ROAD 10
ROUTE 66
Chicago to Santa Monica. America's original road trip.
US Route 66, the Main Street of America, the Mother Road. 2,448 miles from Chicago's Lake Shore Drive to the Santa Monica Pier, crossing eight states and every version of the American landscape. Route 66 was decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985, but decommissioning a road doesn't decommission a myth.
HISTORY +
Route 66 was commissioned on November 11, 1926, connecting Chicago to Los Angeles through the agricultural and ranch heartland of America. The road gained its mythological status during the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s, when hundreds of thousands of displaced Okies and Arkies drove it west in search of work — John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" documented this migration with an accuracy that made Route 66 into literature. The postwar economic boom turned the road into an American leisure corridor, lined with drive-ins, motels, diners, and roadside attractions that created a new commercial vernacular. The 1960 television series "Route 66" — two men in a Corvette — solidified the mythology for a television generation.
CULTURE +
Driving Route 66 today is a layered archaeological experience. The interstate system that replaced it preserved the landscape while killing the commerce, and what remains is a series of time capsules: 1950s motel signs still lit with original neon, diners serving the same menu since 1948, gas stations frozen at the moment the bypass opened. The Route 66 preservation movement has grown since the 1990s into one of the most organized historic road efforts in the world, with dedicated organizations in each of the eight states maintaining historical markers, restoring buildings, and managing the tourism ecosystem.
FAMOUS VOICES +
"66 is the path of a people in flight, refugees from dust and shrinking land, from the thunder of tractors and shrinking ownership... Route 66 is the mother road, the road of flight."
— John Steinbeck, Author
"Get Your Kicks on Route 66" (1946) — Troup wrote the song on a cross-country drive on the road itself. Nat King Cole's recording made it the anthem.
— Bobby Troup, Songwriter
His recording of "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" in 1946 is the song that named the mythology of the road.
— Nat King Cole, Musician
"I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion." — from "On the Road," which takes Route 66 as its spiritual geography
— Jack Kerouac, Author
Guthrie traveled Route 66 during the Dust Bowl years. His music is the sound of people who took this road because they had no choice.
— Woody Guthrie, Folk musician
"Route 66 is the most American thing there is. It contains everything — the best and the worst — about who we are."
— Michael Wallis, Route 66 historian
MOVIES, MUSIC & BOOKS +
MOVIES & TV
🎬 The Grapes of Wrath 1940, John Ford
Henry Fonda on Route 66 with everything the family owned. The definitive film.
🎬 Easy Rider 1969, Dennis Hopper
Fonda and Hopper on motorcycles through the American Southwest. Route 66 country throughout.
🎬 Thelma & Louise 1991, Ridley Scott
The Route 66 corridor is the landscape of the film's entire second half.
🎬 Cars 2006, Pixar
Set entirely on a fictional Route 66 town. The most watched Route 66 film globally by volume.
🎬 Route 66 (TV series) 1960-1964
Two men in a Corvette crossing America. The show that made Route 66 the symbol of American freedom for the television generation.
SOUNDTRACK
🎵 (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 — Bobby Troup / Nat King Cole 1946 — The original. Every version since is referencing this one.
🎵 Route 66 — Rolling Stones 1964 — The British Invasion version. Opened the song to a global audience.
🎵 Route 66 — Depeche Mode 1986 — The synth version. Every decade finds Route 66 again.
🎵 This Land Is Your Land — Woody Guthrie 1940 — Written by a man who traveled this road in desperation. The song of the migration.
🎵 Born to Run — Bruce Springsteen 1975 — The Route 66 impulse in post-industrial New Jersey.
ESSENTIAL READING
📚 The Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck 1939 — The Pulitzer Prize novel of Route 66. Read it before you drive it.
📚 On the Road — Jack Kerouac 1957 — Spiritually Route 66 throughout, though not always on the literal road
📚 Route 66: The Mother Road — Michael Wallis 1990 — The definitive modern history of the road
📚 Blue Highways — William Least Heat-Moon 1982 — The author takes back roads across America; Route 66 country is his home territory
CLIMATE & BEST TIME +
Year-round, but each section has optimal timing. The midwest sections (Illinois, Missouri, Kansas) are best May-June and September-October. The Oklahoma and Texas sections are most pleasant April-May and October-November. New Mexico and Arizona are optimal March-May and September-October (summer is hot, winter can bring snow and ice). California is year-round. Budget 10-18 days for the full route with proper stops.
EAT +
Lou Mitchell's
$$
📍 Chicago, IL — Start
The traditional Route 66 starting point. Breakfast institution since 1923. They give Milk Duds to customers waiting for tables. Go.
The Cozy Dog Drive In
$
📍 Springfield, IL
The original corn dog. Since 1946. Route 66 institution.
Ariston Cafe
$$
📍 Litchfield, IL
The oldest restaurant on Route 66, operating continuously since 1924. Unchanged and perfect.
Blue Swallow Motel & Café
$
📍 Tucumcari, NM
The motel's café serves the same diner food it has since 1939. The neon sign is a national treasure.
BOOK →
Delgadillo's Snow Cap
$
📍 Seligman, AZ
Juan Delgadillo's legendary roadside stand. Operating since 1953. The owner will mess with you. It is part of the experience.
Santa Monica Pier restaurants
$$
📍 Santa Monica, CA — End
The official end of Route 66 at the pier. Celebrate with seafood and Pacific views.
SLEEP +
Blue Swallow Motel
$$
📍 Tucumcari, NM
The most iconic motel on Route 66. Original neon, original character, operating since 1939. Book ahead.
CHECK ROOMS →
El Rancho Hotel
$$
📍 Gallup, NM
Built in 1937. Every Hollywood star who filmed in New Mexico stayed here. The autograph wall is extraordinary.
CHECK ROOMS →
Wigwam Motel
$$
📍 Holbrook, AZ
Sleep in a concrete wigwam. Since 1950. Kitsch elevated to landmark status.
CHECK ROOMS →
La Posada Hotel
$$$
📍 Winslow, AZ
Fred Harvey hotel designed by Mary Colter in 1929. Restored to extraordinary condition. The best lodging on Route 66.
CHECK ROOMS →
FAMOUS PLACES +
📍 Cadillac RanchAmarillo, TX
Ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in a wheat field by art collective Ant Farm in 1974. Bring spray paint — this is participatory art.
📍 The Blue Swallow Motel signTucumcari, NM
The most photographed motel sign in America. Original 1939 neon, operating every night.
📍 Petrified Forest National ParkHolbrook, AZ
Ancient trees turned to crystal over 225 million years. Route 66 passed through the park.
📍 Painted DesertAdjacent to Petrified Forest, AZ
The most spectacular high desert color landscape in North America.
📍 Santa Monica PierSanta Monica, CA
The official western terminus. "Route 66 Ends" sign marks the spot 66 feet above sea level at the pier entrance.
📍 Wigwam Village #6Holbrook, AZ
Concrete wigwam motel built 1950. A surviving example of the roadside novelty architecture that defined Route 66 commercial culture.
📍 Ted Drewes Frozen CustardSt. Louis, MO
Operating on Route 66 since 1929. The frozen custard is legitimately extraordinary. The line is part of it.
GEAR FOR THIS ROAD +
⚠️ Affiliate links: Asphalt Pursuit earns a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Rand McNally Road Atlas$20
Old-school navigation for the stretches where cell service fails and GPS gets confused between old Route 66 and the interstate.
BUY ON AMAZON →
EZ Route 66 AppFree-$5
The most comprehensive Route 66 navigation app. Shows historic alignment versus modern roads.
Insulated Yeti Rambler Tumbler$40
The desert sections of Route 66 (New Mexico, Arizona) run hot. Hydration and temperature management are serious.
BUY ON AMAZON →
COMMUNITY INTELLIGENCE +
""Budget 14 days minimum. We needed 18. No regrets." — this is the consensus from everyone who has done it."
— Route 66 Association of America
"The Cadillac Ranch requires spray paint. Bring your own. The rule is to paint over what's already there and let the next person paint over you."
— Amarillo local
"La Posada in Winslow is not optional. It is the best hotel on the road and the restaurant is exceptional. Book a night."
— Route 66 travelers forum
FAQ +
Is Route 66 still drivable?›
Yes — most of the historic alignment still exists as paved road, though some sections are broken or unpaved. Multiple apps and guidebooks document exactly which alignment to take at each junction where Route 66 diverges from the current highway system.
How long does Route 66 take to drive?›
Minimum 7 days if you push. 14 days is the recommended length for a meaningful experience with stops. 18+ days if you want to do it properly with every side trip and historic site.
Which state has the best Route 66 experience?›
New Mexico and Arizona preserve the most intact historic sections with the most dramatic landscape. Illinois and Missouri have the densest concentration of historic architecture and operating original businesses.
ABOUT ROUTE 66 +
US Route 66, often called the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, ran 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The route was officially decommissioned in 1985 when the interstate highway system had provided direct alternatives for all segments, but significant portions of the original alignment remain drivable through the preservation efforts of state and local organizations. The Route 66 National Scenic Byway designation has helped fund preservation of historic structures, signage, and road surfaces. International tourism to Route 66 is substantial — the route draws significant visitor numbers from Europe, Japan, and Australia, where the mythology of American road travel is particularly powerful.