Route 66 was officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985, yet it remains an icon of American road travel. From Chicago to the Pacific coast, its historic corridor crosses eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Riding it today means connecting surviving sections, old alignments and town streets, by motorcycle or car.
The story of Route 66
A major road from Chicago to California
In the 1920s, growing car ownership created a need for better-connected roads. Cyrus Avery helped promote the corridor linking Chicago to Los Angeles. Route 66 was officially established in 1926 and fully paved in 1938, as documented by the National Park Service. It connected the Midwest to California, rather than running from one ocean to the other.
“Get your kicks”: freedom, recovery, and the Mother Road
Route 66 gained worldwide fame thanks to Bobby Troup’s “(Get your kicks on) Route 66”, popularized by Nat King Cole in 1946. The nickname “Mother Road” speaks to its role as a feeder of hopes: during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years, families and workers streamed west toward California, a story later captured in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
The 1950s boom—and the neon promise
In the 1950s, Route 66 became a development axis: motels, diners with formica counters, souvenir shops, and gas stations multiplied. Places like Amarillo and Albuquerque grew with the flow of holidaymakers. This is the Route 66 many riders come for: the neon, the retro signage, the sense that every small town once lived by the rhythm of passing engines.
Route 66 itinerary: how the ride actually works
The historic route was roughly 2,400 miles long, or around 3,900 km, but its alignments changed over time. This is not a fixed mileage for a modern tour: historic variants, detours, visits and connecting roads all affect the distance actually traveled. Plan around two to three weeks depending on the itinerary and time spent at stops, rather than treating a particular duration as mandatory. Separate riding time from visits and breaks when assessing each day.
Planet Ride offers dedicated programs including a Route 66 motorcycle trip, and broader USA roadtrips (car, motorcycle…). For context on American long-distance routes, this comparison helps: the 10 longest roads in the USA.
What to see along Route 66 on a USA roadtrip
Chicago & St. Louis: the “gateway” momentum
Why it matters: Chicago is the emotional starting line—big city, lakefront, skyscrapers—before the slow drift into Americana. St. Louis marks the historical “Gateway to the West,” symbolized by its arch.
Allow time in Chicago before departure and an overnight stop in St. Louis for the city and its museums.
Texas: Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo
Ten Cadillacs planted nose-first in the ground make Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo one of Route 66’s best-known roadside artworks. Respect the site’s current access rules when visiting.
Visit in daylight and use safe parking away from traffic.
New Mexico: Santa Fe (worth the detour)
Why it matters: Santa Fe’s Hispanic and adobe architecture, calmer pace, and walkable streets offer a different texture from roadside neon culture. Historically, it was pushed off the main alignment partly because it sat too far out.
Consider an overnight stay to explore Santa Fe on foot.
Arizona: Petrified Forest & Meteor Crater
Why it matters: The Petrified Forest delivers one of the most unique landscapes on the whole corridor—fossilized trunks scattered across high desert. Nearby, Meteor Crater is a visceral geology stop: a huge impact site you can read with your own eyes.
Hackberry lies on the historic route between Seligman and Kingman. Sitgreaves Pass lies farther west, toward Oatman, not between Seligman and Kingman. Allow for bends and steep grades.
Allow time for both visits, with water and planned fuel stops.
California: Mojave Desert, Needles heat, and the last miles to the Pacific
Why it matters: The final stretch is a masterclass in contrasts: desert basins, mountain silhouettes, abandoned motels from the Route 66 decline, then Los Angeles intensity—ending at Santa Monica with the ocean as a finish line.
Around Needles, avoid the hottest hours and download maps before entering areas with limited coverage.
Essex–Amboy: the Graffiti Corridor & desert ghosts
Why it matters: This stretch keeps the participatory art spirit alive—tagged objects, improvised installations, and long, cinematic straight lines. You also pass abandoned roadside businesses, remnants of the post-1980s decline.
Respect private property and only stop where parking is safe.
Also worth a quick stop: Bottle Tree Ranch near Helendale—an eccentric collection built from recovered bottles, a pure Route 66 curiosity that takes very little time but sticks in memory.
The decline—and why riding it helps preserve it
The last section was bypassed by Interstate 40 at Williams in 1984; official decommissioning followed in 1985. The National Park Service distinguishes these two events. The loss of through traffic damaged many roadside businesses. Historic sections, preservation groups and local communities still keep the Mother Road alive. Spending time and money in the towns helps support this heritage.
Preparing your Route 66 roadtrip
- Navigation: treat Route 66 as a “choose-your-alignment” road. Use offline maps + a backup GPX/roadbook so you can keep the historic sections when the interstate tries to pull you away.
- Heat management: in desert states, plan riding blocks earlier in the day; dehydration and fatigue arrive faster on a motorcycle than in a car.
- Bookings: in peak season, book key overnights (major towns and iconic motels) ahead—classic addresses fill up sooner than you’d expect.
- Planet Ride pro tip: to reduce risk, avoid stacking “long mileage + big city arrival” on the same day. Arrive before dusk when possible—urban traffic, fatigue, and navigation errors compound quickly at the end of a long stage.
Mini-FAQ (Route 66 roadtrip)
How long do you need to ride Route 66 properly?
Allow around two to three weeks depending on the route, daily pace and stops. Longer trips leave more room for detours, but more than twenty days is not a universal minimum. Check the actual riding days and itinerary of your chosen tour.
Can you ride Route 66 entirely on the original road?
No. Route 66 is discontinuous since its decommissioning. You stitch together surviving segments, frontage roads, and parallel routes using a roadbook or GPX.
Is Route 66 safe for a first long-distance motorcycle trip in the USA?
Suitability depends on your experience, motorcycle, itinerary and conditions. Discuss your riding background with the organizer, allow manageable stages and adapt to heat, wind and fatigue. No itinerary removes these risks entirely.