Randal S. Olson · Optimal road trips
An optimized road trip to 15 U.S. state capitols
Restored in 2026 with open data. Originally published June 5, 2016. Read the original post . Routes are recomputed on OpenStreetMap, so distances can differ from the original.
Stops 15round trip
Distance 2,505 mi4,032 km
Time driving 50.7 hours2.1 days nonstop
Legs 15all by road
Take the route with you
Google Maps Part 1 Part 2
Apple Maps Part 1 Part 2
Stops in order
1 State House 116 mi (186 km), 2 h 19 min driving to 2. Vermont State House 2 Vermont State House 170 mi (273 km), 3 h 55 min driving to 3. New York State Capitol 3 New York State Capitol 197 mi (318 km), 4 h 9 min driving to 4. New Jersey State House 4 New Jersey State House 125 mi (202 km), 2 h 27 min driving to 5. Pennsylvania State Capitol Building 5 Pennsylvania State Capitol Building 368 mi (592 km), 7 h 8 min driving to 6. Ohio State Capitol 6 Ohio State Capitol 175 mi (282 km), 3 h 25 min driving to 7. Indiana State Capitol 7 Indiana State Capitol 164 mi (265 km), 3 h 8 min driving to 8. Kentucky State Capitol Building 8 Kentucky State Capitol Building 200 mi (321 km), 3 h 46 min driving to 9. West Virginia State Capitol 9 West Virginia State Capitol 315 mi (506 km), 5 h 53 min driving to 10. Virginia State Capitol 10 Virginia State Capitol 140 mi (225 km), 2 h 51 min driving to 11. Maryland State House 11 Maryland State House 66 mi (106 km), 1 h 34 min driving to 12. Legislative Hall: The State Capitol 12 Legislative Hall: The State Capitol 276 mi (445 km), 5 h 54 min driving to 13. Connecticut State Capitol 13 Connecticut State Capitol 76 mi (122 km), 1 h 42 min driving to 14. Rhode Island State House 14 Rhode Island State House 49 mi (79 km), 1 h 8 min driving to 15. Massachusetts State House 15 Massachusetts State House 68 mi (110 km), 1 h 24 min driving to 1. State House