Historic Route 66: Road Trips

A listing of ghost towns along Route 66

There are more than 250 buildings, bridges, road alignments and other sites along Route 66 that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This travel itinerary highlights over 100 of those sites, and is part of the National Park Service's Share Our Heritage Travel Itinerary series. Enjoy your trip and visiting these special places along historic Route 66!

Celebrate America's Mother Road from Oklahoma City to Santa Monica. Whether traveling in a motor coach as part of a vacation package or road-tripping solo, expect to travel in style with 9-day vacation ideas inspired by the AAA Route 66 Road Fest.

"The Mother Road" was established on November 11, 1926, and ultimately stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles.

The legendary Route 66 Scenic Byway enters New Mexico across a vast, sunlit prairie before meandering through rocky outcrops, quiet streams and adobe villages.

Many travelers on Historic Route 66 enjoy documenting their road trips with stamps collected in "passports" that they gather at different stops along the Mother Road.

The 300-mile drive offers most of what makes this travel back in time so memorable.

The Kansas Route 66 Historic Byway offers opportunities for visitors to enjoy a variety of experiences to "get their own kicks" while driving the original Kansas portion of Route 66, found in the "Ozark Plateau" or Southeast corner of the state.

It is about 123 miles from Oklahoma City to Erick, only 2:10 driving time on I-40. But much of Route 66 today is still drivable on that segment, so travelers on going to stay on the Mother Road and the time will be longer, and more enjoyable!

Long stretches of open road, old diners, vintage motels, and retro filling stations dotted along the Arizona portion of the Route show off why it is considered the country’s most iconic road trip.

The Ultimate Five Day/Four Night
Illinois Route 66 Itinerary

As you travel Route 66, we recommend taking the “scenic route” and spending a few days to cover a handful of the things to do on Route 66 in Missouri. Begin your journey from St. Louis, one of the most popular cities on Route 66.

Continue your Route 66 Trip. Starting from Cuba, Mo., start your great American road trip by heading west on Route 66 to see everything from picturesque courthouses to re-creations of Old Route 66 filling stations.

In its heyday, all 465 miles of New Mexico's Route 66 bustled with life and played home to some of the most iconic experiences of American West: herds of antelope on the high prairie, dramatic mountain vistas, and the tribal cultures of New Mexico's native Puebloan people. Today, travelers can still take in the nostalgia of the Mother Road, neon signs and all.

Get your kicks on more than 400 miles of Route 66 in Oklahoma. The nation's longest driveable stretch of Route 66 cuts through Oklahoma, making its way past charming towns, roadside diners and quirky attractions.

Route 66 totaled only 186 miles across the Texas Panhandle, and is closely followed by today's Interstate I-40. Texas had the smallest Route 66 mileage after Kansas. About 150 miles of Route 66 remains drivable in Texas.

Traveling west on Route 66 through California takes you through the demanding Mojave Desert, over mountains and through lush inland valleys, to the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica.