Home/Countries/United States/Museums & culture/Route 66

Route 66

The Mother Road - the legendary old highway from Chicago to Los Angeles, a nostalgic ribbon of neon motels, diners and desert Americana.

Saved in this browser only - no account, nothing sent anywhere. See your map

Illustrative image - a scene in the spirit of the place, not a photograph of it. Real photos are below.

Typetradition

WhereIllinois to California

Nearest cityChicago

Best seasonApril to October

Time to allowDays to weeks

Getting thereRuns from Chicago to Los Angeles across eight states; driven in sections or whole

EntryFree to drive

Real photos (1)

Route 66 is the most famous road in America, the Mother Road that once ran two thousand four hundred miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, carrying dust-bowl migrants and later road-trippers west. Bypassed by the interstates, its surviving stretches are a nostalgic ribbon of neon motels, retro diners, quirky roadside attractions and desert Americana.

What you actually see

Neon and roadside Americana - the old motels, signs and diners of the road.
Classic stops - Cadillac Ranch in Texas, the Wigwam Motels, ghost towns and trading posts.
The changing landscape - prairie, desert and mountain across eight states.
Small-town Main Streets - the towns the highway kept alive and left behind.

When to go

Spring to autumn for comfortable driving, avoiding desert summer heat and winter snow in the higher sections. It is a road trip, so time depends on how much you drive.

Honest expectations

The original road is fragmented and often unmarked, replaced by interstates, so following it takes a guidebook, patience and detours. Many stretches are ordinary or run-down between the highlights. Its magic is nostalgia and the journey, not a single destination.