Route 66 – from Chicago to Santa Monica

When to go

Pleasant along the whole route: May, Sep. In high summer Oklahoma, Texas and the Mojave Desert get hot; in winter the east and the high country are cold.

pleasant fine so-so (cool or wet) hot cold Number = average daily high (2015–2024)

The eight states

1. Illinois

   It starts in Chicago at the “Begin Route 66” sign on Adams Street. Then through cornfields and small towns to the old Chain of Rocks Bridge with its bend across the Mississippi.

   • 875 North Michigan Avenue Built in 1969, this 344-meter skyscraper with its distinctive X-braced facade rises above Chicago and offers a public observation deck.
   • Aon Center Completed in 1973, this 346-meter tower with its slender glass facade stands among the tall buildings of downtown Chicago.
   • Trump International Hotel and Tower Rising 423 meters above the Chicago River, this tower was completed in 2009 and ranks among the city's tallest buildings.
   • Millennium Park A downtown Chicago park featuring the reflective Cloud Gate sculpture and the Crown Fountain, opened in 2004.
   • Chicago Loop
   • Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry Since 1933, this large science museum in Chicago has housed interactive exhibits on technology, nature and space.

2. Missouri

   St. Louis with the Gateway Arch, then rolling hills through the Ozarks – with caves, old bridges and roadside diners.

   • Gateway Arch Completed in 1965, this gleaming stainless steel arch rises above the Mississippi riverfront in St. Louis, marking the gateway to the American West.
   • Missouri Botanical Garden Founded in 1859, this garden in St. Louis combines expansive grounds, historic greenhouses and a wide variety of plant life.
   • Gateway Arch National Park This national park in St. Louis is home to the Gateway Arch on the banks of the Mississippi River.
   • Saint Louis Zoo A large zoo set in St. Louis's Forest Park, home to numerous animal species since its founding in 1904.
   • George Washington Carver National Monument This monument honors the life and work of scientist and educator George Washington Carver and was established in 1943.
   • Mid America Adventure An amusement park in Eureka, Missouri, with roller coasters, rides and a water park.

3. Kansas

   Only about 13 miles – the shortest section, through Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs, with the white arched “Rainbow Bridge”.

4. Oklahoma

   Lots of original drivable stretches: the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Tulsa, the Round Barn in Arcadia, Oklahoma City and Route 66 museums in Clinton and Elk City.

   • Philbrook Museum of Art Founded in 1939, this art museum occupies an Italian Renaissance-style villa surrounded by extensive gardens.
   • Oklahoma City National Memorial
   • Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
   • Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
   • St. Joseph Old Cathedral
   • Gilcrease Museum

5. Texas

   Across the Panhandle: the art deco U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Amarillo with Cadillac Ranch and, in Adrian, the midpoint of the whole route.

   • Palo Duro Canyon Steep cliffs in vivid shades of red and orange run through this expansive canyon system in Texas.
   • Wonderland Park
   • Sacred Heart Cathedral
   • Texas Air & Space Museum
   • Panhandle–Plains Historical Museum
   • Carson County Square House Museum

6. New Mexico

   Neon signs in Tucumcari, the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, Albuquerque’s Central Avenue – and the older alignment via Santa Fe as a detour.

   • Fort Wingate Established in 1862 near Gallup, this former military post reflects the history of the American Southwest.
   • Petroglyph National Monument Volcanic rock near Albuquerque bears thousands of ancient Native American petroglyphs, protected as a national monument since 1990.
   • Glenrio
   • National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
   • Albuquerque Museum
   • New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science

7. Arizona

   Petrified Forest is the only national park with a stretch of Route 66. Then Winslow, Flagstaff, the detour to the Grand Canyon, Seligman and Oatman with its burros.

   • Petrified Forest National Park Fossilized logs from ancient forests lie scattered across colorful badlands in this park established in 1962.
   • Walnut Canyon National Monument Steep cliff walls lined with well-preserved Sinagua dwellings wind around a deeply carved canyon in Arizona.
   • Poozeum
   • The Arboretum at Flagstaff
   • Grandview Mine
   • El Tovar Stables

8. California

   Through the Mojave Desert via Needles, Amboy and Barstow, then through the Inland Empire to the “End of the Trail” sign on Santa Monica Pier.

   • Hollywood Sign White letters set into the hills above Los Angeles, marking the film industry since 1923.
   • Getty Center Perched on a hilltop above Los Angeles, this museum campus opened in 1997 and combines art collections, architecture and sprawling gardens.
   • U.S. Bank Tower Standing 310 meters tall, this skyscraper was built in downtown Los Angeles in 1989 and towers over the city center.
   • J. Paul Getty Museum Perched on a hilltop in Los Angeles, this museum combines art collections with sprawling gardens and views across the city.
   • Downtown Los Angeles
   • Los Angeles County Museum of Art Art museum with an extensive collection, founded in 1910 in the heart of Los Angeles.

Under each state: the best-known sights at most 15 km from the line of our sample route.

Good to know

• Time: allow at least two weeks for the whole route – the sample route below takes 14 days.
• Direction: the classic way is from Chicago westwards, towards the Pacific.
• Rental car: one-way rentals often carry a hefty drop-off fee – check it when comparing.
• By RV: several companies have stations in Chicago and Los Angeles (Cruise America, El Monte, Indie Campers; in Los Angeles also Road Bear and Escape). They offer one-way rentals between most stations – ask ahead; relocation deals are especially worth checking here.
• Climate: the route climbs from the Midwest to the high country around Flagstaff (over 2,000 m) and ends in the Mojave Desert – very hot in summer, snow possible up high in winter.
• Old stretches are sometimes narrow or unpaved; the brown “Historic Route 66” signs show the drivable alignment.

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