Route 66 15 Days / 14 Nights Distance - Miles : 2378 / Kilometers : 3828 Seasons - Spring, Summer Temperature : 90 to 40 F / 32 to 4 C Day 1 :Chicago Arrival You arrive at Chicago International Airport and transfer on your own to your hotel. In Chicago you are in the biggest and most exciting of the Great Lake cities. Chicago has a skyline to rival any city s - a gamut of top-rated museums, restaurants and cafes, and innumerable bars and nightclubs that pay homage to the city s strong jazz and blues heritage. Overnight. Day 2 :Chicago - Springfield Miles : 201 Kilometers : 324 This morning you pick up your bike and are off to the ultimate American road trip. Parallel to I-55, the legendary Route 66 began its run right here, cutting through the state before running all the way to the Pacific Coast you will get a glimpse of it, as some of the old-time diners and other Americana still stand. From Chicago you head south, pass the old truck stop town of McLean, and roar through the coal-mining area of Illinois along the Pontiac Trail, the original name for this bit of the road here toward Springfield, the Illinois state capital. Overnight.
Day 3 :Springfield - Rolla Miles : 200 Kilometers : 322 Your ride will take you further south as you head toward St. Louis, which is one of the significant cities here. There will be numerous Highway towns, which invite you for a stop en route you should definitely see the famous Dixie truck stop, Our Lady of the Highway Statue, Litchfield and the Paris Stop Café. Take time to visit Meramec Caverns as you head for the Mississippi River and don t miss the famous Chain of Rocks Bridge. You are in Missouri now, the state where the forests meet the prairie and the Mississippi River meets the Missouri River. You ride all the way up to Rolla, where you overnight. Day 4 :Rolla - Tulsa Miles : 281 Kilometers : 452 From Rolla your ride will take you deep into the Ozark Mountains, which occupy most of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. This area remained frontier territory until the timber companies moved in at the end of the 19th century. None of the Ozark Peaks are particularly high, though the roads through them switch, dip, climb, and swerve to provide stunning views of steep hillsides thick with oak, elm, hickory, and redbud all quite resplendent in fall. Ride through the famous towns of Lebanon and Conway and stop in Carthage to see the old beautiful courthouse. Before you enter the state of Oklahoma make a stop in Joplin. Oklahoma is a state that does not often get to crow about being the best in the country, but as far as Route 66 is concerned, Oklahoma is definitely Number One! Containing more miles of the old highway than any other state, and in far better condition, this is a great place for bikers and old-road fans. Today s destination is Tulsa, where you overnight. Day 5 :Tulsa - Clinton Miles : 199 Kilometers : 320 From Tulsa you head west through Oklahoma and follow the contour of the land as if it s always been there. You cover 100 miles of the Old West s Indian country between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. In the 1830 s all this land, held to be useless, was set aside as Indian Territory a convenient dumping ground for the so-called Five Civilized Tribes who blocked white settlement in the southern states. The Choctaw and the Chickasaw of Mississippi, the Seminole of Florida, and the Creek of Alabama were each assigned a share, while the rest was given to the Cherokee from Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. Today, the state has a large Native American Indian population oklahoma is the Choctaw word for red man. Further west you ride through El Reno over the mile-long bridge, near Bridgeport and into Clinton, the heart and soul of Route 66 country! Overnight.
Day 6 :Clinton - Amarillo Miles : 175 Kilometers : 282 This morning you should rise early for your journey into the Panhandle, the southernmost portion of the Great Plains, often called the real Texas. It certainly fulfills the fantasy of what Texas should look like once the buffalo and the natives had been driven away from what was seen as perilous and uninhabitable frontier country, the Panhandle began, around in the 1870 s to yield great natural resources. Helium, especially in Amarillo, and oil, as well as agriculture, did bring wealth to the region, which is home to some of the world s largest ranches. Amarillo may seem cut off from the rest of Texas, but it stands on one of the great American cross-country routes I-40 (once legendary Route 66), roughly 300 miles from Albuquerque and 250 miles west of Oklahoma City. Amarillo takes its name from Spanish and it means yellow, the color that is so characteristic to this region. Amarillo is where you overnight. Day 7 :Amarillo - Santa Fe Miles : 270 Kilometers : 435 Today you leave Texas and are on your way into The Land of Enchantment, New Mexico after passing through the Cadillac Ranch. How about the ghost town of Glen Rio, where you can stand with one foot in New Mexico and the other one in Texas? With 5 states behind and 3 still ahead, you ride your bike through the land of Commanche and into Tucumcari, the biggest town between Albuquerque and Amarillo. You head up into the High Plains and altitude of Santa Fe in central New Mexico. Santa Fe is one of America s oldest and most beautiful cities, and will be your base for the next two nights. Overnight. Day 8 :Santa Fe Today is at leisure to rest and enjoy the distinctive flavor of this nearly 400-year-old city. The blend of cultures here becomes evident in the southwestern architectural style so closely associated with New Mexico s capital city. Perhaps you would like to take a ride along the river valley to the old Native American Indian town of Taos. Overnight.
Day 9 :Santa Fe - Gallup Miles : 197 Kilometers : 317 This morning you head south, down to Albuquerque, New Mexico s largest city, with a third of the state s population. Albuquerque is sprawling at the heart of New Mexico, where the main east - west road and rail routes cross both the Rio Grande and the old road south to Mexico. You cross the Rio Grande and head west out into the open country and the hues of the Navajo wilderness. You are skirting mesas and bluffs on into Laguna. Further on ride through Grants and along Cibola National Forest towards the famous Route 66 town of Gallup an old railroad town and Indian stronghold. Overnight. Day 10 :Gallup - Flagstaff Miles : 185 Kilometers : 298 From Gallup it s only about half an hour to the Arizona border you enter the state of Arizona and enjoy a very scenic ride through the Petrified Forest, a fossilized prehistoric forest of gigantic trees that has been unearthed by erosion. Just a dozen miles further west you get to Holbrook and Winslow two old Route 66 towns that are kept alive by transcontinental truckers. As you continue west you pass the old Jackribbit Trading Post and arrive at Northern Arizona liveliest and most attractive town, Flagstaff, where you can enjoy typical Wild West charm. Its main thoroughfare, Santa Fe Avenue, used to be Route 66, while before that it was the pioneer trail west. Overnight. Day 11 :Flagstaff - Williams Miles : 145 Kilometers : 233 This morning you get up early and head for the majestic Grand Canyon, which is far larger than anything you can imagine. Enjoy one of the world s most inspiring places and greatest spectacles and make sure to allow several stops along the canyon for photos. From the Grand Canyon you are riding south towards the old western town of Williams. Overnight.
Day 12 :Williams - Laughlin Miles : 210 Kilometers : 338 From Williams you continue west on the old Mother Road, which is bending north here, coming down from the highlands, through the Indian town of Peach Springs into Kingman considered to be the Heart of Historic Route 66. Then it s up into the mountains and you head towards the famous mining town of Oatman. You cross the state line into Nevada and it s only a few miles to the gambling oasis of Laughlin. Overnight. Day 13 :Laughlin - Victorville Miles : 220 Kilometers : 354 Today it s off to California, the final state on your ride down legendary Route 66. You cross the Devil s Playground and ride along the Mojave Desert, which offers some of the most dramatic scenery in Southern California rolling with lush grasses, startling volcanic formations, large stands of Joshua trees, and even in some spots, pinon pines. From the desert you get right into the cool pines of the San Gabriel Mountains. Head for Victorville, which is your base for tonight. Overnight. Day 14 :Victorville - Los Angeles Miles : 95 Kilometers : 153 Today you are on your way to the final destination of your legendary American road trip Los Angeles. You head for Santa Monica, as Historic Route 66 ends on Santa Monica Boulevard. Santa Monica is the oldest and biggest of LA s resorts once a wild beachfront playground, it s now a self-consciously liberal and healthy community. Spend the afternoon sightseeing and enjoy Hollywood with the famous Chinese Theatre, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, and much more. Time to return your motorcycle at Eaglerider s Los Angeles store and transfer back to your hotel. Overnight. Day 15 :Los Angeles Departure Today your exciting trip will conclude in Los Angeles. Departure.