America is the home of classic road trip trails like Route 66, but if you’re looking for something off the beaten path, check out the top 10 quiet and scenic routes in the US.
Geotab, a company specializing in connected transportation, studied national road traffic data to find out which routes in the US are the least travelled. They also employed the help of nature photographer James “Q” Martin to find out which of those empty roads are the most scenic. The company used data from the Highway Performance Monitoring System and the Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) score, finding out ten-mile stretches that see the least traffic in each state.
Using the combination of data and Martin’s picks for best scenery, Alaska’s State Route 11 was determined to be the top quiet and scenic route in the US. The road only averages 196 vehicles a day – much less than the other routes in the top 10, which average about 2976 cars. That means, a drive on State Route 11 will give you the freedom to explore without the crowds. “I chose Alaska's Dalton Highway as my favorite scenic, quiet route,” said Martin in a statement. “It is a road that reaches the top of the continent, and would literally allow you to see a polar bear in the right circumstances. All of these routes offer so much”.
All the quietest routes in every state were combined on Geotab’s newly-launched interactive map. There are photos and more information, as well as a link to Google Street Views to explore the must-see attractions along the way.
