Optimal Road Trips

Chasing a world record for driving through the lower 48

By . Updated

The map shows a route that could give a team a shot at the record for driving through all 48 contiguous states. By my estimate, it cuts 7 hours and 10 minutes of driving compared with the route I pieced together from a 2019 team's journal.

Rebuilding the 2019 run

Road & Track reported a time of 86 hours and 19 minutes in 2021, the fastest I found. I couldn't find that team's full route, so I went back to a crew that logged 94 hours and 25 minutes in their 2019 travel journal. I connected 34 places from the journal by road and filled in likely crossings between entries.

I estimated the driving time for each stretch of road using posted speed limits where available. Then I added up those times for both routes. That's the road model behind the estimates below.

The route I pieced together came out about 4% longer than the team's reported 6,619 miles. Its estimated driving time was 15 hours and 9 minutes longer than the time they reported. Some of that difference may come from the roads I filled in and the speeds used to estimate the drive.

  • 2019 reconstruction109 h 34 min estimated driving
  • Proposed route102 h 24 min estimated driving
  • Both routes
Both estimates use the same road model. Boundaries from the U.S. Census Bureau and Natural Earth. Roads © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The new route cuts 7 hours and 10 minutes from the driving estimate even though it covers only about 39 fewer miles. Its estimate is still higher than the 86 hours and 19 minutes the 2021 team reported.

Where you cross changes the trip

Even with the states in the same order, you can get a faster route by crossing their borders at different places. I kept the 2019 team's state order and looked for faster routes through those states. Then I tried changing the order too.

Oregon was the last state on the 2019 team's list. The team wrote that the switchbacks south of Anatone slowed them down. A state counts as soon as you drive across the line, so any road into Oregon would do. My route enters on US 730 along the Columbia River.

2019 approach on SR 129

Washington Oregon AnatoneRattlesnake GradeGrande Ronde RiverFinish 5 mi

New approach on US 730

Washington Oregon WallulaColumbia RiverFinish 5 mi
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

The fastest route I found with the 2019 state order came within 3 minutes of my best result. You can visit the same states in the same order and still end up with a very different drive.

What happens on the road?

Could a team beat 86 hours and 19 minutes on this route? The pace Road & Track reported suggests the 2021 crew went over the limit on some stretches. An actual run would show how the route holds up through traffic, fuel stops, and driver changes.

The 2021 team of 3 took turns driving, navigating, and resting. For a run like this I'd also time the drive through big cities to miss rush hour and scout easy exits for fuel and driver changes. Have a navigator log each crossing so you can see where the plan held up.

Follow the state crossings

The 6,862-mile route starts in Vermont and ends in Oregon. It crosses 59 state lines and stays within the U.S.

State entries in order

  1. 1VermontStart, 480 ft of road in the state
  2. 2New HampshireUnder a minute in, 117 mi of road in the state
  3. 3Maine1 h 53 min, 2.1 mi of road in the state
  4. 4New Hampshire again1 h 55 min, 16 mi of road in the state
  5. 5Massachusetts2 h 11 min, 89 mi of road in the state
  6. 6Connecticut3 h 35 min, 22 mi of road in the state
  7. 7Rhode Island3 h 59 min, 1.0 mi of road in the state
  8. 8Connecticut again4 h 2 min, 129 mi of road in the state
  9. 9New York6 h 16 min, 23 mi of road in the state
  10. 10New Jersey6 h 43 min, 116 mi of road in the state
  11. 11Pennsylvania8 h 38 min, 5.5 mi of road in the state
  12. 12Delaware8 h 45 min, 24 mi of road in the state
  13. 13Maryland9 h 6 min, 236 mi of road in the state
  14. 14West Virginia12 h 42 min, 235 mi of road in the state
  15. 15Ohio16 h 7 min, 2.3 mi of road in the state
  16. 16West Virginia again16 h 10 min, 7.6 mi of road in the state
  17. 17Kentucky16 h 17 min, 119 mi of road in the state
  18. 18Virginia18 h 33 min, 61 mi of road in the state
  19. 19Tennessee19 h 38 min, 57 mi of road in the state
  20. 20North Carolina20 h 34 min, 63 mi of road in the state
  21. 21South Carolina21 h 35 min, 72 mi of road in the state
  22. 22Georgia22 h 53 min, 179 mi of road in the state
  23. 23Alabama25 h 31 min, 202 mi of road in the state
  24. 24Florida28 h 29 min, 5.4 mi of road in the state
  25. 25Alabama again28 h 40 min, 81 mi of road in the state
  26. 26Mississippi29 h 56 min, 77 mi of road in the state
  27. 27Louisiana31 h 2 min, 17 mi of road in the state
  28. 28Mississippi again31 h 17 min, 348 mi of road in the state
  29. 29Tennessee again36 h 28 min, 12 mi of road in the state
  30. 30Arkansas36 h 41 min, 72 mi of road in the state
  31. 31Missouri37 h 41 min, 88 mi of road in the state
  32. 32Illinois38 h 57 min, 357 mi of road in the state
  33. 33Indiana44 h 7 min, 46 mi of road in the state
  34. 34Michigan44 h 50 min, 3.4 mi of road in the state
  35. 35Indiana again44 h 54 min, 46 mi of road in the state
  36. 36Illinois again45 h 37 min, 122 mi of road in the state
  37. 37Wisconsin47 h 31 min, 292 mi of road in the state
  38. 38Minnesota51 h 45 min, 218 mi of road in the state
  39. 39North Dakota55 h 30 min, 21 mi of road in the state
  40. 40South Dakota55 h 50 min, 257 mi of road in the state
  41. 41Iowa59 h 20 min, 3.6 mi of road in the state
  42. 42Nebraska59 h 24 min, 231 mi of road in the state
  43. 43Kansas62 h 59 min, 362 mi of road in the state
  44. 44Oklahoma68 h 43 min, 57 mi of road in the state
  45. 45Colorado69 h 37 min, 2.0 mi of road in the state
  46. 46Oklahoma again69 h 41 min, 36 mi of road in the state
  47. 47Texas70 h 15 min, 72 mi of road in the state
  48. 48New Mexico71 h 14 min, 386 mi of road in the state
  49. 49Arizona76 h 46 min, 359 mi of road in the state
  50. 50California81 h 35 min, 45 mi of road in the state
  51. 51Nevada82 h 15 min, 160 mi of road in the state
  52. 52Arizona again84 h 32 min, 29 mi of road in the state
  53. 53Utah84 h 59 min, 360 mi of road in the state
  54. 54Wyoming90 h 1 min, 7.1 mi of road in the state
  55. 55Utah again90 h 8 min, 128 mi of road in the state
  56. 56Idaho91 h 50 min, 196 mi of road in the state
  57. 57Montana94 h 19 min, 338 mi of road in the state
  58. 58Idaho again98 h 40 min, 74 mi of road in the state
  59. 59Washington99 h 47 min, 175 mi of road in the state
  60. 60Oregon102 h 24 min, finish 90 ft past the line

Download the route and plan your run

GPX works in most navigation apps, such as OsmAnd and Organic Maps. KML opens in Google Earth. The files carry the whole route and a waypoint just inside each state.

The directions come in 16 overlapping parts. Google Maps and Apple Maps calculate their own paths between the points. Use the GPX track to see the modeled route.

The start and finish pins sit on the road. Use the South Main Street lot in White River Junction to get ready. After the Oregon line, you can continue on US 730 to Hat Rock State Park. The park requires a day-use parking permit. White River Junction parking. Hat Rock State Park.

Putting together a team for the lower 48 record? Tell me about your plan.

GPX 1.1 MB KML 552 KB GeoJSON 538 KB

Follow the 3 waypoints on the Florida loop as pass-through points.

  1. Part 1 Vermont to MassachusettsGoogle MapsApple Maps
  2. Part 2 Massachusetts to New YorkGoogle MapsApple Maps
  3. Part 3 New York to MarylandGoogle MapsApple Maps
  4. Part 4 Maryland to KentuckyGoogle MapsApple Maps
  5. Part 5 Kentucky to South CarolinaGoogle MapsApple Maps
  6. Part 6 South Carolina to FloridaGoogle MapsApple Maps
  7. Part 7 Florida to Alabama (again)Google MapsApple Maps
  8. Part 8 Alabama (again) to Tennessee (again)Google MapsApple Maps
  9. Part 9 Tennessee (again) to IndianaGoogle MapsApple Maps
  10. Part 10 Indiana to WisconsinGoogle MapsApple Maps
  11. Part 11 Wisconsin to IowaGoogle MapsApple Maps
  12. Part 12 Iowa to ColoradoGoogle MapsApple Maps
  13. Part 13 Colorado to ArizonaGoogle MapsApple Maps
  14. Part 14 Arizona to UtahGoogle MapsApple Maps
  15. Part 15 Utah to MontanaGoogle MapsApple Maps
  16. Part 16 Montana to OregonGoogle MapsApple Maps

Route files carry the OpenStreetMap attribution and ODbL notice.