Route 66 Travel Guide

All you need to know about Route 66

Index to this page

motel with rooms shaped like wigwams and 1950s cars parked beside them — Historic Wigwam Motel Holbrook, AZ. Austin Whittall

Plan your Route 66 Road Trip!

Vintage gas station on Route 66 in Commerce Oklahoma

The 1929 Conoco Hole in the Wall gas station in Commerce, OK

Sights & Attractions

Things to See and Do on Route 66, Stops, and Landmarks

Tourist Attractions and Sights, an overview.
Top Ten attractions in each state.
Landmarks on Route 66.
Historic sites.
All the spots and must-see sights in each of the cities and Towns on U.S. 66.

vintage red neon sign with white letters and two more signs under it — The Boots Court neon sign, on Route 66 in Carthage, Missouri. Source

Roadtrip Planning Resources

The head of the "Chicken Boy" muffler man
Los Angeles, CA. Source

How to Plan your Road Trip
Detailed description leg-by-leg with custom interactive maps of the alignments of US66, and a description of each leg from Chicago to Santa Monica.
Itinerary along Route 66
Trip Planner Tool
Tips for a Great Road Trip
Our 1-Week Route 66 Road Trip Itinerary from Chicago to Santa Monica, stopping at the main sights along the highway.
See its Maps (all kinds of them).

Route 66 Numbers

The end of the trail sign of Route 66 on the pier in Santa Monica

The End of Route 66 sign on Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California

It was created in 1926 and originally numbered as U.S. Highway 60. Quickly changed to U.S. 66.
Current length: 2,278 miles (3.665 km). Original length: 2,448 miles in 1926
Route 66 crosses the San Andreas fault in a spot known as Blue Cut in Cajon Pass, CA.
It passed through Eight States: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.
The Kansas segment is the shortest of the whole Route 66: barely 13 miles long.
The New Mexico section is the longest of them all: 392 miles.

Nature and Outdoors

National and State Parks

Natural landmarks and outdoor activities

Some of America's greatest outdoor scenic spots are located on or near Route 66. Learn all about them: Parks and outdoors

snow dusted mountains of the San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff

Snow dusted San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff AZ. Source

volcano pink clouds, tough yellow grasses

Volcano in Albuquerque NM. Credits

Route 66 crosses the prairies of Illinois, the Ozarks in Missouri, the Great Plains from Kansas, across Oklahoma and Texas to New Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, and the rugged dry Southwest in NM, Arizona, and California.

Cone shaped colored hills on Route66 — The Tepees, Petrified Forest National Park, Holbrook AZ. A. Whittall

America's Main Street

us flag made with licence plates on a wall

US flag made from license plates on Route 66: the Tag Flag, Galena KS. Source

Route 66 is an Icon of American Culture

U.S. Highway 66 has kept that flavor of "Real America" with its friendly people, small-town values, Mom-and-Pop stores, vintage service stations, neon signs, motels, and diners
A Road Trip along Route 66 is a journey into a now-gone America, and its heritage, it immerses you in Americana.

A flag of Texas painted on the wall of a gabled house

Texas flag mural, Adrian Texas, click for Street View. Source

hot dog topped with mustard and french fries with a wavy green arrow stating "Henry’s - It's A Meal In Itself"</i>

Henry’s Drive-In with its hot dog-shaped neon sign, Route 66 Cicero IL

life-size statue of Elvis Presley playing his guitar — Elvis Presley statue at Cruiser's 66 Cafe a former gas station, US66 in Williams Arizona. A. Whittall

The Odd, Wacky & Weird Stops along Route 66

Fabulous Fun Attractions!

Blue Whale, Catoosa OK. Source

Competition between motels, stores, diners, and trading posts along Route 66 was tough and each one devised their particular eye-catchers to lure in their customers.
Learn about the gaudy, garish, absurd, and amusing spots that make up the kitschy side of Route 66.

There are many oldies, classic stops, and also new ones!

20 ft. tall woman statue in boots, with red dress with white details, turquoise scarf, cowboy hat and space gun up in the air in right hand, US66 shield behind her

Stella the Space Cowgirl, Tulsa, Route 66. Source

close up of the two giant arrows, painted red and yellow, stuck in the ground

The gigantic "Twin Arrows" at Twin Arrows, AZ- Source

giant red rocking chair and three vintage cars dwarfed by it — The Red Rocker in Fanning, Missouri. Source

Legendary Route 66

Route 66 shield painted on the roadway in Kingman AZ. A. Whittall

Historic Highway US 66

Trivia & Fun Facts; Learn about the "Mother Road":

>> Did you know that you can Drive the whole of Route 66 in 7 days?

Route 66 Frequent Questions

A "Donkeys ahead" sign on Route 66 in Oatman AZ

Donkeys ahead!, Oatman AZ

head of an apatosaurus, looking at you with a curved neck, green skin and pale blue sky behind

"Zoomie" the apatosaurus. Grand Canyon Caverns, AZ. Source

Answers to all your questions about Route 66...

map comparing Route 66 length with distances between global cities — The distances between these cities are more or less equivalent to the length of Route 66. A Whittall

Hotels & Motels on Route 66

Blue and white neon sign over the canopy of the office, 1950s light blue car parked by it: Swallow Motel

Blue Swallow Motel, New Mexico

ornate green and yellow neon sign at a motel office, Palomino Motel Tucumcari

Palomino Motel, Tucumcari
Palomino Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico, Source

Lodging along Route-66

Find your Accommodation, Relax, and unwind

Route 66 has a wide choice of hotels and motels including both modern and classic ones. Some of them are historic vintage sites where you can rest and enjoy like in the old days.
Each of our "town" pages includes a hotel search tool to help you find a room there or in nearby locations.

Find your Hotels on Route 66.

Classic Route 66 Motel sign in Needles, Route 66, California — The Route 66 Motel Neon Sign. Needles, California. Source

More goodies on our Route 66 Website

drawing of a yellow plane flying around a globe to America from Europe a red dashed line marks its route

Visiting from Abroad?

Advice on Car hire and how to Rent a Motorcycle or Rent an RV.

Travel tips for our International Visitors:
Plan your US trip, get your US tourist Visa, book your flights buy Travel Insurance, and more!

Neon sign with MOTEL written in White blocks with red letters and word RANGER in white on blue below — Classic 1950s Ranger Motel Neon sign, El Reno OK

States, Towns, and Cities on Route 66

Route 66, Town by Town information

Each Town on U.S. 66 has its own webpage with all you need to know about it: History, accommodation, attractions, weather, and maps.

On each town page, you will find a menu like the one below showing the towns east and west of it.

< West
Santa Monica (End) ¦ Beverly Hills ¦ W Hollywood - Go east >

East >
< Go west - Berwyn ¦ Cicero ¦ Chicago (Road Begins)

Two story gas station, hipped roof and vintage gas pumps — "Provine Service Station - Lucille's Place Historic Site. Hydro Oklahoma. Source

Route 66, State by State information

Plan your trip from California to Illinois, a state-by-state guide on Route 66: its alignment, itinerary, towns, sights, maps, things to do, places to visit, and more!

< West
California ¦ Arizona ¦ New Mexico ¦ Texas

East >
Oklahoma ¦ Kansas ¦ Missouri ¦ Illinois

The following map shows where Route 66 is, marking its alignment, including the "Santa Fe Loop" through Santa Fe in New Mexico.

Map showing where Route 66 and the states it crosses

map with US 66 Alignment across the US and its major cities — A map showing the general alignment of Route 66, the states it crosses, and the main cities along it. Austin Whittall

Route 66 Centennial Celebrations 1926-2026

Next year is the 100^th anniversary of Route 66. Learn all about this celebration on our Route 66 Centennial Page

US66 shield and words about its 100th anniversary, 1926-2026 Centennial — 1926-2026 Route 66's 100^th anniversary is coming! A. Whittall

Credits

Banner image: Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, Arizona by Perla Eichenblat.

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The Complete Online Route-66 Travel Guide

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