Do you feel the call of a road trip? When it’s time to grab the RV and get rolling, skip the interstate in favor of a two-lane; because a good road trip demands a panorama of small town diners, vintage motels, and open road. Old U.S. highways are good places to head, and one of the best is the route comprised of U.S. Route 40 and the historic National Road.
Often called the Main Street of America, these somewhat overlaid routes connected the country for nearly two centuries. They make up what is arguably one of the most historic routes in the country.
The older, National Road portion was commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1811 as the first improved road for the nation. It stretches more than 700 miles across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and Illinois.
Stagecoaches and Conestoga wagons - by the hundreds - first lined the road as the country expanded. Taverns, inns, and “pike towns” sprung up to serve travelers looking for places to eat, sleep, and reprovision. The National Road became their main street.
The National Road reached its heyday in the 1850s when competition from canals and railroads rendered it obsolete and it fell into obscurity. Today, that historic stretch is known as the National Road Scenic Byway, luring travelers to step back in time. Doug , former president of the Ohio National Road Association said, “I have crossed that entire corridor, from Cumberland Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois, and points in between. History lives along the Road!”
Automobile travel resurrected interest in the National Road and in 1912 what was left of the road became part of the National Old Trails Road (also known as the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway), creating an auto route from New York to Los Angeles. In 1926 the National Old Trails Road was re-imagined and re-designated as U.S. Route 40, one of the first routes in the numbered U.S. highway system.
Overview of the old U.S. Route 40 along the infamous Donner Pass in California.
The decades that followed saw a huge upsurge in auto travel on U.S. 40 and visionary entrepreneurs established gas, food, and lodging businesses to service travelers. Traffic on U.S. 40 peaked in the 1960s then quickly declined with the arrival of the Interstate system, particularly I-70. As the Interstate grew, traffic on the older and slower Route 40 dwindled. Hardship for local businesses was inevitable as drivers simply bypassed towns.
Fortunately, there’s a resurgence of interest in Route 40 by people who want to experience it. The Indiana National Road/Route 40 Visitors Center reported more than 8,000 visitors in 2016; this included tourists from more than a half-dozen countries as far away as Japan and Puerto Rico!
Today’s Route 40/National Road path starts in Atlantic City, and while originally terminating in San Francisco, now ends near Park City, Utah.
Traveling the route takes several forms. In the East, for long stretches, both roads share the same path since U.S. 40 was essentially laid overtop of the earlier road. However, portions of the National Road often exist as old alignments, portions or state/county roads, or abandoned segments while U.S. 40 runs somewhat parallel. In spots, I-70 has unfortunately erased the older routes and you must drive the interstate to get to the next stretch of old road. Yet, even in those instances, remnants may exist just off the interstate, still capable of being explored with a little finessing and a suitable vehicle.
It’s a bit different in the West. Since the National Road ends in Vandalia, Illinois, it’s just US-40 that continues from there to Utah, although it merges with I-70 at a couple of points. Interstate 80 runs roughly the same course as older U.S. 40 in Nevada and California.
Along the way, you’ll drive beautiful sections of open road dotted with small towns and the occasional big city. You can dine at roadside cafes, enjoy small town hospitality, gawk at kitschy roadside attractions, or take time to visit more serious historical sites. The Maryland National Road Association calls it, “A journey through a cross-section of American landscape and culture, riding a ribbon of highway that weaves our nation together. This road has long been a symbol of adventure, freedom, and exploration.”
The eastern portion is a rolling history lesson. On that stretch, you can find original brick segments of the road laid over a century ago. You can walk “S” shaped bridges that date to Jefferson’s era, and even a “Y” shaped bridge in Ohio. Surviving historic inns still offer meals and lodging. Many historic toll booths still exist; and, the enjoyment of spotting mile markers that once guided stage coaches never seems to wear off.
The Midwest stretch dishes up the heartland at its finest. Enjoy the journey along miles of rolling farmland while anticipating stops at landmarks like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or the Saint Louis Arch. The National Road Association of Illinois says of their stretch: “Visitors can see where Lincoln’s political career began or marvel at a giant catsup bottle in Collinsville.”
The West is dominated by natural wonders. Awe at the canyons and buttes in the deserts of Nevada or Utah or take in the Cave of the Winds in Colorado. You can also add destinations, like the Denver Mint and Donner Pass in California, to your bucket list just so you can strike them off.
If you like roadside icons - diners, old neon signs, drive-in movie theaters or old motels - each state holds a treasure trove of them. There are, of course, abandoned vestiges of roadside culture that will have you scrambling for your camera. More important - there are plenty of diners, drive-ins, and mom-and-pop motels open and happy to extend their hospitality. Maryland’s National Road Association promotes, “There are many great opportunities to dine along the National Road. From small diners to upscale restaurants, one can eat his or her way from Baltimore City to Garrett County.” Pennsylvania’s National Road Heritage group adds, “One very meaningful way to [enjoy the road] is by staying at some of the spectacular lodging along the route.”
If oddball attractions are your thing, there’s the Oz museum in Kansas, huge “muffler men” advertising statues from bygone days, and dinosaur attractions both natural and man-made in multiple states (Colorado even has a town called Dinosaur). Indian trading posts still operate out West, happy to sell you a souvenir; and, 63-foot cowboy Wendover Will still lights up the night in Nevada.
The road’s growing popularity has spawned calendars of events across its length. There’s even an annual 700-mile National Road/Route 40 Yard Sale held each May. “The National Road Yard Sale is an annual event along the Road which thousands of people attend,” Mr. of the Ohio National Road Association told The Buzz.
Whether your trip on Route 40 lasts a night or a week, when it’s time to head back consider reversing your journey on the old road rather than taking the Interstate back home. You can revisit your favorite spots and catch what you might have missed along the way. Like most two-lane travels, you’ll find there’s something new to discover just around the bend.