A Drive Down Illinois' Loneliest Road Will Take You Miles And Miles Away From It All
By Melissa Mahoney|Published October 14, 2021
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
U.S. Route 50 is widely known as “The Loneliest Road in America,” stretching a length of over 3,000 miles east to west from Ocean City, Maryland, to West Sacramento, California. This transcontinental highway runs through the southern portion of Illinois for 165 miles of flat farmland and small towns. For those times you truly want to get away from it all, take a drive along this lonely, desolate highway.
The loneliest road in the country winds its way through a 165-mile stretch of acre after acre of flat farmland and rural landscape in Southern Illinois.
Coming from Indiana, the Illinois portion of U.S. Route 50 starts at the Red Skelton Memorial Bridge over the Wabash River and ends at the Jefferson Barracks Bridge heading into Missouri over the Mississippi River.
You'll travel along stretches of road with not much to see except for the occasional barn. Aside from that, there's farmland as far as your eyes can see.
Every so often along this route, you may encounter a small town. However, most of these towns probably aren't worth stopping at until you get to Olney.
This is a wonderful stop along the road if you're looking for a bite to eat (perhaps at Hovey's Diner) and to stretch your legs.
U.S. Route 50 bisects the town of Salem which is located about an hour away from Olney. While it's not as picturesque, Salem offers a museum as well as several parks and restaurants.
About 30 miles from St. Louis is Lebanon, Illinois. With its variety of historic architecture like Greek Revival, Georgian, and Southern Colonial, as well as a thriving downtown, exploring Lebanon is a must.
While there are a few places to make pit stops, you'll spend most of the time surrounded by flat, rural landscape while driving along "The Loneliest Road in America" through Illinois. But what a perfect way to get away from it all!
Have you ever taken a drive along “The Loneliest Road in America” through Illinois? If so, we want to hear from you! Let us know about your experience in the comments.
