Spotting the Letter L

Cross any bridge that names the water below it and you may solve L before you've even seen the Lake itself — the sign usually gives it away.

Even away from water, small towns tend to hand you a laundromat or a library sign fairly quickly, so this letter rarely stalls out for long no matter what kind of route you're on.

Common Things to Spot

Laundromat
Library
Lighthouse (coastal routes)
Liquor store
License plate frame shop

If You Want a Challenge

Levee
Lookout tower
Lift bridge

Spotting Tip

Bridge signs are a shortcut here — most name the body of water they cross, so a sign reading 'Cross Lake Bridge' gets you L without ever seeing the water itself.

Fun Fact

The Great Lakes together hold roughly 20% of the world's fresh surface water, which is part of why so many highway bridges near the Midwest cross a lake of some size, however small it might look from the road.

For Younger Players

Bridge signs that name a lake are a nice L for early readers since the word "Lake" is short and often printed in large letters, easy to sound out from the back seat.