Route 66

Approximate driving distance: 300 miles / 485 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 5 hours without sightseeing stops

Collect your rental car and begin your journey west.

Leave Chicago and follow selected historic Route 66 alignments through communities such as Joliet, Wilmington, Pontiac and Atlanta. See preserved filling stations, roadside attractions, murals and classic small-town main streets.

Continue to Springfield, Illinois, where you may visit sites associated with Abraham Lincoln. Because today includes a considerable distance, select only the stops that interest you most.

Arrive in St. Louis and check in to your selected hotel.

Overnight in St. Louis.

Approximate driving distance: 215 miles / 345 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 3 hours 30 minutes without stops

Begin with a view of the Gateway Arch, the celebrated symbol of St. Louis and America’s westward expansion.

Leave the city and follow Route 66 southwest through Missouri. The landscape gradually changes from open farmland to the wooded hills of the Ozarks.

Possible stops include Cuba, known for its outdoor murals; the roadside attractions around Fanning; and the historic communities of Rolla, Lebanon and Marshfield.

Continue to Springfield, recognised as the birthplace of the Route 66 name, and check in to your selected hotel.

Overnight in Springfield, Missouri.

Approximate driving distance: 285 miles / 460 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 4 hours 30 minutes without stops

Leave Springfield and continue toward Oklahoma.

Route 66 briefly passes through Kansas, where Galena and Baxter Springs preserve reminders of the historic highway.

Cross into Oklahoma and travel through the northeastern part of the state. Stop in Miami, Claremore or Catoosa, where the enormous Blue Whale has become one of Route 66’s best-known roadside attractions.

Continue through Tulsa and follow the route toward Oklahoma City.

Overnight in Oklahoma City.

Approximate driving distance: 260 miles / 420 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 4 hours without stops

Spend the morning discovering Oklahoma City or begin your journey west.

Pass through historic Route 66 towns such as El Reno, Clinton and Elk City. Museums along this section tell the story of the road, the Dust Bowl and the families who travelled west in search of a new life.

Cross into Texas and enter the broad landscapes of the Texas Panhandle.

Shortly before reaching Amarillo, stop at Cadillac Ranch, where a row of vintage Cadillacs stands nose-first in the Texas soil.

Continue to your selected Amarillo hotel.

Overnight in Amarillo.

Approximate driving distance: 290 miles / 465 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 4 hours 30 minutes without stops

Leave Amarillo and travel west through the small Route 66 communities of the Texas Panhandle.

Stop in Adrian, traditionally recognised as the midpoint of Route 66—approximately halfway between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Cross into New Mexico and continue through Tucumcari, known for its vintage neon signs and historic roadside motels.

From here, follow the pre-1937 alignment of Route 66 toward Santa Fe. This older route carried early travellers north through the state capital before the highway was realigned through Albuquerque.

Arrive in Santa Fe and check in for two nights.

Overnight in Santa Fe.

Enjoy a complete day in one of America’s most distinctive cities.

Explore Santa Fe Plaza, visit the Palace of the Governors and discover the galleries, adobe buildings and historic churches of the city center.

Santa Fe combines Indigenous, Hispanic and American traditions with an extraordinary high-desert setting. Its restaurants, museums and art galleries make it worth a longer stop on the Route 66 journey.

You may also add an optional excursion to nearby pueblos, historic sites or the landscapes surrounding the city.

Overnight in Santa Fe.

Approximate driving distance: 300 miles / 485 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 5 hours without stops

Leave Santa Fe and travel south toward Albuquerque.

Explore part of Central Avenue, which follows historic Route 66 through the city, and see its surviving neon signs, diners and motels.

Continue west through the New Mexico landscape toward Grants and Gallup. Cross the Continental Divide and enter Arizona.

If time and daylight permit, enter Petrified Forest National Park and follow the park road through the Painted Desert and areas containing ancient petrified wood. Otherwise, visit the park the following morning.

Continue to Holbrook, another classic Route 66 community.

Overnight in Holbrook.

Approximate driving distance: 175–230 miles / 280–370 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 3–4 hours without sightseeing stops

If you did not visit Petrified Forest National Park yesterday, begin your day in the park. Allow additional time for the viewpoints, walking trails and visitor facilities.

Continue west along Interstate 40 and surviving Route 66 sections. Stop in Winslow, immortalised in American popular culture, and visit the historic downtown area.

Travel through Flagstaff and continue north toward Grand Canyon National Park.

Arrive at the South Rim and experience your first unforgettable view across the canyon. If conditions permit, remain for sunset before checking in to your selected lodge or hotel.

Overnight at Grand Canyon South Rim or in Tusayan.

Approximate driving distance: 175 miles / 280 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 3 hours without stops

Enjoy another opportunity to view the Grand Canyon before returning south to Williams.

Williams was the final Route 66 community bypassed by the interstate and retains a lively historic center filled with neon signs, diners and nostalgic roadside attractions.

Continue west to Seligman, one of the towns most closely associated with the revival of Historic Route 66.

Drive one of Arizona’s finest preserved sections of the Mother Road through Peach Springs and the landscapes of the Hualapai Reservation before arriving in Kingman.

Overnight in Kingman.

Approximate driving distance: 210–240 miles / 340–385 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 4 hours 30 minutes without stops

Leave Kingman and follow a dramatic historic alignment across Sitgreaves Pass toward Oatman.

Oatman is an old mining community known for its wooden storefronts and free-roaming burros. The mountain road is narrow and winding, so drive carefully and check conditions before departure.

Continue to Needles and cross the Colorado River into California.

Travel through the Mojave Desert, using open sections of historic Route 66 and Interstate 40 as conditions require. Possible stops include Goffs, Amboy and the famous roadside landmark at Roy’s Motel and Café.

Carry drinking water, keep the fuel tank well supplied and never enter closed or damaged road sections.

Continue to Barstow and check in to your selected hotel.

Overnight in Barstow.

Approximate driving distance: 140–175 miles / 225–280 kilometres
Approximate driving time: 3–4 hours without stops

Begin the final stage of your Route 66 journey.

Travel through the high-desert communities of Victorville and Oro Grande before descending through Cajon Pass into the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Follow selected historic alignments through San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Pasadena and Los Angeles. Traffic can be extremely heavy, so allow considerably more time than the distance suggests.

Continue west to Santa Monica Pier and the celebrated End of the Trail sign beside the Pacific Ocean.

You have crossed eight states and completed one of the greatest road trips in the world.

Check in to your selected Los Angeles or Santa Monica hotel.

Overnight in Los Angeles or Santa Monica.

Enjoy a complete day in Southern California.

Relax beside the ocean in Santa Monica, walk or cycle toward Venice Beach or explore another part of Los Angeles.

Depending on your interests, visit Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Griffith Observatory, the museums of Los Angeles or one of the area’s famous movie studios.

Customers who prefer a quieter conclusion can spend the day beside the Pacific and celebrate the completion of their Route 66 adventure.

Overnight in Los Angeles or Santa Monica.