Concrete ribbons: Washington’s longest highways

Summer’s coming.  Road trip!  Pack your car, pick a highway, and see the state.

Which highway?  Suppose you wanted to tackle one road from start to finish and explore it thoroughly.  Which Washington highway would keep you busy for the greatest distance?  State Route 20 and US 12 both span the state west to east for more than 400 meandering miles.  You could certainly cover that distance in a single day, but most veteran road-trippers we know eschew speed to enjoy the places and people they discover along the way.  That’s the fun of blue highways.*

We sought out the longest Washington highways — blue or otherwise — and found 21 that stretch 75 miles or more.  (We also included a 22nd road, State Route 231, which falls only 150 feet short of 75 miles!)  Appended to each listing are any cities or towns among Washington’s 100 most populous that you would encounter en route — the largest city among them in bold type.  It’s not surprising that most of the largest cities in the state are connected to one or more of these highways.

But don’t limit your stops to those larger cities if you’re road-tripping.  Spend some time in the small towns, too.  Get lunch in a local cafe, window shop on main street, and get caught up in at least one conversation.  Then hit the road again.  There are many more miles to these highways.

LONGEST HIGHWAYS IN WASHINGTON STATE

	Highway		Miles	From	To	Cities (in WA’s Top 100) en route
1.		SR 20	436.13	Port Discovery	Newport (Idaho border)	Port Townsend, Oak Harbor, Anacortes, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley
2.		US 12	430.92	Aberdeen	Clarkston (Idaho border)	Aberdeen, Centralia, Chehalis, Yakima, Sunnyside, Grandview, Richland, Pasco, Walla Walla, Clarkston
3.		US 101	365.56	Megler (Oregon border)	Olympia	Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Port Angeles, Shelton, Olympia, Tumwater
4.		US 2	326.36	Everett	Newport (Idaho border)	Everett, Snohomish, Monroe, Wenatchee, Spokane
5.		US 97	321.52	Maryhill (Oregon border)	Oroville (Canada border)	Toppenish, Yakima, Ellensburg, Wenatchee
6.		I-90	297.51	Seattle	Liberty Lake (Idaho border)	Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue, Sammamish, Issaquah, Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Spokane, Spokane Valley, Liberty Lake
7.		I-5	276.62	Vancouver (Oregon border)	Blaine (Canada border)	Vancouver, Kelso, Chehalis, Centralia, Tumwater, Olympia, Lacey, DuPont, Lakewood, Tacoma, Fife, Federal Way, Des Moines, SeaTac, Tukwila, Seattle, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Everett, Marysville, Mount Vernon, Burlington, Ferndale, Bellingham
8.		US 395	275.00	Plymouth (Oregon border)	Laurier (Canada border)	Kennewick, Pasco, Spokane
9.		SR 21	191.29	Kahlotus	Danville
10.		SR 14	180.66	Vancouver	Plymouth	Vancouver, Camas, Washougal
11.		SR 17	136.67	Mesa	Fort Okanogan	Othello, Moses Lake
12.		SR 28	135.25	East Wenatchee	Davenport	East Wenatchee, Quincy, Ephrata
13.		SR 26	133.61	Vantage	Colfax	Othello
14.		I-82	132.57	Plymouth (Oregon border)	Ellensburg	Grandview, Sunnyside, Yakima, Ellensburg
15.		SR 25	121.17	Davenport	Frontier (Canada border)
16.		SR 410	107.44	Puyallup	west of Naches	Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake, Enumclaw
17.		SR 9	97.43	Woodinville	Sumas (Canada border)	Woodinville, Snohomish, Lake Stevens, Arlington, Sedro-Woolley
18.		US 195	93.37	Uniontown (Idaho border)	Spokane	Pullman, Spokane
19.		SR 27	90.00	Pullman	Spokane Valley	Pullman, Spokane Valley
20.		SR 24	79.23	Yakima	Othello	Yakima, Othello
21.		SR 155	78.35	Fordair/Dry Falls	Omak
22.		SR 231	74.97	north of Sprague	south of Chewelah

*Blue highway is the name given to the less-traveled roads of America by author William Least Heat-Moon in the book Blue Highways.  Unlike the major interstates, they appeared on his maps in blue.  In our experience they show the most authentic America.  People drive by on interstates, but live on blue highways,

PHOTO of State Route 21 south of Wilbur © Steve Campion.

SOURCE: Highway lengths were confirmed by the GIS and Roadway Data Office of the Washington State Department of Transportation.

May 10th, 2013