route 66 rv road trip

Your Guide to RVing Route 66

One could argue that of all the historic American highways and byways, there’s none more iconic and more abundant in history as Route 66. Let’s profile the celebrated Route 66 including a brief history, a few must-see destinations along the route and a few of the best places to stay so we can get our kicks on Route 66 .

A Brief History of Route 66

The Route 66 you travel today can vary from the original or historic 66. The original Route 66, also known as America’s Main Street, was one of the first highways built in the United States in 1926, originating in Chicago, Illinois and running southwest until its terminus in Santa Monica, California. The original 66 was 2451 miles long and became a popular road for those traveling west and remained popular until the Interstate Highway System replaced it.

In 1986, Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway system. The route continues to this day as National Scenic Byways designated Historical Route 66, and some states have designated certain highways as State Route 66. Whatever it is designated as the importance and impact of Route 66 remain to this day .

What to Do on Route 66

Of course, with so much history, there are bound to be some can’t miss destinations along the route. Here are some of my favorites. Don’t miss the little stops along the way – you never know what you might stumble on that piques your interest on Route 66.

The Santa Monica Pier: Santa Monica, California

The Santa Monica Pier was the traditional western terminus of Route 66, and the pier still is outfitted with End of the Trail, 66 marker. The Santa Monica Pier in California is still as lively as it was fifty years ago. With plenty of boardwalk games, rides, and beautiful views of the Pacific to capture the spirit of Route 66. Make sure you take a ride on the famous ferris wheel.

Cadillac Ranch: Amarillo, Texas

This is a classic tourist trap , but considering it is free then who cares? Cadillac Ranch is a sculpture created in 1974 by artists Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michels. The sculpture is ten Cadillacs buried halfway into the ground at an angle that corresponds to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Bring a can of spray paint because the sculpture is open to modification by all. Spray your name, a caricature or anything else that strikes you at this Texas destination.

National Route 66 Museum: Elk City, Oklahoma

The fascinating National Route 66 Museum will take you through all eight states that the historic 66 ran through. You start the tour in Illinois and travel to the museum until you reach California. The museum includes historic photographs, points of interest, and different eras of the road. Overhead speakers play historic accounts of travel down 66, so you can get a feel of the experience at this Oklahoma pit stop.

Where to Stay on Route 66

If you want to stay in the middle of the action you need to pick an RV park that is close or right on Route 66, here are three of my favorites. There are RV parks, campgrounds, and dry camping options scattered on or near Route 66. Plan your trip well in advance to book what you want if the three below don’t tickle your road trip fancy.

St. Louis West/Historic Route 66 KOA: Eureka, Missouri

The St. Louis West/Historic Route 66 KOA is the perfect location to get your start on traversing parts of the historic Route 66. The park is a Missouri-based KOA, so you know you have full utility hookups, large and clean shower, and laundry facilities and plenty of activities in the park including gem panning, rocket launches, and an outdoor movie screening area.

This KOA is also located just one mile from Six Flags St. Louis for plenty of family-friendly fun. There is all the fun provided by St. Louis as well. If you’re looking for more of an outdoors activity, the park is located close to kayaking, rafting, or canoeing on the Meramec River.

Route 66 RV Park: Elk City, Oklahoma

Route 66 RV Park is one of the oldest continuously running RV parks in Oklahoma, and they do things right. You have full utility hookups as well as a trash pickup service, all on extra wide concrete pads. Many of the sites are shaded to provide a little refuge from the hot Oklahoma sun.

The town of Elk City is a loving testament to the importance of Route 66 and houses the Route 66 Museum. There’s also Elk City’s Ackley Park with plenty of walking trails and even a lake to fish on. Other Ackley Park activities include mini golf, train rides, swimming, a large playground, and more.

The Canyon Motel & RV Park: Williams, Arizona

The quaint little town of Williams, Arizona is 13 acres of a simpler time and located right off the historic Route 66. The park itself is feature rich with full hookups, clean showers, and laundry facilities and a general store where you can stock up on supplies. The park also has grilling areas, an indoor pool, business center and a large fire ring for nightly get-togethers.

The Canyon Motel & RV Park is just an hour from the Grand Canyon’s South Rim as well as close to ski and winter activities, the Grand Canyon Railway, Kaibab National Forest, and the drive-through wildlife park Bearizona.

When planning an RV destination trip, consider Route 66! Load up your RV and head west, see the United States as so many have before you on historic Route 66.

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A Beginner’s Guide to RV Road Tripping Along Route 66

Traveling the historic route between Chicago and Los Angeles is the quintessential American road trip—and a great cross-country trip to do in an RV. It’s not America’s longest or oldest highway. Yet, it stands out in American history as a symbol of freedom; from the time the automobile became accessible to all, and how it transformed society during the 1930s and 1940s.

Today, much of the original Route 66 is still navigable, with hundreds of historic landmarks, tourist attractions, old time diners, natural wonders, and campgrounds lining the route. The entire 2,400-mile route makes for an epic RV trip, or you can tick off one segment at a time, in any of the eight states that the route passes through. Either way, a Route 66 RV trip is a nostalgic journey through America’s early days of westward travel.

What is Route 66?

Also known as the Mother Road or the Main Street of America , Route 66 was designated a highway in 1926. Contrasted with other major interstates at the time, Route 66 headed west in a diagonal fashion offering the fastest way to California from the Midwest. The route wound through many small towns in the Midwest and Southwest. Consequently, hundreds of hotels, cafes, gas stations, and kitschy tourist attractions sprung up along the route.

Route 66 was widely celebrated in popular culture. For example, the highway provided the backdrop for John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath . And the road was forever immortalized in Bobby Troup’s “ (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 ” song.

Over time, sections of Route 66 were slowly replaced by the newer, wider Highway 40. Then in the early 1980s, the route was eventually decommissioned entirely. However, nostalgia for the route persisted, and in 1990 the state of Missouri declared the route a “State Historic Route.” This spurred a movement to protect the landmark old motels and historic signage along the route, as well as a renewed interest in road tripping along the route.

Must-See Roadside Attractions on Route 66

Nick Fox / Shutterstock.com

Grant Park (Chicago)

Chicago’s Grant Park marks the eastern terminus of Route 66. Several relics of Route 66’s heyday remain near the park including historic Route 66 signage and the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain.

Milk Bottle Grocery (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)

Route 66 is known for its gimmicky sights, and the giant milk bottle atop a grocery building in Oklahoma City is certainly a favorite of route-goers. This old grocery building has been around since 1930, but the giant milk bottle wasn’t placed on top until 1948. The store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and has been home to a real estate office, cleaners, and a Vietnamese sandwich shop since its original grocery days.

National Route 66 Museum (Elk City, Oklahoma)

You’ll find several Route 66 museums along the way, and the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma is one of the most comprehensive. The museum offers visitors a journey through all eight states, and features plenty of old Route 66 signs, kitschy artifacts, antique cars, and a huge collection of Popeye memorabilia.

Cadillac Ranch (Amarillo, Texas)

This quirky public art installation outside of Amarillo, Texas is one of Route 66’s most popular attractions. The sculpture is made up of ten old Cadillacs, half-buried nose down in the dusty Texas countryside, as a monument to America’s “Golden Age of the Automobile”. Graffiti is encouraged and the cars undergo ever-changing designs based on passersby leaving their mark. Also, don’t miss the galleries, antique shops, and historic saloons in the Route 66 Historic District just west of downtown Amarillo.

Delgadillo’s Snow Cap (Seligman, Arizona)

Originally built in 1953, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In is still run by the original owner’s family. To lure visitors, Juan Delgadillo sliced the top off of his 1936 Chevrolet hardtop and adorned it with crazy trinkets and an artificial Christmas tree in the back. The eatery is a bit of a funhouse with fake door knobs, slightly used napkins, and fanciful outhouse bathrooms behind the restaurant.

Santa Monica Pier

Where Route 66 officially ends is debatable. The original western terminus was in downtown Los Angeles, but the route was extended to Santa Monica in 1935. Today, a sign on the Santa Monica Pier marks the “End of the Trail.” With a ferris wheel, arcades, street performers, and plenty of restaurants and bars, Santa Monica Pier is just as lively as it was during the glory days of Route 66 travel and the perfect spot to celebrate the end of your Route 66 road trip.

Where to Camp Along Route 66

Image from the Dyrt camper Chris S.

St. Louis West/Historic Route 66 KOA (Eureka, Missouri)

Just 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis , the St. Louis West/Historic Route 66 KOA offers RV sites with full hookups, tent sites, and cabin rentals. This amenity-packed Route 66 RV campground features a pool, off-leash dog park, bike rentals, basketball court, ping pong, and more.

Oasis RV Resort (Amarillo, Texas)

Image from the Dyrt camper Jil S.

Just down the road from Cadillac Ranch, the Oasis RV Resort in Amarillo, Texas is one of the top rated Route 66 RV parks. You’ll find full service pull-thru RV sites, as well as cabin rentals with free cable and WiFi. Other amenities include an onsite restaurant, dog park, pool, and playground.

Route 66 RV Resort (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

Located just outside Albuquerque, New Mexico , the Route 66 RV Resort offers spacious sites with all the amenities. Resort highlights include pickleball courts, swimming pool, putting green, and open-air kitchen with gas grills and plenty of picnic space. Plus, the Route 66 Casino Hotel is just steps away from the resort. The casino hotel is themed with Route 66 memorabilia and features casino games, several entertainment venues, and a nightclub.

Grand Canyon Railway RV Park (Williams, Arizona)

Image from the Dyrt camper Bounding Around

Set in the town of Williams, Arizona , the gateway to Grand Canyon National Park , the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park offers 124 pull-thru sites with full hookups. Guests also have access to amenities like laundry facilities, hot showers, a dog park, and fitness trails. The resort is located adjacent to the historic Grand Canyon Railway Station where you can catch the train into Grand Canyon National Park. It’s also within walking distance to restaurants like Goldies Route 66 Restaurant and the Grand Canyon Brewery.

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Road Tripping Along Route 66

Explore Route 66 from Amarillo, TX, to Santa Monica, CA!

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The 1,095-mile stretch of Route 66 from Amarillo, Texas to Santa Monica, California not only offers RVers opportunities to see iconic landmarks, but a convenient jumping off place for interesting side trips.  RVers tracing Route 66 can explore everything from Native American and Spanish history to scenic wonders, including the Palo Duro Canyon in the Texas Panhandle, the second largest canyon in the United States.

While the original Route 66 still exists in many areas of the country, most of the route has either replaced by new Interstates, highways or roads with other names that either overlap or parallel the original highway. But there are plenty of Route 66 guides available to help you find the original route, wherever you happen to be.

"People like to say the highway started at Lake Michigan and ended in the roaring Pacific,” Mike Wallis writes in Chapter 1 of his 1981 book, Route 66: The Mother Road. “It was one of the country’s firs continuous spans of paved highway linking East and West.” Books such as Route 66: The Mother Road, by Mike Wallis, and websites like DrivingRoute66.com TheRoute-66.com , and IndependentTravelCats.com are wonderful resources of things to see and do along Route 66, from seeing iconic restaurants, gas stations and motels to quirky museums, parks and one-of-a-kind attractions. Many states and tourism bureaus also host their own websites highlighting things to see and do along the historic route.

The good news for RVers is that there are also plenty of campgrounds and RV parks close to the original Route 66.

Following is a sampling of attractions along and near Route 66 from Amarillo, Texas to Santa Monica, California, with suggestions on nearby places to camp:

Amarillo Area Attractions

• Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo : Cadillac Ranch was erected in 1974 by a group of art hippies from San Francisco with backing from Amarillo billionaire Stanley Marsh III, who wanted to create a form of public art that would baffle the locals. The ranch got its start with 10 Cadillacs that were driven into one of Marsh’s fields. Each vehicle was tipped up and half buried, with its nose submerged in the dirt. The idea was to showcase the vehicles’ tail fins. “The Cadillacs have now been in the ground as art longer than they were on the road as cars,” according to RoadsideAmerica.com .  
• The Big Texan Restaurant : Located in Amarillo, this restaurant is famous for its 72-ounce steaks, which it will serve free of charge. There’s just one catch: You have to eat it with all the trimmings in less than an hour. Located along historic Route 66, now I-40, the Big Texan Steak Ranch has a huge menu ranging from steaks, burgers and chicken to “Mountain Oysters.”   
• MERUS Adventure Park near Claude

Amarillo Area Campgrounds

• Big Texan RV Ranch in Amarillo
• Fort Amarillo RV Park in Amarillo
• Oasis RV Resort in Amarillo

Albuquerque

Albuquerque area attractions.

• Blaze-in-Saddle RV Park in Tucumcari
• Mountain Road RV Park in Tucumcari
• Tucumcari / Route 66 KOA Journey in Tucumcari  
• Turquoise Trail Campground and RV Park in Cedar Crest

While Albuquerque is famous for its annual International Balloon Fiesta , Oct. 5-13, that’s just one of many things to see and do in northern New Mexico in fall.  In fact, the Land of Enchantment offers RV enthusiasts numerous scenic, historic and cultural attractions, starting with Albuquerque itself. These include: 

• Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway , which affords spectacular views of Albuquerque and surrounding areas. Some people hike the 7.5-mile La Luz Trail to the 10,378-foot summit of Sandia Peak, then ride the tram down.
• Old Town Albuquerque , a national historic site founded in 1706 that features over 150 boutique stores, restaurants, and world-class museums.
• The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History , which features over 35,000 artifacts, including Native American textiles, Hispanic religious art, and Route 66 memorabilia.
• The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center , which contains murals and other Native arts and artifacts, a library, archives, an education department, a teaching kitchen/restaurant, and cultural programming and events – each celebrating the Pueblo culture of New Mexico
• Casa Flamenca , a nonprofit arts center dedicated to preserving the roots, artistry and soul of flamenco dancing. Since its founding in 2010, Casa Flamenca has produced original, world-class artists in the flamenco arts in addition to offering workshops and performances throughout the year.

Albuquerque Area Campgrounds

• Albuquerque KOA Journey in Albuquerque
• American RV Resort in Albuquerque

Winslow Area Attractions

• Standin' on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona :  Thousands of people each year stop in Winslow each year to see the town and the corner made famous with the Eagles’ first single, “Take it Easy,” written by Jackson Brown and Glenn Frey and released on May 1, 1972.
• Meteor Crater, near Winslow, Arizona : This is the considered to be the best preserved meteorite impact site in the world. The crater is nearly one mile across, 2.4 miles in circumference and 550 feet deep. The park is about 30 minutes east of Flagstaff.

Winslow Area Campgrounds

• Flagstaff KOA Holiday in Flagstaff
• J & H RV Park in Flagstaff
• Meteor Crater RV Park near Winslow
• OK RV Park in Holbrook
• Village Camp Flagstaff in Bellemont

Flagstaff 

Flagstaff area attractions.

• Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff : A national historic landmark, this is one of the oldest observatories in the United States. Research conducted at this observatory had led to several important discoveries, including the realization that the universe is expanding; the discovery of the planet Pluto in 1930; the co-discovery of the rings of Uranus in 1977; the discovery of periodic variations in the brightness of Halley’s Comet; and the first detection of water in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet. The observatory has nighttime sessions scheduled throughout the summer where visitors can meet an astronomer, ask questions and see real-time video images of planets, stars, galaxies and other celestial objects. Daytime tours are also available as well as opportunities to view the sun with special equipment.
• Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff : This museum’s award-winning, permanent anthropology exhibit documents 12,000 years of Native American tribal life on the Colorado Plateau. The Hopi, Navajo and Zuni are among the tribes featured. The museum also has annual two-day festivals that feature the music, dance and artwork of Native American tribes as well as other special events . One significant early summer event is a Heritage Festival , which features traditional dances, music and talks involving the Acoma, Apache, Diné (Navajo), Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Pai, Ute, Yavapai, and Zuni people.
• Petrified Forest National Park : While best known for its petrified wood, the park also has a significant collection of pre-Colombian Indian petroglyphs, which feature numerous human and animal forms . The park also has a 600-to 700-year-old Anasazi pueblo village containing over 100 rooms and kivas. Fossils have also been discovered in the park, which date back nearly 200 million years.
• Riordan Museum in Flagstaff : Timothy and Michael Riordan developed the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company and used the railroad to market their lumber. Their family’s 13,000-square foot mansion, built in 1904 in the Arts and Crafts style, is now a museum. The house is fully furnished with original Riordan family furnishings, including Harvey Ellis furniture and the family’s original dishes. Historical lectures are also regularly scheduled.  
• Sunset Crater at Volcano National Monument : This park, located roughly 30 minutes from Flagstaff, features a crater created by the eruption of a volcano. Park attractions also include astronomy presentations courtesy of park staff and volunteers. Summer night sky events are also scheduled during the summer months and include constellation tours and telescope viewing.
• Walnut Canyon National Monument : This monument, located just 12 miles east of Flagstaff, has some of the best preserved Native American cliff dwellings in Arizona.
• Wupatki National Monument : This park’s attractions include an ancient 100-room Native American “pueblo” with a community room and ball court. Archaeologists believe the settlement was occupied between 1120 and 1200.

Flagstaff Area Campgrounds

• Munds Park RV Resort in Munds Park

Williams Area Attractions

• Bearizona : This is a wild animal park that gives visitors a chance to drive through a 2-mile route with opportunities to see black bears, arctic wolves, gray wolves, bison, big horn sheep and mountain goats. The park also has a petting zoo and a bird of prey show.
• Grand Canyon Deer Farm : This is a kid-friendly petting zoo with a variety of animals, including, deer, goats and pigs.
• Grand Canyon Railway : Visitors to the Grand Canyon have the option of taking a scenic train ride from Williams. Trains depart daily at 9:30 a.m. and arrive at the South Rim at 11:45 a.m. The train begins the return trip at 3:30 p.m., arrive back at Williams at 5:45 p.m. During peak summer travel periods, a second train departs Williams at 10:30 a.m. and returns to Williams later in the day. The Grand Canyon Railway offers six different classes of train service. An entertaining Western-style holdup also takes place during the ride.
• Keyhole Sink Petroglyphs : These petroglyphs are accessible via a short trail that takes visitors through a ponderosa pine forest to a scenic box canyon where the petroglyphs are located. The trailhead is about a 20 minute drive from Williams.

 Williams Area Campgrounds 

• Williams / Exit 167 / Circle Pines KOA in Williams
• Grand Canyon Railway Park in Williams : This RV park is a jumping off point for travelers wishing to take day trips or overnight trips to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
• Grand Canyon / Williams KOA Journey in Williams

Kingman Area Attractions

• Arizona Route 66 Museum in Kingman : This museum is housed in a historic Desert Power & Light Building whose electricity helped light the way for the first Route 66 travelers. According to the museum’s website, “ The building, built in two phases between 1907 and 1911, was operated by the Desert Power & Light Company and powered early Kingman and area mines starting in July, 1909. It also supplied power for the construction of Hoover Dam, until the Dam began producing cheaper hydroelectric power in the late 1930’s. It was soon mothballed, not to be restored until 60 years later when it was opened as a Visitor Center in 1997.” The museum also includes the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum , the first of its kind anywhere, which showcases the history of electric vehicles from the 19th to the 21st centuries. 

Kingman Area Campgrounds

• Blake Ranch RV Park and Horse Motel in Kingman
• Kingman KOA Journey in Kingman

Barstow 

• Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum in Barstow : This museum was dedicated on July 4, 2000 in the historic Casa del Desierto, Harvey House, in Barstow.  The museum displays a collection of historic photographs and artifacts related to Route 66 and the Mojave Desert communities. :
• Calico Ghost Town Regional Park in Yermo : Calico is a historic silver mining town dating back to the 1880s that became a ghost town after silver lost its value in the 1890s. Walter Knott purchased Calico in the 1950’s and architecturally restored the town to look like it did in the 1880’s. Calico received State Historical Landmark 782 and in 2005 was proclaimed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town. Today, Calico is part of the San Bernardino County Regional Parks system.  
• Barstow / Calico KOA Holiday in Yermo

Victorville 

• California Route 66 Museum in Victorville : This interactive museum provides opportunities for visitors to share photo memories in displays that include the first Santa Monica “End of Trails” booth, a 50’s diner display and a “VW Love Bus,” complete with hippy wigs and sunglasses. Visitors can have their photo taken inside a 1917 Model T Ford. The museum also offers free handouts on Route 66 along with a library and a gift shop full of Route 66 merchandise with DVDs and books about the road.
• Elmer Long's Bottle Tree House in Oro Grande, near Victorville, California : Designed by the late Elmer Long, the bottle tree ranch features hundreds of bottles that are assembled on structures that resemble trees.  
• Shady Oasis RV Park in Victorville

San Bernardino 

• The First McDonald's Fast Food Restaurant : The McDonald’s fast food chain has its roots in San Bernardino, where the first McDonald’s opened in 1940. The original restaurant has since been converted to a museum.
• The Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino : This iconic motel chain, which features tipis made of concrete, were popular across the country in the 1930s and 40s. The Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino was built in 1949 and is the only one of its kind in California.  
• San Bernardino RV Park in San Bernardino

Santa Monica 

• Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica : Route 66 traces Santa Monica Boulevard, ending at the Santa Monica Pier with its views of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains.  
• Dockweiler RV Park in El Segundo
• Malibu RV Park in Malibu

Jeff Crider, President and CEO of Crider Public Relations, has been involved in covering the campground industry for over 25 years. Jeff has worked as a freelance writer for publications such as RV Business, Motor Home Magazine, Trailer Life, Highways and other Affinity Group Inc. publications since 1995. He has also successfully pitched many of the nation's top tier media outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Financial Times, Reuters, The Associated Press and National Public Radio. In addition to writing, Jeff is also a talented photographer and humanitarian. 

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The Ultimate Route 66 Road Trip Guide

Where to eat, what to see, and where to stay on a perfect Route 66 road trip.

Anne Olivia Bauso is a travel writer and hotel expert based in New York City. She has written hundreds of hotel reviews, from 5-star Ritz-Carlton properties to treehouse eco-resorts in the jungle.

Route 66 doesn't always surface on Google Maps, but it's there. The most celebrated stretch of asphalt in America rolls out from the heart of downtown Chicago and begins its epic journey west toward the Pacific. The so-called "Mother Road" slides through endless farmland, forgotten towns, and the spectacular desert of the American West. The scenery is a thrill, but it's the stops and sights along the way — each seemingly more mind-blowing than the last — that make the Route 66 road trip . There's the infamous 1858 penitentiary from Beat literature and Prison Break , which you can tour the day you set off. A barbed-wire museum? Texas has one, complete with the recreation of a diner serving 20-cent pie. A landmark "soda ranch" is the pick-me-up pit stop you didn't know you needed in the Oklahoma plains. Read on for a state-by-state, Chicago-to-L.A. guide for the ultimate American road trip .

It's day one: You're going to need a good breakfast. Fuel up on monster omelets and bottomless coffee at local favorite Lou Mitchell's (you might just meet fellow Route 66 road-trippers in a neighboring booth). If you want to stretch your legs before the first phase of your journey, Chicago's Millennium Park is an excellent place to do it. From there, it's just one block to the Historic Route 66 Begin sign. Snap a selfie — you're officially on your way. If you couldn't bear the wait times for breakfast in Chicago, Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket is your first stop. The 1930s gas station/lunch counter is now a Route 66 icon for its superlative fried chicken. Look for the restored neon sign — so retro you'll half-expect to see chrome-stripped Bel Airs parked below it.

Channel Kerouac in "On the Road" and go "by the Joliet pen" — the pen being the infamous Old Joliet Prison (also immortalized in "The Blues Brothers" and a particularly harrowing Bob Dylan ballad). Set foot inside the 25-foot-high walls and explore the creepy grounds. Stand up straight — you might reach the knee of the Gemini Giant, a 30-foot Muffler Man statue patrolling the Launching Pad Drive-In , now a restaurant and gift shop. Swing by historic sites dotting the road, like Ambler's Texaco Gas Station and Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup , where you can buy maple candies for the console. For heartier fare, head to the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop in Springfield for beef sandwiches and shakes. If you have it in you, drive on till you see the looming Gateway Arch of St. Louis.

Welcome to St. Louis, the Gateway to the West. Dig into a country-fried steak or a stack of pancakes at Southwest Diner before braving a tram to the arch's peak, touring the 19th-century Anheuser-Busch brewery , or walking high above the Mississippi on the famous Chain of Rocks Bridge, whose span jauntily crooks to the north. Drink up the city life while you can; outside of St. Louis, the drive slips through quaint small towns and rolling green hills. Dip into Meramec Caverns, a dramatic cave complex (and alleged Jesse James hideout) with guided tours. Stay the night in a tidy stone-and-mortar cottage at the 1930s landmark Wagon Wheel Motel .

5 Mistakes to Avoid on Your First RV Trip, According to Experts

The nearby Fanning 66 Outpost is a required stopping point for many Route 66 veterans. They're not wrong: The general and farm store has a giant rocking chair perfect for photo ops and popcorn and glass-bottle soda for snack-stocking the car. Veering south of the highway, Mark Twain National Forest is a lovely place for a picnic; its easy Stone Mill Spring hike offers pretty views over the Big Piney River. Dial up the nostalgia factor to an 11 by catching a double feature at the 66 Drive-In , then crash at Boots Court Motel , complete with period furniture and radios piping out big-band music. The unassuming Joplin History & Mineral Museum is an interesting stop, with local discoveries like a wooly mammoth tooth on display and delightfully oddball antiques including old circus funhouse mirrors, "Bonnie and Clyde" memorabilia from their Joplin bolthole, and an entire exhibit of cookie cutters.

Peek inside the Coleman Theater , a Spanish Revival gem from the vaudeville days, and see the ghost of the abandoned Chelsea Motel. At Totem Pole Park , gaze up at the world's largest concrete totem pole. The roadside whimsy continues at the Blue Whale of Catoosa , an adorable whale whose smiling mouth you can walk right through. The Golden Driller statue was plonked at the entrance of Tulsa's Expo Square in the 1960s, where he stands to this day on concrete work boots the size of cars. Tap into Tulsa's amazing barbecue scene at Burn Co , a popular spot in Jenks that grills and smokes its meat in Tulsa-made charcoal ovens, or keep it simple with a patty melt and ice cream float from the Rock Cafe , 50 miles to the west in Stroud. Gearheads and Marvel fans adore Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum , a former gas station now filled from wall to wall with bikes ranging from a 1909 Triumph to a custom-built ride used in Captain America film shoots. Thirsty? Shelves at the landmark Pops in Arcadia hold classic candies and drinks — over 500 varieties of sodas, ginger ales, and root beers — your taste buds have never dreamed of. Right before the Oklahoma-Texas border, stop by eerie little Texola, with a population of 6. Passersby can still see relics of the former farming town, notably a one-cell cinder-block jail all alone in an overgrown field.

The gloriously Art Deco Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe give travelers an old-school Texas welcome. Originally a gas station/diner, the pristine little visitors' center is home to classic Conoco pumps and a booth where Elvis once ate. You probably never thought you'd visit a museum dedicated to barbed wire, but here we are — the Devil's Rope and Route 66 Museum tips its rancher hat to the spiky fencing material, as well as other artifacts from the state's ranching heritage, like the cattle brand used at former President Lyndon B. Johnson's Texas ranch.

Being situated in a remote Panhandle location doesn't stop the tiny town of Groom from having its share of bizarre sights. The largest freestanding cross in the U.S. shoots 190 feet in the air here, while the Britten Leaning Water Tower has been grabbing roadsters' attention for decades. In Amarillo, stroll the city's antique shop-filled Route 66 Historic District and kick back at down-home burger joint Coyote Bluff Cafe . Or, if you're up for a challenge (and the tourists), see if you can put away 72 ounces of steak at The Big Texan Steak Ranch . Starlight Canyon , a bed-and-breakfast with cabins and an Old West vibe, is a nice alternative to Amarillo's endless string of chain motels.

If you miss Cadillac Ranch on your way out of town, did you even drive Route 66? The must-see, kitschy-cool landmark features a group of vintage Caddies buried nose down in the ground, their tail ends poking skyward and covered in graffiti. Celebrate hitting the halfway mark — Chicago is 1,139 miles behind you, L.A. is 1,139 miles ahead — with a slice of pie at the throwback Midpoint Cafe .

In time, the dusty flatlands of the Panhandle give way to the unreal landscape of the American West. Opened the same year (1939) that the "The Wizard of Oz" came out, Blue Swallow Motel is everything Americana lovers could want in a place to stay — expect attached garages next to each room, Frank Sinatra crooning through outdoor speakers, and arguably the best neon sign outside of Las Vegas. What began as an artist's hobby of carving tiny figures has sprouted into the Tinkertown Museum , a rambling warren with detailed Old West dioramas and walls made from concrete and 50,000 glass bottles. Grab a pic in front of the wall of vintage tin signs at 66 Diner in Albuquerque, and you might as well order a Frito pie and banana split while you're there. If you're RV-curious, Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post has 60s-era trailers to sleep in for the night, although traditionalists might continue to El Rancho Hotel and stay in a room where John Wayne once slept.

Route 66 cuts through the stunning red mesas and the eerie moonscape of Petrified Forest National Park . The Rainbow Forest Museum is a starting point for hiking trails to the famous petrified logs. Drive to the Blue Mesa trail for a one-mile loop through hilly badlands. The kitsch flag soars at Wigwam Motel , considered an essential stopover by many road-trippers. The 15 guest rooms here are modeled after teepees (not wigwams), and the 1950s cars parked outside add to the vibe.

Walk the rim at Meteor Crater Natural Landmark and see the chilling prehistoric footprint of an asteroid that smashed into Earth. Of course, all desert marvels seem like a warmup in the face of the mind-bogglingly vast Grand Canyon — detour 60 miles north at Williams, Arizona, to reach the national park's South Rim. Serious planners who book far in advance might score an edge-facing cabin at Bright Angel Lodge & Cabins or a spot in Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon. Back on Route 66, glide through a wide-open expanse of prairie and red rock, checking out time-capsule towns such as Seligman, Peach Springs, and Kingman along the way.

The Golden State is the final leg on Route 66's slow unrolling march toward the Pacific. The semi-defunct Roy's Motel and Cafe , located smack dab in the middle of the Mojave Desert, is a fun stop en route to Calico Ghost Town Regional Park . The roadside attraction recreates its California Silver Rush heyday with pioneer-style restaurants, shops, and a narrow-gauge train through the bone-dry terrain. The glass-bottle "forest" Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch is a funky oasis in the dusty wilderness. If you missed the teepee experience at the Wigwam Motel in Arizona, its San Bernardino outpost offers you one more shot.

Not far is the original McDonald's, now a free museum and quirky shrine to the fast-food giant's humble mid-century beginnings. The cheery yellow Cucamonga Service Station serves as a tiny Route 66 museum, its mint-condition Richfield pumps from 1915 still advertising 18-cent gallons of gas. Finally, it's west to Santa Monica Pier — the all-American boardwalk with its endless parade of pedestrians, partiers, and performers — and the official end of Route 66.

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The Ultimate Route 66 Road Trip

From flashy neon to roadside kitsch, here’s everything you need to know about the Mother Road, complete with interactive maps.

Last updated October 11, 2021

Route 66 is the quintessential embodiment of the road and all its greatest promises: freedom and serendipity, kitsch and living history, and a case study of the very particular way Americans have moved and multiplied. You can certainly travel eastward on Route 66 (in fact, we highly recommend it), but there’s no denying the symbolic strength of at least one westward journey along its patchwork of asphalt.

Everything you need to know about Route 66

Route 66 map.

• Our favorite attractions

Route 66 history

Order Roadtrippers' Route 66 book

Our brand new Route 66 book will help you find every classic, quirky, and fun stop along the Mother Road.

Ready to get started? Don’t leave home without your trusty Route 66 map . It’s a good idea to bring a paper map of Route 66 as back-up in case you don’t have cell reception. But the Roadtrippers trip planner is going to be your best friend along the journey, with pre-made maps and guides ready to help make your trip a success.

Route 66 attractions

Here’s some of our favorite Route 66 attractions. Make sure you don’t miss them on your next trip down the Mother Road.

Gateway Arch

Gateway Arch National Park is so much more than just the iconic arch. There’s also a free museum with exhibits detailing America’s westward expansion and the building of the Gateway Arch, which is a good place to start if you’re waiting for your ride to the top (or if you’re scared of heights but still want the arch experience). A trip to the top of the Eero Saarinen-designed monument—the world’s tallest arch and the tallest man-made monument in the U.S.—offers great views of both sides of the Mississippi.

Blue Whale of Catoosa

The Blue Whale of Cartoosa is one of the most popular roadside attractions along Route 66. It was built by Hugh Davis in the early 1970s as a surprise anniversary gift for his wife Zelta, who loved whales and collected whale figurines. Take time to wander around the remnants of this famed roadside wonder, and have a snack at one of the picnic tables.

Cadillac Ranch

Ten Cadillacs stand along Interstate 40 , buried in the dirt at the same angles as the Great Pyramids of Giza. Visitors are encouraged to bring a can of spray paint and add their own mark to this unique roadside art installation. Spray painting the Cadillacs is a rite of passage for any true roadtripper, and the installation has gone through quite a few makeovers throughout the years. 

Oatman, Arizona

You’d be hard-pressed to find a ghost town more real—or more alive—than Oatman . Located at the edge of Arizona on Route 66 and perched 2,700 feet above sea level in the Black Mountains, Oatman is a strange place run by wild burros.

Santa Monica Pier

Whether you call it the starting or ending point of the Mother Road, the Santa Monica Pier is the perfect spot to stretch your legs or snap photos of the ocean before embarking on a 2,000-mile trip east. Sure it’s touristy, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a ride on the 1922 carousel or grabbing something sweet from the soda fountain. From the roller coaster and Ferris wheel to the arcade and the sign noting that it is the official end of Route 66, there’s tons of fun to be had here.

Although it only existed as a unified, legally codified road for 59 years—between 1926 and 1985—Route 66 became a great symbolic trailway of human civilization. It will live forever as a route whose traffic reshaped the world of its time, transporting generations of adventurers, migrants, grifters, and dreamers toward untold opportunities.

Route 66 gave rise to new towns, new industries, and a new vernacular architecture. A great deal of it was lost when most cross-country travel migrated to the interstates, but today, a thriving community of people who live along the road—travelers, well-wishers, and preservationists—share news and stories, raise money to protect landmarks, maintain museums, and otherwise work hard to protect its legacy. The route’s future, thanks to roadtrippers like you, looks bright. 

Although it only existed as a unified, legally codified road for 59 years—between 1926 and 1985—Route 66 became a great symbolic trailway of human civilization.

The Mother Road has been firmly embedded in the American mythos for decades. In the 1940s, Bob Troup pounded out “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” a catchy and enduring standard that has been covered by dozens of artists, from Nat King Cole to The Cramps. In the 1960s, CBS notched a major hit with Route 66, a series whose plot mostly amounted to two handsome guys rambling around the country in a Corvette roadster. Very few of the show’s episodes were actually set in towns anywhere near the road it was named for, making it clear that Route 66 had already become shorthand for the adventuresome American spirit, and for the open road itself. And since the Mother Road disappeared from official maps and its signage was removed in 1985, its mystique has only grown.

Route 66 by state

It’s time to hit the road, so hop in!

Use this guide for either westbound (Chicago to Santa Monica) or eastbound (Santa Monica to Chicago) travel along Route 66. For simplicity, this page is organized from east to west, as that’s the most popular way to experience the route. Should you venture from California to Illinois, just start by reading the section on California and work your way up the page.

Route 66 Illinois

Chicago, Illinois, is the eastern terminus of the Mother Road—depending on which way you travel, you will either start or end your trip across from Grant Park and Lake Michigan. After leaving the Windy City, the road takes you southwest through rural Midwestern towns full of classic motel neon, vintage filling stations, roadside giants, and historic bridges until you hit the Mississippi River and East St. Louis. 

The stretch of Route 66 from Chicago to St. Louis is home to aluminum-and-chrome diners, historic, family-owned cafes, bizarre attractions, and other reminders of the route’s charming past. You’ll also see plenty of cornfields and flat prairie land between the bustling cities and sleepy towns along this first leg. 

There are nearly 300 miles of Route 66 in Illinois. The state is also home to many of the country’s most famous Muffler Men , those fiberglass titans of retro roadside kitsch. A lot of the old route has been gobbled up by modern highways, in particular I-55, but there’s still plenty of neon, fiberglass, and chrome to keep any roadtripper happy. Traditionally, travelers begin their journey southwest near the shores of Lake Michigan, not spending too much time in Chicago. After all, the Mother Road is calling.

Route 66 Missouri

Many miles of Missouri’s Route 66 have been replaced over the years by larger highways, so what remains of the original road is a patchwork, especially in and around St. Louis. The Show-Me State contains several abandoned stretches of the Mother Road, but it’s still possible to travel on quite a bit of the original route. More than 300 miles of road takes you southwest from St. Louis to Joplin, a stretch packed with fantastic diners, classic roadside attractions, and classic photo ops. 

Few cities are lucky enough to have an architectural icon like the Gateway Arch overlooking the mighty Mississippi River, but there’s so much more to St. Louis. The city has a booming craft brewery scene, a rich history, and top-notch cultural institutions. Whether you’re eating at an old-school soda fountain or getting lost in a phantasmagorical wonderland, St. Louis is an excellent weekend destination.

The stretch of Route 66 from St. Louis to Tulsa is considered by some travelers to be the heart of Route 66. It’s where east meets west, linking up the Midwest with the West Coast. Much of this stretch is on I-44, which means lots of exits and county roads, but the scenery is often beautiful.

Springfield is known both as the “Queen City of the Ozarks” and the “Birthplace of Route 66.” Located in south-central Missouri at a strategic crossroads, Springfield was a railroad hub, home to a bloody Civil War battle, and played an important role in the birth of the Mother Road. Route 66 was aligned through the city in 1926, realigned in 1936, and funneled travelers to the many motels and businesses located along the way until I-44 bypassed the city in 1958.

Route 66 Kansas

The Kansas section of Route 66 is short but sweet, and manages to pack in several must-see stops in a little under 14 miles (13.2 to be exact). This small stretch passes through three towns—Galena, Riverton, and Baxter Springs—and can be driven in as little as 30 minutes. Kansas is the only state on your journey where the Mother Road isn’t interrupted by the interstate. Don’t miss the only remaining Marsh Arch Rainbow Bridge, several museums, and other small businesses—on Kansas’ stretch of Route 66, you’ll find quality over quantity.

Galena is one of the most well-preserved towns along Route 66. Home to the Kan-O-Tex gasoline station from Disney’s Cars , the Murals of Galena , and a 1952 Will Rogers Marker, Galena was once a successful mining town. The town was hit hard by the Depression and violent miner strikes. Later, when the town was bypassed by I-44, tourists stopped visiting, the mines closed down, and the population dropped. Today, several historic buildings around town offer a peek into Galena’s rocky past.

Route 66 Oklahoma

Oklahoma takes pride in, and embraces, most of its nearly 400 miles of Route 66. There are more driveable portions of the old Mother Road in Oklahoma than in any other state, and plenty of reasons to stop the car along the way. From Quapaw to Texola, this stretch is home to the Blue Whale of Catoosa , Art Deco gems of Tulsa, and two excellent museums filled with Route 66 history. Don’t forget to stop into the Sandhills Curiosity Shoppe in Erick and say hi to Harley Russell —if you’re lucky, he might just serenade you with a round of “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” or hand you a guitar so you can play along. 

In addition to Tulsa’s massive Golden Driller statue and the Tumbleweed Grill and Country Store , this stretch is home to some absolutely amazing retro Route 66 hotels (even if you aren’t staying, pull over for the vintage signage). A few of the more famous ones include the Desert Hills Motel in Tulsa, the Skyliner Motel in Stroud , and the Lincoln Motel in Chandler .

Take a moment to explore Stroud, a small town that is known as “Oklahoma’s Winery and Grape Capital.” Here you can also find unpaved segments of the original road, built in 1915 and incorporated into Route 66 in the 1920s. Don’t miss the dirt section of the original Ozark Trail road and stop for a photo—and a BLT—at the iconic Rock Cafe .

Oklahoma City is the state’s capital and the largest city you’ll pass through on Route 66 in Oklahoma. OKC is home to many museums, memorials, and motels, in addition to a few stops worth a detour from the main route.

Route 66 Texas

The Lone Star State has about 180 miles of old Route 66 road still remaining. It closely parallels Interstate 40, so it’s easy to hop on and off stretches of the Mother Road. The billboards along I-40 may not tell you this, but we will: Some of the very best roadside attractions in the U.S. are right here in the panhandle of Texas.

The town of Vega sits right on historic Route 66 and has several landmarks worth stopping for. Also worth checking out are Dot’s Mini Museum , Rooster’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina , the Hickory Inn Cafe , Bonanza Motel , Vega Motel (built in 1947), and a restored Magnolia service station . As one of the sunniest places in the U.S., Vega is sometimes referred to as the “Solar Capital of Texas.”

Route 66 New Mexico

New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment, and for good reason. There is certainly something enchanting about the Southwest. Maybe it’s the combination of hot springs, forests, desert, and mountains, or the area’s rich history and strong, visceral ties to the past. Towns such as Santa Fe and Taos are full of art galleries, boutiques, innovative architecture , museums, great restaurants, and more. There are some gorgeous side trips you can enjoy, including the High Road to Taos or a drive down the Turquoise Trail , a scenic byway that connects Santa Fe to Albuquerque. The trail commemorates the state’s mining history as it passes through the stone-and-ore-laden mountains and former boom towns. 

Albuquerque is a high desert city with an artsy vibe. Admire the Pueblo architecture, explore Old Town, pop into the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center , and learn about the desert at the ABQ BioPark Botanic Garden .

The Laguna Pueblo is located 45 minutes west of Albuquerque, right on Route 66. When you pass the whitewashed St. Joseph church, you’ll know that you’ve arrived at the pueblo, which spans four counties and comprises six villages. Part of the pueblo dates back to the 1400s, but people have been settled in the area since at least the 1300s, and tribes have passed through since 3000 B.C. The Pueblo of Laguna is especially fun to visit during feast days: March 19, July 25 to 26, August 10, August 15, September 8, September 19, September 25, and October 17.

Gallup is the largest city between Albuquerque and Flagstaff along Route 66, and it’s full of motels, dining options, and classic neon signage. Don’t miss the Muffler Man cowboy located just off the route near downtown. If you’re staying overnight, you can’t get much better than the old Hollywood El Rancho Hotel and Motel . Gallup, which lies in the middle of a Navajo Reservation, is also home to an abundance of Native American crafts, artwork, and history.

Route 66 Arizona

You’ll know you’re crossing into Arizona when you spot the large, bright white Teepee Trading Post advertising “jewelry, pottery, kachinas, and southwest souvenirs.” The teepee-shaped souvenir shop is set against a striking backdrop of dramatic red rock cliffs and it’s a great place to pull over, grab a drink, use the restroom, and load up on souvenirs. With the exception of the Navajo Nation, most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time so be sure to confirm the time as you cross the Arizona/New Mexico border.

Sedona is one of those places you just have to experience in person—even the most spectacular photos don’t fully do it justice. Surrounded by majestic red rock canyons and pine forests, this small desert town is known for its vibrant art scene and mysterious healing forces. Yes, you read that right—Sedona is supposedly a hotbed of cosmic activity, sitting atop several energy vortexes that are easily accessible through hikes and tours. With its artsy vibe and comfortable climate, Sedona is also home to cute shops and restaurants, galleries, and lots of aging hippies. 

Words (and even pictures) simply cannot do Grand Canyon National Park justice—it’s one of those truly epic places you just have to see in person to believe. Officially designated as a national park in 1919, the Grand Canyon sees more than five million visitors annually. The massive canyon was formed by erosion from the Colorado River after the plateau was lifted due to seismic activity, revealing rock that’s more than a billion years old. Whether you take in the sweeping views from the top or hike into its depths, you’ll quickly discover why it’s one of the most iconic national parks in the U.S.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a ghost town more real—or more alive—than Oatman. Located at the edge of Arizona on Route 66 and perched 2,700 feet above sea level in the Black Mountains, Oatman is a strange place run by wild burros .

Route 66 California

The California section of Route 66 will give you a proper taste of the Golden State’s diverse scenery, from tiny desert ghost towns to the urban sprawl of Los Angeles. This stretch is also packed with iconic roadside attractions. Take your time and meander through the glass forest at Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch or get your photo taken next to the freshly restored neon sign at Roy’s Motel and Cafe . Before you know it, you’ll be finishing this epic journey at the end of the Santa Monica pier , where the West Coast meets the Pacific Ocean.

You’ll know you’re at the end of your journey once you arrive at the Pacific Ocean. But to reach the official end point of Route 66—and take a photo of the iconic “End of the trail” sign—you’ll have to ditch the car and walk to the end of the Santa Monica Pier. The coastal city of Santa Monica is also home to the original Muscle Beach outdoor gym and the pier’s Pacific Park amusement park. 

Congratulations! You have reached the end of the Mother Road—and by now you know it’s not the destination that matters, it’s the journey. But whether the Santa Monica Pier is your ending or starting point, take some time to celebrate and reflect. With more than 2,000 miles of classic neon, motels, larger-than-life roadside attractions, museums, diners, and countless colorful characters, it should be obvious why the allure of Route 66 is as strong as ever. The road may look different today than it did decades ago—or even yesterday—but that’s all part of the fun.

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How should you pack for route 66.

An over-packed car can quickly turn into a disorganized mess, and you’re likely to forget about half the stuff you brought if they’re not easy to access. With that in mind, focus on accessibility and multi-functional items. 

A small overnight bag should contain everything you need after a long day of driving—think sleepwear, toiletries, and a good book. 

Your car should be packed according to what you’ll need first. Items specific to a destination further down the road, or gear for weather that might occur later in your trip, should be packed beneath items you’ll need regularly or right away.

Where does Route 66 start and end?

Route 66 starts in downtown Chicago and ends at the Santa Monica pier in California. Throughout the journey from Chicago to Santa Monica, you’ll discover sections where the original route diverges, seemingly shooting off in two directions and yet nowhere at once. It is a prime lesson in the art of the road trip: A sudden change in direction, an abrupt end to the pavement, and a few wrong turns are all welcome parts of the adventure rather than an inconvenience.

How long does it take to drive Route 66?

Typically, travelers will plan no less than two weeks for the entire Mother Road road trip. In that amount of time, you’ll be able to visit the major sites. But if you want to savor the entire experience—strolling historic downtowns, sipping a root beer float at a soda fountain, and sleeping at a retro motel with a blinking neon sign—you could spend up to a month or longer.

What is the best way to travel Route 66?

Will you go from Chicago to Los Angeles or vice versa? Travelers often chose the east-to-west direction as that’s the route originally taken by pioneers escaping the Dust Bowl in the 1920s. But you can’t go wrong either way.

How long does it take to drive the Route 66?

What is the best time to do route 66.

The best time to take a road trip on Route 66 is from late April to early October. Be prepared for remnants of ice and snow during the early spring and thunderstorms in late spring and early summer. During July and August—peak travel months—expect sometimes sweltering temperatures, over-crowded attractions, and higher rates for lodging. 

Come late October and into November, you might see snowfall on parts of the route. Winter is considered the off-season, and some places may be closed until spring, so it’s always best to call ahead if you’re venturing out onto Route 66 between late November and early April. Whatever time you travel, expect variations in climate as you’ll be traversing through many different states and terrains.

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Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

1 Week on Route 66: The Ultimate USA Road Trip Itinerary

Last updated: April 17, 2024 . Written by Laurence Norah - 21 Comments

If you’re looking to take a road trip in the USA, perhaps the most iconic of all is Route 66. Spanning over 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, this driving route will take you through a broad span of America, from big cities through to vast desert landscapes.

We’ve driven the entirety of Route 66, and we’ve already put together a detailed guide to planning a Route 66 trip and guide to all the best places to stay on Route 66 .

We also have a detailed two week Route 66 itinerary with day by day higlights for the Route. However, we know that not everyone necessarily has as much time to take two or three weeks driving Route 66, and we wanted to put together a shorter Route 66 road trip itinerary for you.

The itinerary that we have put together for this post is for 8 days and 7 nights, from Chicago to LA (or the other way round). This is one way.

Before we launch into this classic USA road trip itinerary, we just want to clarify a few things about driving Route 66 in a shorter amount of time.

To do the route in this amount of time will require spending some time on the interstate rather than following the original route faithfully. Specifically, you will spend a fair amount of time on I-40, which was the road that replaced the original Route 66 for the stretch from Oklahoma City to Los Angeles.

In many places, the I-40 runs right next to the original route, or even over the top of it, so the overall experience is not too dissimilar – it will just be faster and a little less authentic.

If you want to absolutely faithfully follow the original Route 66 route you will want to spend a bit more time. It would be very challenging to follow the original route in a compressed time frame as the speed limits are slower, and it passes through a lot of smaller towns which will also slow you down.

If you want to follow Route 66 as accurately as is possible today, then we’d suggest you need a minimum of two weeks for that trip, and you should check out our two week Route 66 itinerary .

Of course, it is also possible to drive the route in a shorter amount of time by spending even more time on the interstate and less time on old Route itself. We think this negates the point somewhat (and we’re not sure at what point it stops being a true Route 66 road trip), but we also appreciate not everyone has huge amounts of time!

The total drive time from Chicago to LA on the interstate is 30 hours. If you mostly stuck to the interstate, and just did a few sections of Route 66, you could get from Chicago to LA in three to five days if you really rushed it.

However, we’d really recommend trying to find more time, and taking at least 8 days to do the route, as we have laid out here. If you have the luxury of more time, then you can follow our two week itinerary, which can also be done at a more leisurely pace of three week or more!

That’s enough preparation. Let’s take a look at our one week itinerary for what might be the most famous road trip in the USA, and probably even the world – Route 66!

Table of Contents:

A Classic USA Road Trip Itinerary – 1 Week on Route 66

Day 1: chicago – st. louis.

Route 66 officially starts in Chicago. As with many roads, Route 66 changed over the years, and there are a number of different versions of the road, which are referred to as alignments.

Chicago is no different, and there are in fact two official starting locations. The first dates from 1926, and is on Jackson Boulevard at Michigan Avenue. The second is from Jackson Boulevard on Lake Shore Drive, and dates from 1933.

To be honest, the locations are pretty close to each other, and other than a small sign that you might miss if you weren’t looking for it, aren’t that exciting. There aren’t a lot of other Route 66 attractions in the city, however it is of course still very much worth visiting.

If you have time before (or after, depending which direction you are driving) your Route 66 trip, s ee our guide for spending 2 days in Chicago for some tips on what to see and do in the city.

Anyway, back to Route 66. It’s time to head out of the city – you’ve got over 2,000 miles to drive!

Our first highlight on the route that you’ll want to stop for a photo of is the Gemini Giant in Wilmington, IL. Route 66 was home to a whole range of quirky, oddball attractions, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of these as you go.

The Gemini Giant is one of the original Muffler Men . These were large statues of men created in the 1960’s as advertising props – often the man, who who be around 20 feet tall, would be depicted holding whatever the store in question was advertising. These ranged from hotdogs to car mufflers.

The Gemini Giant is outfitted as a giant astronaut holding a rocket, and was used to advertise the “Launching Pad” restaurant. It can still be seen today outside the restaurant (currently closed), and is a great first start for your Route 66 quirky objects collection.

Further on from Wilmington you’ll come to Pontiac, where a stop at the Route 66 Half of Fame and Museum is a must. Most states on the route have their own Route 66 museum (we stopped at all of them!), and we highly recommend stopping at at least one or two of them.

We think this first one is a logical start to get yourself acquainted with the Route, and the journey you have ahead of you.

From Pontiac, head on to Springfield IL, where you’ll have the option for the first classic Route 66 food stop. As you would imagine, a road trip like Route 66 inspired a whole host of dining options, many of which have been going strong for decades.

The first dish we suggest you try are the Cozy Dogs (their name for a corn dog) at the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield. This has been a Route 66 staple since 1949, with the same family running it throughout.

If you’re not from the US you might not be familiar with what a corn dog is – it’s essentially a hot dog sausage covered in cornmeal batter and then deep fried. A word of warning about Route 66 – the meals along the route tend to be of the fast food variety, so if you want to try the classics, don’t expect to be doing a great deal of healthy eating!

From Springfield, continue on until you reach Staunton, where we suggest you visit Henry’s Rabbit Ranch . This is the home of Rich Henry, who has created a unique Route 66 attraction which is home to a variety of lovely live rabbits that you can meet, a number of old VW vehicles, as well as other Route 66 memorabilia.

We definitely recommend stopping in here and picking up a souvenir or buying a soft drink to support this Route 66 location.

If you still have time on your first day, you might also want to visit the Pink Elephant Antiques Mall in Livingstone, before ending your first day’s journey in St. Louis. Here you’ll find a range of Route 66 era signs and statues, which include a UFO and a giant pink Elephant.

Finally, you’ll finish the first day of your Route 66 adventure in the city of St. Louis.

St. Louis is a major city with a number of attractions – the most famous of which is the Gateway Arch . This is a 630 ft high monument which is also the tallest arch in the world. Complete in 1963, the Arch would have been seen by Route 66 drivers towards the end of the Route’s heyday.

The Arch is a fitting Route 66 symbol, as it is a monument to the westward expansion of United States – an expansion in which Route 66 played a major role for half a century. Today, the Gateway Arch is a National Park. You can ride to the top in a tram for wonderful views across the city.

Our last Route 66 stop for the day is another food highlight – Ted Drewes Frozen Custard . As the name suggests, this seasonal attraction serves up frozen custard, which is a bit like ice cream.

They are also famous for their “concretes”, which are malts or shakes which are so thick they are served upside down! Ted Drewes Frozen Custard have been serving Route 66 travellers since 1930. There are a number of locations, but the Chippewa Street location is on Route 66.

With that, you are done with your first day on Route 66! Time to relax for the evening before continuing with your next day. We have a few recommended locations for you to spend the night.

Where to stay in St. Louis

St. Louis is a large city with a great many accommodation options. There aren’t any of the classic Route 66 motels that you’ll find in some of the stops further along the route, but there are a few locations we can recommend.

• The Holiday Inn St Louis SW Route 66 – This is a well-reviewed chain hotel that includes a free continental breakfast and has a Route 66 theme. This would be our main pick for a Route 66 hotel in St. Louis.
• The Drury Plaza Hotel St. Louis at the Arch – This 3-star hotel includes a terrace with a view of the Gateway Arch and stays include breakfast.
• Four Seasons – If you are looking for 5-star luxury option in St. Louis, we suggest that the Four Seasons is your best option.
• Hampton Inn St. Louis at the Arch – This is a great option for a good-value hotel which is within walking distance of many of the city’s top attractions. You can see the Gateway Arch from the hotel and breakfast is included.

For more options, see our guide to the best Route 66 era motels and hotels along the route.

Day 2: St Louis – Carthage

The second day of your Route 66 adventure across the USA is going to take you right across Missouri from St. Louis to Carthage. There are a lot of attractions along the way, and it’s going to be a minimum of four hours drive, so we’d suggest picking a few of the following for your day.

One of the most famous stops on this part of Route 66, and the first one we recommend you stop at yourself, is Meramec Caverns . This is a 400 million year old 4.6 mile long cavern system near the towns of Sullivan and Stanton.

Meramec Caverns has long been a Route 66 attraction, and it was made particularly famous by the advertising that was painted all over barns and other buildings along the Route advertising it. A few of these original advertisements can still be seen, and they are now Route 66 attractions in their own right.

The cave can be visited by guided tour, and it’s still one of the most popular attractions in the state. Tours run throughout the day, departing every 20-30 minutes, and last for approximately eighty minutes.

Whilst you could get a coffee at Meramec Caverns, we would instead suggest you continue on the route until you get to Cuba. This is home to a number of Route 66 attractions, including the Wagon Wheel motel , which is the oldest continuously operating motel on the Route. They have coffee and soda available in their gift shop.

Other attractions in Cuba include a series of lovely murals, a restored 1932 Phillips 66 gas station and an operating drive-in theatre.

A little further along the route and you will come to Fanning, home to a giant rocking chair, which is worth a photo stop. The Rocking Chair is outside the Fanning 66 outpost, where you can pick up Route 66 memorabilia and souvenirs.

The next stop on your second day on Route 66 is the town of Rolla. Here you’ll find a variety of attractions, including the Mule Trading Post , which has been in business on the Route since 1957. Other highlights of Rolla include a scale model of Stonehenge and the Totem Pole Trading Post.

From Rolla there are a number of towns and Route 66-era attractions, from the 1923 bridge at Devil’s Elbow to the Munger Moss Motel at Lebanon. Time will likely be against you by this point however, so we’d suggest pressing on, with just a quick stop at those attractions you are interested in.

If you want to, a stop at the Route 66 Welcome Centre near Conway makes for a good break point, it has maps, information and exhibits about the Route, as well as restrooms and its own neon sign.

Otherwise, head on for Springfield. Springfield is a fairly large city, and multiple alignments of Route 66 ran through the town over the years. As you would imagine therefore, there are numerous locations where you will find Route 66 attractions, including the Route 66 Car Museum . There are also old gas stations, neon signs, and a number of old Route 66 motels.

Finally, head on to Carthage, where we suggest you spend your second night on Route 66.

Where to Stay in Carthage

• Boots Court – Lovingly restored to its 1940’s glory, this motor court would make a fantastic and authentic stopping point for your second night on Route 66. The motel is an Art Deco-Steamline Modern motel, and celebrities including Clark Gable have stayed here. We highly recommend this location, but you’ll want to book well in advance as there are only a handful of rooms.
• Best Budget Inn – This is a great budget option with good reviews. It’s no frills, and dates from 1955, although restoration work has taken place to bring it up to date.
• Shiloah Manor B&B – If you would like a romantic B&B option in Carthage, this is the option we suggest
• Quality Inn & Suites – Another great budget option with an indoor pool, fitness center, and included breakfast.

Day 3: Carthage – Clinton

We suggest you start the third day of your Route 66 itinerary by visiting Red Oak 2 . This is about a four mile backtrack, so if you have time on Day 2 you could also fit it in then.

Red Oak 2 is partly an art installation and partly a community where you will find a variety of old buildings from the surrounding area which have been relocated and restored. You are free to explore and look around here at the various building and art installations, but please do be respectful as people live and work here.

From Red Oak 2, head on to the town of Galena. On the way, you will pass through Joplin, which has a number of Route 66 era motels, signs, and stores.

The main attraction in Galena is the “Cars on the Route” gas station, a restored gas and service station which is home to the tow-truck which served as the inspiration for the character “Mater” in the Pixar Cars movies.

Note, the movies draw inspiration from many parts of the route, and there are many claims to connections, but the tow truck has been confirmed!

Galena is also your first stop in Kansas. Kansas only has 13 miles of Route 66, making this the shortest stretch of Route 66 in any of the eight states that the original Route passed through. The major town that the route passes through in Kansas is Baxter Springs, where you’ll find a Route 66 visitor centre.

This is in a restored Phillips 66 station and is worth stopping at. Kansas is also home to Riverton General Store, which dates from 1925, and which is a good place to stop for a snack or drink.

From Baxter Springs we suggest rejoining Interstate 44 where you’ll head down into your fourth state of the Route – Oklahoma!

There are a number of great stops in Oklahoma, but as we don’t have an infinite amount of time, we suggest you head straight down to the Giant Blue Whale in Catoosa. This is one of the more recognisable and photographed stops in Oklahoma, and consists of a large blue whale which was once part of a larger attraction.

Now it’s largely used as a swimming area and photo stop.

From Catoosa you’ll head into Tulsa, where there are a number of attractions and photo stops, including Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza. This has a number of Route 66 related installations, including flags of all the Route 66 states and various bronze statues including a car driven by Will Rogers.

If you are hungry, Tulsa is home to a variety of eateries, including Hank’s Hamburgers, which has been serving burgers and malts since 1949. Another favourite is Ike’s Chili, which has been in existence since 1908!

If you want to photograph some murals, head on to Sapulpa, about 20 minutes from Tulsa, where you’ll find a number of old murals, some of which date from Route 66 times. The Sapulpa Historical Museum is also excellent.

From Sapulpa, continue on to Chandler. Chandler is home to a variety of attractions, including the Route 66 Interpretative Centre and the Lincoln County Museum of Pioneer History . However, our suggestion is to make a beeline for McJerry’s Route 66 Gallery .

This is owned and run by Jerry McClanahan, a local artist and lover of Route 66, who is also the author of the fantastic EZ 66 Guide . This is without doubt the best and most accurate printed guide for travellers looking to follow Route 66 as faithfully as possible, and is the book we used on our Route 66 journey.

If Jerry is in, you can meet him, peruse and buy some of his artworks, and talk about all things Route 66 related. We loved meeting Jerry when we drove the Route, and the artwork we bought from him is a lovely memento of our trip. He also kindly signed our EZ66 Guide!

Next, head on to the town of Arcadia. Here you’ll find the Round Barn , an unusual farming structure which dates from 1898, as well as the POPS soda store . This is a newer Route 66 attraction which has a huge soda bottle outside the front, and all kinds of soda for sale inside. You can also eat here.

Finally, head on to Clinton, where we recommend you spend your third night on Route 66.

Where to stay in Clinton

Clinton does not have any classic Route 66 locations that are a must-stay, but there are a good range of motels and hotels to choose from.

• La Quinta Inn & Suites Clinton Historic Route 66 – This is a well-rated 3-star chain property. Breakfast included.
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites  – Another well-reviewed 3-star property.
• Super 8 Motel – This is a well-rated budget option.
• Trade Winds Motel – Whilst this is the most authentic Route 66 option, with celebrities like Elvis Presley said to have stayed here on several occasions, reviews are mixed, so you might want to inspect the room before staying.

Day 4: Clinton – Tucumcari

Today you’re going to drive into New Mexico, your fifth state on Route 66, and you’ll be overnighting in the town with some of the most famous Route 66 motels that are still in operation.

First though, we suggest you start be exploring what Clinton has to offer, in case you didn’t have a chance on your previous day. Clinton is home to the Clinton Route 66 Museum as well as the Mohawk Lodge Indian Store.

In operation since the 1940’s, this store is a good option if you’re looking for Native American goods and history.

Now it’s time to hit the road, and continue blazing your trail west.

Your first stop today is going to be at Elk City, home to the National Route 66 Museum Complex . This is an excellent Route 66 museum, and one we can highly recommend visiting.

Now, as you continue west, it’s time to leave Oklahoma behind and enter your fifth state of Route 66 – Texas!

As you drive west, you’re going to notice that the landscape starts to change. Towns are going to feel further apart, and the greenery of the eastern states will be replaced by more arid, desert-like landscapes.

This section of the route from Texas through to the edge of California is one of my favourite parts of the drive, with those big wide open skies that make for a fantastic road trip experience.

There are a number of stops along this stretch of the route that are worth stopping at. The town of Shamrock is home to a lump of the actual Blarney Stone (the rest of the stone can be found at Blarney Castle in Ireland).

It’s said that if you kiss the stone you will be given the “gift of the gab”, or in other words, the ability to smooth talk your way through any situation.

Shamrock is also home to the Pioneer West Museum, and a restored Magnolia Gas Station, which are within a block of the Blarney Stone.

From Shamrock, you’ll want to head to the town of McLean, which is home to the Texas Route 66 Museum and Devil’s Rope Museum . This is one of my favourite quirky museums on Route 66, and it’s dedicated to “Devil’s Rope” – more commonly known as barbed wire.

As the name suggests, there’s also a section of the museum dedicated to Route 66 and other local history artifacts.

From McLean, continue heading west until you get to the city of Amarillo. This has a number of historic buildings along the Route 66-Sixth street historic district, and is also well known for two other attractions.

The first of these is an art installation called Cadillac Ranch. This dates from 1974, so is a post-Route 66 attraction, but the colourful upended cadillacs buried in the dirt here make for a fun photo opportunity.

The other must-see attraction is the Big Texan Steak Ranch .

By this point in your drive, you’ll likely be familiar with the Big Texan Steak Ranch, as there are advertising billboards promising you a free 72oz steak stretching for hundreds of miles along the Route in both directions. Of course, there is some fine print – you have to eat the entire steak meal in under an hour to get it for free!

We didn’t tackle the challenge, but we have eaten at the Big Texan twice, and we think it’s an experience everyone needs to have. It also has a great history, and was originally located on Route 66, although it was moved to a more prime location off I-40 in the 1970s.

After Amarillo, continue along the I-40 until you get to Vega, where we recommend a short stop to visit Dot’s Mini Museum. Again, this is one of those quirky Route 66 attractions which is a bit odd, but worth a short stop.

It’s essentially one person’s collection of random things throughout the years. It’s free to visit, but donations are appreciated and be respectful as this is on someone’s private property.

Rejoin the I-40 for a short journey until you get to the town of Adrian. Adrian is famous with Route 66 travellers as it is the self-proclaimed midpoint of the Route. You’re half way there!

Ok, so Route 66 changed its exact route many times over the years, meaning it’s quite tricky to pin down an exact midpoint, as this would have changed over the years.

Still, it is definitely thought to be in the region between Vega and Adrian, and there’s a nice sign in Adrian at the Midpoint Cafe, so this works for us. It’s a great photo opportunity, and you can also grab food or pick up souvenirs here.

From Adrian, you’re going to carry on the I-40, leave Texas, and enter your sixth Route 66 state of your road trip – New Mexico!

Our last stop for the day is Tucumcari. In the heyday of Route 66, Tucumcari was one of the most popular towns to overnight in, and today it is home to more surviving Route 66 era motels than anywhere else on the Route.

There are also some great eating options in Tucumcari, including Kix on 66 (great for breakfasts and diner food in general), Watson’s BBQ, Del’s Restaurant (a Route 66 classic since 1956) and La Cita, which serves Mexican food.

Other highlights of your time in Tucumcari will include the plethora of neon signs that light up the streets at night (it’s worth taking a walk or drive down the main street to see them all). We can also advise making time to visit Tee-Pee curios, a souvenir shop found inside a giant concrete Tee Pee, as well as the local  Route 66 Museum .

Where to Stay in Tucumcari

We really recommend booking in advance to make sure you get the motel you want in Tucumcari. Whilst you should be able to find a room (there are over 1,000 rooms in the town), the more popular motels do tend to sell out quite far in advance.

If you have a particular property you want to stay in, you should definitely book it.

• Blue Swallow Motel – Opened in 1939 this family-owned motel is one of the most iconic motels on Route 66. We stayed here on our second visit to Tucumcari and absolutely loved the vintage 1940’s/1950’s themed rooms, and the gorgeous neon sign. Note that this sells out well in advance, so definitely book early.
• Historic Route 66 Motel – This was the first motel we stayed at in Tucumcari. It’s a recently updated 1963 Route 66 motor court motel which offers aviation themed decor. There’s also a coffee shop on site.
• Motel Safari – This is another Route 66 era motor court, and even if you don’t stay here, you should come take a look at their classic neon sign in the evening. This one dates from 1959 and offers retro decor with modern furnishings.
• Road Runner Lodge – a classic well reviewed motel with a 1960s theme that extends to its own 1960s radio station! Ensuite rooms are air conditioned and there’s free private parking on site.
• Desert Inn – This is a more modern and well-reviewed 3 star motel which includes features like a hot tub, a fitness center, and free continental breakfast.

Day 5:  Tucumcari – Gallup

Today you’re going to drive right across the rest of the state of New Mexico, which has fantastic landscapes and miles and miles of beautiful open road to enjoy. You’re going to see a lot today, including the only place where Route 66 crosses itself! Let’s get started with Day 5 of our Route 66 itinerary.

Once you’ve finished exploring everything you want to see in Tucumcari, continue heading west. From Tucumcari to Santa Rosa, you will primarily pass a number of what are now largely ghost towns, many of which have abandoned Route 66 era buildings.

We suggest however that you press on until Santa Rosa, where you will find the Route 66 Auto Museum . From here, continue on towards Albuquerque. We can recommend a stop at the Flying C Ranch . This is a large rest stop with a variety of services, owned by the Bowlin family who have been providing services to travellers in this region for over 100 years.

A similar resting point can be found in Clines Corners, where Roy Cline opened a rest stop in 1937 to serve Route 66 travellers.

After this, you’re going to find yourself arriving into Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city. This is home to the annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta , and there are also many Route 66 sights to be found here.

These include murals, diners, shops and signs. In fact, there are so many Route 66 attractions in Albuquerque that we wrote a whole guide to Route 66 in Albuquerque .

We’ve visited this city a number of times, and Jess used to live here, so we’ve also put together a guide to things to do in Albuquerque  and where to eat in Albuquerque .

Back to Route 66. Albuquerque was the location of a number of Route 66 alignments, and in fact, two of these alignments actually cross each other in the city. So you can stand at the crossroads of Route 66 and Route 66! This is found at the intersection of 4th Street and Central Avenue in downtown.

If you are hungry at this point, there are some great Route 66 themed and Route 66 era dining options. Some of our favourites include Lindy’s (dating from 1929), the Dog House drive-in (a long time Route 66 favourite) and the 66 Diner .

The latter only dates from 1987, but is found in a former 1940’s gas station and is fully Route 66 themed!

Continuing on from Albuquerque, we can recommend a stop at Rio Puerco, where you can see and walk across a 1933 bridge which would have been part of Route 66. Just near here is the Route 66 Casino , which is a themed casino you might enjoy stopping at if you’re feeling lucky!

From here you will pass a number of towns which were popular Route 66 stops, but have since faded somewhat. One that is definitely worth a stop is Cubero, where you might want to visit the Villa de Cubero trading post. This sells a variety of supplies, snacks and souvenirs and it’s believed that Ernest Hemingway stayed the night here.

The next major town along is Grants, which is home to a number of Route 66 era motels and signs, as well as a mining museum. However, time is likely to be against you by this point, so we advise pressing on towards the Continental Divide.

The Continental Divide marks the point where water  drains into either the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Once you cross the continental divide going west, you are on the side where rainwater will run into the Pacific ocean.

It’s a fun location for a photo opportunity, and there are some signs explaining the geography as well.

Finally, the last stretch of driving will bring you to the town of Gallup, close to the border of Arizona, and where we suggest you spend your fifth night on Route 66.

Where to Stay in Gallup

There’s a variety of accommodation options in Gallup.

• El Rancho Hotel & Motel – Dating back to 1937, this is a Route 66 landmark which has played host to numerous celebrities. This would be our pick for authentic Route 66 accommodation in Gallup.
• Sands Motel – a basic but classic Route 66 motel with a well known sign.
• Hilton Garden Inn Gallup – A good mid-range option in Gallup. There’s a restaurant on site, an indoor pool and a fitness centre.
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites East – This is a well-reviewed hotel that includes breakfast. There’s also a pool.
• Econo Lodge Gallup – At the budget end of the scale, this is a well-rated motel with all the basic amenities you should need.

Day 6: Gallup – Seligman

Today you’re going to be entering your seventh state on the Route, as well as having the opportunity to drive the longest surviving stretch of Route 66.

Arizona is very much associated with Route 66, and there’s a lot to see in the state relating to the mother road. In fact, if you were only to drive one stretch of Route 66, we’d suggest Arizona would be the state to visit.

The first stop on your adventure in Arizona will be the Petrified Forest National Park , where you can also see the Painted Desert. The Petrified Forest is home to a large number of fossilised trees, and the colourful landscapes of the painted desert make it a worthy detour for photos.

The Petrified Forest was a popular stop for Route 66 drivers, and an original section of the Route used to run through the park. Whilst this no longer exists, there is a rusting old car here that makes for a nice photo opportunity.

There are of course hiking trails and other wilderness activities available here, but given your limited time, we suggest you just drive through the park, pick a couple highlights from the visitor map, and then head on into Holbrook.

Holbrook has a number of fun and quirky Route 66 attractions. If you’re looking for souvenirs, you might consider either the Rainbow Rock Stop or Stewart’s Petrified Wood Shop. These two locations are also home to various giant statues.

You may also want to drive by Holbrook’s famous Wigwam Motel . Here you’ll find large concrete teepee’s that have been operating as a motel since 1950.

From Holbrook, you will continue west until you come to two of the Route’s more famous trading posts. The first of these is the Geronimo Trading Post, which is home to what is claimed to be the world’s largest petrified log. It is certainly very big!

The next stop is one of the most iconic signs on Route 66 – the “Here it is!” sign at the Jack Rabbit  Trading Post. This was well known in the Route 66 era as there were many signs along the highway in both directions promising a wonderful experience to anyone who stopped by. Many of these signs still exist along the route.

We definitely recommend stopping here for a photo of the sign, and dropping in to buy something to support the trading post as well.

Your next stop is going to be the town of Winslow. This was made famous by the Eagles, whose 1972 song “Take it Easy” features the lyrics “I’m a standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”.

The town has very much embraced this song, and there are multiple references to it throughout the town. The most obvious of these is at the corner (of course!) of Kinsley & Second Streets, where you’ll find a mural depicting events in the song, as well as a statue and sign.

There’s a lot more to see in Winslow from Route 66, including old gas stations, signs, motels, and cafes. If you are hungry, we can recommend a stop at the 1955 Route 66 era roadside diner, the Falcon Restaurant & Lounge, at 1113 E. 3rd Street.

After Winslow you will pass the remains of two former Route 66 attractions, Twin Arrows and Two Guns. These were famous stops for travellers on the Route, but they have long been abandoned and left to decay with no much left today.

You will then come to Flagstaff, the largest city on the Route today. This was home to multiple variants of the Route 66 route, and there are numerous reminders of Route 66 throughout the city. We would suggest a visit to the historic 19th century downtown area would be a good option in Flagstaff.

Food wise, there are a number of Route 66 era dining options, including Miz Zip’s, the Grand Canyon Cafe, and Galaxy Diner.

From Flagstaff, you will head on to Williams. If you are planning a detour to the Grand Canyon (we suggest adding a day or two to your itinerary if so), Williams is where you will do this, as the south entrance to the park is only about a 70 minute drive from Williams.

Williams was the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by the Interstate, and there are a number of Route 66 era businesses still in operation that you can visit. The Route 66 Gas Station Museum is also well worth a visit.

After Williams, you will pass Ash Fork, home to the Ash Fork Route 66 Museum , which you can stop at if you have time.

Just after Ash Fork you will find exit 139 of the I-40, which leads you onto the longest surviving stretch of Route 66. This is 159 miles long, and is very much worth the drive – it’s one of our favourite stretches of the whole route.

This stretch is also where you could detour to do the epic Havasu Falls hike . You’ll want to plan ahead for that, and expect to spend at least two nights / three days doing it.

Finally, the sixth day of your Route 66 itinerary will have you arriving into the town of Seligman, where we suggest you spend the night. Seligman has many historical buildings, and has fully embraced Route 66, with lots of shops, cafes, and quirky stores to visit.

For food, there are a number of good options. If you arrive late, the Black Cat Bar is likely your best option for late night snacks, as it is one of the few places open after 9pm. Another great Route 66 option is Delgadillo’s Snow Cap which opened in 1953.

Where to stay in Seligman

Seligman has some fantastic authentic Route 66 era motels to choose from. Here are our picks for your stay.

• Deluxe Inn – Found next door to the popular Roadkill Cafe, this is a well-rated and good-value motor court motel which dates from the 1930’s.
• Stagecoach 66 Motel – Featuring themed rooms, this 1960’s era motel (originally called the Bill Mar Den Motel) offers basic accommodation for a good price.
• Supai Motel – Dating from 1952, this is a well-reviewed vintage Route 66 era motel. Continental breakfast is included.
• Historic Route 66 Motel – Another vintage motel with themed rooms found next to the Roadkill Cafe. This 1950’s era motel doesn’t take online reservation s-  Call +1 928-422-3204 for a room.

Day 7: Seligman – San Bernardino

Your last full day on Route 66 has you entering the final state of your road trip, and almost completing the route. If you are pressed for time, you could actually drive the remainder of the route today, but we think there’s a lot to see today, so finishing on the eighth day is a better option.

From Seligman, we suggest continuing along on the longest stretch of Route 66, which you will follow all the way to Topock, near Needles. Whilst this will be slower than the Interstate, this is by far one of the best preserved and most impressive stretches of old Route 66 you can drive today, and we think it is worth taking a bit of time to enjoy it.

There are a number of highlights along the way which are worth a stop. First of these is the town of Truxton, where there are a number of Route 66 buildings, as well as what was once the Frontier Motel and restaurant.

The next stop is the city of Kingman, home to the Arizona Route 66 Museum . There are also other buildings and Route 66 signs. We can also recommend Mr D’z Route 66 Diner in Kingman if you need a refreshment stop. This dates from 1938.

The next section of Route 66 is particularly scenic, with the road winding over the hills. Sitgreaves Pass is a good spot for a photo opportunity (there’s a pull out at the top of the pass), and you can reflect as to how tricky this winding stretch of the route must have been for drivers in times gone by.

Oatman is the next stop on your itinerary. This former gold mining town is famous for it’s daily wild west shows, as well as the live burros which wander the streets.

Whilst these attractions didn’t exist during the Route 66 times, they certainly are in keeping with the sort of thing Route 66 travellers would have expected to see along the Route, and it’s worth stopping off to explore for a little while here.

From Oatman you will continue on to Topock, the last town in Arizona. Here you’ll cross the Colorado River and enter California!

The first city you’ll come to in California is Needles. This is famous as being one of the hottest places in the USA, and when we visited it was 110 degrees F. Needles has some nice murals as well as a number of vintage motels and signs.

From Needles, you’re going to be driving through the incredible landscape of the Mojave Desert.

Travelling today in our vehicles with air conditioning and comfortable suspension, it is hard to imagine how difficult this part of the Route must have been in cars that were often well past their prime, and which had already made a valiant effort to get this far.

If you have the time, you will definitely want to detour off the I-40 at Exit 115 to follow the original Route 66 through some of the old towns that have long been forgotten by the majority of passing motorists. These include Chambles, Amboy, and Bagdad.

Amboy is home to Roy’s Motel and Cafe . This was an iconic Route 66 stopping point where there’s a giant and often photographed sign. The location dates from 1938, and today there is a gas station, a gift shop and some cold snacks and coffee. The motel is no longer operational.

There’s nothing really left of Bagdad any more, although there was once a popular cafe here known as the Bagdad Cafe. The next town along, Ludlow, has a cafe, gas station and motel.

Back on the I-40 and you’ll pass Newberry Springs which also has a number of attractions, including the location of the new Bagdad Cafe. This is a popular stopping point as it’s the filming location for a 1987 German film called Bagdad Cafe.

The next major stopping point is the city of Barstow. This is the home of the  Route 66 Mother Road Museum . There are also a number of vintage motels, Route 66 era signs and businesses.

From San Bernadino you will pass through a number of towns that have surviving Route 66 businesses, although you will likely be running out of time by this point. We’d suggest, if you have time, that a stop at the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville would be worth it.

Finally, your seventh day of Route 66 adventure will bring you to San Bernardino, where you will spend the final night of your grand USA road trip. This is a city in its own right which marks the beginning of the Greater LA region. It’s also famous as being the location of the world’s first McDonald’s restaurant, which is now a museum .

Where to stay in San Bernardino, CA

• Wigwam Motel – Dating from 1949, this is one of the two Wigwam Motels that are still available on Route 66. The TeePees here are also concrete, but they come with private bathrooms and are comfortable if basic.
• Homewood Suites – This is a good mid-range option that features comfortable rooms, many of which have kitchens and sitting areas. Breakfast is included, and there’s an outdoor swimming pool.
• Hampton Inn & Suites – This is a chain hotel with favourable reviews. Rooms are comfortable, and some have refrigerators and microwaves. Breakfast is included and there’s also a pool.
• Econo Lodge – If you’re looking for a budget option, this is a basic motel. Recent reviews have been mixed.

Day 8: San Bernardino – Los Angeles

It’s your last day of your Route 66 adventure! To be honest, this will be quite a short day, as the idea is that you will be able to return your vehicle if you have hired one, and catch a flight home. Or take time to explore Los Angeles or continue your road trip adventure – maybe along the Pacific Coast Highway ?

The main highlight of today is reaching the end of the road. Much like the beginning of Route 66, we have to admit that this is somewhat underwhelming. The original end of Route 66 was at 7th and Broadway in downtown LA. This was then moved to the intersection of Lincoln and Olympic boulevards in Santa Monica.

As neither of these locations has anything exactly going for it that marks the end of such an epic adventure, the Route 66 Alliance decided that a more fitting end to the Route would be Santa Monica pier, where you basically can’t drive any further.

As such, there’s an “End of the Trail” sign on Santa Monica pier, and this is where we suggest you drive to complete the route. The sign also has a gift shop, and you can stop off here for a photo and to buy souvenirs. The nearby beach is also lovely, and you’ll find the grave stone for Will Rogers nearby.

Map of Route 66 Itinerary

You made it! To help you visualise the route, we’ve put all the major highlights mentioned above from road trip itinerary into a map, which you can also see on Google Maps here .

Route 66 Itinerary Overview

Here’s a quick overview of this 1 week Route 66 itinerary for reference.

• Day 1: Chicago – St. Louis
• Day 2: St Louis – Carthage
• Day 3: Carthage – Clinton
• Day 4: Clinton – Tucumcari
• Day 5:  Tucumcari – Gallup
• Day 6: Gallup – Seligman
• Day 7: Seligman – San Bernardino
• Day 8: San Bernardino – Los Angeles

Practicalities for Driving Route 66

We have a complete planning guide for Route 66 , which we suggest you read through before tackling the Route, as it is very comprehensive. However, we also wanted to share some quick tips for your trip as part of this itinerary.

Some of the sections below include tips for useful products you might need for driving the route, including guidebooks and maps. We’ve put these, plus some more recommendations, all together in one list to make it easier. You can see that by clicking here .

Booking Accommodation on Route 66

For each day of this Route 66 itinerary we have suggested accommodation options. We definitely recommend booking in advance if you can for your trip, especially if there are specific properties you want to stay at.

Whilst there are generally plenty of options, the more iconic motels can book out far in advance, especially in the busier summer months. If you’re interested in staying in an iconic motel or hotel from the heyday of the Route, check out our guide to all the historic Route 66 motels and hotels along the route that you can still stay in.

We’ve also provided links to how to book each hotel. While many of this properties are on booking sites like Booking.com , the smaller motels may not be, so you might have to either contact them directly by phone or e-mail.

Don’t forget to also check out other booking sites, including AirBnB, as well as some of our favourite alternatives to AirBnB .

Car and RV Rental on Route 66

Route 66 is a road trip, so naturally you are going to need a car if you plan to drive! If you are from the USA, you might already have your own car of course. Just bear in mind that this is a one way road trip, and so you will have to drive back to wherever you have originally started from.

If you’d prefer not to do that, or are travelling from outside the USA, then you have a number of options for renting a vehicle for Route 66, which I’ll go through below.

Renting a vehicle in the USA is similar to rental in other countries. Most rental firms will require you to be at least 21 years of age, and there is often an additional fee if the driver is under 25. You will likely need a driving license printed in Latin characters, ideally English, however different rental companies will have different conditions.

If this is your first time driving in the USA, we highly recommend taking some time to read our guide to driving in the USA , which has lots of tips to help you plan.

Route 66 Car Rental

First of all, you can rent a normal car in a size to suit. Just be aware that if you plan on doing a one way rental (picking the car up in one place and dropping it off somewhere else), car rental companies will charge an additional fee.

For one way rentals in the USA, we often find Enterprise to be the best value. You can check prices with them here .

Of course, there are lots of other options. If you want to compare prices on car rentals across a range of providers, then we use and recommend Discover Cars . Just be aware that when comparing prices using a comparison service, they sometimes forget to add the one-way fee.

Naturally, we appreciate that as Route 66 is an iconic USA road trip, you may want to drive it in an iconic vehicle such as a Chevrolet Corvette or Ford Mustang. These will usually carry a price premium.

Whilst some of the major car rental firms will have these vehicles as an option, you may also want to look at car rental companies that specialize in classic car rentals such as Ride Free .

Route 66 Motorbike Rental

If you want to ride a motorbike, this is also an option for Route 66 of course! We’d advise looking at specialist Route 66 rental companies like   Eagle Rider  and  Ride Free .

Route 66 RV Rental

Finally, Route 66 can also be done in an RV, also known as a campervan. Again, you will want to hire from a firm that allows for one way rentals, and which has offices in both Chicago and LA.

Our recommendation is to compare prices across a range of providers using a company like Motorhome Republic , so you can find the right vehicle and price for your. You can see their US listings here .

Taking a Tour of Route 66

If you love the idea of Route 66, but don’t love the idea of planning everything,  you might consider a tour instead.

Most tours take around two weeks to do the route. Check out these options:

• A 16 day tour from Chicago to LA
• Another 16 day tour from Chicago to LA

There are other tours which are guided, although these usually only follow a part of the Route, or include a part of Route 66 in a much larger tour. You can see more Route 66 tour options here .

Safety on Route 66

We didn’t have any problems travelling Route 66, however you should always be vigilant when travelling and practice basic safety precautions like keeping your valuables out of sight.

The larger cities in the USA certainly have their crime problems, as with anywhere in the world, whilst you will find that smaller towns tend to have low crime rates.

How to Find Route 66

Route 66 is a bit of a strange one, because it doesn’t exist anymore as a single road. So whilst some sections of the route do have markers and signs, you can’t follow these reliably and expect to get from Chicago to Los Angeles!

Our suggestion for our itinerary is to take each day as it comes, to pick the attractions each day that you want to see, and to navigate between them using good navigation software like Google Maps, or a dedicated GPS unit. Also recommend having a good USA Atlas like this in the car.

If you want to really follow the Route faithfully, at least in part, then we highly recommend picking up a copy of the EZ66 Guide for Travelers . This is the best Route 66 book available as a navigation aid, and is one we strongly recommend for all Route 66 adventurers!

Money on Route 66

Being in the USA, the currency along Route 66 is obviously the US dollar. The majority of shops and businesses along the route accepted credit cards in our experience, however there is a small minority where cash is preferred or are cash only, so we recommend travelling with some USD cash as well.

There are ATM’s along the route in the major towns and cities, but not always in the smaller towns, so we suggest getting some dollar bills before you start.

Power on Route 66

The USA uses a 120 Volt electrical system. If you’re coming from abroad you need to check if your equipment supports this standard.

In our experience, most laptops and phone chargers will work (the adapter will have 100 – 240V marked on it), however high powered items like hair dryers, hair straighteners, and travel kettles will not.

Whilst voltage convertors are available, these tend to be heavy. So our advice would be just to get a dual voltage travel version of any item you particularly need, such as this hair dryer or these hair straighteners . Alternatively, you can pick up a cheap version of whatever it is you need in the country from somewhere like Walmart.

Plugs in the USA are for the most part a narrow two pin plug. If you’re coming from outside the USA where your equipment uses a different plug, you’ll need a travel adapter like this . See more on travel adapters and how to choose one for your trip in our guide to the best travel adapters .

We also advise travelling with a power strip. On Route 66 especially, the older motels don’t have many outlets. Something like this  would be good.

Route 66 Road Trip Music

Putting together a classic Route 66 soundtrack before you go is a fun way to prepare for your trip. Naturally, you’ll want to include one of the versions of “ Getting your Kicks on Route 66 “, we suggest the version by Asleep at the Wheel is a good option. We also think “ Take it Easy ” by the Eagles should make it onto your list!

Most rentals these days support either Bluetooth or USB connectivity, so you could load a playlist onto your device or a USB stick before you go, so you’re fully prepared!

Useful Route 66 Books

There are a number of books and maps which have been published to help you plan your Route 66 trip, many of which we bought prior to our adventure. From these, we recommend the following as the most useful for your trip.

• EZ66 Guide for Travelers by Jerry McClanahan – This is a turn-by-turn guide to the route and attraction highlights of Route 66. If you only buy one book for your Route 66 trip, you have to make it this one. We used this throughout our whole trip, and it was invaluable.
• Route 66 Adventure Handbook by Drew Knowles – Whilst not turn by turn, this is still an excellent guide to the Route, and it also provides a good overview of the majority of the roadside attractions along Route 66. It also has some motel and dining options.
• Here It Is! The Route 66 Map Series – This set of 8 hand-drawn maps (one for each state) provides both eastbound and westbound directions driving directions. In addition, the most popular attractions are listed on the map. To be honest, we found the EZ66 guide easier to follow, but we do like the maps as a memento of our adventure.

Further Reading for your Route 66 USA Road Trip

Well, we’re at the end of our Route 66 USA Road Trip itinerary! We hope you found this guide useful. Before you head onto the Route, we wanted to share some more resources that you might find useful when planning this trip.

• Our detailed guide to planning a Route 66 road trip
• As well as this one-week itinerary, we also have a detailed and comprehensive two week Route 66 itinerary . We suggest reading that too, even for a shorter trip as it has even more lodging, dining and attraction recommendations along the way!
• Speaking of lodging recommendations, check out our guide to all the best hotels and motels on Route 66 .
• If you’re looking for more photos to inspire you, we have a photo series from every state we visited on Route 66! You can see those here: Illinois Route 66 highlights ,  Missouri Route 66 highlights , Kansas Route 66 highlights , Oklahoma Route 66 highlights , Texas Route 66 highlights , New Mexico Route 66 highlights ,  Arizona Route 66 highlights and California Route 66 highlights
• As this is a road trip, you might find our guide to driving in the USA useful
• If you’re looking to put a budget together for Route 66, our guide to how much it costs to travel in the USA should help
• Route 66 is one of our favourite road trips . However, we also have guides to some other road trips in the USA, including a California road trip , a Pacific Coast Highway road trip , a Deep South road trip and a western USA road trip
• We also have lots more content on travelling in the USA , from city guides to travel tips. See our guides to spending 2 days in Chicago , Things to do in Savannah ,  Things to do in Charleston ,  Things to do in Albuquerque ,  Visiting New Orleans During Mardi Gras ,  Things to do in Cambria  and  Things to do in Santa Fe  to get started!

And that’s it! As always, if you have any feedback or questions about this post and taking a Route 66 road trip, just let us know in the comments below!

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There are 21 comments on this post

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Brandi says

7th February 2024 at 4:23 am

Love and appreciate this! My husband and I would love to be able to make this trip the right way but currently won’t have more than 9 days to do it in. This will help! We’re from the Tulsa, OK Area, so we’ll probably just head West from home. I also wanted to let you know that the bronze sculpture/statue, “East Meets West” in Tulsa, depicts Cyrus Avery, “The Father of Route 66” and his family in the car. Thanks for sharing!

Laurence Norah says

7th February 2024 at 3:08 pm

Hi Brandi – it’s our pleasure! We hope you have an amazing time on Route 66 and thanks for the info on the Tulsa statue 🙂 Safe travels!

Chongli Tang Bangs says

7th November 2022 at 10:19 am

Thanks so much for the in-depth wonderful article you turned out he re . God Bless You

7th November 2022 at 10:43 am

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!

Paul Dawson says

17th September 2022 at 4:51 pm

I’ve just done the entire trip, using this site as a principal guide. It was very useful. I hope the following serves some purpose.

1. The guide advocates using freeways to break the back of the mileage, and leaving time to explore the various attractions en route. We decided we would rather spend more time on 66 and less time on freeways and at the attractions.

2. Despite the slower speeds and longer mileage, we found we could cover the distances between the suggested stops easily enough in a day. Logistical issues meant that we did not always stay at the locations in the guide, but we got to Santa Monica without difficulty in the specified 8 days.

3. There were 4 of us, driving (i) a 1964 Triumph TR4 and (ii) a rented Nissan Rogue. Obviously we rotated cars and driving duties amongst ourselves and the general view was that the open-topped TR4 gave a much better sense of “being there” than the SUV. With hindsight, perhaps our rental car should also have been open-topped, but see the points 4 and 5.

4. En route to Clinton, OK, I developed serious eye-watering in the TR4. I am sure this was an allergic reaction to the local pollen. It recurred in shorter and less serious forms on a couple of later occasions. The enclosed space of the SUV was a great help in mitigating this.

5. We had not been too diligent about baggage. The TR4 could not take any and the rear seats of the SUV had to be folded down to accommodate it all. A rented convertible would obviously have much smaller baggage capacity.

6. I might repeat this at some point in the future, in which case I shall drive Santa Monica-Chicago. For a first-timer though, I would suggest driving westbound. The reason is a little subtle. From Chicago, the early part of the drive is soutwards and the changing latitudes mean changing landscapes. Across Arizona and California, the latitude is pretty constant and so is the landscape – basically desert full of sage brush. Someone starting in California might find the unchanging early landscape boring and give up. This would be a pity.

7. My final point is that four people in two cars was an excelent arrangement, although it doubled the transport costs. By regular switching, we developed strong bonding between the various pairs in the two cars. The group of 4 was together at meals and at the overnight stops. I would worry that four people in a single car all day long would begin to get on each other’s nerves.

19th September 2022 at 4:39 pm

Thank you so much for sharing this detailed feedback from your Route 66 experience. We’re sure it will help others, and we’re happy to hear our content helped with your trip as well!

Safe travels 🙂

Donna Harwood says

2nd April 2022 at 9:27 pm

Hi there and thanks so much for this great info. By any chance, do you have an easy way to ‘flip’ this trip? We are going to fly from Chicago to Los Angeles, rent a car and drive back to Chicago. I’m trying to juxtapose the trip but am confusing the heck out of myself! Great, great info. Thanks! Donna

3rd April 2022 at 10:31 am

So we have done the trip from LA to Chicago and appreciate your confusion. We don’t have an easy way to flip this itinerary unfortunately, other than working backwards through the content and creating your own trip. We do highly recommend the EZ66 Guide for Travelers by Jerry McClanahan, which does offer directions for going either way and is most useful.

Have a great trip, let me know if you have any other questions we can hopefully help more with!

25th June 2020 at 4:11 am

Im planning to leave from San Diego on the 12th of july and go for about 10 days. What is the best route you recommend to cover as much as possible? Route? Etc?

25th June 2020 at 9:55 am

This is a tricky question to answer as this will vary depending on your interests. Personally I love the wide open spaces and landscapes of the west, so would take more time over that stretch of the route. However, if you prefer to visit the small towns and attractions along the way, you may prefer a different focus. My suggestion would be to take a look at our longer 2 week Route 66 itinerary here , and then put together a route that combines your favourite parts of the two 🙂

Have a great trip!

Anthony says

21st January 2020 at 12:16 am

Hi Laurence and Jessica.

Thank you for this great guide. My wife and I plan to do this exact route in March for my 50th birthday trip. Just a quick question what time did you guys typically head out in the morning and approximately what time did you reach each destination in the evening.

21st January 2020 at 9:25 am

Hi Anthony,

Our pleasure! When we travel we try to leave our accommodation by 9am, and we usually prefer not to drive late into the evening where possible (driving at night means we can’t see the sights!), so normally aim to arrive between 5 and 7 if possible. Of course, this will vary depending on what we’re seeing in the day, but that’s the goal, and how we structure our itineraries.

Let me know if I can be of any more help, and have a great time on the Mother Road,

26th January 2020 at 2:15 am

Excellent, thank you..

Mnandi says

9th November 2019 at 11:36 am

Thank you so much for this amazingly helpful article. I’m form South Africa and my husband and I decided we want to visit the US next year and it’s been on our bucket lists to drive route 66. We only get 15 days off of work each year and the flights to and back from the US will probably be 2 days. Therefore the 2 week trip would not have worked for us, so THANK YOU for this.

I was wondering if you can give us some sort of budget. Especially in terms of accommodation, food, activities and fuel for the 8 days.

Thank you so much Kind regards

10th November 2019 at 12:08 pm

Our pleasure! So it’s hard to give a precise budget because everyone has a different travel style. What I would suggest is you take a look at our guide to how much it costs to travel in the USA , which should answer all your questions 🙂

Have an amazing trip!

Jax Welborn says

18th April 2019 at 9:57 pm

Wonderful write up/itinerary. Some how I was tagged on this tweet but my place is not mentioned or even my wonderful city, Waynesville, Missouri. Please stop by if you are on the Mother Road in Missouri again.

Safe travels.

Jax Welborn PicsbyJax LLC Route 66 Community Art Gallery Get Your Pics on Route 66 Souvenir Shop

19th April 2019 at 11:47 am

Thanks Jax! We did pass through and Waynesville is mentioned in our 2 week itinerary, but we unfortunately didn’t have time to stop and see your shop. Next time we will be sure to stop by though!

4th April 2019 at 7:22 pm

Can u do a detailed itinerary from Tulsa Oklahoma we’re looking at a week of driving tk u Cindi

4th April 2019 at 7:55 pm

Our suggestion would be to look at our 2 week itinerary, which covers the section you are interested in over about a week:

https://independenttravelcats.com/2-week-route-66-itinerary-ultimate-american-road-trip/

28th March 2019 at 12:33 am

Your blog looks interesting I was looking for something or someone that was writing about Rome and Paris on a train and I saw you guys but then I saw this Route 66 thing and because I live in Arizona and love to go to Flagstaff, I looked at your route 66 articles. This is the best town to visit in Arizona. I thought I’d see what you had to say about it and gosh I think you guys really missed the mark on Flagstaff you need to come back and spend some time in Flagstaff. You have no idea what a cool town it is and how many really really good food spots there are.

28th March 2019 at 12:39 pm

Thanks for your comment. We definitely would like to come back to Flagstaff to spend a bit more time to see what is on offer. Unfortunately, on a 1 week Route 66 itinerary, there isn’t a great deal of time to explore along the route in great depth. We did cover Flagstaff a bit more in our two week Route 66 itinerary , as in that post we include it as a stopover, and with two weeks there is a bit more time to see more.

Thanks for your comment and stopping by!

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Route 66 RV Parks That You Won’t Want To Miss

• Terri Nighswonger
• February 2, 2021
• 12 Comments

Table of Contents

Get Your Kicks RVing on Route 66

The historic U.S. Route 66, at 2,448 miles, is a must-see when traveling across the country. Of course, you will want to take your time, see the sites, and stop at a few Route 66 RV parks along the way.

History of Route 66

Starting in Chicago, Route 66 originally ran through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, California. 

U.S. 66 served as a primary route for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and the road supported the economies of the communities through which it passed.

In June 1985, it was officially removed from the United States Highway System and replaced by segments of the Interstate Highway System. Portions of the road that passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway with the name “Historic Route 66.”

Route 66 RV Parks That You Won’t Want to Miss

There is still plenty to see along the route and some great Route 66 RV sites as well. You might want to start your trip at Chicago’s Grant Park. This marks the eastern terminus of Route 66. Several relics of Route 66’s heyday remain near the park, including Route 66 signage and the Clarence Buckingham Memorial Fountain. The fountain has lights at night and live music is performed there as well. Alternatively, you may want to kick off your road trip from the western terminus in Santa Monica. 

Wherever you start your Route 66 RV adventure, these RV parks add to the fun.

1. St. Louis West/Historic Route 66 KOA – Eureka, Missouri

As you begin your journey, don’t miss this Route 66 RV park near St. Louis. The St. Louis West KOA offers spacious pull-through sites with full hookups. With lots of trees and a nearby creek, this park also offers an off-leash dog park, bike rentals, a basketball court, ping pong and more. Enjoy the natural hot springs spas, playground, or pickleball courts. Kids will love the heated pool, the gem mining station, and the jumping pillow.

Open year-round, this KOA is within 30 miles of downtown St. Louis and just one mile from Six Flags St. Louis and I-44. It is also close to other attractions such as the Gateway Arch, The Zoo in Forest Park, Missouri Botanical Garden, City Museum, Anheuser-Busch Brewery, and Grant’s Farm.

While you’re there, check out the “Chain of Rocks Bridge.” This famous bridge was a mile long and more than 60 feet above the Mississippi River . It is a significant landmark for travelers who drove down Route 66. Today, the bridge is linked to more than 300 miles of trails on both sides of the river and has become part of the Route 66 bikeway. It has also been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2006.

St. Louis West/Historic Route 66 KOA – Photo via RV LIFE Campgrounds

2. Springfield /Route 66 KOA – Springfield, Missouri

This Route 66 RV park offers the chance for visitors to explore landmarks throughout the city of Springfield, as well as many campground amenities.

This big-rig friendly campground offers a shady retreat in the heart of the Ozarks with long pull-thru sites and full hookups. Amenities include pickleball courts, bike rentals, a pool, playground, and camp store. Also enjoy the ice cream socials or let Fido run at Kamp K-9.

Check out the nearby lakes, golf course, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Wilson’s Creek Civil War Battlefield, Fantastic Caverns, the Dickerson Park Zoo, or the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Take a drive along Route 66 and see the historic Route 66 landmarks throughout the city. 

“Stayed just one night passing through area. We did not plan on the stay, so staff was nice and accommodating a last minute reservation. Easy to find of the interstate. They got us right in and led us to the pull-through site. Did not use many of the amenities. I will say that the site was gravel and level. Shaded. The entire campground looked clean and the facilities that we used were very clean. Individual bathrooms and showers that were close to us were very clean. Wifi was ok. From what we saw, there were things to do for the kids. We camped at Springfield / Route 66 KOA in a Motorhome.” –  RV LIFE Campgrounds user Mm1407  

Springfield /Route 66 KOA – Photo via RV LIFE Campgrounds

3. Big Red Barn RV Park – Carthage, Missouri

Big Red Barn RV Park is located right off the historic Route 66 (now I-44) in Southwest Missouri. The campground is open year-round with spacious pull-thru sites and full hookups. The sites include concrete patios, WiFi, cable TV, and access to their laundry and bathhouse facilities. 

History buffs will not want to miss the nearby Battle of Carthage Civil War Museum. The area also has several local restaurants with all types of cuisine from pizza and BBQ to burgers and Mexican food.

Big Red Barn RV Park – Photo via RV LIFE Campgrounds

4. Elk City / Clinton KOA – Canute, Oklahoma

Just off I-40 and halfway between Elk City and Clinton, this Route 66 RV park is also near two museums dedicated to all things Route 66. The National Route 66 Museum in Elk City is one of the most comprehensive with a journey through all eight states and plenty of memorabilia, including antique cars and Popeye memorabilia.

At the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, located in Clinton, you can learn about the road’s construction, see vehicles from the time period, and take part in interactive activities. At the end of the museum, you can stop by the drive-in theatre or check out the gift shop.

The Elk City / Clinton KOA has long, level sites with full hook-ups, a pool, camping kitchen, playground, and dog park. The campground is a short walk to Clinton Lake for sand bass and crappie fishing, as well as 11 miles from Foss Lake, known for bass fishing.

Nearby Lucky Star Casino and golf courses are a short distance away. Visit Stafford Air & Space Museum or Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, both within an hour’s drive. In season, you can dine on-site.

Elk City / Clinton KOA. Photo via RV LIFE Campgrounds

5. Texas Route 66 RV Park – Shamrock, Texas

Texas Route 66 RV Park is easy to access off the historic Route 66 (now Interstate 40) in the Texas Panhandle. They offer long, wide pull-through sites with full hookups, picnic tables, and free WiFi.

Other amenities include a camp store, dog run, play area, restrooms and showers, and laundry. Explore nearby Shamrock, Texas where there are many restaurants, historic sites, and notable attractions. 

Texas Route 66 RV Parks – Photo via RV LIFE Campgrounds

6. Amarillo KOA – Amarillo, Texas

Take a few days to enjoy the campground amenities and some great Route 66 historic venues near the Amarillo KOA . This family-friendly campground features well-groomed sites with full hook-ups and lots to see and do nearby.

Visit the gift store, take a limo ride to the World Famous Big Texas Steakhouse, or play ladder ball. Enjoy the KOA’s Western metal art displayed within the campground. Within a quarter mile of the campground, airplane enthusiasts can see Aviation Bluffs, featuring a wide variety of aircraft.

Be sure to wander the famous highway and see Cadillac Ranch, one of Route 66’s most popular attractions. The sculpture is made up of ten old Cadillacs, half buried nose down, standing as a monument to America’s “Golden Age of the Automobile.” Graffiti is encouraged with passersby allowed to leave their mark. Don’t miss the galleries, antique shops, and historic saloons in the Route 66 Historic District just west of downtown Amarillo.

Also check out the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum or drive to the bottom of the second largest canyon in the U.S. for hiking, biking, and Jeep or horseback rides. You can also see the musical drama “Texas” at the outdoor amphitheater in Palo Duro Canyon or visit the largest historical museum in Texas, the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.

Amarillo KOA. Photo via campgroundreviews.com

7. Route 66 RV Resort – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Located just outside Albuquerque, Route 66 RV Resort offers spacious sites with pickleball courts, a swimming pool, putting green, and an open-air kitchen with gas grills and plenty of picnic space. The Route 66 Casino Hotel is just steps away with its Route 66 themed memorabilia, casino games, entertainment venues, and nightclub.

Resort activities include the Amenity Center with a flat screen TV, billiards, card tables, exercise room, horseshoe pit, pickleball courts, volleyball court, and dog park. The Rally Barn features 16 picnic tables, a full outdoor kitchen with four gas grills, two sinks, and counter space for meal prep.

The Route 66 Casino hotel features a Vegas-style casino themed with Route 66 memorabilia and has 1,300 slot and video poker machines, table games, a 500-seat bingo hall, a dedicated poker room, five restaurants, five bars, a 2,800-seat indoor theater, a 154-room hotel, nightclub, convention center, and Kids Quest and Cyber Quest arcade.

Indulge in the world famous half-pound Laguna Burger, served up fresh daily at the 66 Pit Stop location at exit 140. Route 66 shuttles provide complimentary rides. 

Route 66 RV Resort. Photo via campgroundreviews.com

8. Holbrook/Petrified Forest KOA – Holbrook, Arizona

The Holbrook / Petrified Forest KOA is located right off Route 66 in Holbrook, AZ. Amenities include a camp store, dog walk, basketball court, volleyball court, playground, and fire pits. Enjoy a chuckwagon dinner or relax and enjoy a beautiful sunset.

If you are wanting to see the Petrified Forest or Painted Desert, this is the perfect place to stay. Fossils that are found here indicate that natives inhabited this land some 10,000 years ago. It was also home to creatures such as dinosaurs and other ancient life forms. These sites are about a 20-minute drive from the park. You can also take a day trip to the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Monument Valley or Fort Apache.

Stop at the Hubbell Trading Post on the Navajo Reservation or drive through Holbrook and see the Wigwam Motel, a museum of Historic Route 66 and the Hashknife Outfit, one of the west’s largest cattle ranches.

Holbrook KOA. Photo via campgroundreviews.com

9. Grand Canyon Railway RV Park – Williams, Arizona

The Grand Canyon Railway RV Park offers 134 spacious pull-through sites with full hookups. Amenities include a dog park, fitness trails, a camp store, pool, and playground. Located near the historic Grand Canyon Railway Station, visitors can catch the train into Grand Canyon National Park. It is also within walking distance of Goldie’s Route 66 Restaurant and the Grand Canyon Brewery.

Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In, still run by the original owner’s family, features Juan Delgadillo’s idea to lure visitors. He sliced off the top of his 1936 Chevrolet hardtop and adorned it with trinkets and an artificial Christmas tree. This restaurant takes on a funhouse vibe with fake doorknobs and outhouse bathrooms behind the building.

Photo via campgroundreview.com

10. Los Angeles/Pomona/Fairplex KOA – California

As your trip comes to an end, check out the Los Angeles/Pomona/Fairplex KOA with full hook-up sites, free Wi-Fi, a pool, hot tub, sauna, and tour shuttle to explore the area. Visit nearby Disneyland, Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios and more.

Downtown Los Angeles was the original western terminus of Route 66, but the route was extended to Santa Monica in 1935. A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the “End of the Trail” with a Ferris wheel, arcades, street performers, and plenty of restaurants and bars.

Also near the end of the route is the original McDonald’s Restaurant in San Bernardino. A museum marks the first restaurant. The restaurant does not serve the food that made it famous but showcases the rise of McDonalds from a small restaurant in the 1940s to what it is today.

Other features include a sign from the old McDonald’s a Hamburglar jail, Ronald McDonald Statues, and Route 66 plaques.

Plan your Route 66 road trip

Of course, there are plenty more Route 66 RV parks along this historic cross-country route. Plan your trip with the RV LIFE Pro tools to get RV-safe GPS directions and to find more campgrounds and points of interest along the way. You may also want to check out these 18 Kick-Ass Places To Visit On Route 66 highlighted by Do It Yourself RV .

Been to a campground lately? Don’t forget to  leave a review ! Reviews help other RVers like yourself, and they help the campground.  Leave a campground review today!

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One restaurant not to be missed is Del’s in Tucumcari

Shameful…The Needles, Ca KOA is wonderful. Camping yards from the original highway it is iconic route 66.

There are many other parks along Route 66, other than KOA. Give the independent parks some mention…..6 out of 10 were KOA. While we do like them, we give the others a chance t make us want to recommend them as well. We keep a trip journal and even include the site number we had.

I agree with Mike Bena; we do not stay at KOA’s much.

We have stayed one night in the Amarillo KOA. It is sandwiched between the Interstate, a busy railway just north of it, and a nearby airport.

I was surprised you didn’t mention oatmen az

How come my post was deleted? Because I had bad experiences with KOA SORRY I can’t agree with you on some of the campgrounds

The Los Angeles/Pomona/Fairflex KOA is, according to reviews, no longer a KOA. And, according to the reviews, it does not merit the designation “RV Parks you won’t want to miss.”

Thanks ! This would Bee a Great trip!

The KOA in Springfield is next to a train track and has a signal crossing. Very loud and not an asset. We like KOAs, but not this one.

The KOA in Amarillo is also noisy, but they are up front about it – train, helicopter facility, truck yard and airport – our stay was lucky as only the train was objectionable. Nice staff.

The KOA to the East of Elk city is noisy in the front – get a back of park site.

The Albuquerque KOA is a favorite. There is some traffic noise, but it is not objectionable. It works for us and we are a bit picky. The staff is very supportive. This is our GOTO.

There is a KOA on the East side of OKC. We found it by accident. Quiet and great staff. It’s a winner and our GOTO.

I know there’s been a bunch of KOA’s listed here, but if’n you’re running on Route 66, then a stay at SELIGMAN / ROUTE 66 KOA JOURNEY (N. Arizona) seems like a must stay (at least for a night). It’s a pretty basic park, and yes there’s a rail line near by, but Seligman is ground zero for the Pixar move Cars. Seligman is basically the genesis of Radiator Springs (the town in the movie).

https://www.travelinusa.us/seligman-route-66/

Apart from KOA, there’s a diverse array of parks that dot the landscape along Route 66. While KOA holds a notable presence with 6 out of 10 spots, we find it essential to shine a light on the independent parks that deserve recognition. While we do appreciate KOA, we believe that these other parks also hold the potential to capture our hearts and earn our endorsement. Our travel journal meticulously records each of these experiences, even down to the specific site numbers we occupied.

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DRIVING ROUTE 66

Welcome to driving route 66, your one-stop resource for planning the road trip of a lifetime, home of the route 66 trip planner.

Launched in 2010, our Route 66 Trip Planner allows you to plan your Route 66 road trip in either direction using the many listings as recommended by users of the Driving Route 66 community. You can filter the various Route 66 motels, hotels, attractions, restaurants and bars by state, according to type or even direction of travel!

We also have our own Route 66 Maps , Events , Route 66 Forum and, of course, our Route 66 Blog containing all manner of articles including frequently asked questions, hints & tips, and recommendations for the most unmissable Route 66 accommodation, bars & restaurants and sights & attractions. 

Driving Route 66 is a thriving community and we encourage you to Register in order to post in the forum, review our listings and comment on the blog.

Our mission is to help you plan the best Route 66 road trip imaginable!

The Driving Route 66 Travel Journal

The official full-colour travel journal from drivingroute66.com.

  From the Blog  

Top Tips for Renting a Motorcycle on Route 66

Haunting Beauty: 10 Ghost Towns of Route 66

The Evolution of Route 66's Starting Point: Tracing the Origins of an American Icon

Highly Recommended Route 66 Motels - Part 1

10 Top Neon Signs on Route 66

5 Tips to Keep Comfortable When Driving Route 66

10 Essential Route 66 Photo Opportunities

5 Top Route 66 Side-Trips

  places to stay  .

HI Chicago Hostel, Chicago

Best Western Pony Soldier Inn and Suites, Flagstaff

The State House Inn, Springfield

Wigwam Motel, Holbrook

Grants KOA Campground, Grants

Rest Haven Court, Springfield

Roadrunner Lodge, Tucumcari

The El Rey Court, Santa Fe

  things to see  .

Gary’s Gay Parita, Ash Grove

Route 66 Museum, Lebanon

Navy Pier, Chicago

360 Chicago, Chicago

Odell Station, Odell

Bunyon Giant, Atlanta

Lincoln’s Tomb, Springfield

Lauterbach Giant, Springfield

  food & drink  .

Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket, Willowbrook

The Dog House Drive In, Albuquerque

Pops, Arcadia

Judy's Place, Devils Elbow

Cozy Dog Drive-In, Springfield

Pappy's Smokehouse, St Louis

Tally's Good Food Café, Tulsa

Boomarang Diner, Chandler

North America

Pre-Planned Motorhome Holiday along Route 66

From: £5875

Experience legendary Route 66 on our 21-day motorhome adventure from Chicago to Los Angeles. Travel through eight states, three time zones and over 2,500 miles!  

To make it easy, we've included stays in pre-booked camp sites in convenient locations. This frees up your time to savour the journey and delight in the history, stories and the people that make America's Mother Road such a fascinating glimpse back in time. 

  Per person price includes :

• Flights UK to Chicago/home from Los Angeles
• Chicago hotel for three nights
• Motorhome hire with unlimited mileage, insurance, vehicle kits and one-way drop fee 
• Pre-booked motorhome sites for 17 nights

Days 1 - 3 : Chicago

Every Route 66 journey starts in Chicago. The road originally began in 1926, although parts of the highway have been in existence since 1857 when the US War Department ordered a government-funded wagon road across the desert. Later the Lone Star Route connected Chicago and St. Louis and the National Old Trail Roads traced a path between St Louis and Los Angeles. Ultimately all these roads were connected into one to become Route 66.  Today, you can stand right where the original begins on E. Adams Street .  

Chicago is the perfect blend of a cosmopolitan city and friendly mid-western town. Discover the city on a river boat trip, enjoy the views from its legendary skyscrapers or take a walk on the wild side and delve into the city's dark past on a mobster tour.

Days 4 - 5 : Springfield, Illinois

After an orientation session collect your motorhome you're ready to get your kicks on Route 66!

As you set off, the icons of Route 66 will start to appear.  Just under half way, stop in Pontiac for the first of many Route 66 museums and Pontiac’s famous murals depicting the history of the region.

Springfield is the capital of Illinois and home to Abraham Lincoln. Head to the iconic Cozy Dog Drive-In and then enjoy the latest release in the Route 66 Drive-In movie theatre - yes, motorhomes are allowed in!

Day 6 : Lebanon, Missouri

Explore years of Route 66 history and memorabilia at Henry’s Rabbit Ranch and the Pink Elephant Antique Mall. Journey to where Lewis & Clark started their great adventure at the Lewis & Clark State Historic Site and Confluence Tower.  

Cruise into Missouri via the historic Martin Luther King Memorial Bridge. St Louis' Gateway Arch, the tallest arch in the world, is the perfect first stop with spectacular views of the mighty Mississippi River. Bon Voyage would be delighted to pre-book your journey to the top to save you queuing. 

From St Louis, cruise past Meramec Caverns and the city of Cuba - known as 'Mural City'. The 12 large murals depict the history of the town from the mid-1850s. In Lebanon, the town library is home to a terrific Route 66 Museum. In the evening check out the award winning southern deep-fried catfish at Dowd's Catfish & BBQ stop.

Days 7 - 8 : Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Stop at Carthage home of the Jasper County Courthouse, featured in the Back to the Future movies, before you swing by Iggy's Diner for a traditional root beer float. Once in Oklahoma City, head to historic Bricktown for live music and mouth-watering BBQ.

Day 9 : Amarillo, Texas

Oklahoma State boasts the longest stretch of Route 66 and the National Route 66 Museum at Elk City is definitely worth a stop. From there, it’s welcome to Texas – the Lone Star State.

Amarillo's downtown historic district is full of antique shops, Wild-West stores and arts galleries. Follow a stroll around the area with a cold beverage with the cowboys in the Golden Light Roadhouse!

Days 10 - 11 : Santa Fe, New Mexico

A must stop before you leave Texas is the quirky Cadillac Ranch – an art installation made of old Cadillacs where you're encouraged to leave your spray paint mark! From there you're nearly at the half-way point of Route 66 at the tiny town of Adrian, Texas. Stop at the Midpoint Café here for road snacks and souvenirs.

Then it’s over the border to New Mexico, referred to as The Land of Enchantment . Santa Fe is the capital city of the state and the oldest in the USA. Delve into the art galleries, visit museums and enjoy the colourful markets in this historic city. In the evening head to The Plaza for live music, great bars and people watching. 

Days 12 - 13 : Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque is home to the longest urban stretch of Route 66 and is brimming with nostalgia. Stroll through Old Town’s narrow streets and old adobe homes for authentic New Mexican eateries and local artisans selling jewellery, rugs and pottery. Take to the sky for views over the city on the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway. Climbing over 10,000 feet into the Sandia Mountains, it’s an ideal spot for sunset. Learn about the history of the city at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Museum, or take a walk on the wild side at the International Rattlesnake Museum!  

Day 14 : Gallup, New Mexico

Just 60 miles west of Albuquerque lies Sky City Cultural Centre which serves as the gateway to the 13 th century Pueblo of Acoma, the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America. Here you can take tours of the Pueblo with knowledgeable local guides..

Gallup is the commercial hub of the nearby Navajo reservation and the self-proclaimed Capital of Indian Country, where Route 66 serves as its Main Street. Between May – September you can experience nightly American dance displays. 

Days 15 - 16 : Williams (Grand Canyon), Arizona

You’ll tick off your sixth state today as you cruise across the border into Arizona and journey via the Petrified Forest and Route 66 Wigwam Village.  Made famous in the Eagles song, Take it Easy, be sure to pull over in Winslow and take your picture "standing on the corner of Winslow, Arizona". It's a quirky little Route 66 town and there really is a flatbed ford parked up there too!

The world’s best-preserved meteorite impact site on earth, Meteor Crater, is at least 50,000 years old and nearly a mile wide. Used as a site for astronaut training, it's another fascinating place to break your journey before arriving in Williams.

The historic railroad town of Williams is your base from which to explore the epic Grand Canyon. 

Days 17 - 18 : Las Vegas, Nevada

There’s a few worthy stops to make before you leave Arizona today. Check out quirky Seligman and Kingman, the historic heart of Route 66. There's an excellent Route 66 museum and a downtown district worth a stroll. Arrive into Nevada via Lake Mead and the impressive Hoover Dam. Then it’s on to wonderfully OTT Vegas! Take a stroll along the strip, take in a show, shop till you drop, or simply laze by the campground's pool and enjoy the Nevada sun.

Why not consider dropping your motorhome off in Las Vegas and swapping it for a convertible or a 4x4 for the final part of your Route 66 adventure? 

Days 19 - 20 : Los Angeles, California

It’s the final leg of your Route 66 adventure through the Mojave Desert, mountains and lush inland valleys before arriving at the Pacific Ocean and the golden beaches of Santa Monica. Round off your adventure with a picture under the Route 66 sign at the official end of the route on Santa Monica Pier.  

Day 21 : Depart for UK

Time to leave behind the California sun and head back to the UK.

Want to extend your adventure? Maybe, swap the motorhome for a convertible car and head north along the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco? Perhaps time in Hawaii? All Bon Voyage holidays are tailor-made, please contact us to discuss your ideal trip.

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Travel Guide to Historic Route 66: The Mother Road

Route 66 was one of the United States' first continuous stretches of paved highway, and served as a major path for those who migrated to the West.

"The Mother Road" was established on November 11, 1926, and ultimately stretched 2,448 miles (3,940 kilometers) from Chicago to Los Angeles. It became the shortest, year-round route between the Midwest and the Pacific Coast, and was also known as " The Main Street of America " and the " Will Rogers Highway ". On that date, only 800 miles of Route 66 were paved, the rest being graded dirt, gravel, bricks, or planks of wood. It took 11 more years before the entire road would be paved.

From its beginning in Chicago, Route 66 headed southwest through Illinois and Missouri, and a small section of southeast Kansas.

From there it turned in a more westward direction through Oklahoma and Texas, with the final stretches in New Mexico and Arizona before its termination point in Los Angeles.

During the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s, the diagonal course of the Route 66 was the primary route for migrating farm workers from the Midwest to California. The migration continued during World War II due to job availability in California.

It linked small, rural towns to larger cities, and markets. The fact that it covered mainly flat areas and featured moderate year-round weather made it an attractive route for traverlers, and truckers. During this time, it also became one of the key routes for moving military equipment across the country.

Due to the efforts of the U.S. Highway 66 Association, Route 66 became the first highway to be completely paved, in 1938. In the 1950s, Route 66 became the main highway for vacationers heading to Los Angeles. The traffic along Route 66 led to the opening of many "mom and pop" restaurants, motels, and service stations along the route to satisfy the needs of traveling motorists.

Alignments of the road changed often over the years, as improved sections of highway were constructed. In the early years many sections connected only one small town to the next, and had no official federal route number. Over time the route was formalized as a Federal Highway numbered as "U.S. 66".

We've had the pleasure of driving in all eight states along Route 66, The Main Street of America !

Included on this website are photographs, personal experiences, commentary and travel recommendations on the various segments of the Mother Road. We hope that this site will help with the planning of your next vacation or holiday, and get Route 66 checked off your bucket list of destinations in 2024!

The Lore of Route 66: The Main Street of America

Route 66 became one of the most famous roads in the United States, outdistancing others such as the Lincoln Highway.

It is popular lore in movies, songs, books like "The Grapes of Wrath", and TV shows.

The legendary highway was known far and wide for its variety of "mom and pop" motels, neon lights, drive-ins, quirky roadside attractions, flat tires, cars with no air conditioning, dangerous curves, steep hills, and narrow lanes.

Today, there are more than 250 buildings, bridges, road alignments and other sites along Route 66 that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The movie "Easy Rider" was filmed at several locations along Route 66. The move "Thelma and Louise" also featured Route 66 references and scenes.

The popularity stuck, and continues to grow today! So ... get out and explore Historic U.S. Route 66!

Route 66 Map from Beginning to End, from Chicago to Santa Monica

Road Trip Travel Guides for Various States Along Route 66

Planning a road trip on Route 66 in 2024 or for the Centennial in 2026? Here are the travel guides and reviews by state...

List of Route 66 Mileage by State (1926 Alignment)

The demise of route 66.

Route 66 underwent many improvements and realignments during its lifetime.

The passage of the Federal Highway Act of 1956 sounded the death knell for the old road, and gradually segments were replaced with new, safer and faster superhighways.

Its final demise was the completion of the Interstate Highway System. The last town by-passed by the Interstate system was Williams , Arizona, on October 13, 1984.

Subsequently, U.S. Route 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System on June 27, 1985.

Route 66 was replaced by five Interstates: I-55 southbound from Chicago, I-44 across Missouri and Oklahoma, I-40 in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, I-15 and finally I-10 into Los Angeles.

Route 66 Today

Today, in 2024, several states recognize the historical significance of the road, and have it marked with "66" in the state highway number. "Historic Route 66 Associations" are active in several states.

The road is also a major tourist attraction, so many states openly market attractions and lodging along the old route.

The old road still traverses dozens of small towns with vintage gas stations, quirky tourist attractions, diners, "Mop & Pop" motels, historic sites & museums, stunning vistas, and gift shops.

Touring Route 66 by Auto, Bus, or RV

Different people choose different modes of transportation to tour the Mother Road. While some elect guided bus tours, or drive their own vehicles, others seek new destinations in their RV or motor home.

And for those that don't own an RV yet, companies like Cruise America, El Monte RV Rentals, Road Bear RV Rentals, and Camping World offer a variety of RV sizes and rental plans.

Touring Route 66 by Motorcycle

Get your motor running! Get out on the highway!

Many travelers on Route 66 rent motorcycles to seek new open-air adventures on their USA road trip!

A variety of motorcycle rental plans are available, such as those from Eaglerider Motorcycle Rentals.

Out West, your motorcycle can be picked up at a number of rental locations in Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. If you are starting your Route 66 trip further north, motorcycle pickup locations in Illinois are available.

Model options are plentiful, and cycles from manufacturers such as Harley-Davidson and Indian are available. Trikes can also be rented.

If you don't want to ride independently, choose from one of many guided motorcycle tours. Self-drive tours often include rental of the motorcycle, hotel reservations and detailed tour route information.

Some companies offer one-way rentals, hotel pickups, luggage storage, helmets and other amenities.

Route 66: The Song

The song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" was composed by songwriter Bobby Troup in 1946.

It was first recorded by Nat King Cole, and sung by other singers over the years including Chuck Berry, Perry Como, and the Rolling Stones.

If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, take the highway that is best. Get your kicks on Route sixty-six. It winds from Chicago to LA, more than two thousand miles all the way. Get your kicks on Route sixty-six. Now you go through Saint Looey Joplin, Missouri, and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty. You see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico, Flagstaff, Arizona. Don't forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino. Won't you get hip to this timely tip: when you make that California trip Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

For the Route 66 TV series on CBS, the "Route 66 Theme" song was written by Nelson Riddle.

Route 66: The TV Show

A popular television show during the early 1960s bore the road's name: "Route 66". Starring George Maharis as Buz, and Martin Milner as Tod, the two young adventurers drove the road in their Chevrolet Corvette for 116 episodes.

Despite the name of the series, most episodes did NOT take place on the historic road, but in 25 different U.S. states. The show was filmed mostly on location, and became known for its cinematography. A long list of well-known actors and actresses appeared on the series.

The show ran from October, 1960, through March, 1964, and created a huge following.

The interest in the show continues today by "Baby Boomers" who remember the original showings, and new generations of viewers fascinated by the show who watch it on DVD.

Chicago: The Route Begins

The beginning point for a Route 66 road trip could be either Chicago or Los Angeles, depending on the direction of the trip. Most travelers seem to start their journey on Route 66 in Chicago, and head westbound, the direction taken by those leaving the Dust Bowl and those seeking a new life in the West. That is the direction we take on this website.

Illinois was the first of the eight states through which Route 66 passed to have its segment of U.S. 66 paved, at a time when much of the route across the country was still a gravel or dirt road. Illinois Route 66 took over Illinois State Highway 4, a pre-existing, fully paved two-lane road between Chicago and St. Louis.

The beginning point of Route 66 in Chicago has changed over the years. Today, the starting point is at East Adams Street at South Michigan Avenue, and the end point is at East Jackson at South Michigan. One way streets in the area can be difficult to navigate for first-time Route 66 visitors!

While in Chicago, many Route 66 travelers seek out Grant Park, the Willis Tower, Chicago Architecture River Cruise, Art Institute of Chicago, Museum of Science & Industry, the Magnificent Mile, Lincoln Park Zoo and the lakeshore shopping areas.

Santa Monica: The End of the Trail

The original terminus of U.S. Route 66 was at 7th and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. However, over the years, and decades, Route 66 has had several “official” and “unofficial" ending points.

The route was later extended to the intersection of Lincoln and Olympic boulevards in Santa Monica, about one mile from the Pacific Ocean. This is often referred to as the official ending point of Route 66.

Route 66 Centennial: 1926-2026

Route 66 was one of the United State's first continuous stretches of paved highway, and served as a major path for those who migrated west.

"The Mother Road" was commissioned on November 11, 1926, and ultimately stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles.

In 2026, the nation will be celebrating the Route 66 Centennial ... 100 years of the Mother Road serving the traveling public! Many states and organizations are planning special events and tours to highlight the Centennial.

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Route 66 Road Trip: Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon (and Beyond!)

Route 66 Itinerary Overview

Key stops: Las Vegas, NV – Kingman, AZ – Grand Canyon – Petrified Forest National Park – Gallup, NM – Albuquerque – Santa Fe – Monument Valley – Las Vegas

Suggested Itinerary Length: 8 days

Total Estimated Driving Time: 27 hours 

Total Distance: 1,694 miles

Embark on the ultimate American road trip along Route 66, a historic highway winding through charming Southwest towns and captivating landscapes. Experience breathtaking natural wonders, quirky attractions, and vibrant cities on the iconic Route 66.

Rent a brand new RV campervan in Las Vegas from Blacksford for a flexible and immersive seven-day adventure. Create your own itinerary, uncover hidden gems, and forge unforgettable memories with friends and family. 

Follow our itinerary below to discover the freedom of the open road and make Route 66 an extraordinary bucket list adventure.

Table of contents

Day 1: las vegas to kingman, az, day 2: kingman, az, to the grand canyon.

Day 3: Grand Canyon to Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Day 4: Petrified Forest National Park, AZ to Gallup, NM

Day 5: Gallup, NM to Albuquerque, NM

Day 6: Albuquerque to Santa Fe, NM

Day 7: santa fe, nm to monument valley, ut, day 8: monument valley, ut to las vegas.

Begin your epic Route 66 journey in the vibrant city of Las Vegas. After a hearty breakfast at your hotel or after arriving in Las Vegas, pick up your RV, get a complete orientation at Blacksford, then hit the road towards Kingman, AZ.

(Remember: we’re happy to stock your RV with Instacart groceries – it’s all part of our white-glove service.) 

The drive to your first stop — Kingman, Arizona — takes approximately one hour and 45 minutes, covering only 100 miles. In Kingman, visit the Route 66 Museum to learn about the highway's history and significance. 

Grab lunch at Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner for a taste of classic Americana. And settle in for your first night in your Blacksford RV and sleep well!

RV Camping in Kingman, AZ

Blake Ranch RV Park : This full-service RV park offers spacious sites with full hookups, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and a dog park. Located just 12 miles east of Kingman, it provides easy access to the Route 66 Museum and other attractions.

Fort Beale RV Park : A quiet and peaceful campground located in the heart of Kingman, featuring large pull-through sites, full hookups, Wi-Fi, and laundry facilities. Conveniently situated near shopping centers, dining options, and the historic downtown area.

Zuni Village RV Park : Located within Kingman city limits, this RV park offers full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a heated swimming pool, and laundry facilities. Close to the Route 66 Museum, local restaurants, and other attractions.

Learn more about the best things to see and do in Kingman, AZ .

From Kingman, continue your adventure to the breathtaking Grand Canyon’s South Rim, an iconic symbol of America’s beauty and pride. The drive takes approximately three hours, covering 180 miles. Spend the day exploring the [South Rim], with its stunning vistas and numerous hiking trails. Take a guided tour or simply wander at your leisure. Stay overnight at a nearby campground or lodge.

See the National Park Service’s Guide to the Grand Canyon for more info.

RV Camping at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim

Trailer Village RV Park : Located inside Grand Canyon National Park, this RV park offers full hookups, a general store, laundry facilities, and shuttle service to various viewpoints along the South Rim.

Grand Canyon Railway RV Park : Situated in Williams, AZ, this pet-friendly RV park features full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a playground, and a basketball court. Enjoy easy access to the Grand Canyon Railway, which takes you directly into the heart of the national park.

Ten-X Campgroun d: Located just 4 miles south of the Grand Canyon's South Rim entrance, this campground offers spacious sites, potable water, and restrooms. While there are no hookups, it is an excellent option for those seeking a more rustic camping experience.

Day 3: Grand Canyon to Petrified Forest National Park

Embark on a four-hour drive, covering 260 miles, from the Grand Canyon to Petrified Forest National Park. Marvel at the colorful badlands, petrified wood deposits, and ancient petroglyphs. Don't miss the Painted Desert Inn , a historic landmark offering spectacular views.

Spend the night at a nearby one of the nearby campgrounds listed below – unfortunately Petrified Forest does not offer RV camping.

Check out the National Park Service’s Petrified Forest Guide for more info.

RV Camping Near Petrified Forest National Park

Sun Valley RV Resort : Just 20 minutes from Petrified Forest National Park, this RV resort offers full hookups, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, a swimming pool, and a recreation room. A great base for exploring the park and nearby attractions.

OK RV Park : Located in Holbrook, AZ, this RV park features full hookups, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and a dog park. Conveniently situated near Petrified Forest National Park, the Painted Desert, and other local attractions.

Holbrook / Petrified Forest KOA Journey : This campground offers pull-through sites with full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a playground, and a seasonal pool. Explore Petrified Forest

Drive two hours and cover 140 miles as you make your way to Gallup, NM. Explore the vibrant downtown area, rich in Native American culture and history. Visit the Rex Museum for exhibits on Gallup's past, and shop for authentic souvenirs at Richardson's Trading Company.

Enjoy dinner at Jerry's Café, a local favorite serving delicious New Mexican cuisine.

RV Camping Near Gallup, NM

USA RV Park : This highly-rated RV park provides full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a heated swimming pool, and a pet area. Located close to downtown Gallup, it offers easy access to local attractions, shops, and restaurants.

Red Rock Park Campground : Set amidst stunning red rock formations, this campground offers electric and water hookups, restrooms, and picnic areas. Enjoy hiking trails, horseback riding, and spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.

Gallup KOA Journey : This well-maintained campground features pull-through sites with full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a seasonal pool, and a playground. Conveniently located near downtown Gallup, local attractions, and shopping centers.

Find more things to see and do in Gallup, NM .

Day 5: Gallup, NM to Albuquerque

Set off on a two-hour drive, covering 140 miles to Albuquerque, NM. Visit the historic Old Town, featuring adobe buildings, art galleries, and charming shops. Stop by the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to learn about Native American history and culture. 

Sample local flavors at Church Street Café or another local eatery.

Explore more things to see and do in Albuquerque .

RV Camping Near Albuquerque

Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post : This charming RV park offers full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a heated swimming pool, and a hot tub. The unique on-site trading post sells vintage Americana and Native American crafts.

American RV Resort : Featuring full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a heated pool, hot tub, and dog park, this RV resort is conveniently located near Albuquerque's top attractions, including Old Town and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

Albuquerque Central KOA : This centrally located campground offers pull-through sites with full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a heated pool, and a hot tub. Explore Albuquerque's historic Old Town, museums, and other attractions with ease.

Head north to Santa Fe, NM, a one-hour drive covering 64 miles, and prepare to be charmed by this hip, artsy town. 

Wander the city's historic plaza, visit the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, and explore the unique Loretto Chapel. Savor an authentic meal at The Shed or another local restaurant before spending the night in Santa Fe.

Discover more things to do in Santa Fe .

RV Camping Near Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe Skies RV Park : This scenic RV park offers pull-through sites with full hookups, Wi-Fi, a clubhouse, and a dog park. Located just minutes from downtown Santa Fe, it provides easy access to top attractions like the Plaza and Loretto Chapel.

Los Suenos de Santa Fe RV Park & Campground : This picturesque campground features full hookups, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and a dog park. Enjoy its convenient location close to Santa Fe's historic Plaza, art galleries, and museums.

Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground : Set amidst pinon trees, this rustic campground offers full hookups, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and a heated swimming pool. Experience the charm of Santa Fe while enjoying a peaceful retreat.

Fuel up before this 6-hour drive, covering 390 miles, from Santa Fe to stunning Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. 

Take in the awe-inspiring views of the iconic sandstone formations and immerse yourself in Navajo culture. Join a guided tour or hike to explore the valley further. Stay overnight at a nearby campground.

See more about what to see and do in Monument Valley, UT .

Monument Valley RV Camping

Goulding's Lodge & Campground : Offering stunning views of Monument Valley, this campground features full hookups, Wi-Fi, a grocery store, and an indoor pool. Join guided tours or hike the nearby Wildcat Trail to explore the valley further.

The View Campground : Boasting spectacular panoramas of Monument Valley, this campground offers RV sites with dry camping (no hookups). Enjoy an unforgettable stay amidst the iconic red sandstone formations.

Kayenta Monument Valley Inn : Although not a dedicated RV campground, this inn offers limited RV parking with no hookups in their parking lot. It serves as a convenient base for exploring Monument Valley and the surrounding area.

Complete your Route 66 journey by driving six hours and 30 minutes, covering 420 miles back to Las Vegas. 

Enjoy one last meal on the road, and reminisce about your unforgettable Route 66 RV adventure. Don’t worry about returning your RV early because Blacksford reservations allow you a full day of RV use on each end.

If you prefer to keep the RV for one last night in Las Vegas, choose from one of the wonderful campgrounds nearby.

RV Camping Near Las Vegas

Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort: With its lush landscaping and impressive amenities, Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort offers a serene escape from the bustling city. The resort features full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center, and an 18-hole golf course. Located just south of the famous Las Vegas Strip, it provides easy access to shopping, dining, and entertainment options.

Circus Circus RV Park : As part of the iconic Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, this RV park offers a unique Las Vegas experience. Guests can enjoy full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, a swimming pool, and laundry facilities. Plus, with its prime location on the Las Vegas Strip, you're just steps away from world-class casinos, restaurants, and shows.

Las Vegas KOA at Sam's Town : Situated within the Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall property, this RV park offers full hookups, Wi-Fi, cable TV, two swimming pools, and a hot tub. With complimentary shuttle services to the Las Vegas Strip and downtown area, guests can easily explore the city's famous attractions while enjoying the amenities and gaming options available at Sam's Town.

Route 66 Road Trip Tips

Always check road conditions and weather forecasts before embarking on your journey.

Carry extra water, snacks, and necessities for emergencies.

Book accommodations in advance, especially during peak travel seasons.

Allow for flexibility in your itinerary to account for unexpected stops or detours.

For a detailed guide to Route 66, download the free Route 66 Ultimate Guide phone app .

Start your Route 66 road trip now!

Rent a Blacksford RV campervan in Las Vegas and explore the history, natural beauty, and classic Americana of Route 66. Plan your personalized itinerary, discover iconic landmarks, and make lasting memories.

Reserve your RV in Las Vegas today!

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Get your kicks, maybe some Missouri wine with this Historic Route 66 travel itinerary

As the summer comes to a close and the school year is fast approaching, it may be time to take one last trip to close out the season.

The questions is where to go and what to do. A person could travel around the state looking for large-format murals on city buildings ; communities with unique histories, attractions or sculptures ; or just quick jaunts near Columbia or down in the Ozarks .

For wine enthusiasts, the state has several wine trails . For those more interested in history, the state also is home to a section of Historic Route 66 .

If one really wanted to "get their kicks" they would combine both and "go through Saint Looey/Joplin, Missouri" in the immortal words of Nat King Cole.

For anyone interested in taking this journey, these are the wineries along the route, stops in-between, and maybe an off-the-beaten-path backtrack.

Route 66 follows the same general path as Interstate 44, per the Route 66 Mother Road travel guide website . This is then cross referenced with winery locations provided by the Missouri Wines website and some side trip stop ideas from the Missouri Tourism and Recreation department .

Missouri wineries along Route 66

This proposed itinerary takes a westward pathway from St. Louis through to the Joplin area. Not all vineyards will have wine-tasting rooms and not all wineries will have nearby vineyards. Route 66 also intersects with the Meramec River wine trail in the area of St. James, so a majority of the vineyards and wineries along the route are in this community. It is a good idea to check vineyard and/or winery websites, where available, for hours of operation and in case appointments are required.

Claverach Farm and Vineyards

Where: 570 S. Lewis Road, Eureka, MO 63025

What you'll find: This vineyard grows Norton, Petite Verdot, Chambourcin, Seyval and Vignier grape varietals. A unique feature is the clover ground cover in the vineyard, which enriches the soil and "is central to (the vineyard's) sustainable farming philosophy," Missouri Wines notes. Claverach is Welsh for clover. Wines are bottled with minimal filtration or other intervention and are available from wine shops in the St. Louis area. Wines are not sold from the vineyard except during farm dinners, which are not happening in 2024, or at private events. Learn more at claverachfarm.com .

Eagles Landing

Where: 200 N. Jefferson St., St. James, MO 65559 or 105 S. Main St., Webb City, MO 64870

What you'll find: Sparkling, red, white, rosé and dessert wine types are sold by Eagles Landing, though a majority are red Chambourcin varieties. Owners are sommelier Eric Taylor and wine chemist and mixologist Casey Stuck, who are lifelong friends with two farm-focused restaurants where wines are featured for tasting, per Missouri Wines. Their offerings are described as "approachable and balanced." Learn more at eagleslandingwine.com .

St. James Winery

Where: 540 State Route B, St. James, MO 65559

What you'll find: St. James is among the most prolific Missouri wineries as their wines can be found at gas stations, grocery stores, liquor stores and more. There are upward of 50 places St. James wines are found in Columbia, for example. Nearly every Missouri grape varietal is made into wine at St. James. It produces more than 200,000 cases of wine each year, which are distributed throughout the Midwest and South. Learn more at stjameswinery.com .

Spencer Manor Winery

Where: 15064 Missouri Highway 68, Saint James, MO 65559

What you'll find: This winery is relatively new to the scene. It was founded in 2019, though wines were produced even before that. The winery also has a restaurant featuring a variety of small and large plates, sandwiches, desserts, their wines, cocktails and beers. Learn more at spencermanor.com .

Prairie Barn Winery

Where: 17301 State Route B, St. James, MO 65559

What you'll find: The winery also serves as a Christmas tree farm. Outdoor and indoor seating is available and tours are available, per Missouri Wines. The tasting room offers a variety of wines. The winery website was inaccessible when the Tribune attempted to visit it, but a Facebook page and Instagram account are available for more information.

Tyler Ridge Vineyard Winery

Where: 7325 N. Farm Road 171, Springfield, MO 65803

What you'll find : The winery tasting room is in a refurbished farm house built in 1905 just six miles north of Springfield. It is open only 1-5 p.m. on weekends. Guests also can stroll through the vineyard, picnic or relax on the shaded deck, or enjoy a rest in the arbor swing, per Missouri Wines. Learn more on the Tyler Ridge Facebook page .

Pennington Wines

Where: 11822 Elm Road, Carthage, MO 64836

What you'll find: This small family farm winery has a variety of wine blends, fruit-based wine and a couple of wines from Missouri grape varietals. Outdoor seating is available and tours are offered, per Missouri Wines. The winery's website is dedicated to local area pick-up or delivery orders , so learn more by calling 417-237-3316 or visiting the winery's Facebook page .

Stops along Route 66

A trip along Historic Route 66 in Missouri does not only have to focus on visiting the seven vineyards and wineries along the corridor, as there are many other diversions and communities along the way.

Missouri Tourism has two different Route 66 itineraries, one that takes a person from St. Louis to about St. James , and the other from St. James to Joplin .

There are some highlights among both:

One can't not stop at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis to kick off the journey . There are two walk-up frozen custard stands at 6726 Chippewa St. and 4224 S. Grand Blvd. in St. Louis. Just down from the Chippewa location at 6708 Chippewa St. is the Ted Drewes gift shop. The first Ted Drewes shop in Missouri was opened nearly 95 years ago. It's a "popular treat for St. Louisans and tourists to enjoy after visiting the Arch, the Fox and Muny Theaters, the St. Louis Zoo or a Cardinal’s baseball game," the website notes.

After getting your fill at Ted Drewe's, a roughly 20 minute jaunt by car will get a person to Kirkwood, where the National Museum of Transportation is located at 2933 Barrett Station Road. The museum is open year round and currently is in its summer phase through Labor Day. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There are separate admission fees for children, adults, and for seniors, military or first responders, which all include trolley rides when in operation. Tours generally are self-guided among the roughly 190 exhibits of rail, auto and other transportation forms.

Wanting to learn specifically about Route 66? Well another roughly 20 minute car trip will take a person to Eureka and Route 66 State Park . This Missouri State Park at 97 N. Outer Road, Suite 1, also is a chance to sit back and relax among its many amenities, such as the various picnic sites and trails are sprinkled throughout. The park's visitors center features various historic displays and is the former Bridgehead Inn, a 1935 roadhouse that sat on the original Route 66.

For those who are more adventurous, a trip to Meramec Caverns at 1135 Route W in Stanton may be in order as well . Guided tours are available and take roughly 80 minutes covering a 1 1/4-mile round trip on well-lit walkways. It's a good idea to book a tour ahead of time. Many other amenities are available as well, such a restaurant, gift and candy store and zipline tours. The Jesse James Wax Museum temporarily is closed.

If taking a multi-day trip, a night at the Wagon Wheel Motel at 901 E. Washington St. in Cuba may be in order. It is the oldest continuously operated motel on Route 66.

The "stone tourist court still beckons travelers to stop and rest from the busy life," the motel website notes.

After spending the night, a person could pick back up the winery tour, particularly in St. James. After that, though, another roughly 20-minute drive puts you in Rolla, home to a half-scale Stonehenge Replica at 1870 Miner Circle. It was created by using water-jet technology at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Visit MO said.

Looking for a quick photo opportunity? About 30 minutes west of Rolla is a large-format metal Route 66 Shield outside of the 1903 Route 66 Courthouse Museum at 303 Historic Route 66 East in Waynesville, which features displays on the Trail of Tears , the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, local history and collections of quilts, farm equipment and antiques.

Continuing the focus on Route 66 history, another 30 minutes on the road takes one to Lebanon where there is the Route 66 Museum at the Lebanon-Laclede County Public Library at 915 S. Jefferson Ave. The self-guided museum "offers a glimpse into the history and progression of Route 66, with an emphasis on local Route 66 history and touches of nostalgia," the library website notes.

With all the driving, a person may need to take a chance to stretch their legs. There is a perfect opportunity to do that at Jordan Valley Park at 635 E. Trafficway St. in Springfield . The park has a sculpture walk, the Ozarks Stream and Fountain and the Jordan Creek Greenway can take one across downtown Springfield to the nearby Founders Park.

One final stop that is not exactly adjacent to Route 66, but still is fairly close is Grand Falls at 5400 S. Riverside Drive in Joplin. It is known as the largest continuously flowing natural waterfall in Missouri and is "a must-stop-photo op" for visitors, Visit MO says.

More: These 17 unique Missouri roadside attractions are worth venturing off the beaten path

An off-the-path backtrack

Apart from the various Missouri wine trails, the state also is home to wine regions . These are specific grape-growing parts of the state and there is one not too far from Eureka. So after a stop at Claverach Farm and Vineyards and the Route 66 State Park, one could take a 40-minute backtrack to the Augusta American Viticultural Area.

From westbound I-44 drivers will take the exit onto Missouri Highway 100, which will go back east to Augusta, which claims it is the U.S. first AVA , according to Visit Augusta.

While there are many wineries and vineyards in Augusta, there also are few other locations , such as in Defiance or Marthasville, per the Greater Augusta Chamber of Commerce.

More: In these Missouri towns, murals paint pictures of history and culture

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at [email protected] or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

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Ford's CEO admits to a 'reality check' during F-150 Lightning Route 66 road trip

The ford ceo said that charging has been 'pretty challenging' while on his road trip.

Ford EV owner Dalbir Bala ditches truck over charging troubles on road trip

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Ford CEO Jim Farley experienced a common complaint from electric vehicle owners during his cross-country road trip in the automobile maker's electric pickup truck, calling it a "reality check."

"Charging has been pretty challenging," Farley said on X, the social-media website formerly known as Twitter. "It was a really good reality check of the challenges of what our customers go through and the importance of fast charging and what we're going to have to do to improve the charging experience."

Ford CEO Jim Farley pats a Ford F-150 Lightning truck before announcing at a press conference that Ford Motor Company will be partnering with the world's largest battery company, Contemporary Amperex Technology, to create an electric-vehicle battery (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images / Getty Images)

His comment came during his roundtrip across Route 66 in Ford's latest electrical vehicle venture , the F-150 Lighting. The CEO documented his experience on both X and LinkedIn.

Farley said he visited a popular charging depot on Interstate 5 in Coalinga, California, where there were 40 readily available Tesla Superchargers. 

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The Ford CEO had to use a low-speed charger that he said delivered him a 40% charge in about 40 minutes.

At another stop, Farley highlighted a good experience at a 350 kW charger in Baker, California, expressing his enthusiasm for the quick and easy charging experience. 

"Was so quick and easy. Really highlighted the difference that nice stations and fast charging can make on the overall EV experience," Farley said.

Ford Motor Company's electric F-150 Lightning is seen on the production line at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, on Sept. 8, 2022. (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The length of charging for the Michigan-based company has been a barrier for slow-adopters of electric vehicles to buy in.

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Tesla's electric-vehicle charging technology is faster than Ford's, causing the car manufacturer to partner with the Elon Musk-owned company to make its Supercharger network available to all Ford drivers. The rollout is expected to start in the spring.

Electric cars are parked at a charging station in Sacramento, California, on April 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File / AP Newsroom)

Farley’s road trip in the F-150 Lightning is to learn more about the EV experience. He followed Route 66 from Palo Alto, California, to Las Vegas. 

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Farley said in a LinkedIn post prior to his departure that he and others at Ford would "see researchers, businesses, dealers, salespeople, EV conversion shops, EV drivers and communities." 

15 Iconic Road Trip Photos from the ‘60s

Posted: August 7, 2024 | Last updated: August 7, 2024

The 1960s were a golden era for the American road trip. With sprawling highways, classic cars, and a sense of adventure in the air, families and friends set out to explore the country like never before. These 15 vintage photos capture the essence of those cross-country journeys.

The Classic Family Station Wagon

This family wagon, complete with wood panels and a roof rack piled high with luggage, was a common sight in the 60s. Families would load their wagons and hit the highways, ready for an adventure. These cars were the ultimate road trip vehicles, offering plenty of space for kids, snacks, and souvenirs from every stop.

Scenic Route 66

Route 66, or the “Main Street of America,” was a favorite route for cross-country travelers in the 1960s. The historic highway, stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, offered breathtaking scenery, quirky roadside attractions, and a sense of freedom. Travelers often stopped to snap photos at iconic landmarks like the Wigwam Motels and Cadillac Ranch.

Maps and Atlases

Before the era of GPS, maps and road atlases were essential tools for guiding during cross-country road trips. Often spread out on the car’s hood, people would plot their routes using these detailed guides. The process of map-reading added an element of adventure, with unexpected detours and discoveries along the way.

Roadside Diners and Drive-Ins

Stopping at a roadside diner or drive-in was a mandatory part of the road trip experience in those times. As can be seen, these eateries, often adorned with neon signs and offering classic American fare, were perfect for a quick meal or a relaxing break from the road. They served as social hubs where tourists could share stories and tips for the road ahead.

Car Trailers

Tourists would often hitch their trailers to the back of their cars and set off on the open road to bring along all the comforts of home. Aristocrat stood out as a leading RV manufacturer in the United States. Despite being in business for less than twenty years, Aristocrat’s trailers were constructed with high-quality metals for optimal durability.

Roadside Attractions

Apart from the scenic views, travelers often spotted several roadside attractions. Towering statues of Paul Bunyan, shops shaped like giant teapots, or mysterious gravity-defying structures became the unplanned highlights of many journeys. They were perfect for stretching legs, snapping photos, and adding a touch of whimsy to the trip.

Music and Car-Radios

Music was an indispensable companion on any road trip. Parents and children often sang along to their favorite songs while teenagers cranked up the radio and blasted the latest hits. The open road and the rhythm of the music created a perfect harmony.

Gas Stations and Service Stops

Don’t be surprised when we tell you a stop at the gas station was more than a place to fill the tank during road trips. Gas stations were social hubs where people could grab snacks and chat with locals. Attendants would pump your gas, check your oil, and even wash your windshield. It was a simpler time when customer service was a priority.

Roadside Picnic Areas

There were popular spots along the highways where one could enjoy a meal. These rest stops often featured picnic tables, barbecue grills, and scenic views. Sightseers would unpack their coolers, lay out a spread of sandwiches and snacks, and enjoy some quality time together before continuing their journey.

Drive-In Movie Theatres

Drive-in movie theaters were a popular evening entertainment option in the 1960s. Watching a film under the star-filled sky all from the comfort of your car was a unique experience. These places offered a perfect way to unwind after a day on the road, with the bonus of enjoying classic films and snack bar treats.

Roadside Motels

Such motels provided affordable accommodations for families on the go. With their distinctive architecture and neon signs, these motels were a well-known symbol of the American road trip. Many motels featured swimming pools, offering a refreshing way to unwind after a long day of driving.

Camper Vans

In the 1960s, camper vans became popular for road trippers seeking a home on wheels. The vehicles offered a unique blend of transportation and accommodation for people to explore the country with all the comforts of home. Campers came equipped with sleeping quarters, a small kitchen, and often even a pop-up roof; they provided a cozy and convenient way to travel.

Camping Under the Stars

For many roadtrippers, camping was an essential part of the journey. Setting tents in national parks or picturesque lakes allowed them to immerse themselves in nature. Campfires, marshmallow roasts, and nights under the stars were highlights of these adventures.

The Unexpected Breakdown

No road trip was complete without at least one breakdown. Whether it was a flat tire, an overheating engine, or a dead battery, these unexpected challenges were just part of the experience. It was a chance to test your problem-solving skills and your patience.

Polaroid Cameras and Instant Memories

Polaroid cameras were a popular gadget, and people often stopped carrying one during these trips, allowing them to capture instant memories along the way. These cameras provided immediate gratification, with photos developing right before your eyes. Snapping Polaroids at each stop added a fun and tangible element to documenting the journey.

The post 15 Iconic Road Trip Photos from the ‘60s appeared first on Housely .

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5 reasons why Flagstaff is the best road trip in Arizona

Suggested alternate main hed for curiosity gap: 5 reasons why this northern Arizona city is the best road trip in Arizona

Flagstaff is sometimes called the City in the Pines for its ponderosa pine forests. It's also called the City of Seven Wonders, for its proximity to the Grand Canyon, Coconino National Forest, Oak Creek Canyon, the San Francisco Peaks and three national monuments.

In July, The Arizona Republic readers bestowed another nickname on Flagstaff: Ultimate Arizona road trip destination .

Flagstaff, the winner of the azcentral.com 2024 Arizona road trip bracket, has charmed visitors for generations for its mountain scenery and sense of nostalgia that draws people to its historic downtown and Route 66. The city also draws heat-weary Phoenix residents every summer who want to spend time outdoors in a cooler climate.

Ryan Randazzo, spokesman for Flagstaff's tourism promoter Discover Flagstaff (and a former Republic reporter), discussed what makes Flagstaff stand out to visitors to explain why readers selected it as the winner of our Arizona Road Trip Bracket.

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Dig in: 5 new must-try Flagstaff restaurants changing the scene

What is the hottest it gets in Flagstaff?

In Phoenix, triple-digit temperatures are the norm five months a year.

Not in Flagstaff, though. While it can get hot in summer, temperatures never reached above 97 degrees − the peak temperature was observed on July 5, 1973 − in the last 100 years of record keeping, according to the National Weather Service Flagstaff .

The cooler climate is a selling point for metro Phoenix residents who plan summer getaways to Flagstaff, Randazzo said. It also helps that there's a lot to do in the city.

“It’s hot down in the desert in Arizona and it’s about 25 degrees cooler here, but there’s lots to do in that cool weather," he said.

People who travel with their pets will find it's a good place to get their dogs out of the heat, too, as Flagstaff is a dog-friendly destination, Randazzo said.

"It comes down to the diversity of activities when you get to Flagstaff," he said. "There’s things for people who are history buffs, for people who are into Route 66 nostalgia, for people who like to get outside and get in the woods."

Things to do in Coconino National Forest

Outdoor enthusiasts head to Flagstaff not just for more comfortable summer weather, but because there's no shortage of spectacular natural beauty.

With its location south of the San Francisco Peaks and on the edge of the Coconino National Forest, Flagstaff is close to the highest point in Arizona, Humphreys Peak (12,633 feet), and in the middle of the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world, Randazzo said.

There's plenty to do in these scenic locales, too. Skiing and snowboarding on Humphreys Peak are offered at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort, and Coconino National Forest has countless trails for hiking, cycling and horseback riding.

Why is Flagstaff called a dark city?

But Flagstaff's natural beauty isn't limited to what you can see in daylight.

Since a 1958 lighting ordinance limiting the use of searchlights, which scientists at Lowell Observatory advocated for to protect the site of a newly relocated research telescope from light pollution, Flagstaff has received acclaim for its efforts to preserve the night sky. The International Dark Sky Association recognized Flagstaff as an International Dark Sky City in 2001.

Many places around town are popular with stargazers. Lowell Observatory, famous as the spot where Pluto was discovered, and the three Flagstaff-area national monuments − Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki and Walnut Canyon − are often cited as among the best spots.

"On a clear night you can see the Milky Way from downtown, which is a rare thing for any city," Randazzo said.

Lowell Observatory is seeing more visitors because of greater attention to the city's night sky viewing opportunities, and it's working to accommodate the growth with a new attraction, Randazzo said. The Astronomy Discovery Center, will include a multistory LED theater called the Lowell Universe Theater, hands-on activities including the Orbits Curiosity Zone and an open sky planetarium.

The Astronomy Discovery Center is scheduled to open Nov. 16, according to Lowell Observatory's website .

What is the trail system in Flagstaff?

There's no shortage of outdoor activities in Flagstaff, and many of them − hiking and cycling, to name a few − can be experienced using a network of trails that connects most of the city.

The Flagstaff Urban Trail System , or FUTS (pronounced "foots," according to Flagstaff officials), is a 56-mile network with plans for about 75 more miles, connecting the city through shared-use pathways that cross through city and natural spaces.

"It allows people to enjoy the outdoors and that good weather," Randazzo said.

Flagstaff Route 66 things to do

History buffs appreciate the nostalgia of historic Route 66 and the downtown buildings, which include the Weatherford and Monte Vista hotels that date to the early 20th century.

Today, downtown Flagstaff is a vibrant city center, helped by an evolving food scene and summer festivals such as Art in the Park, the Flagstaff Chili Festival, the Mother Road Classic and the Hopi Arts and Culture Festival, Randazzo said.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at  [email protected] . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:  @salerno_phx .

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