You could have picked a route along the eastern seaboard that would have caught more states without inflating the number of states with unnecessary detours. For example:
Baltimore to Boston – 6 states (Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts) in 7.5 hours
Philadelphia to Portland, Maine – 7 states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine) in under 7 hours
Arlington, VA to Providence, RI - 8-ish states (Virginia, DC, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island) in just under 8 hours
And if we include detours and starting at small border cities, we can get a 9-state safari in under 8 hours. Starting in Elkton, Maryland, pass through Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to get to Philadelphia before cutting through New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to get to Providence before passing through Massachusetts to reach Nashua, New Hampshire. (https://maps.app.goo.gl/e6Zcyg5dhEAi3ShF8)
EDIT: found a 10 state-trip starting in Berryville, Virginia and ending in Attleboro, Massachusetts in under 8 hours (https://maps.app.goo.gl/PTTeUzhN9spbC8QJ8). It hits VA, WV, MD, DE, PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, and MA.
18
u/CountChappy 14h ago
Aside from the route being deliberately drawn to maximize the amount of states you drive through, it's only 5 states: