Your favorite non-major US routes

[KEVIN_224]

Since US Route 1 in southern Maine isn't counted in this thread, I'll settle for US Route 20, from Pittsfield, MA west to it's junction with "free" I-90 in Schodack, NY (a few miles southeast of Albany).

[leroys73]

US 44 is a very scenic drive through northern CT and the upper edge of "downstate" NY.
US 62. Particular notes: KY where it winds among the farms, OK where it has old concrete alignments all over. 62 is just such an oddball and changes so dramatically from south to north.
In hindsight, I've probably enjoyed US 119, but I took it in so many pieces that it's hard to evaluate whether it'Ss a "favorite."

Steve, odd ball route for US 62, that has to be the best description of it.  I have traveled most of it,  from Ohio to its end at the Mexican border, and odd ball it is.  I haven't been on any of it N or E out of Ohio.  I'll probably hit some of it up that way next summer.  Most of it is a good motorcycle road with plenty of curves. 

I seem not to be able to get away from US 62 as you can see.  When living in Ohio as a kid we weren't very many miles from it.  We moved to Oklahoma, a thousand miles away, and I lived many years almost on it.  I like going to Carlsbad Caverns so there is 62 again and down through the Guadalupes.  Then my first trip to Mexico with my church to build houses, yep, you guessed it, we hit US 62 before crossing the border. 

As far as my favorite that is a tough one. 
I like a lot of US 62 as stated. 
US 64 through New Mexico and to its end in Arizona is very iteresting. 
Just about all of US 89, if not considered major. 
Utah 12 and 24. 
US 212 especially in Montana and the Beartooth Pass. 
US 33 in W.VA. 
I can't forget Texas Ranch Road 170 along the Rio Grande in the Big Bend Region and the fun of getting there by way of Ft. Davis and the "loop" through the Davis Mountains. 

 

[DandyDan]

When I used to make regular trips down to Lawrence, Kansas from here in Omaha (back when an old high school buddy was going to grad school at KU), I always prefered the US 73-159-59 combo as opposed to US 75 to Topeka.  No traffic at all.  There is quite a few turns which could throw you off if you aren't alert, but I always enjoyed that particular drive.  Frankly, I think they should have made that one US route instead of three.

FWIW, worst route of all is US 136 in Illinois.  Absolutely flat as can be, and I witnessed a fatal traffic accident while driving on it.

[StogieGuy7]

US 550 in Colorado.

Montrose
Ouray
Silverton
Durango

The most beautiful scenery in the Southwest.

Agree! 

Although US 191-> US 163 from Moab, UT to Kayenta, AZ and US 89 from Richfield, UT to (at least) Page, AZ rank right up there as well.

Many western roadways could easily be top contenders. 

Much of US 101 from San Francisco northward to the Olympic Mountains of WA is gorgeous as it hugs the Pacific coast and alternately passes through Redwood/Douglas Fir forests and into more open areas with breathtaking vistas of the coastline.

On the other hand, we have US 30 through IL and into Indiana which features incredibly forgettable flat-as-a-table scenery.  And then there's US 20 as it passes through NW Indiana; an area that actually experienced the Mayan apocalypse....in about 1972.  So bad, so ugly, yet I cannot look away......       

[kphoger]

US 550 in Colorado.

Montrose
Ouray
Silverton
Durango

The most beautiful scenery in the Southwest.

Count me as another "agree".

I also enjoy US-385 from Marathon to Big Bend N.P., for its very desolate beauty.

US-45 from Vienna to Metropolis (IL) has pleasant scenery without any towns along the way; New Burnside to Norris City is also pretty, especially approaching the milo harvest.

US-160 from US-65 to Forsyth, MO has drop-dead gorgeous Ozark scenery.

US-191 near Arches and Canyonlands N.P.s might not count as "minor", but I'll suggest it.

[agentsteel53]

US-630. 

(really, all of my favorite US routes are major... those scenic ones in the Four Corners area really are the best, if not the only, way to get from various Point A to various Point B.)

[oscar]

US-630.

Doesn't exist.  (The x30s there are, 130 and 730, aren't anything to write home about.)  Maybe you had US 163 in mind?  That one is pretty gorgeous.

[agentsteel53]

US-630.

Doesn't exist.  (The x30s there are, 130 and 730, aren't anything to write home about.)  Maybe you had US 163 in mind?  That one is pretty gorgeous.

astonishing that there were the most x30s out of any set of branches, and now only two exist.  in contrast, all the x01s are still around - 201 to 701. 

[kkt]

Is US-12 in Washington minor enough?  It's a great route, salt water to mountains via lots of quaint towns.

[bugo]

US 266

[Scott5114]

US 266

I thought about 266 in making my selection, but it is nothing really to write home about other than being a short orphaned US route in one state. It's generic eastern OK territory, and not even the mountains at that, just random trees and houses. It does bypass a still-extant truss bridge not too far in from the western terminus, which is kind of neat.

[Alps]

US 266

I thought about 266 in making my selection, but it is nothing really to write home about other than being a short orphaned US route in one state. It's generic eastern OK territory, and not even the mountains at that, just random trees and houses. It does bypass a still-extant truss bridge not too far in from the western terminus, which is kind of neat.

Yeah I actually thought about 266 as well, and had the same truss bridge in mind when you said "nothing to write home about."

[Scott5114]

US 266

I thought about 266 in making my selection, but it is nothing really to write home about other than being a short orphaned US route in one state. It's generic eastern OK territory, and not even the mountains at that, just random trees and houses. It does bypass a still-extant truss bridge not too far in from the western terminus, which is kind of neat.

Yeah I actually thought about 266 as well, and had the same truss bridge in mind when you said "nothing to write home about."

That's because it's the only noteworthy feature of US-266

[Alps]

US 266

I thought about 266 in making my selection, but it is nothing really to write home about other than being a short orphaned US route in one state. It's generic eastern OK territory, and not even the mountains at that, just random trees and houses. It does bypass a still-extant truss bridge not too far in from the western terminus, which is kind of neat.

Yeah I actually thought about 266 as well, and had the same truss bridge in mind when you said "nothing to write home about."

That's because it's the only noteworthy feature of US-266

www.alpsroads.net/roads/ok/us_266

[Quillz]

US-30 between Astoria and Portland is a very scenic drive. Likewise with US-20 between Newport and Corvallis.

[RoadWarrior56]

US 259 in southeastern Oklahoma

[bassoon1986]

US 62 in NW Arkansas...Rogers to Harrison. Love the Eureka Springs area

[brownpelican]

I have two:

* US 25 between Augusta, GA and Asheville, NC. I've seen everything from large peach farms to scenic mountain views.
* US 49 from Gulfport to Clarksdale, MS

[KEK Inc.]

What constitutes as a non-major US route?  People are listing relatively major routes, yet US-66 & 99 are now gone. 

Since most 2 digit US routes are substantial, I guess I'll list of 3diUS (excluding US-395 and US-101). 

US-199:  Crescent City, CA <-> Grants Pass, OR - It's a necessary connector if you're travelling up to the urban Pacific Northwest and want to see the redwoods if you live in the Bay Area (or vice versa).  It's a relatively nice highway and boasts part of the redwoods and comes close to the Oregon caverns.

US-197:  It's a handy alternate route in Eastern Oregon. 

[Alps]

What constitutes as a non-major US route?

Since most 2 digit US routes are substantial

I'll at least assume you exclude "A" and "B" bannered routes, which are typically Alternate and Business. That's a whole separate discussion - for example, RI US 1A is a really cool road, as are most if not all of the Maine US 1As.

US 5: Thanks to I-91, it's hardly used by anyone except locals in any state.
US 6N: Or are you not counting branches?
US 8: No more major than any other backcountry road up that way.
US 13: South of Norfolk only.
US 44: All the traffic's on US 6.
US 62
I didn't take this too far outside my expertise of the Northeast, but this should be enough to disprove your theorem.

[KEK Inc.]

US 5: Thanks to I-91, it's hardly used by anyone except locals in any state.

So would US 30 in the Columbia River Gorge count? 
What's left of US 99 and US 66?

  The OP should probably define what he means by major instead of listing arbitrary exceptions.

[hbelkins]

OK, I'll play.

Kentucky
US 31E south of Bardstown and US 31W south of Elizabethtown.
US 460 between Frankfort and Salyersville.
US 60 between Lexington and Ashland.

West Virginia:
US 220

Virginia:
US 220 north of Roanoke
US 421

[pj3970]

US 550 in Colorado.

Montrose
Ouray
Silverton
Durango

The most beautiful scenery in the Southwest.

Count me as another "agree".

I also enjoy US-385 from Marathon to Big Bend N.P., for its very desolate beauty.

US-45 from Vienna to Metropolis (IL) has pleasant scenery without any towns along the way; New Burnside to Norris City is also pretty, especially approaching the milo harvest.

US-160 from US-65 to Forsyth, MO has drop-dead gorgeous Ozark scenery.

US-191 near Arches and Canyonlands N.P.s might not count as "minor", but I'll suggest it.

I agree with the US 160 one...I was born and raised in that area and in my opinion it is the most scenic in the area, but I would extend it out to Gainesville, MO

[Alps]

US 5: Thanks to I-91, it's hardly used by anyone except locals in any state.

So would US 30 in the Columbia River Gorge count? 
What's left of US 99 and US 66?

  The OP should probably define what he means by major instead of listing arbitrary exceptions.

I'd say at this point, US 66 would qualify, although obviously it was major pre-Interstate. CA 99 is still major, and I'm not familiar with OR and WA remnants. Considering we're traveling the routes now and not 60 years ago, I'd go with how much traffic they get in the modern age.

[KEK Inc.]

US 5: Thanks to I-91, it's hardly used by anyone except locals in any state.

So would US 30 in the Columbia River Gorge count? 
What's left of US 99 and US 66?

  The OP should probably define what he means by major instead of listing arbitrary exceptions.

I'd say at this point, US 66 would qualify, although obviously it was major pre-Interstate. CA 99 is still major, and I'm not familiar with OR and WA remnants. Considering we're traveling the routes now and not 60 years ago, I'd go with how much traffic they get in the modern age.

Like California, Washington and Oregon have signed state routes for former US-99. 

In Oregon, there's a stretch of OR-99 in Southern Oregon near Grants Pass.  The Willamette Valley has OR-99W and OR-99E.  Washington has reminants of the Pacific Highway all throughout the state.  (In Clark County, there's a road named 'Hwy 99').  Up in Federal Way - Everett, there's WA-99.  99's existence is still relatively prevalent there.

Fixed quoting