There's something undeniably magical about a road trip-the sense of boundless freedom, the ever-changing scenery, and the thrill of the unknown. It's not just about reaching a destination; it's about the experiences along the way. The hum of the engine, the wind rushing through open windows, and the endless stretch of asphalt ahead create a rhythm that lulls you into a state of adventure.
The Beginning: Anticipation and Excitement
Every road trip starts with anticipation. The night before departure is filled with last-minute packing, checking maps (or GPS), and that giddy excitement that makes sleep elusive. The car is loaded with snacks, playlists, and a mix of essentials and just-in-case items. As the engine starts the next morning, the journey truly begins-windows down, music up, and the open road calling.
The first miles are electric. The cityscape fades into suburbs, then into open countryside. The world feels full of possibilities. Conversations flow easily-plans, memories, jokes, and comfortable silences. The road is a companion, always moving forward, urging you to see what's around the next bend.
The Middle: Unexpected Discoveries
A road trip is never just about the highway. It's the detours that make it unforgettable. A hand-painted sign for a roadside attraction, a local diner with the best pie you've ever tasted, or a scenic overlook that wasn't on the itinerary-these unplanned moments become the heart of the journey.
Small towns welcome you with their quirks-a vintage gas station, a Main Street frozen in time, or a friendly waitress who calls you "hon." The landscape shifts: rolling hills give way to deserts, forests morph into plains, and mountains rise in the distance. Each mile brings new textures, colors, and stories.
There are challenges, too-wrong turns, sudden rainstorms, or that one rest stop with questionable bathrooms. But even these become part of the lore, the tales you'll laugh about later. A flat tire in the middle of nowhere leads to an encounter with a kind stranger. A missed exit becomes a chance to explore a hidden gem.
The Rhythm of the Road
Hours blend together in the best way. The playlist shifts from upbeat anthems to mellow tunes as the sun dips low. Golden hour bathes everything in warmth, and the world feels slower, softer. Conversations deepen as the miles pass-dreams, fears, and the kind of talks that only happen when you're untethered from daily life.
Night driving has its own magic. The road is quieter, lit only by headlights and the occasional glow of a distant town. The stars seem brighter out here, away from city lights. A 24-hour truck stop becomes a beacon of coffee and greasy comfort food, the neon sign a welcome sight in the darkness.
The Destination-and the Journey Home
Eventually, the destination appears, whether it's a national park, a coastal town, or a loved one's doorstep. There's satisfaction in arriving, but also a quiet longing for the road itself. Because the truth is, the trip isn't just about where you're going-it's about who you become along the way.
And then, there's the return. The road back is different-familiar yet changed. You're wiser, wearier, but full of stories. The car smells like adventure: sunscreen, fast food wrappers, and the faint scent of pine from that hike days ago. Home feels both comforting and strange after so much movement.
Why We Keep Going Back
A road trip is more than travel; it's a reminder of life's spontaneity. It's about control and surrender-planning the route but embracing the detours. It's about connection-to the people beside you, the strangers you meet, and the land unfolding outside your window.
And when it's over, you'll find yourself dreaming of the next one-because the road never really leaves you. It whispers in the everyday, calling you back to where the horizon never ends, and the journey is everything.
In the report below, the county's county seat is used as a starting point for a county. From there, all county seats within 250 straight-line miles from that county seat orgination point are shown. In those instances where a county does not have a county seat, than the largest city within that county is used as a reference point. There are a few cases where a county has two county seats, in that case, one is arbitrarily selected.
Spokane (Spokane County, WA) |
Seattle (King County, WA) |
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Dallas (Dallas County, TX) |
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Manhattan (New York County, NY) |
|
Chicago (Cook County, IL) |
|
Salmon (Lemhi County, ID) |
|
Boise City (Ada County, ID) |
|
Atlanta (Fulton County, GA) |
|
Los Angeles (Los Angeles County, CA) |
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American Falls (Power County, ID)
Arco (Butte County, ID)
Blackfoot (Bingham County, ID)
Boise City (Ada County, ID)
Burley (Cassia County, ID)
Caldwell (Canyon County, ID)
Cascade (Valley County, ID)
Challis (Custer County, ID)
Coeur d'Alene (Kootenai County, ID)
Council (Adams County, ID)
Driggs (Teton County, ID)
Dubois (Clark County, ID)
Emmett (Gem County, ID)
Fairfield (Camas County, ID)
Gooding (Gooding County, ID)
Grangeville (Idaho County, ID)
Hailey (Blaine County, ID)
Idaho City (Boise County, ID)
Idaho Falls (Bonneville County, ID)
Jerome (Jerome County, ID)
Lewiston (Nez Perce County, ID)
Malad City (Oneida County, ID)
Moscow (Latah County, ID)
Mountain Home (Elmore County, ID)
Murphy (Owyhee County, ID)
Nezperce (Lewis County, ID)
Orofino (Clearwater County, ID)
Paris (Bear Lake County, ID)
Payette (Payette County, ID)
Pocatello (Bannock County, ID)
Preston (Franklin County, ID)
Rexburg (Madison County, ID)
Rigby (Jefferson County, ID)
Rupert (Minidoka County, ID)
St. Anthony (Fremont County, ID)
St. Maries (Benewah County, ID)
Salmon (Lemhi County, ID)
Shoshone (Lincoln County, ID)
Soda Springs (Caribou County, ID)
Twin Falls (Twin Falls County, ID)
Wallace (Shoshone County, ID)
Weiser (Washington County, ID)
Anaconda (Deer Lodge County, MT)
Big Timber (Sweet Grass County, MT)
Boulder (Jefferson County, MT)
Bozeman (Gallatin County, MT)
Butte (Silver Bow County, MT)
Choteau (Teton County, MT)
Columbus (Stillwater County, MT)
Conrad (Pondera County, MT)
Deer Lodge (Powell County, MT)
Dillon (Beaverhead County, MT)
Fort Benton (Chouteau County, MT)
Great Falls (Cascade County, MT)
Hamilton (Ravalli County, MT)
Harlowton (Wheatland County, MT)
Helena (Lewis and Clark County, MT)
Kalispell (Flathead County, MT)
Libby (Lincoln County, MT)
Livingston (Park County, MT)
Missoula (Missoula County, MT)
Philipsburg (Granite County, MT)
Polson (Lake County, MT)
Red Lodge (Carbon County, MT)
Ryegate (Golden Valley County, MT)
Stanford (Judith Basin County, MT)
Superior (Mineral County, MT)
Thompson Falls (Sanders County, MT)
Townsend (Broadwater County, MT)
Virginia City (Madison County, MT)
White Sulphur Springs (Meagher County, MT)
Baker City (Baker County, OR)
Enterprise (Wallowa County, OR)
La Grande (Union County, OR)
Pendleton (Umatilla County, OR)
Vale (Malheur County, OR)
Asotin (Asotin County, WA)
Colfax (Whitman County, WA)
Dayton (Columbia County, WA)
Pomeroy (Garfield County, WA)
Spokane (Spokane County, WA)
Walla Walla (Walla Walla County, WA)
Cody (Park County, WY)
Jackson (Teton County, WY)
|
676
718
713
672
639
672
736
758
949
748
777
775
688
673
648
831
692
692
738
637
858
656
881
646
643
852
869
683
700
691
661
765
753
647
776
924
807
653
702
628
939
711
879
930
906
894
875
1006
937
1033
906
832
1035
1002
874
969
931
1003
1004
905
917
892
970
912
975
1003
929
952
924
851
951
744
790
781
806
691
854
892
850
862
944
832
880
771
|
1653
1689
1635
1831
1697
1853
1835
1748
1929
1858
1585
1647
1848
1758
1748
1863
1736
1815
1625
1735
1912
1615
1919
1799
1842
1874
1880
1573
1872
1636
1595
1619
1622
1692
1617
1911
1745
1732
1589
1730
1886
1876
1730
1581
1688
1626
1704
1732
1544
1732
1719
1688
1668
1686
1780
1592
1692
1834
1891
1603
1788
1743
1813
1532
1563
1629
1834
1863
1663
1657
1642
1925
1909
1945
1985
1886
1913
1938
1956
1941
1957
1968
1506
1564
|
179
147
197
0
143
22
63
117
285
79
256
203
23
74
89
161
97
25
210
106
197
224
220
42
31
182
199
262
48
196
243
222
216
146
228
257
158
103
243
114
268
58
229
345
271
292
236
351
371
377
258
210
397
360
209
369
291
332
332
313
250
237
300
362
389
381
257
280
297
242
330
114
136
150
192
57
193
234
206
209
287
199
362
273
|
173
111
157
158
182
173
115
49
223
128
170
107
156
134
160
120
117
133
148
173
171
222
184
167
189
135
145
239
167
174
235
140
143
177
137
196
0
157
208
183
186
164
73
196
113
142
78
200
228
227
101
61
239
203
76
214
133
211
235
165
118
85
174
226
237
223
148
181
139
96
172
194
165
204
241
184
171
204
212
200
241
223
241
194
|
1283
1301
1255
1447
1332
1468
1434
1344
1474
1452
1191
1246
1458
1377
1375
1436
1351
1426
1238
1367
1479
1257
1480
1423
1466
1442
1444
1214
1479
1263
1239
1225
1231
1326
1219
1462
1327
1360
1220
1366
1433
1480
1294
1139
1246
1191
1270
1263
1104
1257
1276
1266
1194
1219
1343
1139
1243
1366
1423
1167
1340
1302
1352
1102
1110
1165
1383
1407
1218
1232
1191
1520
1492
1531
1566
1495
1481
1496
1525
1507
1504
1542
1089
1175
|
1990
2004
1961
2149
2040
2170
2130
2041
2144
2147
1894
1946
2159
2081
2081
2122
2054
2127
1942
2074
2161
1967
2159
2128
2169
2126
2125
1924
2178
1970
1950
1927
1935
2033
1921
2136
2020
2066
1928
2073
2105
2178
1979
1826
1929
1880
1956
1930
1793
1919
1958
1959
1859
1889
2027
1820
1924
2029
2085
1856
2018
1985
2021
1794
1792
1838
2058
2077
1900
1924
1871
2214
2182
2221
2253
2194
2163
2174
2208
2189
2174
2227
1788
1880
|
1114
1165
1108
1289
1146
1309
1312
1237
1467
1337
1081
1144
1309
1218
1200
1369
1202
1279
1108
1184
1422
1066
1435
1250
1290
1386
1396
1031
1335
1101
1046
1112
1111
1143
1114
1443
1251
1186
1056
1176
1425
1343
1263
1141
1233
1170
1237
1313
1108
1324
1263
1205
1266
1269
1307
1168
1247
1403
1452
1152
1330
1279
1372
1085
1143
1218
1376
1410
1217
1183
1208
1398
1397
1427
1470
1346
1421
1455
1458
1449
1489
1464
1045
1057
|
570
516
573
406
545
388
371
445
259
346
605
541
383
470
492
317
481
409
574
510
266
620
259
447
414
304
298
651
358
581
638
572
572
546
572
271
437
504
626
519
300
348
447
600
492
552
474
473
636
483
461
491
543
515
398
594
491
374
318
575
394
436
382
645
624
568
349
326
518
521
543
292
285
257
215
352
266
240
225
237
229
218
671
628
|
404
343
395
287
396
280
228
267
30
208
409
348
266
324
352
135
325
276
389
370
90
455
68
324
311
114
99
477
249
410
471
380
383
394
377
47
241
358
448
381
72
237
230
376
269
332
257
244
413
256
238
284
315
286
183
367
265
149
100
354
169
216
153
425
397
339
123
97
294
308
317
201
155
165
152
255
94
53
97
83
0
118
456
433
|
Sources: STI: PopStats and STI: Colossus
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