The Mother Road
Route 66 ran from Chicago to Santa Monica from 1926 to 1985. John Steinbeck called it "The Mother Road" in Grapes of Wrath. The interstate system replaced it but preservationists have maintained the original alignment as a historic tourist route. Iconic stops: Blue Swallow Motel, Cadillac Ranch, Wigwam Motels, Santa Monica Pier (the official end).
Route Overview
2,448 miles through 8 states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California. 14 days is tight; 21 days lets you actually stop and see things.
Illinois (300 miles)
- Start: Chicago (Adams Street at Michigan Ave — marked start point)
- Berwyn's Horseshoe Diner
- Pontiac — Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum
- Atlanta — the giant Paul Bunyan holding a hot dog
- Dixie Truckers Home (McLean) — first truckstop on the route
Missouri (295 miles)
- St Louis — Gateway Arch, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
- Meramec Caverns
- Munger Moss Motel (Lebanon) — classic neon
- Boots Court Motel (Carthage)
Kansas (13 miles — shortest section)
- Cars on the Route (Galena) — rusted trucks that inspired Pixar's Cars
- 4 Women on the Route (Galena)
Oklahoma (400 miles)
- Tulsa — Art Deco district, Mother Road Market
- Pops 66 — giant soda bottle, Arcadia
- Round Barn — Arcadia
- Oklahoma City — Route 66 Park, Oklahoma City Memorial
- Sandhills Curiosity Shop (Erick) — true Route 66 experience
Texas (180 miles)
- Shamrock — iconic U-Drop Inn (Pixar reference)
- Amarillo — Cadillac Ranch (10 Cadillacs buried nose-down)
- Big Texan Steak Ranch — free 72oz steak if you eat it in an hour
- Midpoint Cafe (Adrian) — literal middle of the route
New Mexico (375 miles)
- Tucumcari — Blue Swallow Motel, best neon on the route
- Santa Fe (loop on old alignment) — beautiful state capital
- Albuquerque — Old Town, Sandia Peak Tramway
- Acoma Pueblo — "Sky City," oldest continuously inhabited town in the US
Arizona (400 miles)
- Petrified Forest National Park — dinosaur-era fossilized wood
- Winslow — "Standing on the Corner" (Eagles song)
- Meteor Crater (detour)
- Flagstaff — base for Grand Canyon detour
- Williams — gateway to Grand Canyon
- Seligman — birthplace of the Route 66 revival
- Oatman — wild burros walk the streets
California (315 miles)
- Needles — enter the Mojave Desert
- Amboy — Roy's Motel and Cafe (abandoned icon)
- Barstow — Route 66 Museum
- Victorville — California Route 66 Museum
- Pasadena — Colorado Street Bridge
- End: Santa Monica Pier — official "End of the Trail" sign
Tips
- Use the EZ66 Guide for Travelers (book) — the definitive navigation source
- Rent a convertible or classic car for the full experience (Turo)
- Book Wigwam Motels (Holbrook AZ, San Bernardino CA) in advance
- Travel April-October; desert sections are brutal in summer midday
- Take time for detours — Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Monument Valley
- The original route is not on GPS as "Route 66" — follow state-by-state signs