A two-lane stretch of historic Route 66 in the Arizona desert, its yellow double center line curving past red rock cliffs under a clear blue sky

Route 66 Road Trip: 12-Day Chicago to Santa Monica Itinerary

2,260 miles (3,637 km) from Chicago to Santa Monica, eleven nights on the old road, and much of it now sits beside an interstate.

2,260 mi · 12 days · Easy
By

Photo: BLMArizona, Public domain

Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926, ran from Chicago to Santa Monica, and was decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985. 2026 was the road's centennial year: Congress passed the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act in 2020, and states and towns organized events and maps around it (the official centennial site lists them). Event dates change, but the road itself stays the same, and the plan on this page works in any year.

The first thing to know is that much of the old road is now replaced by interstates: I-55 from Chicago to St. Louis, I-44 through Missouri and Oklahoma, I-40 from Oklahoma to Barstow and I-15 and I-10 at the California end. You do not drive one road; you drive the historic alignments that still exist, often within sight of the interstate that took its traffic. The National Park Service puts the route at about 2,400 miles (3,860 km) counting every alignment. The line this page uses, the signed Historic US 66 chained into one path, is 2,260 miles (3,637 km), so expect your odometer to read more.

Twelve days means eleven nights, each in a real Route 66 town: Springfield, Rolla, Joplin, Oklahoma City, Shamrock, Tucumcari, Albuquerque, Gallup, Flagstaff, Kingman and Barstow. The twelfth day ends in Santa Monica. There is no official day-by-day itinerary, so the distances are measured along the road line, not copied from a source, and the stops are the towns on the line that make a sensible night.

Be honest with yourself about the pace. The days run from 139 to 242 miles (223 to 389 km), they average about 188 miles (303 km), and four of them pass 200 miles (322 km): Springfield to Rolla, Joplin to Oklahoma City, Shamrock to Tucumcari and Kingman to Barstow. Those are driving days with short stops, not days for museums. If you want time on the ground, add two days and split the Oklahoma City day at Tulsa, about halfway, and the Mojave day with a night in Needles; that is this page's suggestion, since the sources give no official slower itinerary. The decision that matters most is the time of year, because Mojave heat and highland winter are the two ways this trip goes wrong.

The Route on the Map

Each day in its own color, with the start and every night's stop numbered along the way.

Loading map...

Route line: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), simplified.

Day by Day

12 legs and 11 nights on the way, each in a different place.

  1. A brown Historic Illinois US 66 sign reading BEGIN on a Chicago downtown street, with office towers and parked cars behind it
    Day 1

    Day 1: Chicago to Springfield, Illinois

    Chicago, Grant ParktoSpringfield, Illinois

    Distance
    195 mi 313 km

    A 195-mile (313 km) day on the Illinois stretch, which the National Park Service puts at about 300 miles (483 km) and which became a National Scenic Byway in 2005. The route begins at Grant Park in Chicago. One of the places the NPS has helped preserve is the Standard Oil station in Odell, a good first stop to see what a 1930s service station looked like.

    Springfield is the night stop. Lincoln Home National Historic Site, an NPS unit the NPS lists among the parks near Route 66, is in the city and is the stop to plan the next morning around.

    Sleep
    Springfield, Illinois · Town

    Photo: AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0

  2. The Chain of Rocks Bridge deck, a steel truss span over the Mississippi, with a Route 66 motor court sign and a Route 66 shield at the near end
    Day 2

    Day 2: Springfield to Rolla, across the Mississippi

    Springfield, IllinoistoRolla, Missouri

    Distance
    216 mi 348 km

    A 216-mile (348 km) day. South of Springfield the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, Illinois, opened on July 5, 1935, and the NPS says it is still going; it is the lunch stop on this day. The route then crosses the Mississippi into the St. Louis area, where Gateway Arch National Park is an NPS unit on the route. Missouri is about 317 miles (510 km) by the NPS count, and the first night in the state is Rolla.

    West of St. Louis the road enters the Ozarks, with wooded hills and the historic bridges the NPS describes. The Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri, is one of the NPS-supported sites and sits on this stretch.

    Sleep
    Rolla, Missouri · Town

    Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain

  3. Day 3

    Day 3: Rolla to Joplin, through the Ozarks

    Rolla, MissouritoJoplin, Missouri

    Distance
    192 mi 310 km

    A 192-mile (310 km) day through the Ozarks. The NPS says the Old Wire Road, which grew out of an American Indian trail, was eventually incorporated into Route 66 in Missouri, and that the Route 66 Association of Missouri works to preserve the road. Expect long stretches of hills, small towns and historic bridges where the old road runs next to I-44.

    Joplin is the last town in Missouri on the route. The next day is the longest of the trip and clips Kansas on the way into Oklahoma, so start it with a full tank and an early alarm.

    Sleep
    Joplin, Missouri · Town
  4. Day 4

    Day 4: Joplin to Oklahoma City, Kansas and the Oklahoma plains

    Joplin, MissouritoOklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Distance
    242 mi 389 km

    The longest day of the trip, 242 miles (389 km). The road clips the southeast corner of Kansas for about 14 miles (23 km), the NPS count; it was paved in 1923 for the lead mines and was fully hard-surfaced when Route 66 was commissioned in 1926. Kansas is the only state the interstate bypassed entirely, in 1961, so the old road there is just a short drive.

    Oklahoma is about 400 miles (644 km) of the route, running straight east to west. The NPS names handmade roadside folk art as the draw: Galloway's Totem Poles in Foyil and the Blue Whale in Catoosa, in that order, both east of Tulsa. Tulsa is about the midpoint of the day. West of it, the Threatt Filling Station, about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Luther, is described by the NPS as an early gas station that catered to African American travelers; the NPS lists it as not open to the public, so it is a roadside look. Oklahoma City is the night stop.

    Sleep
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Town
  5. Day 5

    Day 5: Oklahoma City to Shamrock, into the Texas Panhandle

    Oklahoma City, OklahomatoShamrock, Texas

    Distance
    171 mi 275 km

    A 171-mile (275 km) day that leaves Oklahoma and enters the Texas Panhandle, about 185 miles (298 km) of the route by the NPS count. The road is flat and open: grain silos, oil rigs and cattle ranching, as the NPS describes it.

    Shamrock is the night stop for its Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe, an Art Deco building from 1936 on the National Register of Historic Places. It now serves as a visitor center, chamber of commerce office and community center, and visitors are welcome. The NPS does not print hours; call 806-256-2501 before you plan around it.

    Sleep
    Shamrock, Texas · Town
  6. A row of Cadillacs buried nose-first in a flat field and covered in graffiti, at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo
    Day 6

    Day 6: Shamrock to Tucumcari, across the Panhandle into New Mexico

    Shamrock, TexastoTucumcari, New Mexico

    Distance
    207 mi 333 km

    A 207-mile (333 km) day. Amarillo is the Panhandle's hub, per the NPS, and west of it the restored Magnolia Station in Vega is the stop to look for. Then the road crosses into New Mexico, about 535 miles (861 km) of the route by the NPS count and the longest state on this trip.

    Tucumcari is the night stop, and the Blue Swallow Motel there is one of the places the NPS names. This is the first day of the trip that feels like the West: the land turns to mesa and open rangeland, and the road spends long stretches with nothing to stop for.

    Sleep
    Tucumcari, New Mexico · Town

    Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain

  7. The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, where the previous day ends and this one starts: a blue neon sign above a pink office, with a teal-and-white 1950s car parked in front
    Day 7

    Day 7: Tucumcari to Albuquerque, the 1937 straight shot

    Tucumcari, New MexicotoAlbuquerque, New Mexico

    Distance
    171 mi 276 km

    A 171-mile (276 km) day, and one that follows the 1937 alignment. The NPS says the realignment, known as "Hannett's Joke", cut about 100 miles (161 km) from the cross-country trip by dropping the old loop through Santa Fe; the line this page measures goes straight to Albuquerque and does not pass through Santa Fe. If you want the older loop, it is a different road and a longer day.

    Petroglyph National Monument, an NPS unit the NPS lists as on the route, is in the Albuquerque area and is the stop for the next morning.

    Sleep
    Albuquerque, New Mexico · Town

    Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain

  8. Day 8

    Day 8: Albuquerque to Gallup, the shortest day

    Albuquerque, New MexicotoGallup, New Mexico

    Distance
    139 mi 223 km

    A 139-mile (223 km) day, the shortest of the trip, and the one to spend slowly. The road crosses arid rangeland and mesas, and the NPS notes it also crosses tribal communities, so treat photography and stops there with the same respect you would anywhere else you are a guest. El Malpais National Monument, an NPS unit, sits near the route.

    Gallup is the night stop, and the El Rancho Hotel there is one of the places the NPS names. The short day is deliberate: the next one crosses into Arizona and past Petrified Forest.

    Sleep
    Gallup, New Mexico · Town
  9. A Route 66 shield set into a concrete path at the old road pull-out in Petrified Forest, with a rusted 1930s car beyond
    Day 9

    Day 9: Gallup to Flagstaff, Petrified Forest and the Arizona high country

    Gallup, New MexicotoFlagstaff, Arizona

    Distance
    188 mi 302 km

    A 188-mile (302 km) day that crosses into Arizona, about 350 miles (563 km) of the route by the NPS count and a designated Arizona Scenic Byway and All American Road. Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park with a stretch of Route 66 inside it: telephone poles and a raised roadbed mark the old alignment, seen from a pull-out almost 6 miles (10 km) from the north entrance. The pull-out is a viewpoint, not a road you drive, and it is inside the park; check nps.gov/pefo for hours, fees and road status before you plan around it.

    In Holbrook the Wigwam Motel is one of the properties the NPS Route 66 program has supported with grants, and Winslow has a Commercial Historic District. Flagstaff is the night stop, at high elevation, which matters in winter.

    Sleep
    Flagstaff, Arizona · Town

    Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0

  10. Day 10

    Day 10: Flagstaff to Kingman, Williams and Seligman

    Flagstaff, ArizonatoKingman, Arizona

    Distance
    162 mi 260 km

    A 162-mile (260 km) day that links the historic business districts the NPS lists in Williams and Seligman, and ends at the Kingman Commercial Historic District.

    Kingman is the night stop and the last town before the long California day. Fill the tank here, and check the Mojave forecast before you leave.

    Sleep
    Kingman, Arizona · Town
  11. Day 11

    Day 11: Kingman to Barstow, the Mojave

    Kingman, ArizonatoBarstow, California

    Distance
    227 mi 365 km

    A 227-mile (365 km) day, and the hardest to plan. The Durlin Hotel in Oatman, which the NPS lists, is on the Arizona side. After Needles the road becomes the California Historic Route 66 byway, which the Bureau of Land Management measures at 178 miles (286 km). That figure starts at the Colorado River, 14 miles (23 km) east of Needles, so it covers more road than the 159 miles (256 km) from Needles to Barstow on the line this page uses. The BLM says the byway runs through about 150 miles (241 km) of virtually undeveloped land, passing through Needles, Goffs, Amboy, Ludlow, Newberry Springs and Daggett before Barstow.

    The NPS lists Amboy among the nearest gas stations to Mojave National Preserve but notes its hours are limited, and calls the Needles to Barstow stretch among the hottest on Route 66. Leave Kingman early and do not skip fuel. If the heat or the forecast says no, sleep in Needles and take the desert in two shorter pieces.

    Sleep
    Barstow, California · Town
  12. The Santa Monica End of the Trail Route 66 sign at the pier, with a large black 66 in a circle between the two name panels, against a pale blue sky
    Day 12

    Day 12: Barstow to Santa Monica, the last day

    Barstow, CaliforniatoSanta Monica, California

    Distance
    150 mi 242 km

    A 150-mile (242 km) day, the last of the trip. California is about 345 miles (555 km) of the route by the NPS count, and about 16 properties tied to the road are on the National Register. The desert gives way to the Los Angeles basin, and the road becomes city streets for the last stretch.

    The line ends in Santa Monica, about 0.75 mile (1.2 km) from the pier, which most people treat as the end of the trail. Leave the whole afternoon for it: traffic is the variable on this day, not the distance.

    Photo: Dwaynewilbert, CC BY-SA 4.0

Permits

No permit is required

Driving Route 66 needs no permit; it is public roads in eight states. Individual sites set their own fees and hours, including the national park and national monument units along the route.

The official permit page

Getting There and Back

How to reach the start of the Route 66 Road Trip, and how to get home from the end.

The start

Chicago, at Grant Park, where the National Park Service says the route begins. The NPS names the park, not a street corner, so this page does not either. If you are flying in, Chicago is the start of a one-way trip; the 5 days in Chicago guide covers the city before you leave.

The end

Santa Monica, California, about 0.75 mile (1.2 km) from the pier. From here you can return the car or carry on into Los Angeles; the 5 days in Los Angeles guide picks up where this page stops.

Shuttle

A one-way drive means the car ends more than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) from where it began. Ask the rental company about one-way terms when you book, not at the counter. If you are coming from the East Coast rather than Chicago, see the New York to San Francisco road trip, which explains why Route 66 is not the road from New York.

Parking

Route 66 passes through downtowns of every size, and most of the stops on this page are curbside or in a small lot. Check the parking rules where you sleep when you book; this page names no hotels.

Safety

  • The road is not one road. The National Park Service says the highway had multiple alignments and that interstates I-55, I-44, I-40, I-15 and I-10 replaced it over about three decades. Parts are signed, parts are numbered county or state roads, and some stretches are now the interstate frontage road. Follow the line on the map above and the Historic Route 66 signs, and keep a downloaded offline map for the gaps.

  • Closures. No single agency reports on the old road. These are the state transportation departments' own traveler sites, so they cover the roads those departments run; a closed county road or town street may not appear, and the town or county is the source for it. Check the state's site the evening before and in the morning: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

  • Heat and distance in the Mojave. NPS calls the Needles to Barstow stretch among the hottest on Route 66, and the Bureau of Land Management says the byway passes through about 150 miles (241 km) of virtually undeveloped land. Fill the tank in Needles or Barstow, carry water in the car, and make the Kingman to Barstow day an early start.

  • Winter in the highlands. The road climbs through New Mexico and Arizona between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, and snow and ice can close roads there in winter. Check NMRoads and AZ511 for the day, and be ready to take the interstate that runs beside the old road.

  • Long days. Day 4 is 242 miles (389 km), and the Mojave day is 227 miles (365 km) on roads with few services. Start early, and treat sunset as the deadline for the last stretch, especially in winter.

  • Los Angeles. The last day ends in the Los Angeles basin. Leave margin for traffic, because it can turn 150 miles (242 km) into a full afternoon.

Route 66 Road Trip: FAQ

How long does it take to drive Route 66?

This page plans 12 days, Chicago to Santa Monica, with eleven nights in Route 66 towns and days of 139 to 242 miles (223 to 389 km), mostly driving. Ten days averages about 226 miles (364 km) a day; 14 days, by splitting the Oklahoma City day at Tulsa and the Mojave day in Needles, gives two days for the places you do not want to rush.

How long is Route 66?

The National Park Service says about 2,400 miles (3,860 km) from Chicago to Santa Monica. The line this page uses, the signed Historic US 66 chained into one path, measures 2,260 miles (3,637 km); the difference is the alignments, city detours and side streets that the NPS counts and the line does not.

Can you still drive Route 66?

Yes, in pieces. The highway was decommissioned in 1985 and replaced by the interstates, but long stretches survive as signed Historic Route 66, state roads and frontage roads. Plan with a map that shows the old road, not with the interstate signs.

Do you need a permit to drive Route 66?

No. It is public road in eight states. Some sites along it, such as national parks, charge their own fees.

When is the best time to drive Route 66?

Spring and autumn. The National Park Service calls the Needles to Barstow stretch among the hottest on the route, and the New Mexico and Arizona highlands have winter weather, so April, May, September and October avoid both.

Where does Route 66 start and end?

In Chicago, where the National Park Service says it begins at Grant Park, and in Santa Monica, California. It was established on November 11, 1926.

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