The Shortest Route Through All Contiguous 48 States
A 48-state road trip is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. There are different ways to do them: some require a lot of time and planning, with numerous stops in each state. Others are quick and include simply driving through a state to make it count. Dr. Randal Olsen, co-founder of Wyrd Studios, created an algorithm to plan the shortest 48-state road trip with stops in every state at a national park, monument, or site.
So if you are looking for the shortest possible route for a road trip along the contiguous US, look no further.
Road Trip Through 48 States, Stopping at Top Attractions
Segment 1 - Grand Canyon to Graceland
- Grand Canyon, AZ
- Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
- Craters of the Moon National Monument, ID
- Yellowstone National Park, WY
- Pikes Peak, CO
- Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
- The Alamo, TX
- The Platt Historic District, OK
- Toltec Mounds, AR
- Elvis Presley's Graceland, TN
Segment 2 - Graceland to Mount Vernon
- Vicksburg National Military Park, MS
- French Quarter, New Orleans, LA
- USS Alabama, AL
- Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL
- Okefenokee Swamp Park, GA
- Fort Sumter National Monument, SC
- Lost World Caverns, WV
- Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center, NC
- Mount Vernon, VA
Segment 3 - Mount Vernon to USS Constitution
- White House, Washington, DC
- Colonial Annapolis Historic District, MD
- New Castle Historic District, Delaware
- Cape May Historic District, NJ
- Liberty Bell, PA
- Statue of Liberty, NY
- The Mark Twain House & Museum, CT
- The Breakers, RI
- USS Constitution, MA
Segment 4 - USS Constitution to Abraham Lincoln’s Home
- Acadia National Park, ME
- Mount Washington Hotel, NH
- Shelburne Farms, VT
- Fox Theater, Detroit, MI
- Spring Grove Cemetery, OH
- Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
- West Baden Springs Hotel, IN
- Abraham Lincoln's Home, IL
Segment 5 - Abraham Lincoln’s Home to Glacier National Park
- Gateway Arch, MO
- C. W. Parker Carousel Museum, KS
- Terrace Hill Governor's Mansion, IA
- Taliesin, WI
- Fort Snelling, MN
- Ashfall Fossil Bed, NE
- Mount Rushmore, SD
- Fort Union Trading Post, ND
- Glacier National Park, MT
Segment 6 - Glacier National Park to Hoover Dam (and Back to The Grand Canyon)
- Hanford Site, WA
- Columbia River Highway, OR
- San Francisco Cable Cars, CA
- San Andreas Fault, CA
- Hoover Dam, NV
- Grand Canyon
How Long is The Shortest Road Trip Through All 48 Contiguous States?
Here is each segment broken down on Google Maps:
Segment 2 - Louisiana to Montana
Segment 3 - Montana to Michigan
Segment 4 - Michigan to West Virginia
This itinerary focuses on visiting top sites in each state, making it an excellent option for those who genuinely want to see the country and some of its most notable attractions. It takes a whopping 224 hours (about nine days) of continuous driving. Assuming you actually want to see each of the attractions, you’re going to need over a month for this journey.
Total Time: 57 Hours
Longest Leg: Yellowstone to Pikes Peak (11 Hours, 45 minutes)
Length: 3,620 Miles
Total Time: 41 Hours
Longest Leg: USS Alabama to Cape Canaveral (7 hours, 45 minutes)
Length: 2,706 Miles
Total Time: 13 Hours 25 minutes
Longest Leg: Statue of Liberty to Mark Twain House (2 hours, 13 minutes)
Length: 701 Miles
Total Time: 35 Hours (going through Canada)
Longest Leg: Shelburne Farms to Fox Theater, Detroit (12 hours, 44 minutes)
Length: 3,094 Miles
*Note: if you don’t want to go into Canada for your US road trip, it will add time and miles to this segment.
Total Time: 43 Hours
Longest Leg: Fort Union Trading Post to Glacier National Park (7 Hours, 38 Minutes)
Length: 2,675 Miles
Total Time: 37 Hours
Longest Leg: Columbia River Highway to Cable Car Corner (10 Hours, 52 Minutes)
Length: 2,261 Miles
While the above trip is the shortest with stops at significant attractions, some people may just be interested in hitting each state, even if it is just driving through for half an hour. That trip is a bit more basic, and all you really need for that is the order of the states in which to go.
This itinerary covers 8,496 miles and takes five and a half days of driving without stops.
Unlike the above route, this one isn’t a loop, so it’s a little harder to plan depending on where you are in the U.S.
Here is the order, as well as what city or town you should input in your GPS:
| State | City to Input |
|---|---|
| Vermont | Brattleboro |
| New Hampshire | Keene |
| Maine | Kittery |
| Massachusetts | (Drive through) |
| Rhode Island | Pawtucket |
| Connecticut | (Drive Through) |
| New York | (Drive Through) |
| New Jersey | (Drive Through) |
| Pennsylvania | Philadelphia |
| Delaware | (Drive Through) |
| Maryland | Baltimore |
| Virginia | Arlington |
| North Carolina | Rocky Mount |
| South Carolina | Florence |
| Georgia | Savannah |
| Florida | Yulee |
| Alabama | Drive Through |
| Mississippi | Drive Through |
| Louisiana 30 hours 1936 | Angie |
| Arkansas | Texarkana |
| Texas | Texarkana |
| Oklahoma | Durant |
| New Mexico | Tucumcari |
| Arizona | Flagstaff |
| California | Arrowhead Junction |
| Nevada | Drive through |
| Oregon | Jordan Valley |
| Washington | Anatone |
| Utah | St. George |
| Idaho | Drive through |
| Montana | Dillon |
| Utah | Flaming Gorge |
| Wyoming | Cheyenne |
| Colorado | Carr |
| Kansas | Goodland |
| Missouri | Rockport |
| Nebraska | Drive through |
| Iowa | Souix City |
| South Dakota | Drive Through |
| North Dakota | Hankinson |
| Minnesota | Drive Through |
| Wisconsin | Drive Througb |
| Illinois | Drive Through |
| Indiana | Drive Through |
| Michigan | Edwardsburg |
| Ohio | Drive Through |
| Kentucky | Covington |
| West Virginia | Huntington |
Time: 30 Hours
Distance: 1,936 Miles
Time: 54 Hours
Distance: 3,515 Miles
Time: 40 hours
Distance: 2,636 Miles
Time: 7 hours
Distance: 409 Miles