Ever dreamed of hitting the open road and doing an all American road trip? How about a trip down historic Route 66?! Stretching 2448 miles across America, starting in Chicago, Illinois and finishing up in LA, California, taking in a total of 8 States. This is my tried and tested 16 day Route 66 Road Trip Itinerary with side trips to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas (so essentially stepping foot in 9 States!). I include: the daily miles covered, travel time (with stops), must see roadside attractions, where to stay and where to eat!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links
16 Day Route 66 Itinerary
How Long Does It Take To Drive Route 66?
Answering the question ‘How long does it take to drive Route 66?’ is like saying how long is a piece of string. There are hundreds of places you could stop and visit along the Route. You could technically take a month just to drive to Illinois stretch.
If you are looking at just driving across the country from Chicago to LA, following the rough direction of Route 66, I-40 is the closest option and a straight through drive according to Google Maps is 30 hours. So if you just wanted to see the changing landscape then that’s just a day and a bit of driving!
However this would be doing Route 66 an injustice, you have to stick to the old route AS MUCH as possible. Our total drive time for our 16 day Route 66 road trip, including stops at roadside attractions along the way, restaurants etc was: 85 HOURS.
Cutting the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas off of that total, would only get rid of around 5 hours, so we were still on the road for 80 Hours!
I have split my Route 66 itinerary into the daily miles and driving time, so you can see how far we went each day. You could potentially easily drive Route 66 within 2 weeks (14 days) if you don’t spend the extra days doing the side trips.
Most of our accommodation was booked in advance, for us we liked to know that we had somewhere to sleep without having to worry about trying to find somewhere with vacancies. I think we would have been OK but if you want to stay at some of the more unique lodging options, it’s definitely advised to book those well in advance.
Related Reading: Unique Motels on Route 66
Day 1
Arrive in Chicago
Where we stayed: Comfort Suites O’Hare Airport
When it comes to Chicago, you’ve got a couple of options. We decided to stay near the airport in a hotel with free parking, right next to the I-90, making it easy to start the drive. We then travelled into the city for just one day of sight-seeing using the CTA train from the airport. I’ll be writing a whole post on Chicago tips for Route 66 travellers!
Day 2
Chicago
Spend a day exploring the city where the route begins!
Highlights include:
- seeing the Route 66 BEGIN sign
- SkyDeck @ Willis Tower
- Millennium Park
- Navy Pier
We actually picked up our rental car on day 2 which saved us a day’s rental fee. We collected it from the airport on our way back from our day in the city and then just drove it a little way down the road to our airport hotel.
Day 3
Chicago, IL – St Louis, MO
328 miles (12 hours)
In all honestly, this day was tough going, for the first day on the road, it was definitely a long one! If we were to do it again, I would suggest stopping somewhere before St Louis. We got to the city so late we were only able to see the Gateway Arch from the outside and from further visits to St Louis, the City Museum is well worth a stop…if you have decent knees…
I’d have liked to have some time to explore Pontiac too.
Roadside attractions include:
- Gemini Giant – Wilmington IL
- 1932 Standard Station – Odell IL
- Chain of Rocks Bridge – IL
- Gateway Arch – St Louis, MO
Where to eat: Cozy Dog Drive In, Springfield IL (Lunch – The home of the Corn Dog!)
Where we stayed: Hampton Inn St Louis – At The Arch
Related Reading: 6 Food Stops on Route 66!
Day 4
St Louis, MO – Carthage, MO
291 miles (8hrs 30)
Roadside attractions include:
- World’s Largest Rocking Chair – Fanning Outpost MO
- Devil’s Elbow MO
- Route 66 Drive In – Carthage, MO
Where we ate: Country Cafe, St Robert MO (Lunch)
Where we stayed: Econo Lodge Carthage
Related Reading: Route 66 Attractions: 8 States, 8 Roadside Stops
Day 5
Carthage, MO – Clinton, OK
349 miles (11 hours)
Roadside attractions include:
- Cars on the Route (formerly ‘4 Women on the Route) – Galena KS
- Blue Whale – Catoosa, OK
Where we ate: Pops, Arcadia OK (Lunch – there are 400 different kinds of soda on offer and a giant 66ft tall soda bottle stands in the car park!)
Where we stayed: Super 8 Clinton
Related Reading: Real Life Disney ‘Cars’ Movie Locations on US Route 66!
Day 6
Clinton, OK – Amarillo, TX
187 miles (7 hours)
Roadside attractions include:
- Route 66 Museum – Clinton OK
- Tower Conoco – Shamrock TX
- 8 mile dirt option – McLean TX
- Cadillac Ranch – Amarillo TX
Where we ate: Big Texan Steak House, Amarillo TX (Dinner – home of the 72oz steak challenge!)
Where we stayed: The Big Texan Motel
Day 7
Amarillo, TX – Albuquerque, NM
297 miles (6hrs 30)
Roadside attractions include:
- Route 66 Auto Museum – Santa Rosa NM
- Sandia Peak Tramway – Albuquerque, NM
Where we ate: The Midpoint Cafe, Adrian TX (Breakfast – half way between Chicago and LA!)
Where we stayed: Sandia Peak Inn
Day 8
Albuquerque, NM – Holbrook, AZ
306 miles (10 hours)
Roadside attractions include:
- Sky City – Acoma NM
- Painted Desert & Petrified Forest National Park – near Holbrook AZ
Where we ate: Joe and Aggies Cafe, Holbrook AZ (Dinner)
Where we stayed: Wigwam Motel
Day 9
Holbrook, AZ – Grand Canyon, AZ
199 miles (7hrs 15)
Roadside attractions include:
- Jack Rabbit Trading Post – Joseph City AZ
- Meteor Crater – Meteor City AZ
Where we ate: Joe and Aggies Cafe, Holbrook AZ (Breakfast)
Where we stayed: Yavapai Lodge
We didn’t skip any of Route 66 by going to the Grand Canyon. From Williams it’s around an hour to the Grand Canyon and after our stay, we rejoined the Route back at Williams.
Day 10
Grand Canyon
Highlights include:
- Bright Angel Trail Head
- Yavapai Point
Day 11
Grand Canyon, AZ – Las Vegas, NV
292 miles (7hrs 50)
Roadside attractions include:
- Seligan AZ
- Hackberry General Stores – Hackberry AZ (featured image)
- Stratosphere Tower – Las Vegas NV
- Fremont Street Experience – Las Vegas NV
Where we ate: Harley Davidson Cafe, Las Vegas NV (Dinner – they have the largest USA flag made out of chainlink!)
Where we stayed: Stratosphere Hotel & Casino
Again, as mentioned above, from the Grand Canyon we joined Route 66 back at Williams and from Kingman we followed the I-93 to and from Las Vegas…make sure if you detour you go BACK to Kingman, don’t take the I-95 to the other side of Needles!!
Day 12
Las Vegas
Highlights include: Hotel hopping!
- Gondola Ride at the Venetian
- Rollercoaster at New York New York
- The Fountains of Bellagio.
If you don’t like gambling, here are some ideas for you! Are You Brave Enough For These Top Las Vegas Thrill Rides?!
Day 13
Las Vegas, NV – Barstow, CA
338 miles (9hrs 15)
Roadside attractions include:
- ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign – Las Vegas NV
- Oatman Highway AZ
- Burros (Donkeys) in Oatman AZ
Where we stayed: Route 66 Motel
Day 14
Barstow, CA – Los Angeles, CA
166 miles (6 hours)
Highlights include:
- Bottle Tree Ranch – Helendale CA
- Route 66 End sign – Los Angeles CA
Where to eat: Bubba Gumps Shrimp Restaurant, Los Angeles CA
Where to stay: Best Western Plus Gateway Hotel
Day 15
Los Angeles
Highlights include:
- Hiking to the Hollywood Sign
- Grauman’s Chinese Theatre
- Pacific Park on Santa Monica Pier
Day 16
Depart!
Because of the side trips to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas, the entire road trip was a total of 2864 miles! If these 2 stops were cut out, as said, the route could easily be driven in 2 weeks if you’re willing to compromise on certain attractions!
Some people say that you shouldn’t rush the route and if you don’t have the time to do the whole route at a leisurely pace, then you should cut it up into chunks. Part of the fun though is completing the WHOLE route in one go! It’d be like running a marathon and giving up half way and doing the 2nd half at another time! I wouldn’t change our trip for anything. If you have any questions or want to share your favourite parts of the route, feel free to leave a message in the comments!
Extra Route 66 Resources
Looking at booking your accommodation in advance? Booking.com covers the whole route!
Route 66: EZ66 GUIDE For Travelers
is a ridiculously helpful guide book that gives turn by turn directions, must see attractions and information about the history of the route. You can read my full review of the guide book HERE
Need a soundtrack to your road trip? I recommend the American Anthems
3 Disc compilation album! There’s enough songs to last for several hours without hearing the same ones on repeat!
is a ridiculously helpful guide book that gives turn by turn directions, must see attractions and information about the history of the route. You can read my full review of the guide book 
3 Disc compilation album! There’s enough songs to last for several hours without hearing the same ones on repeat!Have you taken this classic US road trip? How long did it take you to drive Route 66?
Inspired by this Route 66 itinerary? Pin it for later!
Disclosure: Please note some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking. It comes at no extra cost to you but it helps me with the running of this site! As always, opinions are my own.
OK, I live in Chicago and haven’t been to the Route 66 sign…will have to find that before I move this summer!
LikeLike
It’s literally just up the street that’s opposite the art museum in Millennium park…not even a block up! I’ve been back since and it’s now covered in stickers, looks kinda cool!
LikeLike
Since you diverted to Las Vegas instead of the old highway between Arizona and Barstow, CA, recommend next trip that you side trip to Lake Havasu City, I-40 Arizona Exit 9 then 19 miles south. Full amenities and you can drive over the London Bridge. (Note: We have a home in Havasu) Also, recommend the old road National Trails Highway through the desert to Barstow. Take plenty of water and avoid peak summer heat if possible. Thanks for an interesting blog.
LikeLike
Hi! We did actually double back, leaving the route and re joining it in exactly the same place where we left it 🙂
LikeLike