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Is there a navigation app that shows rest areas?

Finding places to stop and rest during long road trips can be a challenge, especially when you’re unfamiliar with the area. While most navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze can route you to gas stations, restaurants, and hotels along your route, they don’t always make it easy to locate rest areas and welcome centers. Fortunately, there are a few navigation apps that specialize in showing rest stops and other places designed for taking a break from driving.

Why Finding Rest Areas Matters

Rest areas provide drivers with safe places to stop, take a break, and use restroom facilities without having to get off the highway and locate a gas station or other business. They often have large parking areas, vending machines, picnic tables, tourist information, and well-maintained restrooms. For travelers going long distances, especially with children, rest areas can be a saving grace.

Driving tired puts you at risk for crashes, near misses, and road departures. Finding a place to rest can literally save lives. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), around 100,000 police-reported crashes each year involve drowsy driving. These crashes result in more than 1,500 deaths and over 70,000 injuries annually.

Taking breaks allows you to recover mental alertness and avoid driving impaired by fatigue. Most traffic safety organizations recommend taking a 15-20 minute break every 2 hours or 100 miles. Rest areas provide the ideal safe location to get out of the car, stretch your legs, and recharge.

Apps That Show Rest Stops

While Google Maps shows some larger rest areas, especially along interstate highways, it doesn’t comprehensively display all rest stops. Specialized travel apps fill in the gaps and make it easy for drivers to find rest areas, welcome centers, truck stops, and other places to pause your trip.

iExit Interstate Exit Guide

iExit is an app focused solely on providing information about highway exits in the US and Canada. It shows you what amenities and facilities are available at each exit – including rest areas, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more. iExit uses crowd-sourced information from travelers to populate its directory.

One stand-out feature of iExit is that it labels rest areas and welcome centers distinctly from other facilities. This makes it easy to locate them along your route. The app also provides additional details like rest area size, availability of picnic tables, pet exercise areas, WiFi, and weather information centers.

Rest Area Guide

This app was designed by a real estate broker who often drove long distances across the US and recognized the need for rest stops. Rest Area Guide maps all the rest areas along US interstates and provides key details about what you’ll find there. It also shows ratings from users so you can gauge the quality and cleanliness.

Information is organized on both a map view and a text list view. You can also set filters to only show rest areas with certain amenities – like picnic tables, WiFi, pet areas, or vending machines. This makes it easy to find rest stops that suit your needs.

Trucker Path

Originally designed for truck drivers, the Trucker Path app is also handy for regular road trippers seeking rest stops. It shows the location of over 14,000 truck stops, rest areas, and weigh stations around the US and Canada.

Users can check in and leave comments about each location to report on amenities, areas for parking, food options, pricing, and more. The app updates parking availability in real time, which is extremely useful for truckers needing to find available space.

RoadTrippers

RoadTrippers helps travelers map routes with interesting stops and attractions along the way. While it doesn’t exclusively focus on rest areas, it does pinpoint rest stops and welcome centers along your chosen route. You can filter results on the map view by amenities as well.

RoadTrippers integrates ratings, reviews, photos, and other traveler-contributed information to give you an idea of what to expect at each rest stop. You can get directions right to each rest area from the app.

Other Apps with Rest Stop Info

In addition to specialized rest area and road trip apps, some other popular navigation apps include at least some rest area information:

Google Maps

Google Maps shows larger rest areas along interstate highways; however, it doesn’t include many smaller rest stops. It relies primarily on user contributions for details about amenities at rest areas. You’ll see rest stop symbols on the map, and can search for nearby rest areas.

Waze

Waze displays some rest areas and service plazas along major highways. You can report any missing rest stops. The app shows user ratings for rest area facilities to help you know what to expect.

Apple Maps

Apple Maps indicates rest areas with a dedicated symbol on the map. However, it doesn’t provide a comprehensive listing of all rest areas nationwide. Details and ratings are limited compared to other apps.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Rest Stop App

Here are some key factors to keep in mind when selecting a rest stop app for your road trips:

Locations Covered

Make sure the app includes rest areas in the regions where you typically drive. Some apps focus solely on US interstates, while others include state highways, Canadian roads, etc.

Real-time Updates

Apps that update parking availability and amenity status in real time are most useful. Information can change quickly, so apps relying solely on user contributions may become outdated.

Detailed Amenity Info

Look for apps that provide granular details about amenities – like number of parking spaces, picnic facilities, pet areas, food options, restroom cleanliness, and more.

Save Favorites

An option to save or favorite particular rest stops you find useful can be helpful for repeat routes.

Filters

The ability to filter rest areas by amenities, user ratings, parking availability, etc. allows you to quickly find stops that fit your needs.

User Reviews

Apps that incorporate user-submitted ratings and comments provide helpful insights into rest stop conditions and facilities. But make sure the app moderates reviews to prevent false information.

Offline Accessibility

For road trips in remote areas with limited cell coverage, you’ll want an app that functions offline without an internet connection.

Key Rest Stop Amenities

When researching rest areas along your route, consider which facilities and amenities would be useful to you. Here are some key rest stop features to look for:

Amenity Importance
Restrooms Crucial for rest breaks during long drives. Look for well-maintained and clean facilities.
Picnic tables Allow you to eat a snack or meal outside of your vehicle.
Vending machines Provide drinks, snacks, and convenience items 24/7.
Pet area Let’s you walk pets and allows them to relieve themselves.
WiFi Allows you to get online and use devices during your stop.
Travel info State or regional brochures and maps at welcome centers.
Gas station Allows you to refuel your vehicle.
Food options Full-service or fast food restaurants provide a meal option.
Overnight parking For extended rests; truck stops and travel centers typically offer overnight parking.

Typical Rest Stop Facilities by Type

Not all rest areas are the same when it comes to amenities available. The specific facilities available will depend on the type of rest stop.

Interstate Rest Areas

Rest areas directly off interstate highways generally provide basic amenities like restrooms, vending machines, picnic tables, pet walkways, parking, and sometimes WiFi. Most have separate parking areas for cars and large trucks. Larger rest areas may have snack bars or food options.

State Welcome Centers

Located near state lines, these large rest areas greet visitors entering the state. They provide amenities like clean restrooms, vending, picnic facilities, tourist information, brochures, maps, and local travel advice. Some have expanded food options.

Travel Centers

Privately operated plazas along highways offer amenities tailored more for truckers – like restaurant food, convenience stores, fueling stations, laundromats, showers, TV lounges, overnight parking/idling, ATMs, etc. But they welcome all travelers seeking to stop.

Truck Stops

Catering primarily to truck drivers, these stops have large lots for parking rigs, fuel pumps, repair shops, truck washes, truck accessories, laundry services, showers, and other amenities targeted for professional drivers.

Rest Area Safety Tips

While rest areas provide a safe place for highway travelers to stop and take a break, it’s important to follow some basic precautions as well:

  • Be aware of your surroundings and look out for any suspicious behavior around bathrooms, vending areas, or parking lots.
  • Travel in pairs if possible, and avoid approaching strangers or casual conversations.
  • Lock your vehicle when parked.
  • Use well-lit parking spots and avoid pulling into dark, isolated areas.
  • Keep valuables out of sight in your car.
  • If you have a roadside emergency, return to the rest stop parking area to wait for help after calling 911.
  • Supervise children closely and accompany them to restrooms.
  • Do not travel between trucks walking through a truck parking area.

Following basic safety precautions allows you take advantage of rest areas while avoiding problematic situations.

Plan Your Rest Stops in Advance

The key to maintaining alertness on road trips is to schedule regular rest stops before you start driving. Identify ideal stopping points around every 2 hours or 100 miles using a rest area app. Enter those planned stops into your navigation app to guide you to those rest areas along your chosen route.

Knowing where you’ll stop in advance prevents you from having to scramble to find a suitable and safe place to rest when you’re already feeling drowsy behind the wheel. Pulling over on the shoulder of the highway is extremely dangerous and should only be done for roadside emergencies.

Conclusion

Rest areas provide necessary facilities for highway travelers to stop, take a break, use the restrooms, have a snack, and refresh during long drives. Navigation apps that specialize in showing rest stops – like iExit, Rest Area Guide, and Trucker Path – make it easy for drivers to locate safe places to briefly get off the road. Using these apps allows you to identify rest areas with preferred amenities and plan optimal stops at regular intervals for health and safety.