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Friday, May 24, 2019

The 4th Best Road Trip in the U.S. Begins in St. Louis, Study Says

Posted By Sarah Fenske on Fri, May 24, 2019 at 8:49 AM

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Following the Missouri River from St. Louis to North Dakota provides much to see. - FLICKR/JENNI

FLICKR/JENNI
Following the Missouri River from St. Louis to North Dakota provides much to see.

This weekend marks National Road Trip Day — and a new study suggests you're in the right place to start celebrating it.

Vehicular analytics firm Geotab ranked the 50 best road trips in the U.S. in a new study out this week. Using, yes, analytics, it determined that the roadtrip that follows the Missouri River from St. Louis to North Dakota is the fourth best in the nation — and No. 1 for history buffs, thanks to its association with Lewis and Clark.

The seven-day trip takes you from St. Louis to Kansas City into Nebraska and the Dakotas. Per Geotab, "Closely following the course of America’s longest river, this trip takes you through cities full of museums and historical sites. Starting at the towering Gateway Arch in St. Louis, there’s a chance to get a feel for the music scene in Kansas City and Omaha, before discovering North Dakota’s cultural history in towns such as Washburn and Stanton, and finishing in Williston." Who knew?

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And if that sounds a bit less exciting than, say, the Grand Canyon or the Everglades, Geotab's rankings are totally based on science:

Geotab identified 50 popular road trips and used TripAdvisor data to rate each itinerary in terms of attractions, accommodation and places to eat. It also analyzed official traffic data to rate each route based on how busy the roads typically are and conducted a survey to rate how long the trips take to drive.

The top ten trips are as follows (all scores out of 100):

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As for Route 66, the far more ubiquitous path out of town heading west, it didn't do so hot in Geotab's system: The trip ranked 44th.

We welcome tips and feedback. Email the author at sarah.fenske@riverfronttimes.com

Tags: road trips, Missouri River, Geotab, rankings, Image