Driving the 2,278 miles of Route 66 usually takes about
2 weeks
when you include stops and visit the cities that are on the way. You can drive Route 66 in as little as 8 days if you drive every day and do not see any of the sights, but you would need a month to really explore the places you are driving through.
Is Route 66 worth the trip?
Is Route 66 still worth driving?
Driving Route 66 is still a great experience
. It’s not an easy road trip, as the defunct nature of the route means you’ll need to be aware of some things. For example, since Route 66 is technically decommissioned, it won’t show up on GPS.
What time of year is best to do Route 66?
The best time to take a Route 66 road trip is from
late spring to early summer and in the early fall
. The weather is usually temperate and roads are open, as are most Route 66 businesses.
What is the best month to do Route 66?
The Short Answer:
The best time to take a Route 66 road trip is between
April (late spring) to early July (early summer)
, and then, after the summer break ⁄ summer holidays: early fall (Labor day till late October).
What is the most scenic part of Route 66?
- Blue Hole — Santa Rosa, New Mexico. …
- Meteor Crater — Winslow, Arizona. …
- Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert — Arizona. …
- Calico Ghost Town — California. …
- Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch — Oro Grande, California. …
- Original McDonald’s Museum — San Bernardino, California. …
- Santa Monica Pier — Santa Monica, California.
How long does it take to drive Route 66 from Chicago to LA?
The drive takes about
40 hours
.
Route 66 rolls through small towns (with plenty of stop lights) along the way, so you won’t be driving as fast as you would on an interstate highway.
Is it difficult to drive Route 66?
A Route 66 road trip is no ordinary holiday. Driving it is an exhilarating prospect, but
putting plans together may also be slightly daunting
. There’s a lot of ground to cover, and not everybody has time to explore every town or city that crops up along the route.
Is Route 66 and I 40 the same?
Interstate 40 subsequently replaced a large segment of Route 66
and the roadway was decommissioned in 1985. However, in the aftermath, a variety of non-profit groups were formed to help preserve the historic highway and much of Route 66 remains drivable today.
Can you do Route 66 in 3weeks?
On our
three week fly-drive holiday
you’ll pack in all the iconic sights you’d expect to see along the Mother Road, plus detours to incredible places such as Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Santa Fe and historic Durango at the base of the great Colorado Rocky Mountains.
How do you plan a Route 66 trip?
- Day 1: Chicago, IL to Springfield, IL.
- Day 2: Springfield, IL, to Sullivan, MO.
- Day 3: Sullivan, MO to Carthage, MO.
- Day 4: Carthage, MO to Tulsa, OK.
- Day 5: Tulsa, OK to Clinton, OK.
- Day 6: Clinton, OK to Amarillo, TX.
- Day 7: Amarillo, TX to Tucumcari, NM.
Is it safe to drive cross country in January?
Icy and snowy roads will limit your mobility and make traveling more dangerous, while fewer daylight hours will restrict how much you can see in one day. Fortunately,
a large portion of the southern U.S. is perfectly safe for driving during winter
.
Why is Route 66 so popular?
Route 66
reduced the distance between Chicago and Los Angeles by more than 200 miles
, which made Route 66 popular among thousands of motorists who drove west in subsequent decades. Like other highways of its day, Route 66 reflects the origin and evolution of road transportation in the United States.
Does Route 66 go through Vegas?
Strictly speaking,
Las Vegas is not on Route 66
. Fortunately, this city is a either the beginning or the end point for Route 66 Tours, and it’s one of our favourite destinations. It seems like quite the oversight that the Mother Road never passes through this still-growing town.
Where should I start on Route 66?
Route 66 starts in
downtown Chicago
and ends at the Santa Monica pier in California.
Is September a good time to Route 66?
We done route 66 in September/October last year,
was a great time of year to do it
,we had fab weather every almost every day.
Does Route 66 go through Grand Canyon?
While
the Grand Canyon isn’t technically on Route 66
, it’s worth a detour. The South Rim is the most accessible from the route and has the best viewpoints; although that does make it the most popular with visitors.
How close does Route 66 come to the Grand Canyon?
It may give a sense of the immensity of the Grand Canyon to know that, while the North Rim is a mere 6-10 mi (9.6 to 16.1 km) from the South Rim as the crow flies, to get there by road requires a drive of at least
215 mi (345 km)
.
How much of the original Route 66 is left?
U.S. Route 66: The Road. Nowadays,
over 85%
of the original alignments of U.S. Route 66 are still drivable. Many segments of the road are simple two-laned highways, so you should drive with care and pay attention to the road signs.
What cities does Route 66 connect?
The highway stretches from
Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California
. Don’t be fooled by the iconic sign at Santa Monica Pier.
Can you take Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles?
You can actually get from Chicago to Los Angeles via Interstates along the route with about 48 hours worth of driving or less
. That said, you’ll want to make plenty of stops and drive portions of the old Route 66 along the way.
Is Route 66 RV friendly?
The entire 2,400-mile route makes for an epic RV trip, or you can tick off one segment at a time, in any of the eight states that the route passes through
. Either way, a Route 66 RV trip is a nostalgic journey through America’s early days of westward travel.
Why is Route 66 now 40?
Completed in 1926, Route 66 winds 2,448 miles from Chicago to L.A. Through most of the Western states,
Route 66 follows Interstate 40, which eventually replaced much of the Mother Road
. In some areas, the remnants of 66 parallel the interstate as a frontage road.
Why was Route 66 shutdown?
The last
outdated, poorly maintained vestiges
of U.S. Highway 66 succumbed to the interstate system in October 1984 when Interstate 40 at Williams, Arizona, replaced the final section of the original road. In 1985, the highway was officially decommissioned.
Can you drive all of Route 66?
Can All of Route 66 be Driven?
No, you can’t drive the “entire” original Route 66
, but you can still drive the sections that have been preserved -which are quite a few! Route 66 was decertified on June 27, 1985 and no longer exists as a U.S. Highway.
