The first road the federal government ever paid to build, running west from Maryland to Vandalia, Illinois. The Federal Highway Administration calls what survives along it a physical timeline: inns, tollhouses, diners and motels.
- The route
- Historic National Road, an All-American Road
- How long
- 824.15 miles end to end. The Federal Highway Administration suggests: “Use daytrips or multi-day itineraries to enjoy portions, or allow 2.5 days to simply drive the entire byway.”
- How far apart
- Our stops on it sit within 510 miles of one another.
- Fees
- None to drive the byway itself; individual sites set their own.
Our guides along it
4 guides across 3 states. Where you start, where you stop and how long you stay are yours to pick.
BaltimoreMaryland
The Maryland end, where the road starts out of the city as the National Pike.
FrederickMaryland
Forty-five miles west, and the last large town before the road climbs into the Alleghenies.
ColumbusOhio
Ohio’s capital, roughly halfway along the designated route.
IndianapolisIndiana
Indiana’s capital, on the road’s western half.
In this corridor, and not in a guide yet
Listed so this page is not mistaken for a complete one.
- Cumberland, Maryland — Where the original road began in 1811, and in no guide at all. This is the largest gap on the eastern half.
- Wheeling, West Virginia — The road crossed the Ohio here on a suspension bridge finished in 1849. No guide mentions the town.
- Zanesville, Ohio — Between Wheeling and Columbus, and in no guide yet.
- Vandalia, Illinois — The western end of the road. Our Springfield guide names it only as the capital Illinois moved away from in 1837; it has no guide of its own.
Where these facts come from
- The byway’s length, designation, suggested time, fees and corridor description — fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov, checked 2026-11-02