Loading...
Loading...
Route 66, United States
Route 66, decommissioned in 1985 but preserved in fragments, runs 2,400 miles from Grant Park in downtown Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. The drivable historic route passes through eight states — Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. In Illinois, stop at the Gemini Giant muffler man in Wilmington and the chain of vintage gas stations. Missouri brings the 1932 Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi and Meramec Caverns. Oklahoma has the Blue Whale of Catoosa and the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City. Texas offers the Cadillac Ranch — 10 graffiti-covered Cadillacs buried nose-first in a field near Amarillo. New Mexico serves up the neon glow of Albuquerque's Central Avenue and the historic La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe. Arizona delivers the Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater, and the ghost town of Oatman.
explore by interest
Drive west (Chicago to Los Angeles) to follow the historic direction. Budget 10-14 days for the full route. GPS won't always find the original alignment — use a Route 66 EZ Guide or Jerry McClanahan's guide for turn-by-turn historic routing. Some segments are on Interstate shoulders; others are crumbling two-lane roads.
April through June and September through October for mild temperatures. Summer brings brutal heat through Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona (often exceeding 110°F). The route is drivable year-round, but spring offers wildflowers and fall brings perfect desert light.