Route 66: route guide

Route 66 ran from Chicago to Los Angeles and crossed eight states. It opened in 1926 and was fully paved by 1938. The last stretches were bypassed by interstates in the 1970s and 1980s, and the highway was decommissioned in 1985.

You cannot drive it as one numbered road today. What remains is a patchwork of state highways, business loops and frontage roads, often signed as Historic Route 66 but sometimes not signed at all. Navigation is the main practical task: a paper map or an offline map app matters more here than on any interstate.

The classic direction is west, Chicago to Los Angeles, following the migration story of the 1930s. Driving east works too and puts the desert in your first days rather than your last.

The road's identity sits in small towns, not in the big cities at either end. Plan two or three stops a day, not five: the point is the drive between them.

Illinois and Missouri have preserved old alignments near Springfield and along the Meramec River. Oklahoma has some of the longest surviving stretches, including original 1920s pavement near Miami and the Blue Whale site at Catoosa. Texas brings the Cadillac Ranch west of Amarillo and the Big Texan steakhouse. New Mexico adds Albuquerque's old alignment and the lava fields west of Grants. Arizona has long unbroken rural stretches, including Seligman, Kingman and the 1926 alignment through the Black Mountains. California ends with the Mojave crossings and the Santa Monica pier. Treat this list as a starting point and confirm current access and opening status locally (check).

Do not treat every roadside attraction as mandatory. Pick the ones that match your interests: car culture, Native American sites, ghost towns or diners. A 2–3 week trip with 15 well-chosen stops beats one with 40 rushed ones.

Spring and autumn are the usual windows. April and May bring milder desert temperatures and green plains; September and October give clear skies and cooler driving. Summer is workable but the Mojave and Texas panhandle can exceed 40 °C, and afternoon storms hit the plains. Winter brings snow and ice to the higher parts of Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona, and some rural attractions close. Verify current conditions before you commit (check).

2026 is the road's centennial year, with events in many towns along the route. Expect busier motels and higher prices in the main stops; book ahead if you travel then (check).

Weekends are busier at the famous sites. If you can, drive the popular stretches on weekdays.

Motels are the traditional choice and still the practical one: they sit on the old alignments, allow late arrivals and have parking. Book the well-known ones in advance, especially in Seligman, Kingman, Tucumcari and Flagstaff, where rooms are limited and fill in peak season.

Bigger towns give more choice and better value: St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and the Los Angeles suburbs. Campgrounds and RV parks are common in the rural stretches, and national park campgrounds near Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon need reservations months ahead in summer.

Prices vary widely by town and season. Budget roughly USD 80–150 a night for a basic motel room and USD 150–250 for a mid-range hotel in the bigger cities (2026 estimate).

You need a car. There is no continuous signed route for cyclists or walkers, and long rural gaps have no services. Rent in Chicago or Los Angeles and drop off at the other end; one-way fees apply. A campervan or RV suits the trip if you like camping, but it is slower and harder to park in cities.

Navigation is the main risk. Download offline maps, carry a paper atlas, and expect sections with no phone signal in Arizona, New Mexico and the Mojave. Fuel up when you can: some stretches run 80–160 km between stations (check).

Distances are long and services are sparse. Carry water, a spare tyre, a basic tool kit and a phone charger. In summer, start early and avoid driving in the desert heat of the afternoon. Check state road conditions in winter before the high-country sections.

For non-US drivers, licence and permit rules vary by state and by rental company, so confirm what your state of entry and your rental firm require before booking (check). Check that your insurance covers the US and every state you cross.