Want to take the Greatest American Road Trip? You can start in Eau Claire!

The optimal American road trip has been calculated thanks to Ph.D. candidate Randy Olson, known data tinkerer who previously gained internet notoriety for determining the optimal search path for finding Waldo in the Where’s Waldo books. He used this same algorithm to compute the optimal road trip through our country – the quickest driving route that would stop at a national natural landmark, national historic site, national part, or national monument in all of the lower 48 states – adding Washington, DC and an additional stop in California to making it 50 stops total.

While Eau Claire isn’t an actual stop on the route (Taliesin, WI is the Wisconsin stop on this trip), the route that is suggested cuts straight through Eau Claire, making it easy for anyone to hop on the road and get started – great news as summer finally approaches!

Want to learn more? Click here to read about his process and the outcome on his blog.

Just want to hit the road? Click here for the interactive version of the map and enjoy the journey!