October 16th, 2024

America's Loneliest Roads, Mapped

The article highlights America's quietest routes, including Alaska's Dalton Highway, Utah's US Route 50, and Maine's US Route 201, based on traffic data and scenic rankings by photographer James Q Martin.

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America's Loneliest Roads, Mapped

The article discusses the quietest routes in America, highlighting the least-traveled roads across various states. The Dalton Highway in Alaska is noted as the quietest and most remote route, stretching 414 miles with limited services and scenic views of the Arctic Ocean and Yukon River. Other notable quiet routes include US Route 50 in Utah, known as "America's Loneliest Road," which traverses through national parks and deserts, and US Route 201 in Maine, which follows the Kennebec River and showcases historic towns. The article also lists additional scenic routes, such as US Route 160 in Arizona and State Route 139 in California, emphasizing their unique landscapes and attractions. The data for determining the quietest routes was sourced from the Highway Performance Monitoring System, focusing on routes with the lowest annual average daily traffic. The scenic rankings were curated by landscape photographer James Q Martin, who selected routes based on their visual appeal and historical significance.

- The Dalton Highway in Alaska is the quietest route in America.

- US Route 50 in Utah is referred to as "America's Loneliest Road."

- Scenic routes include US Route 201 in Maine and US Route 160 in Arizona.

- The quietest routes were determined using traffic count data from 2015.

- Rankings of scenic routes were compiled by an independent photographer.

Link Icon 3 comments
By @codingdave - about 2 months
I've done a few of these in my time. But this shows some of the least busy highways, not the least busy roads. Utah, for example, because that is my old stomping grounds -- Hwy 50 is downright busy compared to the roads that go up into the old mining country, towards Topaz Mountain for example.
By @cratermoon - about 2 months
I've driven on at several of these. Wyoming's US 212 over Beartooth Pass and Colorado and Oklahoma on US 385, California route 139, and US 395 in Oregon