We travel the Route 66 in several parts because there is so much to see and we don’t want to miss anything! We drove the 'Mother Road' in all the states Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. In the nearby future we want to drive the whole Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles!
Below you can reed about the highlights we've seen and see some pictures we’ve made. But as I said before…..there is so much to see!!
Illinois
State: Illinois
Length: 436.0 mi / 701.7 km
Time to Allow: 8 hours to drive the Illinois section of Historic Route 66, or 2 or more days to really enjoy the byway.
Missouri
State: Missouri
Length: 317.0 mi / 510.2 km
Time to Allow: Unknown.
Historic Route 66 Byway runs across Missouri from St. Louis at the Illinois state line to Joplin at the Kansas state line.
Kansas
State: Kansas
Only 12.8 miles of the old Mother Road cut through the lower eastern corner of the state. Here’s a classic example of the old saying, "Good things come in small packages!" Kansas packs more of the Route 66 Experience in its dozen miles than any of the other states. Kansas Route 66 has the distinction of being completely paved by 1929 making it the first state to pave all of Route 66. Okay, maybe it was easier for Kansas to do this, after all 12.8 miles is easier to pave than hundreds of miles. But Kansas paid for this honor years later, it is the only Route 66 state to be completely bypassed by the Interstate that replaced Route 66.
Only 12.8 miles of the old Mother Road cut through the lower eastern corner of the state. Here’s a classic example of the old saying, "Good things come in small packages!" Kansas packs more of the Route 66 Experience in its dozen miles than any of the other states. Kansas Route 66 has the distinction of being completely paved by 1929 making it the first state to pave all of Route 66. Okay, maybe it was easier for Kansas to do this, after all 12.8 miles is easier to pave than hundreds of miles. But Kansas paid for this honor years later, it is the only Route 66 state to be completely bypassed by the Interstate that replaced Route 66.
Oklahoma
State: Oklahoma
Length: 400.0 mi / 643.7 km
Time to Allow: 1-2 days to enjoy the byway.
The story of Oklahoma’s Route 66 is the story of American transportation in the 20th Century. The Oklahoma section of the Mother Road includes several miles of the original 9-foot road segment that served travelers in their Model A’s and T’s during the 1920s and '30s. The existing roadbed includes unique trestle bridges and architectural wonders such as Arcadia’s round barn, the elegance of the Oklahoma State Capitol, the grandeur of Miami’s Coleman Theater and the fifth of Buckminster Fuller’s Geodesic dome buildings.
Texas
State: Texas
Known as the Panhandle because of the way it juts north from the rest of Texas, this part of the route is a nearly 200-mile stretch of pancake-flat plains. Almost devoid of trees or other features, the western half, stretching into New Mexico, is also known as the Llano Estacado or “Staked Plains,” possibly because early travelers marked their route by driving stakes into the earth. The Texas Panhandle was the southern extent of the buffalo-rich grasslands of the Great Plains, populated by roving bands of Kiowa and Comanche Indians as recently as 100 years ago. Now oil and gas production, as well as trucking and Route 66 tourism, have joined ranching as the region’s economic basis.
Known as the Panhandle because of the way it juts north from the rest of Texas, this part of the route is a nearly 200-mile stretch of pancake-flat plains. Almost devoid of trees or other features, the western half, stretching into New Mexico, is also known as the Llano Estacado or “Staked Plains,” possibly because early travelers marked their route by driving stakes into the earth. The Texas Panhandle was the southern extent of the buffalo-rich grasslands of the Great Plains, populated by roving bands of Kiowa and Comanche Indians as recently as 100 years ago. Now oil and gas production, as well as trucking and Route 66 tourism, have joined ranching as the region’s economic basis.
Even more so than in New Mexico or Oklahoma, old Route 66 has been replaced by I-40 most of the way across Texas, though in many of the ghostly towns like McLean, Shamrock, or Vega, and the sole city, Amarillo, old US-66 survives as the main business strip, lined by the remains of roadside businesses. A select few are still open for a cup of coffee and a sharp taste of the living past.
New Mexico
State: New Mexico
National Forest: Cibola National Forest, Santa Fe National Forest
Length: 604.0 mi / 972.0 km
Time to Allow: 16 hours to drive the New Mexico section of the byway.
As you travel Route 66 in New Mexico, you can visit authentic Historic Route 66-era hotels, motels, trading posts and gas stations that have been lovingly restored and preserved. Wander through majestic mountains, breathtaking vistas, meandering ranch land, Indian reservations, Pueblo communities and spectacular sunrises and sunsets.
Arizona
State: Arizona
National Forest: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Coconino National Forest, Prescott National Forest, Tonto National Forest
Length: 370.0 mi / 595.5 km
Time to Allow: Allow 7 hours to drive the byway.
Route 66 in Arizona is the story of a developing nation - a tale of economic opportunity and the hardships of the Dust Bowl, of World War II and the family vacation. Walk in petrified forests and painted deserts, wander in ancient ruins, or drive along a lava flow.
California
State: California
The stretch of Route 66 that passes through California extends from the Colorado River (Topock), near Needles, to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica. Some 320 miles of Route 66 pass through California's deserts, mountains, metropolitan areas and beach communities.
The stretch of Route 66 that passes through California extends from the Colorado River (Topock), near Needles, to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica. Some 320 miles of Route 66 pass through California's deserts, mountains, metropolitan areas and beach communities.
