Stevens Drive to LIGO from the Tri-Cities
Simply stay on George Washington Way and pass all the way through Richland. In north Richland you will see the campuses of Hanford High School and WSU-Tri-Cities, then you will pass by the buildings of Pacific Northwest National Lab and several Hanford contractors. As you leave the tree-lined PNNL site, the road will veer somewhat to the left. After the veer you will see a fork in the road. The right-hand fork takes to the Hanford 300 area buildings (lower left photo). Don't go there. Stay to the left and straight ahead you will soon encounter a "T" intersection (lower right photo). The road passing in front of you is Stevens Drive. Turn right onto Stevens.

240 Bypass/Vantage Highway Route to LIGO from the Tri-Cities
As you proceed northwest on the 240 bypass around Richland, you will cross intersections at Swift Blvd, Van Geisen St and the Richland Airport. The next stoplight after the airport will show signs for SR 240W, Vantage and Yakima. Turn left at the intersection onto 240W. From the intersection you will drive 8.2 miles west on SR 240 where you will see a yellow 4-way intersection sign that shows the name "Horn Road" (Horn Road is also Route 10). After another few yards a green sign will point straight towards Yakima/Vantage and left towards Benton City on SR 225. DON"T TURN LEFT! Turn right onto Horn Road/Route 10. Drive 5 miles north on Route 10 and you will see the LIGO sign on your left. Turn into our entry drive.

From the Pasco Airport
You've landed at Pasco airport (about 1/2 mile east of I-395) and rented a car. Drive out the airport exit and proceed about 1/4 mile to the I-182 entrance. Drive west on I-182 across the Columbia River. Once across the River you can take the first Richland exit, exit 5b, which immediately converts to George Washinton Way as you enter Richland. Note that the speed limit changes from 55 mph to 35 mph at this point! By taking this exit from I-182 you will go to LIGO on the Stevens Drive route. You can also get to LIGO on the 240 Bypass/Vantage Highway route by driving another mile past exit 88 on I-182 to exit 6 and merging onto the four-lane highway at the top of the exit ramp. This highway is the 240 Bypass that skirts the west side of central Richland. Click the link for the route you would like to take. The Bypass/Vantage Highway route is fewer miles to LIGO than the Stevens route, but Stevens has more signs.

From other Pasco locations
If you are close to I-182 or Columbia Basin College, make your way to I-182 and follow our Pasco Airport directions starting on I-182. If you are close to the Columbia River and the Blue Bridge, you can cross the Blue Bridge and take SR 240 west. From here you can follow our Kennewick directions.

From Richland and Kennewick
From Kennewick, enter Richland on SR 240 westbound (it parallels the Columbia River past Columbia Park and crosses the mouth of the Yakima). You can either stay on 240, which turns into George Washington Way, and come out to LIGO on the Stevens Drive route, or you can follow the Yakima signs before you enter Richland and exit to I-182 west. You won't have a chance to fully merge onto I-182 before you'll need to take the 240 Bypass exit (exit 4) and come to LIGO on the 240 Bypass/Vantage Highway route.

From Eastern and Northeast Washington (Walla Walla, Pullman, Spokane, Cheney) and most Idaho locations.
From these destinations you will want to make your way to I-182 West through Pasco. Connections to I-182 can be made on SR 395 (Moses Lake, Cheney, Spokane), SR 124 (Prescott, Dayton via SR 12) or SR 12 (Walla Walla). Once on I-182W, you can follow our Pasco Airport directions.

From Eastern Oregon
Find I-82 northbound, which originates from I-84 on the west side of Hermiston (exit 179). From Pendleton, LaGrande and points east you will follow I-84 west to reach I-82. From points west of Hermiston you will drive east on I-84 to reach I-82. Drive about 45 miles on I-82W to the last of the three Tri-Cities exits (Richland - exit 102). You will exit onto I-182 eastbound. Drive about 4 miles down I-182 to exit 4. The ramp will place you on the 240 Bypass. From here follow the 240 Bypass/Vantage Highway directions.

From Central Oregon
From central Oregon, proceed north on Highway 97 through Bend, Madras and Shaniko to The Dalles. At The Dalles turn north onto I-84 and follow I-84 for about 90 miles to the I-82 exit (#179). Drive about 45 miles on I-82W to the last of the three Tri-Cities exits (for Richland). You will exit onto I-182 eastbound. Drive about 4 miles down I-182 to exit 4. The ramp will place you on the 240 Bypass. From here follow the 240 Bypass/Vantage Highway directions.

From Western Oregon and the Southwestern Washington, including the Vancouver area
Find I-84 eastbound, which originates in Portland. From Vancouver you can reach I-84 either on I-5 south or I-205 south. Drive about 180 miles east to the I-82 exit, exit #179. Drive about 45 miles on I-82N to the last of the three Tri-Cities exits (exit #102 for Richland). You will exit onto I-182 eastbound. Drive about 4 miles down I-182 to exit 4. The ramp will place you on the 240 bypass. From here follow the 240 Bypass/Vantage Highway directions. Note - SR 14 follows the Washington side of the Columbia River from Vancouver to the connection with I-82N. With two lanes instead of four, SR-14 takes a bit longer but provides an interesting counterpoint to the views from I-84. Caution: on this route you will probably get distracted by side trips to look at Indian petroglyphs and blow your whole schedule.

From Central and Western Washington (Yakima, Ellensburg, Wenatchee, Seattle/Tacoma)
From the Seattle area you will want to take I-90 east to Ellensburg then turn onto I-82 east. If your departure point is east of Seattle, you will need to join I-90E or I-82E wherever you can. Check our eastbound map to see how to wind your way to LIGO. From I-82 east take exit #96, Benton City. Turn left at the bottom of the exit ramp onto SR 225, and stay on SR 225 all the way through Benton City (watch the speed limits). About 8 miles out of Benton City SR 225 ends when it runs into SR 240 E-W. At the stop sign you will see Route 10 straight ahead, continuing 225's path across the intersection. Cross the intersection onto Route 10. Drive 5 miles north on Route 10 and you will see the LIGO sign on your left. Turn into our entry drive.

From Mid-Central Washington (Othello, Moses Lake, points north of Moses Lake)
Check our mid-WA map to see the route from Othello to LIGO. From Moses Lake, take SR 17 south. Exit from SR 17 to the right onto Road 13 towards Othello. Prior to the exit you'll see signs for Yakima, Othello, SR 24 and SR 26. Proceed west on Road 13/SR 26 and turn left onto SR 24. You'll stay on SR 24, heading southwest, for miles. You'll eventually cross the Columbia River on the Vernita Bridge. On the south side of the river, SR 24 turns into SR 240 (don't make a right turn onto 24 westbound towards Yakima). Follow 240 east to milepost 22 and turn left onto Route 10 at the intersection of 240, SR 225 (right to Benton City) and Route 10. This intersection is on the east side of a rise and you won't see it until you come over the rise and are quite close. See the pair of photos below. Note: From Moses Lake you can also come to LIGO through the Tri-Cities via SR 17 to Mesa then Highway 395 to Pasco. Follow the Pasco Airport directions to reach LIGO.

From Wenatchee
Take SR 28 south to 90W, then exit from I-90W to SR 243 south through Vantage and Mattawa until 243 joins 240. Follow 240 east to milepost 22 and turn left onto Route 10 at the intersection of 240, SR 225 (right to Benton City) and Route 10. This intersection is on the east side of a rise and you won't see it until you come over the rise and are quite close.

From the Yakima area you can also get to LIGO by coming through Moxee on SR 24, which joins SR 240 on the west side of the Hanford site. Follow 240 east to milepost 22 and turn left onto Route 10 at the intersection of 240, SR 225 (right to Benton City) and Route 10. This intersection is on the east side of a rise and you won't see it until you are quite close.

You're Here!
On Route 10 you will see the LIGO sign onthe west side of the road. Turn into the access road and proceed to the first building's parking lot. Enter the front door.