What’s the Worst State to Drive Through on a Summer Road Trip?

Sun’s out, cars out. But, what states are best avoided when you hit the road for a long summer road trip?

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A photo of a highway passing through Monument Valley in Utah.
Sun is shinin’ in the sky, there ain’t a cloud in sight. It’s stopped rainin’ everybody’s in the play.
Photo: Mladen Antonov/AFP (Getty Images)

The sun is shining, beach fronts are opening up and hiking trails across the country are filling with avid adventurers. That’s right, it’s summer. And if, like me, you’re in the midst of planning a summer vacation, you might be contemplating hitting the road in these fine United States. But, is there an area of the country that’s best avoided when you’re traveling by car in the warmer months?

As summer road trip season gets under way, we want to uncover the worst states that you could possibly drive through on your long highway adventure.

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So far, I’ve only driven in states on the East Coast, such as Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. And they seemed fine, despite the warning of erratic drivers in the Garden State and crumbling roads in the Bay State.

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But in a few weeks, I’m heading out West to Wyoming, Utah and Ohio to cover some serious miles on vacation, and I wasn’t sure what to expect from drivers, the roads, and the conditions out there. And that got me thinking, if you were planning a summer road trip, where would you avoid?

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The open plains of Kansas look like they could drive you crazy if you spend hour after hour traversing them with no sign of progress. While a trip down California’s coast might sound like fun, until you remember about the traffic, sky-high fuel costs, and the other factors that might put you off adding it to a summer vacation.

So, take to the comments section below and let us know your picks for the worst state to drive through on your summer road trip. We’ll round up a slideshow of the top offenders tomorrow afternoon.