Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Route
Between New York City and Fulton, IL, the roadway cuts across the middle Atlantic and
Midwestern regions. Note that the Lincoln Highway doesn't appear on most maps, be-
cause it's no longer an official road, but rather a patchwork of federal and state highways.
The journey begins at Times Sq, where the bright lights of Broadway provide an epic
send-off. From there it's on to New Jersey and Princeton, the natty Ivy League university
town. Pennsylvania rolls up next, offering the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall in
Philadelphia; quilts and clip-clopping horses in the Amish communities near Lancaster;
the Civil War super-site of Gettysburg; and river-tastic, Pop Art-rich Pittsburgh. Corn-
fields and haunted prisons flash by in Ohio. Indiana's pit stops include more Amish areas
and the town of South Bend, home to the football-crazed university of Notre Dame. In
Illinois, the route swipes Chicago's suburbs, then sets a course through small farming
communities pressed flat against the horizon. After that, the Lincoln Highway heads over
the Mississippi River and onward west to San Francisco.
Cities that provide easy access to the road include New York City, Philadelphia, Pitts-
burgh and Chicago.
When to Go
April through October is best, when the weather is snow-free and attractions are open
(many shut down between November and March).
Resources
Lincoln Highway Association
(
www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org
)
Lots of free info online. It
also sells turn-by-turn directions that are the definitive source for navigating the road.
The Lincoln Highway
(Michael Wallis; 2007) Coffee-table book filled with gorgeous pho-
tos and the lowdown on route hot-spots.
Time & Mileage
»
Time: 2½ days without stopping much, but four or five days lets you soak up the high-
way's essence.
»
Mileage: About 1000 miles for the eastern portion.
»
Start/End: NYC/Fulton, IL (for eastern portion).
