A sign on a dirt hiking trail in the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska points to naturalist John Muir's cabin.

Pause for a moment and listen. What do you hear? Chances are, somewhere in the background, is the ever-present hum of a road.

More than 4.2 million miles of public roads crisscross the lower 48 states – enough to reach the Moon and back almost nine times. This vast network of roads spiderwebs its way across the contiguous U.S., leaving only about 5% as an inventoried roadless area or wilderness.

Originally published on theconversation.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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