What Is The Longest Road In America?

The invention of the interstate highway changed America forever.

While this road we are going to talk about today is not exactly an interstate, it does cross 12 states total including Montana.

Get our free mobile app

The crazy thing about this road, is that it is only in Montana for 12 miles, the absolute shortest distance of any states.

Pennsylvania comes in at number 2 with 47 miles.

Our neighbors Wyoming actually have the longest stretch of road with 525 miles total.

Here's a fun fact, while this road is barely in Montana, we're also home to the longest state highway in the nation, Montana Highway 200.

Canva

RELATED: SPOOKY! Montana’s Most Dangerous Road Is 666 Miles Long

So, we know the road is not Montana Highway 200, and it is not US Highway 2 you are probably wondering what road is it?

Well, that would be U.S. Route 20, which has an official length of 3,365 miles, starting in Newport, Oregon and ending in Boston, Massachusetts.

The 12 miles that run through Montana starts at the Idaho border and ends at West Yellowstone which is the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

In Montana you may know that Targhee Pass is located along this highway.

What About The Miles Inside Yellowstone National Park?

From the website Historicus 20,

While it has been official policy with the Federal Highway Administration to not number US Route 20 through Yellowstone National Park and the listing from 1989 has Route 20 in two segments - the 3,365 miles had to have included the 92 miles through Yellowstone National Park.

WOW!: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

Gallery Credit: Alexander Raeburn

LOOK: The longest highways in America

Stacker compiled a list of the longest interstates in the United States using 2021 data from the Federal Highway Administration. Read on to find out which ones are the lengthiest.

Gallery Credit: Hannah Lang

KEEP READING: States Where You Are Most Likely to Hit an Animal

Hitting an animal while driving is a frightening experience, and this list ranks all 50 states in order of the likelihood of such incidents happening, in addition to providing tips on how to avoid them.

Gallery Credit: Dom DiFurio & Jacob Osborn

Source: Longest Road In The U.S. Runs Through Montana For Just 12 Miles