginia.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

I can push the FL one to 873 miles: https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Southernmost+Point,+South+Street,+Key+West,+FL&daddr=Jakes+Rd&hl=en&ll=28.149503,-83.188477&spn=11.532792,19.753418&sll=30.980258,-87.579403&sspn=0.043858,0.077162&geocode=FcCMdgEdnd4f-yHdS9mchdNd2inrsw5O3LbRiDHdS9mchdNd2g%3BFWLi2AEdUpTH-g&t=h&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=14&z=6.

[roadman65]

In Texas we all heard about I-10 being well over 800 miles.  In addition over one third of I-10 national routing is in the Lone Star State.  El Paso is closer to the beach at Santa Monica, CA then it is to the TX/LA border on I-10, and the four states of FL, AL, MS, and LA that I-10 travel through with the mileage being totaled there is still less than all of I-10 in Texas.

In Florida, I have to agree that from Key West to Pensacola in Florida is like driving I-10 in Texas.

In Delaware, believe it or not its longest route (US 13) does exceed 100 miles despite that it would to appear not.

[Zeffy]

Here's one I got for New Jersey: http://goo.gl/maps/GIyvv

3 hours, 207-211 miles. (yours may differ)

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Massachusetts: 4 hours and 47 minutes
Rhode Island: 1 hour and 25 minutes


You will probably be able to get slightly longer.

Three miles more for MA. The RI one doesn't count, it goes thru MA .

[agentsteel53]

A while back I drove from Key West to Mobile and was surprised at how long of a drive you could take in Florida.  It doesn't seem like a big state, but from Key West to the I-10 border crossing it's 840 miles.  That's taking the straight and fast Google Maps way with no sidetracks.

I fell into that trap once.  I was in Mobile at 2 and figured I'd be in Tampa for dinner.  Florida is, by that measure, larger than Texas.  I-10 goes up to the 820s in exit numbers, IIRC.

I once tried to see if any US route in any state was once over 1000 miles.  given that routes tend to get shorter due to realignments going through, as opposed to around, terrain, I would imagine that there are some.  US-101 in California is currently 790 miles.  add in the 131 from San Ysidro to East LA and you're up to 921, so it is a distinct possibility that the very first US-101 alignment was over 1000.

the overall California picture (Oregon at Brookings, to Arizona at Yuma) suggests 1011 to me, as opposed to 1016, but we may have gotten our endpoints slightly wrong.  it is the logical longest A-B in the state.

the logical Montana span is 763 miles: US-212 at the eastern Wyoming crossing, to US-2 entering Idaho.  this does not span the state completely (tripoint to tripoint) but the western end is definitely unserved by major roads, and the eastern end may be as well.

as for Texas, Anthony (exit 0 on I-10) to Texarkana or Anthony to the Louisiana line on I-10 would be logical.  this gives rise to the possibility that the very first routing of TX-1 (El Paso to Texarkana via DFW) may have been over 1000 miles.

[MrDisco99]

I asked it for directions from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Homer and it returned 1,072 miles and 26 hours: http://goo.gl/maps/XUfFS 

If I change it to end in Unalaska it becomes 1,864 miles and 77 hours, but there's a lengthy ferry transit so I'm not sure that should really count.

Yeah I didn't bother with AK since I didn't have much time to play around with this and don't know how much of that state has actual mappable roads through it.  Nice find.

I can push the FL one to 873 miles: https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Southernmost+Point,+South+Street,+Key+West,+FL&daddr=Jakes+Rd&hl=en&ll=28.149503,-83.188477&spn=11.532792,19.753418&sll=30.980258,-87.579403&sspn=0.043858,0.077162&geocode=FcCMdgEdnd4f-yHdS9mchdNd2inrsw5O3LbRiDHdS9mchdNd2g%3BFWLi2AEdUpTH-g&t=h&mra=dme&mrsp=1&sz=14&z=6.

Yeah I just posted the actual route I drove.  Yours is tweaked probably about as well as it can be.

PS- sorry about the long links in the OP.  My office network blocks short URLs.

[Thing 342]

Maryland: South of Ocean City (Although the road goes further if you have 4WD) to US-219 south of Oakland: 331 Miles: http://goo.gl/maps/NE5qr

[1995hoo]

I assume the intent of this thread is that normally you don't enter another state but that situations where the only way in or out is via another state (either an actual exclave or a situation where the only roads go to another state even though the area isn't a true exclave) are a valid exception born of necessity.

Doing that, I got 646 miles from a point in extreme southwestern North Carolina to a street in the village of Ocracoke. It requires driving into Tennessee for less than a mile since there's a tiny little area of North Carolina that's connected by road only to Tennessee and Georgia. http://goo.gl/maps/vjYbY

From Pocomoke City, MD to the Cumberland Gap is about 586 miles via US 13 & 58, and almost all through Virginia.

I beat that one by dropping the destination pin a short ways south of there at Chincoteague. The map shows a road going onto the beach, although the satellite view suggests there's no real road there. It gave me 615 miles via the first option, although that route does go into Tennessee for a short time. If I drag the Tennessee part north to keep it entirely in Virginia, it becomes 616 miles.

http://goo.gl/maps/6xqh7

[froggie]

I-10 goes up to the 820s in exit numbers, IIRC.

880 at the Sabine River Turnaround.

Can't get to Google Maps out here, but theoretically for Minnesota, the longest would either be New Albin, IA (MN 26 at the Iowa line) to Noyes (US 75 at the Canadian border) or the MN/SD/IA tri-point to Grand Portage.

Virginia's would most likely be Cumberland Gap to Greenbackville.

Vermont's would likely be Pownal to Canaan (and for the latter, specifically where River Rd crosses the NH line).

[1995hoo]

....

Virginia's would most likely be Cumberland Gap to Greenbackville.

....

I just tried that and it listed the distance as being one mile shorter than the distance to Chincoteague I noted above, but as I also mentioned, I'm not sure you can actually drive to the point it offered me. Still, following a strict interpretation of the original post compels me to note the difference between "Google Mappable" and "driveable"!

[hotdogPi]

New Hampshire:

New Hampshire: 5 hours 9 minutes

[bassoon1986]

Here's my best for Louisiana:  http://goo.gl/maps/3Xp5J

Venice, LA to a place near Springhill, LA
483 miles, 7 hours and 33 minutes

[roadman65]

Cape May, NJ to Port Jervis, NY is 214 miles.  This being all in New Jersey naturally, but for a very small state it is surprising.  I lived there all my life up until age 25 and never knew you can drive over 200 miles in close to a straight line as by way of the crow its 166 miles long from the tip of Cape May to the NW corner near High Point Monument.

[Brandon]

In Illinois, it's from Cairo to East Dubuque or Zion.
Cairo -> East Dubuque 486 mi, 7.75 hours (faster to go via Iowa)
Cairo -> Zion 418 mi, 6.5 hours

In Michigan, another deceptively large state, it's from New Buffalo or Luna Pier to Copper Harbor or Ironwood.
Luna Pier -> Copper Harbor 635 mi, 10.5 hours
New Buffalo -> Copper Harbor 657 mi, 11 hours (faster to go via Wisconsin)
Luna Pier -> Ironwood 662.5 mi, 10 hours
New Buffalo -> Ironwood 656 mi, 10.75 hours (much faster to go via Wisconsin)

[MrDisco99]

I assume the intent of this thread is that normally you don't enter another state but that situations where the only way in or out is via another state (either an actual exclave or a situation where the only roads go to another state even though the area isn't a true exclave) are a valid exception born of necessity.

Actually my original intent was measuring mileage strictly within state boundaries.  However, it would be interesting to see what some of those results would look like.

[MrDisco99]

Still, following a strict interpretation of the original post compels me to note the difference between "Google Mappable" and "driveable"!

I'd said Google Mappable for the sake of settling any disputes about "straightness" but that is a fair point.

[1995hoo]

I assume the intent of this thread is that normally you don't enter another state but that situations where the only way in or out is via another state (either an actual exclave or a situation where the only roads go to another state even though the area isn't a true exclave) are a valid exception born of necessity.

Actually my original intent was measuring mileage strictly within state boundaries.  However, it would be interesting to see what some of those results would look like.

In that case, the North Carolina example I linked would be one mile shorter. 

[kkt]

Metaline Falls, WA to Cape Flattery Lighthouse, Clallam, WA: 567 miles, 10 hours 19 minutes.

[corco]

One thing to consider is that texas is really tall too. typing in texline tx to brownsville tx on the google gives me a distance of 899 miles

[roadman65]

One thing to consider is that texas is really tall too. typing in texline tx to brownsville tx on the google gives me a distance of 899 miles

Is not US 83 almost 900 miles?

[tdindy88]

As far as Indiana is concerned, from the Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area in southern Posey County up to Clear Lake in northeastern Steuben County it is 381 miles (6 1/2 hours) along I-69 or the future I-69 corridor, plus SRs 69, 62 and 120.