About picropharm.org
Road trip itinerary planning for alternative American routes since 2016
picropharm.org was established in March 2016 by three former cartographers and travel researchers based in Asheville, North Carolina. The company specializes in creating detailed road trip itineraries that focus on lesser-known landscapes, smaller towns, and regional attractions across the United States. The founding team identified a gap in available route planning resources for secondary highways and rural byways during a 14-month research project completed in 2015. The catalog emphasizes secondary highways and smaller towns in the contiguous United States. Route notes are reviewed periodically; road access still changes. Each route bypasses high-traffic destinations in favor of county roads, state routes, and rural byways with traffic volumes typically below 1,500 vehicles per day. The team has grown to 7 full-time researchers and route planners. Combined field notes are added as secondary highways and county roads are re-checked. Treat published mile totals as planning drafts.
Our Coverage Area
Route documentation spans 48 contiguous states, with particular depth in the Midwest, Great Plains, and Appalachian regions. The database includes 1,247 documented communities with populations under 25,000. Coverage distribution: Midwest (28% of routes), South (24%), Mountain West (19%), Northeast (15%), Pacific (14%). Routes average 3-7 days in duration, with daily driving segments between 150-300 miles on secondary roads. Alaska and Hawaii routes are currently in development, with projected completion by Q3 2025. International routes are not part of current or planned offerings.
Route Selection Criteria
Destinations are evaluated using a standardized 12-point assessment framework developed in 2017. Criteria include: road quality and safety ratings, availability of basic services (fuel, food, lodging within 50-mile segments), seasonal accessibility, historical or natural significance, and distance from major tourist hubs (minimum 30 miles from cities with populations exceeding 100,000). Routes that fail to meet service availability thresholds are excluded from the database. Approximately 22% of surveyed routes are rejected annually due to insufficient infrastructure or seasonal closures that limit reliable access. Each accepted route undergoes field verification by at least two team members before publication. Verification includes driving the complete route, documenting road conditions, confirming business hours, and assessing parking availability at recommended stops.
Team Composition
The current team consists of 7 full-time staff: 4 route researchers, 1 cartographer, 1 content editor, and 1 operations coordinator. Team members hold credentials in geography (2), regional planning (1), environmental science (1), and journalism (1). Average professional experience in travel research or cartography: 9.4 years. Field research requirements include minimum 8 weeks annually on active route documentation. Team members complete outdoor first-aid and defensive-driving training. Two team members have visitor-services backgrounds in western public lands. This background informs route safety assessments and environmental impact considerations in the selection process.
Itinerary Development Process
Each itinerary requires 6-8 weeks of development time. The process includes: initial desk research (2 weeks), preliminary route mapping (1 week), field verification (2-3 weeks), content writing and editing (1 week), and final review (1 week). Itineraries include: turn-by-turn directions with GPS coordinates, daily mileage breakdowns, recommended stops with average visit durations, lodging options in 3 price categories, fuel station locations with operating hours, and seasonal considerations. Each document averages 18-24 pages in PDF format. Routes are reviewed and updated annually. Updates incorporate road construction data from state DOT sources, business closure verification, and user-reported conditions. Major revisions occur approximately every 18 months per route.
Data Sources and Verification
Primary data sources include: USGS topographic maps, state Department of Transportation databases, county road inventories, and direct field observation. Business information is verified through phone confirmation within 30 days of publication. Weather and road condition data is sourced from NOAA and state 511 systems. Seasonal accessibility windows are calculated using 10-year historical weather data from regional weather stations. Routes with less than 6 months of reliable annual access are noted with specific limitations. Third-party data is cross-referenced with field observations. Discrepancies are resolved through additional site visits. Approximately 15% of published routes require corrections per annual review cycle, primarily related to business hours or road conditions.
How We Build Itineraries
A systematic approach to documenting alternative American routes
Itinerary development follows a structured methodology refined over 8 years of operation. The process prioritizes factual accuracy, practical usability, and comprehensive coverage of services along each route. Each route begins with regional analysis using GIS data to identify road networks with low traffic volumes (under 2,000 vehicles per day based on FHWA data) that connect points of geographic or historical interest. Candidate routes are then filtered through the 12-point assessment framework. Field verification is mandatory for all published routes. No itinerary is published based solely on desk research. This standard has been maintained since the company's founding in 2016.
Regional Research Phase
Initial research identifies 15-20 candidate routes per region. Sources include historical road atlases dating to the 1950s, local historical society archives, and Bureau of Land Management road inventories. Routes that follow pre-interstate highway alignments receive priority consideration. Each candidate route is mapped using QGIS software with layers for elevation, road surface type, traffic volume, and proximity to services. Routes crossing private land without public access easements are eliminated at this stage. The regional research phase produces a shortlist of 5-8 routes per region that proceed to field verification. Shortlisted routes typically have traffic volumes below 1,500 vehicles per day and connect at least 3 communities with populations under 10,000.
Field Verification Standards
Field verification requires driving the complete route in both directions. Researchers document: road surface conditions every 10 miles, GPS coordinates at all decision points, photographic evidence at recommended stops, and actual driving times between waypoints. Lodging options are personally inspected. Each recommended accommodation must meet baseline criteria: private bathroom, on-site parking, and front desk availability. Three price tiers are documented per overnight stop when available. In remote areas with limited options, the minimum threshold is one verified option per 100-mile segment. Fuel stations are confirmed operational with current hours. Routes with fuel gaps exceeding 150 miles include explicit warnings and recommendations for auxiliary fuel capacity. This standard was implemented in 2019 after field teams encountered three closed stations on routes published with outdated information.
Content Production
Final itineraries are written in standardized format: overview (2 pages), daily segments with turn-by-turn directions (12-18 pages), appendix with emergency services and alternate routes (2-4 pages). Documents are produced in PDF format with embedded GPS coordinates compatible with standard navigation apps. Writing guidelines require neutral, descriptive language. Subjective assessments of scenic quality or visitor experience are excluded. Instead, routes include factual descriptions: elevation changes, vegetation types, geological features, and historical context sourced from verified references. Each itinerary undergoes editorial review by a team member who did not participate in field verification. This second-reader review checks for clarity, accuracy of mileage figures, and completeness of service information. Review time averages 4-6 hours per document.
Update and Maintenance Schedule
All routes are reviewed annually. The review cycle is staggered: Midwest routes reviewed January-March, Southern routes April-June, Mountain routes July-September, Pacific routes October-December. This schedule aligns with seasonal accessibility windows for each region. Updates incorporate: state DOT construction data, business verification calls, user-reported conditions, and satellite imagery review for road surface changes. Minor updates are published within 2 weeks of verification. Major route changes require re-verification and may take 4-6 weeks to publish. Route retirement occurs when infrastructure deteriorates below safety thresholds or when destinations become incorporated into major tourist corridors. Since 2016, 23 routes have been retired and 18 have been significantly modified. Retired routes remain archived with discontinuation notices.
Quality Metrics
Accuracy is measured through post-trip user surveys. The current accuracy rate for published directions is 96.4%, based on 1,847 survey responses collected between 2019-2024. Errors are categorized: directional (43%), mileage (28%), business information (19%), road condition (10%). Response time for user-reported errors averages 72 hours. Verified errors are corrected within 5 business days. Systemic issues affecting multiple routes trigger immediate review of related itineraries. Field verification costs average $1,200-1,800 per route, including fuel, lodging, and researcher time. The company reinvests 34% of annual revenue into route maintenance and new route development. No routes are published without complete field verification, regardless of demand or competitive pressure.
Our Route Database and Methodology
Detailed information about coverage, standards, and limitations
The route database contains 342 verified itineraries spanning 48 states. Coverage emphasizes regions with extensive secondary road networks and limited interstate highway development. The database is updated continuously, with new routes added at an average rate of 24-30 per year. Route categories include: scenic byways (38% of database), historical corridors (27%), natural feature routes (22%), and cultural destination routes (13%). Each category has specific selection criteria documented in the methodology guide available for download. The database is accessible through the website with route previews, sample pages, and complete itineraries available for individual download.
Database Statistics
Current database metrics as of January 2025: 342 active routes, 1,247 documented communities, 3,891 verified waypoints, 85,400 total documented miles. Average route length: 249 miles. Median route duration: 4 days. Geographic distribution: 94 routes in the Midwest, 82 in the South, 65 in the Mountain West, 51 in the Northeast, 50 in the Pacific region. The remaining routes cross regional boundaries. Route additions in 2024: 27 new routes. Route retirements in 2024: 4 routes. Net database growth in 2024: 23 routes. Projected 2025 additions: 30-35 routes, with focus on underrepresented regions including the Ozarks, Nebraska Sandhills, and Northern Maine.
Selection Limitations
Routes are not published for areas with: insufficient service infrastructure (fuel gaps over 200 miles without explicit adventure routing designation), restricted public access, or safety concerns documented by law enforcement agencies. These limitations affect coverage in portions of Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming. Urban routes are excluded from the database. The minimum population threshold for destination communities is 500, and the maximum is 25,000. Communities exceeding 25,000 population are included only as transit points with through-routing directions. Seasonal limitations affect 31% of routes. Winter closures (November-March) apply to 47 routes, primarily in mountainous regions. Spring flooding affects 23 routes in river-adjacent areas. These limitations are clearly documented in each itinerary with specific closure dates based on 10-year historical data.
Methodology Documentation
The complete methodology guide (47 pages) is available for download. It documents all selection criteria, verification standards, update procedures, and quality metrics. The guide was last revised in October 2024 to incorporate updated FHWA traffic data standards and revised business verification protocols. Methodology revisions are tracked and versioned. Major revisions occur approximately every 18 months. Minor revisions are published quarterly. All changes are documented in a revision log accessible with the methodology guide. The methodology has been reviewed by two external consultants: a regional planning specialist from the University of North Carolina (2019) and a transportation geographer from Oregon State University (2022). Their recommendations have been incorporated into subsequent revisions.
User Feedback Integration
User feedback is collected through post-trip surveys sent 7 days after itinerary download and a continuous reporting system on each route page. Survey response rate: 23.4% (1,847 responses from 7,895 downloads in 2024). Feedback categories include: accuracy, usefulness, completeness, and route conditions. Feedback is reviewed weekly by the route research team. Corrections are prioritized: safety-related issues (immediate), directional errors (within 5 business days), business information (within 10 business days), and subjective suggestions (next annual review). Aggregate feedback data is published quarterly in methodology updates. This transparency allows users to assess route reliability before download. The current error rate of 3.6% represents a 1.2% improvement from 2022, following implementation of enhanced field verification protocols.
Contact and Additional Information
Questions about specific routes, methodology, or database coverage can be directed through the contact form on the website. Response time averages 24-48 hours on business days. Complex inquiries requiring field team consultation may require 5-7 business days. Route requests for specific regions or themes can be submitted through the contact page. Submitted requests are reviewed quarterly and prioritized based on regional coverage gaps and feasibility assessment. Approximately 40% of user-requested routes enter the development pipeline annually. Physical correspondence can be sent to the office in Asheville, North Carolina. The complete address and contact details are available in the website footer. Office hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time.