We had a great time driving Route 66 on a budget and wanted to share some of our tips for doing so. So how much does Route 66 cost? – It can, of course, vary but a good minimum to budget (excluding flights and car hire) is around $150 a day.
Some of its best-preserved sections include the stretch between Springfield, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma; the road west of Seligman, Arizona; and the Oatman Highway through the Black Hills of Arizona.
How do I stay safe on Route 66? First and foremost: there is no 100% safe. It just doesn't exist. There is always some risk involved, and depending on your risk appetite, you might want to take on more or less, and should prepare accordingly.
Spanning some 19,000 miles, the Pan-American Highway is the longest roadway in the world. Starting in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the road moves south, passing through Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America.
In 1956, President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which established America's 47,800-mile Interstate Highway System and eventually led to Route 66 becoming obsolete. Interstate 40 subsequently replaced a large segment of Route 66 and the roadway was decommissioned in 1985.
85% is still easily driveable in an ordinary car. Why is Route 66 not on ordinary maps? It was decommissioned as a federal highway over a period of years with the last stretch disappearing from the records in 1984.
Radiator Springs is a fictional Arizona town and the principal setting of the Disney/Pixar franchise Cars. A section of the Disney California Adventure theme park is based upon the setting.
For decades, Route 66 was known as “Bloody 66” because of the many car crashes that occurred on that busy and often-narrow highway.
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.
The history of Route 66 began long before there were cars, or even horses and carts in America. It began with the first people to reach the New World some 15,000 years ago.
Chose your itinerary and plan your Route 66 road trip, either eastbound or westbound.
- Your Trip begins at: Choose the State where your journey begins.
- Define your Driving time: How many hours will you be driving every day.
- Your Trip ends at:
- Define your Driving speed:
- Get Road Trip Details.
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.
A classic route requires a classic car, so here are 10 vehicles with which you could tackle Route 66.
- Chevrolet Corvette.
- Ford Mustang.
- Dodge Grand Caravan.
- Tesla Model S.
- Ford F-150XLT.
- Winnebago Grand Tour.
- Toyota Prius.
- Honda Civic.
What if I have Less Time than 2 weeks to Drive Route 66? We would recommend 2 weeks as a good minimum to go at a moderate pace and still have time to visit many of the major attractions along the route. It includes many of the highlights of this itinerary but includes more Interstate driving.
So to those asking "Can you do Route 66 in a week?, the answer is yes! you can and have a lot of fun doing it. Having said this, you should consider at least extending the ride to two weeks.
Midway along the Historic Route 66 loop between Seligman and Kingman, the road comes close to the Grand Canyon as it passes through the large and lonely Hualapai Indian Reservation. The Skywalk is most popular as a day-trip destination from Las Vegas, but you can get here from Peach Springs via 91 miles of rough roads.
16 Route 66 Attractions Worth a Stop
- Gemini Giant — Wilmington, Illinois.
- Route History — Springfield, Illinois.
- Gateway Arch — St.
- Meramec Caverns — Sullivan, Missouri.
- Blue Whale — Catoosa, Oklahoma.
- Pops — Arcadia, Oklahoma.
- Leaning Tower of Texas — Groom, Texas.
- Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe — Shamrock, Texas.
It takes about 45 hours, or six 8-hour days, to drive coast-to-coast. You will need to decide if you want to take one of four coast-to-coast interstates or traverse the country as the old-timers did on U.S. highways. If you have about three months to travel, you can even see all 48 continental states.
