Choosing between 2 google map routes

score:4

Accepted answer

Both routes almost have the same distance and the same predicted travel time. There will be little difference in overall drive time unless something unexpected happens on one of the routes.

Google factors in typical traffic density, speed limits, major construction, average speed, etc.

And also which one is better for sightseeing as it's going to be a long drive

That depends on what you define as sightseeing and what you personally find interesting. The main difference is that you can take the I94 through North Dakota or stay on I90 all they way and go through South Dakota.

You can put both routes into a trip planning site like roadtrippers.com (no advertis*m*nt intended). These sites will display "interesting stuff along the route" which includes sights to see, things to do, parks, food, gas, etc and you can see what might tickle your fancy.

So if your life's dream has always been see the "World's Largest Buffalo Monument" take I94. However if your true ambition is to visit the "South Dakota Air and Space Museum", stay on I90.

Upvote:2

Google Maps takes into account traffic when the data is available. Of course when planning a trip ahead of time, conditions may not be as anticipated. You can set a day and time in the near-future but those are less reliable. If you want to know the best route, check the day you are leaving but for such a long trip, it means that you may not be able to know where exactly will be a good point to stop.

As you can see from your screenshot, Google shows you the distance and estimated time. This makes it easy to calculate the average speed which is more useful than the maximum speed since that is not always possible due to traffic. Even if you manage to go over the limit at times, it won't make as much difference compared to how much sleep to you take, how long you stop for meals, etc.

For the quickest travel time, follow Google Maps Live which requires a data connection. This allows Google to change the route while your trip is already in progress since traffic conditions will certainly change during that 29+ hour trip. Accidents and road closures allow the drive to adapt dynamically and so the final path may be none of the above.

If you want to plan ahead, reserve a night of hotel in the middle, choose restaurants to stop too, pick one route and plan to follow it with only minor detours. There is some overlap with the two shorter routes and time does not vary that much that it won't be much loss if it turns out the other one had better traffic the day of your trip.

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