Route 66

The Mother Road turns 100 in 2026: neon motels, diners and 2,448 miles of Americana.

Illinois · Missouri · Kansas · Oklahoma · Texas · New Mexico · Arizona · California
3,940 km
2 min read

Photo: Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Distance: 3,940 km · 2,448 mi
Difficulty: Easy
Time needed: 2–3 weeks
Suggested days: 14 days
Best season: May–October (spring and fall avoid the desert heat)

Route 66 RV road trip guide: Chicago to Santa Monica, must-see stops, campgrounds, historic alignments, RV tips and the 2026 centennial.

Established in 1926, Route 66 linked Chicago with Los Angeles and became a symbol of freedom on the open road. It carried families fleeing the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and vacationers in the 1950s, and gave birth to a world of neon signs, diners and roadside attractions. The highway was officially decommissioned in 1985, but long stretches survive, and 2026 marks its centennial.

Driving it with an RV means waking up in a different landscape every morning: Midwestern farmland, the plains of Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona and, finally, the Pacific.

Stops along the way

1

Chicago — "Begin Route 66" sign

The “Begin Route 66” sign on Adams Street, near the Art Institute.
2

St. Louis & Chain of Rocks Bridge

Cross the old Chain of Rocks Bridge on foot, with its strange 22-degree bend over the Mississippi.
3

Tulsa

Art Deco buildings, the Blue Whale of Catoosa nearby and the new Route 66 museum.
4

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo

Ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in a field. Bring spray paint and add your own color.
5

Albuquerque

Neon motels along Central Avenue and the old town plaza.
6

Petrified Forest

The only national park with a section of Route 66, full of colorful petrified wood.
7

Flagstaff (Grand Canyon detour)

A mountain town with old motels, and the best base for a day trip to the Grand Canyon.
8

Seligman

The town that started the movement to save Route 66, with quirky shops and a diner.
9

Oatman

Wild burros wander the main street of this old gold-mining town.
10

Santa Monica Pier

The “End of the Trail” sign on the Santa Monica Pier, at the Pacific.

Good to know

Use guidebooks or apps that show the historic alignments; many are not signposted.
The Oatman Highway has tight hairpins; large RVs should take I-40 instead.
Book campgrounds early in 2026, the centennial year.
Plan at least two weeks; three is better.