US Route 20, also known as US Highway 20, is the longest road in the United States and spans an incredible 3,365 miles. The route covers 12 states in total, stretching from Boston, Massachusetts in the east to Newport, Oregon, in the west.
By comparison, the iconic Route 66 is only 2,400 miles in length. Users will pass through the states of Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Oregon. An impressive 525-mile run through Wyoming, followed by 440 miles in Nebraska and 376 miles in New York. Meanwhile, there are just 12 miles in Montana and 47 in Pennsylvania.
US Route 20 crosses through four different time zones. For most of the way, it’s just a two-lane road, although it expands when it passes through big cities like Chicago, Boston and Cleveland.
The “0” in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. It takes users through some of the country’s most iconic landscapes, including the Cascade Mountains and Yellowstone National Park national parks, as well as Lake Erie.
It can be driven in three days, but most travellers will take two to three weeks to navigate it because the road is filled with unique stops worth visiting, like Chicago and Albany.
The route runs roughly parallel to Interstate 90 (I-90), the longest Interstate Highway in the US.
There is, however, a discontinuity in the official designation through Yellowstone National Park, with unnumbered roads used to transverse the park.
The claim “America’s Longest Highway” refers to the current and active US Highway system as defined by the Federal Highway Administration. There are other longer roads in the US, including the Lincoln Highway (3,389 miles) and the US Route 6 (3,653 miles).
US Route 6 was decommissioned in most of California in 1965, ending now in Bishop, cutting its overall length significantly, boosting US Route 20 to the top.
