Longest roads in North America

Road trips are popular all year long, and driving the same roads during various seasons can yield entirely different views along the way. Many scenic highways can take travelers across the country, and for those drivers interested in traveling the longest roads in North America, there are two options at the ready.

At 4,990 miles (8,030 kilometers), the Trans-Canada Highway is the longest roadway in North America. It is a federal-provincial highway system that travels through all 10 provinces of Canada between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. A person can travel all the way from Newfoundland to British Columbia on the highway. The system was approved in 1949 and the highway officially opened in 1962. Drivers on the highway will easily recognize the green-and-white maple leaf route markers.

Drivers south of the Canadian border can travel along U.S. Route 20. Spanning 3,365 miles (5,415 kilometers), Route 20 is an east-west highway and the longest road in the United States. In the east, Route 20 terminates in Boston, Mass. In the west, it ends at Newport, Ore. The “0” in the route’s number indicates it is a coast-to-coast route. Route 20 travels through Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.

Although the length of U.S. Route 6 was shortened when California renumbered its highways in 1964 and a portion of the route was transferred to another highway, the road is the longest continuous roadway in the United States. It is not considered a major transcontinental route because Route 6 was gradually put together from other routes over time. But it still can get drivers from Massachusetts to California.