America’s early coast-to-coast automobile dream, from Times Square to San Francisco.
Why take this road?
Promoted beginning in 1913, the Lincoln Highway helped convince Americans that long-distance automobile travel—and better roads—were possible. Its story survives in markers, bridges, town streets, and alignments later absorbed into numbered highways.
Signature chapters of the journey
- Times Square origins and New Jersey approaches
- Pennsylvania mountain and roadside architecture
- Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois town corridors
- Iowa bridges and early concrete sections
- Nebraska and Wyoming plains
- Utah and Nevada desert challenges
- Sierra crossings and San Francisco’s Lincoln Park
Roadside memory
Concrete Lincoln markers, old garages, tourist camps, diners, hand-painted route signs, and tiny bypassed towns preserve the first-generation road-trip atmosphere.
RV planning note
The historic route changed over time and may include unpaved, private, abandoned, or unsuitable sections. Follow current association maps and never assume a historic alignment is RV-safe.
Before departure: verify current closures, construction, wildfire or weather conditions, campground availability, vehicle restrictions, tolls, ferry rules, and attraction hours with the responsible agencies and operators.