Survey Reveals the Most Avoided Winter Roads in Every U.S. State [2026]

When winter arrives, drivers don’t just respond to snow totals or official warnings - they respond to memory, instinct, and how a road feels once conditions change.

Long before a route is formally closed, many people have already decided it’s not worth the stress.

Looking at which roads Americans say they avoid most in winter reveals less about raw danger and more about how drivers experience uncertainty, exposure, and loss of control behind the wheel.

Key Findings:

Alaska’s numerous entries at the top aren’t just about severity - it’s about consequence.

The Seward, Glenn, and Dalton Highways top the rankings not only because conditions are harsh, but because mistakes carry heavier penalties.

Distance between services, sudden weather shifts, and isolation mean drivers weigh “what if something goes wrong?” more heavily than on roads where help is always nearby.
Drivers fear exposure more than traffic.

Across states, the most avoided routes tend to be open, elevated, mountainous, or windswept - places where snow blows back onto the road, ice lingers, or visibility collapses quickly.

Even busy interstates make the list when they combine speed with exposure, suggesting that emptiness can feel more dangerous than congestion.
Familiar commuter roads still trigger winter avoidance.

Routes like I-94 in Michigan, I-55 in Illinois, and I-71 in Ohio appear high on the list despite being well-maintained and heavily used.

This points to a different anxiety: drivers know exactly how bad these roads get in winter because they’ve lived it - slick bridges, stop-start traffic, and multi-car spinouts that don’t require extreme weather to happen.
Mountain passes consistently outrank rural backroads.

From Donner Pass and Vail Pass to Raton Pass and Snoqualmie, elevation changes show up again and again.

Steep grades, frequent chain controls, and fast-moving storms mean things can go from fine to frightening in a matter of minutes - and it’s the kind of experience drivers don’t forget once winter is over.
The Northern Plains bring a different kind of winter pressure.

In states like North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, long, straight highways stand out not for being difficult to drive, but for how exposed they are once the weather turns.

Whiteouts, crosswinds, and extreme cold make even “simple” roads feel unforgiving, especially when there’s nowhere to pull off safely.
Coastal New England roads reflect unpredictability.

Coastal New England roads tend to stress drivers out for different reasons - not because of deep snow, but because conditions are harder to read.

States like Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island show up often despite having milder winters than the Upper Midwest.

Freezing rain, quick temperature shifts, and patchy ice make it difficult to know what the road will be like from one mile to the next.
Southern routes show how unprepared conditions increase fear.

Southern routes show how much preparation matters when winter weather hits. Roads in places like Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina don’t top the rankings, but the fact they appear at all is telling.

Snow and ice are less common in these states, so when they do arrive, drivers often face fewer plows, thinner infrastructure, and less day-to-day experience handling winter conditions.

As a result, even light snowfall or a brief freeze can quickly feel risky and unsettling behind the wheel.
Multi-state corridors increase anxiety during storms.

Long interstates that cross climates - like I-80, I-90, and I-35 - appear repeatedly across different states. Drivers may be comfortable at one end of the route but uneasy about what lies ahead, especially when forecasts differ by region.
Avoidance is often about timing, not refusal.

Most of these roads aren’t written off entirely; they’re put on pause. Drivers tend to wait for daylight, slightly warmer temperatures, or for plows to clear the way, which suggests this kind of winter avoidance is more about managing risk in the moment than being afraid to drive them at all.
Perception lingers longer than weather.

Once a road earns a reputation - for pileups, closures, or whiteouts - it stays avoided even in borderline conditions. The data suggests memory plays a major role in winter driving decisions, sometimes more than real-time information.

Final Thoughts:

What stands out most from this list isn’t recklessness or panic, but restraint. Drivers aren’t trying to conquer winter - they’re trying to reduce uncertainty.
Avoiding a road isn’t an admission of fear; it’s a calculation shaped by experience, environment, and the quiet knowledge that winter doesn’t need to be extreme to go wrong.
In that sense, the most avoided roads aren’t necessarily the worst ones - they’re simply the ones people trust the least once the temperature drops.

Methodology

The findings come from a nationwide survey of 3,004 licensed drivers in the U.S., carried out in January 2026. Drivers were asked about the roads they tend to avoid in winter when conditions feel difficult or unsafe. The survey was run through an online panel, with quotas used to keep a good balance across age, gender, and different parts of the country. Participants were recruited using a stratified approach, and the final results were adjusted after collection to make sure they line up with national driver benchmarks.