Photography Tour in Route 66
The best photos of Route 66 aren't always at the obvious landmarks. Sure, Cadillac Ranch and Blue Whale of Catoosa will fill your camera roll, but the real magic is in the side streets, the reflected light, and the unexpected angles that only reveal themselves to those exploring on foot. Seek out Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ for the kind of shot that no one else is posting.
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.
Free Photography Tour in Route 66 with Roamee Pro
Roamee Pro, also known as Roamee, offers a free photography tour route in Route 66. The audio walking tour can include stops such as Cadillac Ranch — 10 Cadillacs buried nose-first in a wheat field west of Amarillo, Texas, an ever-changing public art installation since 1974, Blue Whale of Catoosa — a smiling 80-foot blue whale sculpture built in the 1970s beside a swimming hole on the shore of a pond near Tulsa, Oklahoma, Wigwam Motel — a 1950 motor court in Holbrook, Arizona, where each room is a 28-foot-tall concrete tepee, plus hidden gems like Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ — a biker bar in Devil's Elbow, Missouri, with dollar bills stapled to the ceiling and live music on a deck overlooking the Big Piney River.
Use this page as a starting point for a Route 66 walking tour, a free route, or the Roamee app for Route 66. Roamee Pro keeps the route flexible so you can follow the stops, skip ahead, or explore nearby streets at your own pace.
How to Plan This Photography Tour
A strong Route 66 photography tour should connect recognizable anchors like Cadillac Ranch, Blue Whale of Catoosa and Wigwam Motel with a few slower discoveries around Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ. Use the major stops for orientation, then let the route bend toward the neighborhoods, viewpoints, markets, paths, or cultural details that match a photography tour.
Roamee Pro treats the page as a starting brief rather than a fixed script: it can prioritize history, culture, road trip, adjust the walking time, and keep narration focused on why each stop matters for this specific theme.
Top Photography Tour Spots
- •Cadillac Ranch — 10 Cadillacs buried nose-first in a wheat field west of Amarillo, Texas, an ever-changing public art installation since 1974
- •Blue Whale of Catoosa — a smiling 80-foot blue whale sculpture built in the 1970s beside a swimming hole on the shore of a pond near Tulsa, Oklahoma
- •Wigwam Motel — a 1950 motor court in Holbrook, Arizona, where each room is a 28-foot-tall concrete tepee
- •Santa Monica Pier — the official western terminus of Route 66, marked by a 'End of the Trail' sign at the end of the pier
Hidden Photography Tour Gems
- •Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ — a biker bar in Devil's Elbow, Missouri, with dollar bills stapled to the ceiling and live music on a deck overlooking the Big Piney River
Photography Tour Perspective
Route 66 attracts visitors for history and culture, and Cadillac Ranch and Blue Whale of Catoosa and every landmark doubles as a photography opportunity when you know where to stand and when the light is best. A photography-focused walk pays attention to reflections, leading lines, and street scenes between the landmarks. Hidden photogenic spots like Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ reward those who wander off the main path.
Walking Tip
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.
Best Time to Visit
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.
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