This highway will wind you entirely across the Hoosier state, from river to shining...lake.

A Wrong Turn and a Fun Misadventure

Road trips happen everywhere, but there is something uniquely "American" about a long road trip.  Sometimes they are just a means to an end, a way to get you to your destination.  However, sometimes the destination is the road trip itself.  A road trip is a way to discover hidden gems and places that are off the beaten path.

One of my favorite out-of-town trips was when some friends and I went to the wrong Clarksville (fun fact, I did not know there was a Clarksville, Indiana until the day I ended up in Clarksville, Tennessee and was supposed to go to Clarksville, Indiana).  Anyway, after directing my friends to the wrong place we decided to make a day out of it, and hit up some spots on the way home that we had never been to before. We ended up finding some truly cool gems, that we normally would have driven right past.

Ever since that day, I've always thought it would be so fun to take a road trip, just for the sake of taking a road trip. And if you're looking for a fun road trip this road trip may be perfect for you! Especially if you love history, and exploring your own state. You can travel all the way across Indiana by taking Indiana's oldest highway.

The Oldest Highway in Indiana

Indiana's motto is "Crossroads of America"  due to the many major highways that run through the Hoosier State. But which road is the oldest in the state?  While it's hard to pinpoint exactly which road is the oldest in the state, one Indiana highway sits among the oldest in the state, and you can still drive it from end to end.  Instead of sea to shining sea, this highway's motto could be from river to shining lake?  We can work on that.

From the Ohio River to Lake Michigan

The Historic Michigan Road is considered Indiana's "Pioneer Highway."  The road was built nearly two centuries ago in the 1830s.  It goes along the length of Indiana, connecting the northern part of the state with the southern part.

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According to Historic Michigan Road, this highway was one of the most important routes when Indiana was first a state as it connected the Ohio River to Indianapolis to Lake Michigan and opened the state to commerce and settlement.

You can drive the historic Michigan Road today and wind your way through fourteen counties and more than two dozen communities.

Almost all of the the Michigan Road’s original route has survived to this day. From one end, you can drive straight through to the other end with only a few brief detours. Along the way, the road takes on many different characters, from almost-forgotten farm road to country US highway to major city thoroughfare to Interstate highway.

If you want to travel along Michigan Road you can still do so to this day, with very few detours.  Historic Michigan Road has directions if you'd like to travel the entirety of the historic road and a lot of information about attractions to see along the way.