Route 66

1. 1
   Chicago, Illinois

   Eastern terminus at Lake Shore Drive and Jackson Boulevard · Historic Route 66 begin/end signage near Michigan Avenue
2. 2
   Joliet, Illinois

   Route follows IL 53 through town
3. 3
   Bloomington-Normal, Illinois

   Twin cities passed via outer roads paralleling I-55 · Veterans Parkway offers a faster bypass option
4. 4
   Lincoln, Illinois

   Near the Dixie Truckers Home in McLean, said to be an early truck stop
5. 5
   Springfield, Illinois

   End of Day 1 · Town square has a marker calling it the birthplace of Route 66
6. 6

   St. Louis Metro Area (Illinois side)

   Route crosses into Missouri here, multiple historic alignments exist
7. 7

   Chain of Rocks Bridge

   Narrow bridge with a sharp bend crossing the Mississippi River · Now pedestrian-only, optional side trip
8. 8
   St. Louis, Missouri

   Gateway Arch and Jefferson National Expansion Memorial nearby as a side trip
9. 9

   Meramec Caverns / Stanton, Missouri

   Advertised cave attraction, optional side trip
10. 10
    Cuba, Missouri

    Known for its outdoor mural project and historic motel
11. 11

    Fanning, Missouri

    Site of a large novelty rocking chair roadside attraction
12. 12

    Devil's Elbow, Missouri

    Small scenic town on the Big Piney River
13. 13
    Rolla, Missouri

    Route passes a replica of Stonehenge near the university
14. 14
    Lebanon, Missouri

    Waypoint along outer roads paralleling I-44
15. 15
    Springfield, Missouri

    End of Day 3 · Known locally for a distinctive Chinese-American dish
16. 16
    Carthage, Missouri

    Route passes an old drive-in theater on the way through town
17. 17
    Joplin, Missouri

    Mineral museum in a park at the west edge of town
18. 18
    Galena, Kansas

    Short Kansas stretch of the route
19. 19

    Riverton, Kansas

    Marsh Arch Bridge nearby, described as the last of its type on the route
20. 20
    Baxter Springs, Kansas

    Route continues south toward the Oklahoma state line
21. 21

    Commerce, Oklahoma

    Oklahoma state line crossing point
22. 22
    Miami, Oklahoma

    Route passes a historic theater downtown
23. 23
    Claremore, Oklahoma

    Home to a museum dedicated to Will Rogers
24. 24
    Catoosa, Oklahoma

    Roadside giant whale sculpture from an old water park
25. 25
    Tulsa, Oklahoma

    End of Day 4 approach · Route curves through downtown changing street names
26. 26
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

    Route passes near the state capitol building
27. 27
    El Reno, Oklahoma

    Route transitions from state highway onto the interstate corridor
28. 28
    Weatherford, Oklahoma

    Waypoint on frontage roads paralleling I-40
29. 29
    Clinton, Oklahoma

    Route 66 museum located near but not directly on the historic road
30. 30
    Elk City, Oklahoma

    Frontage-road town along I-40
31. 31
    Sayre, Oklahoma

    Business loop through town
32. 32
    Texola, Oklahoma

    End of Day 5 leg · Near the Texas state line
33. 33
    Shamrock, Texas

    Home of a distinctive Art Deco former gas station and cafe building
34. 34
    McLean, Texas

    Museum devoted to the history of barbed wire
35. 35
    Groom, Texas

    Landmark leaning water tower visible from the interstate
36. 36
    Amarillo, Texas

    End of Day 5 · Known for a steak-dinner challenge restaurant
37. 37

    Cadillac Ranch

    Public art installation of cars buried nose-down in a field, west of Amarillo
38. 38
    Vega, Texas

    Frontage-road town on the way to the New Mexico line
39. 39
    Adrian, Texas

    Marked as the approximate halfway point between Chicago and Los Angeles
40. 40

    Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico

    Ghost town straddling the Texas-New Mexico state line · Former motel with signs facing both directions
41. 41
    Tucumcari, New Mexico

    Home of a well-known vintage motel with neon signage
42. 42
    Santa Rosa, New Mexico

    End of Day 6 leg · Natural deep spring popular for scuba diving nearby
43. 43

    Clines Corners, New Mexico

    Well-known roadside stop on an alternate alignment
44. 44
    Albuquerque, New Mexico

    End of Day 6 · Route runs along Central Avenue through downtown
45. 45

    Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico

    Route passes near Native American reservation land
46. 46
    Grants, New Mexico

    Route follows frontage roads near lava beds
47. 47
    Gallup, New Mexico

    End of Day 7 leg · Route marked by roadside teepee structures at the east edge of town
48. 48
    Holbrook, Arizona

    Arizona state line crossing nearby · Site of a teepee-shaped motel
49. 49
    Petrified Forest National Park

    Optional detour through the Painted Desert area · Removing petrified wood from the park is prohibited
50. 50
    Winslow, Arizona

    Route passes a well-known street corner landmark
51. 51

    Meteor Crater

    Well-preserved impact crater, privately run visitor center · Short detour south of the interstate
52. 52
    Flagstaff, Arizona

    End of Day 7 · Home to an astronomical observatory where Pluto was discovered
53. 53
    Williams, Arizona

    Jumping-off point for an optional detour north to the Grand Canyon
54. 54
    Ash Fork, Arizona

    Route threads through town avoiding the newer highway
55. 55
    Seligman, Arizona

    Small town with a well-known Route 66 memorabilia and visitor center
56. 56

    Hackberry, Arizona

    Near-ghost town with a general store converted into a gift shop
57. 57
    Kingman, Arizona

    Historic powerhouse building serves as a visitor center and museum
58. 58
    Oatman, Arizona

    Old mining town where wild burros roam the streets · Reached via a mountain pass with switchbacks and no guardrails
59. 59
    Topock, Arizona

    End of Day 8 leg · Crossing point into California over the Colorado River
60. 60
    Needles, California

    California agricultural inspection checkpoint nearby
61. 61

    Essex, California

    Point where two alternate desert alignments rejoin
62. 62
    Amboy, California

    Home of a classic roadside diner · Near a volcanic crater accessible by a short gravel road
63. 63
    Ludlow, California

    Route passes alongside lava fields near here
64. 64
    Barstow, California

    End of Day 8
65. 65
    Victorville, California

    Former site of a museum later relocated to Missouri
66. 66
    San Bernardino, California

    Site associated with the first McDonald's restaurant
67. 67
    Pasadena, California

    Route follows one of the earliest freeways built in the US
68. 68
    Los Angeles, California

    Route passes through downtown and Hollywood along Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards
69. 69
    Santa Monica, California

    Western terminus of the route · Plaque and pier marker commemorate the end of the historic highway

• Historic Route 66
• Old Route 66 - Oatman Road
• Historic Route 66 - MO
• California Historic Route 66 Needles to Barstow Scenic Byway

Lookouts along this trip

Scenic overlooks on the official byways this route runs along, in drive order. Each byway’s own page carries its full list.

Named places along this route

Typed places from the atlas within thirty miles of this trip, measured to its own snapped line. Each one traces to its source record, and each one lists the byways near it in return.