Route planning site (?) that gives rural or back roads option

[mrcvs]

I have a 1917 Maxwell located in eastern Pennsylvania and I wish to take it 35 miles southwest. Unfortunately, between where the car is and where I want to take it is the Allentown metropolitan area. I searched for a route on mapquest and checked the option to avoid highways, but it still puts you on some very major state routes. Any ideas as to a site that will allow you to search for a route that encompasses only less-traveled back roads? The plan is to drive this on a Sunday morning when traffic is lighter, but, nonetheless, Allentown drivers will flatten you if given the opportunity. Plan B is to haul down on a flat-bed truck but this costs more and is infinitely less fun!

[oldcarfudd]

When I'm planning a tour for brass-era cars (and your Maxwell will have similar performance), I start with a low-tech device called a county map. I find the roads that go from Nowhere to East Nowhere and link them up. If I'm planning a tour for others to follow, I get in my modern car and drive my proposed route, looking for signs, landmarks, and possible danger points. If I'm just doing it once, for myself, I might skip that step and just go drive the antique, figuring the only person who can get mad at me for bad instructions is me.

Recognize that your 35-mile trip might become a 55-mile trip because of all the zig-zagging. But if your car is sound enough to go 35 miles, it's sound enough to go 55 miles, and the back roads will be safer and more scenic.

Gil Fitzhugh, Morristown, NJ

[mrcvs]

When I'm planning a tour for brass-era cars (and your Maxwell will have similar performance), I start with a low-tech device called a county map. I find the roads that go from Nowhere to East Nowhere and link them up. If I'm planning a tour for others to follow, I get in my modern car and drive my proposed route, looking for signs, landmarks, and possible danger points. If I'm just doing it once, for myself, I might skip that step and just go drive the antique, figuring the only person who can get mad at me for bad instructions is me.

Recognize that your 35-mile trip might become a 55-mile trip because of all the zig-zagging. But if your car is sound enough to go 35 miles, it's sound enough to go 55 miles, and the back roads will be safer and more scenic.

Gil Fitzhugh, Morristown, NJ

I know some of the backroads and almost always use a printed map to find a route, as I really am less tech savvy than I should be...having said that, the route I came up with is indeed about 20 miles longer than the 35 mile trip. Might just have to take this approach....but was hoping to find a shorter route I was unaware of by finding it on the computer.

[rocketraider]

Either a county map as suggested above, or a DeLorme State Atlas.

Agreed, navigating a route is the most fun of all. We have used the DeLormes in several states to get us into some really scenic country and they have never failed to get us there and back. Well... one time it shuttled me onto a farm road and I had to backtrack, but that was fun too.

[Guest cben09]

35 Miles isn't that far,,,,Ask one of the old timers,,,dude thats been around since BEFORE they built the big roads,,,Roads that he grew up with,,

Some while ago I went with Mr Williams in a 1910 car,,no big roads,,few state # route,,here an' there,,A fun afternoon to be rememberd,,[[in N,New Jersey]]

If all fails look for a 1930-1940 roadmap,,I like the print on the Gulf&Shell maps

Happy Motoring,,,,Ben

[Marty Roth]

I agree that County Maps give some of the best options. While less than perfect, I've also used both my Garmin GPS and MapQuest as a PRELIMINARY GUIDELINE, with their option of Avoiding Highways, and other options as available -- again - just as a preliminary guide, and then check it out for real. Driving the back roads is the fun part.

[joe_padavano]

I was going to say "Rand McNally Road Atlas", as in the paper one, but it turns out that all the on-line map websites have an "avoid highways" option. I just tried it on Google Maps and it works fine. Once you get an initial route from Google, you can also alter the route by just dragging the blue line to whatever road you want.

[Guest 37Packard]

If you enlarge the maps on Mapquest several times you'll see all the local back roads. I've done that several times when I want to go somewhere in my Model A while avoiding state highways. Give that a try and see what happens. Good luck....

[Chris Bamford]

Garmin ... GPS ... Mapquest ... Google ... WinGBD3 ... Way-points ... Hiking ... Auto-Routing ... Track GPS ...

My goodness, how ever did people drive 35 miles when our cars were modern?

Grab a good paper map book, give yourself an extra hour to get there, and enjoy the vintage motoring experience unplugged.

[RansomEli]

Google Maps is what I use when mapping out a route for my 1921 Franklin. Set options to avoid highways and tolls. then, look at the route in Satellite mode. You'll get a bird's eye view of the route and be able to see what the road actually looks like, surrounding buildings and any alternative routes.

I use Google Maps all the time. Found some wonderful Texas back roads that make you feel like you belong there.

[Chris Bamford]

...there is a severe incompatibility between many currently modern roads and some ancient cars which require careful planning to avoid and avoiding such roads makes the vintage motoring experience much more pleasurable than dealing with dense high speed traffic.

No argument from me. But five minutes with a decent map book ought to give a good idea about which roads to avoid.

[Guest cben09]

Doesn't anyone collect old maps from the gas companys,,Gulf Texaco, Shell,

Tydol,,

I couldn't find Austin on a Texas map,,,,But I could find the gate of Lester Swinnertons junk yard,,in mid north New Hampshire,,and the Stanley sedan out on Donavins Point near Michius,,A day anna half north of Boston,,in a 1929 Packard sedan,,about 1953

Go buy the senior citizens ctr and ask if some older traveler type wants to go for a day ride,,

Line forms on the right,,,Cheers,,Ben,,,,Ex car mechanics get priorty,,,haha

[Guest cben09]

Don't cars have map pockets annymore,,Ben

[ply33]

Don't cars have map pockets annymore,,Ben

My early 2004 (took delivery in fall 2003) has a GPS unit with maps on a DVD. Last I checked, dealer wants a few hundred dollars for the latest update DVD. There have been a bunch of road changes in the last 10 years, so it is an annoyance that the GPS map is out of date. But no way am I going to spend that kind of money for a map update. Paper maps from the local AAA office are a lot cheaper (free) than a new DVD so as long as paper maps still fit in the "glove box" I guess I'm set.

And the 100 mile free towing with my level of AAA membership means that my usual old car tool kit is just a cell phone and the AAA card. Haven't had to use that tool kit in about 15 years though.

In the old car I can use a suction cup based mount for the smart phone and use it for navigation. But somehow the paper maps just seem to be a better fit to my mood when I'm driving that car.