Favorite way to skip the interstates?

I'm curious about avoiding highways. Our Garmin RV890 is designed for RVs and many times we do get off the beaten path and it warns us showing a RV with a ?. But it still takes us that way. Would we have to endure this warning the entire trip being unsure of what's up ahead?
Guess we'll have to try it on our upcoming trip in territory we're familiar with.

I would distinguish between trip planning at home (or on the road with wifi and good size screen), and on the fly navigation with only a phone or GPS unit.

Google maps (and others) have just as much information as any paper maps - in fact more so. Precomputer I had to use Thomas Guides, topo maps, forest service, and county road maps to get similar levels of details. For Canada, the Backroads Mapbooks still rival the online detail.

Just last night I was sketching out a short camping trip around Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Neither DeLourme or Bench Mark gave the same sort of detail on Forest Service campgrounds that I could get from GM.

On the road, it can be hard to get the big picture from small-screen devices, especially while it's actively giving directions. For that a paper map can be a useful backup - if your human navigator can read it.

In familiar territory, I like to select a destination, and then deviate from the directions, and watch how the system recalculates things. That gives me a better idea of how the navigation system picks alternatives.

Speaking alternatives, it's easy to explore alternative routes on GM, at least when using a full browser. Just click on the suggested route line, and drag the point to some other intermediate road. That gives an idea of how the distance and time changes. Often distances change little, but times change a lot due to different speed assumptions. With GM I can also zoom in, check the topography, look at the actual road with streetview, and gradients (the bike route option provides this).

The size of your rig may also make a difference in how you plan. A big RV - 70ft with toad - limits how far you can deviate from the freeway, mainly other paved highways, whether they have federal or state labels. But a smaller van or suv (or bicycle) opens up all kinds of alternatives, especially in the mountains. Years ago when I moved from Chicago to Seattle in a pickup camper, I used freeways at both ends, but "snuck" across the SD/WY, WY/ID and ID/OR borders on backroads. The WY/ID legs was on the forest service road sandwiched between Grand Tetons and Yellowstone.

In the past I used to browse book stores - big box, used, and local (and BC Ferries) for guide books. I have various 'backroads' and 'byways' guide books, hiking guides, waterfall guides, etc. Now I do more of that browsing online, but still pull out the old books (even my 1987 Alaska Milepost) to get ideas.

I have a Next Exit book, a Rand McNally trucker's atlas and a Rand McNally mid sized road atlas. I ripped the midsized atlas apart and it lives in sheet protectors in a 3 ring binder, just like the Next Exit does. I always have my route written down on paper.

I use Onlyinyourstate.com to find places to visit.


To plan a trip, I use websites, the Next Exit and the midsized atlas. Since I run US highways along with a few state and county roads, I use the trucker's atlas to make sure there isn't a problem with my route. Once I get my basic route marked out on the Mid sized atlas with wet erase markers (and why they are in sheet protectors), I double check my stops on Google satellite view to see where my best parking will be. GasBuddy.com is good for finding fuel stops. Although I default to Sam's Clubs and Murphy's for fuel, particularly if overnight parking (ONP) in a Sam's Club lot (most of the time, not always, those two have the cheapest prices). Unfortunately not all Sam's Clubs have diesel. I do unhook to get fuel as it's easier and I top off fuel either the night before or in the morning before heading out. Once my trip is finalized, I plug it into the CoPilot. Each day is a "trip". I have discovered that is easiest.

Hi all,

The Rand McNally maps are available at Walmart. Mine is about 22 years old. I guess it is time to update.

BarabooBob wrote:
We get AAA maps of every state we are traveling through. For states where we are spending extended time such as Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, and Idaho, I carry the Delorme Atlas & Gazeteer for each state. Mine are a few years old but they show (almost) every road in each state. We carry a plastic tote in the back seat of the truck to store all of our maps, camping books, and atlases to keep them in good shape when we are not using them.
I also preplan our trips on the computer with Google Maps.

The road less taken is more interesting. Stop frequently and actually talk to the locals. They will point out some amazing places to visit.

I agree with using the DeLorme state maps. These show an amazing amount of information.

I don't believe the interstates help you enjoy the TRIP; only the DESTINATION. Before retirement, we also felt the need to hurry through the 'let's get there!' portion so we could enjoy our destination. After retirement, we found it much more enjoyable to meander. General direction and vague destinations let us enjoy the whole trip.

Paper maps and US highways.

You have to be careful of your setup. Years ago I had the gps set to avoid highways and shortest route, so it tried it's best to route me across Atlanta on city streets. Fortunately I knew better.

Since I drive alone now since my wife passed away I just set my navigation program to "Avoid Interstates and No Toll Roads".

My Tow Vehicle didn't come with an Infotainment Screen but I added one last year and I get great guidance on non-interstate routes.

What's better than the map/atlas method is that both my navigation programs will provide real time traffic and construction information.

Also, no fumbling or re-folding required with the Nav programs :)

We still have an road atlas from 2000 and still use it a lot if Seri can't talk with a satellite. I guess I am spoiled to the interstates unless I am in the 'relax and see the country' mode.

BB_TX wrote:
Use google maps but click on “route options” and select “avoid highways”. That’s misleading as it only avoids interstates, not other highways. It will chose other highway options more or less parallel to the interstates.

Nice piece of information. Thanks!

It doesn't work in Canada, but that's ok, too.