Many say it’s the ultimate road trip. Route 66 is a historical route across the USA that takes you from northern-central United States in Chicago to the west coast in Los Angeles. This classic route is 2,448 miles long and spans two thirds of the continent! Large cities, lakes, camping stopovers, highway motels, open desert highways, it has it all. Here’s a few more details on the road trip if you have your eyes fixed on Route 66 to tick off on your bucket list.
Start your engines
Most people who take on the route 66 road trip will choose
to start on the western point and head out east to end up on the sunny shores
of LA. After all that driving who wouldn’t want to end on a sunny beach break
for some well-earned sun sand and sea.
OR, if you would prefer to end your drive on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago maybe you would prefer to end with some more nature driven relaxation with camping and hiking. The choice is yours obviously, just bear in mind what time of year you are going for your start, end and stop off points to get the most out of each location.
OR, if you would prefer to end your drive on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago maybe you would prefer to end with some more nature driven relaxation with camping and hiking. The choice is yours obviously, just bear in mind what time of year you are going for your start, end and stop off points to get the most out of each location.
Highway system
You will want to be following the ‘Historical route 66’ signs
along the way as the actual journey is made up of lots of interconnecting
highways. Historically this was one long route in the 1920’s but as the country
expanded and up until he 1980’s the official route 66 title was disbanded and
broken up into smaller state wide sections.
States
This road trip will see you through California, Arizona, New
Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois; in order from west
to east. That’s a diverse range of the states with many landmarks, tourist
spots, view points and culinary delights to delve into along the way.
Duration
Now this depends if it’s a trip you just want to tick off and have done. If so, the journey can take 2 weeks only stopping off at the most popular destinations along its route. It’s suggested that a month be put aside for this trip alone to really take in all the hot spots along the way and get the most from this classic road trip.
The more time you have to give this road trip the better though as there are hundreds of notable stop offs along it’s route and it really can be given as much time as you want. You could even break up the actual route 66 with larger detours or breaks along the way to maximise this trip over several months.
Best time of year
As this is a road trip we strongly recommend going in the
height of the United States’ dry season which runs from May to October to keep
those tyres firmly stuck to the road. Highest temperatures usually spring up
around May through August. This gives you ample time to immerse yourself in the
vast, changing landscapes that this route will take you through.
Vehicle
You could rent out an all-time classic American muscle roadster if you are against the clock and want to put your foot down old school style. Remember that this would incur more accommodation costs at your chosen stops though.
If time is a luxury, consider renting a larger campervan that you can sleep in, keep a stock of food and drink in etc. to keep your costs down. This option may incur a higher initial fee at the beginning, the larger the vehicle the higher the rental cost usually. But you can save a lot of cash along the way if your B’n’B is on wheels!
Plan /budget for:
- Fuel cost
- Accommodation along the way, OR
- Areas that you can camp in legally, if you are taking that option.
- Food and drink
- Take satellite navigation just in case!
- DEFINITELY take a good choice of driving playlists with you! Music for the road baby!!
Try and see:
- Grant Park — Chicago, Illinois.
- 66 Drive-In — Carthage, Missouri.
- Wigwam Village Motel #6 — Holbrook, Arizona.
- Milk Bottle Grocery — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- Cadillac Ranch — Amarillo, Texas.
- Santa Monica Pier — Santa Monica, California.
- Fantastic Caverns, Missouri.
- Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma.
- Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas.
- San Miguel Mission, New Mexico.
We had a great time doing this drive in June / July last year 🙂 🙂 🙂