* CONTENT OF THE ARTICLE
The Pan-American Highway, also known as the longest drivable road in the world. The journey starts in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and ends in Ushuaia, Argentina, covering about 19,000 miles
The idea for the Pan-American Highway originated in the 1920s. It was conceived as a way to connect the Americas, increase tourism and fellowship between countries, and, according to some accounts, help the emerging American auto industry sell its U.S.-made cars. In 1937, the plan became official when 14 countries signed the Convention of the Pan-American Highway. Those countries were Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and the United States.
Construction of this section of the road was shut down in 1975 over environmental and health concerns, and the governments involved didn’t authorize a resumption of the work until 1992.
Travelers wanting to drive the Pan-American Highway must ship their car from Panama to Colombia and fly or take a boat to avoid this section of land.
To learn more about the highway, I spoke with someone who completed the journey. Dan Grec, author of “The Road Chose Me Volume 1: Two Years and 40,000 Miles from Alaska to Argentina” and a worldwide road tripper, gave invaluable insights to anyone wanting to take the journey themselves.
If this sounds like your dream, here’s everything you need to know about the Pan-American Highway.
Route Overview
Like with other long-distance drives, you can decide for yourself how quickly you want to complete it.
Travelers typically start at the road’s northern end, in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. From there, you’ll drive to Edmonton, Canada, then choose between two routes across the rest of Canada and the U.S. Whether you pick the Winnipeg-Minneapolis-Dallas route or the Calgary-Billings-Denver-Albuquerque route, you’ll end up in San Antonio, Texas, to cross into Mexico. You’ll then go through Monterrey and Mexico City and follow the western portion of Central America along the Pacific Ocean. Once you bypass the Darien Gap, you will drive along the west coast of South America through Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Once you hit Valparaiso, Chile, head east to cut across Chile and Argentina, making your way to Buenos Aires before heading south to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
Planning Your Journey
A journey down the Pan-American Highway will take a good chunk of time, so you’ll want to plan your seasons well. There’s heavy snowfall to avoid near each end of the route (October to April are the snowiest months in Alaska and Northern Canada, while June to October are the snowiest in Ushuaia) and rainy seasons to plan around in Central and South America.
Places to Stop
The natural beauty found along the route is almost unmatched among driving routes around the world, and the cultural opportunities are excellent, too.
When you take your time, you’ll see that there are hundreds of places to stop along the route, each more exciting than the last.
Accommodations
Some travelers who drive the Pan-American Highway choose to live out of the van they’re driving in. Others opt for hostels or vacation rentals, camping, or a mixture of all the above.
It’s up to each person to figure out which path is most comfortable for them.
