What states does Route 66 go through?
Route 66 runs through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. It covers about 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. Kansas is the one people forget, because the road clips the very southeast corner of the state for only 13 miles, which takes about twenty minutes to drive.
The road was commissioned on 11 November 1926 and removed from the United States highway system on 27 June 1985, after the interstates bypassed it town by town. Williams, Arizona held out the longest and stayed on the route until October 1984. What survives today is signed as Historic Route 66 and is driven for its own sake rather than to get anywhere.
The eight states, east to west
| # | State | Approx. miles | Where the road runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | 301 | Chicago to the Mississippi at St. Louis. |
| 2 | Missouri | 317 | Across the Ozarks through Springfield, the town where the road was named. |
| 3 | Kansas | 13 | Clips the southeast corner. Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs, and that is the whole state. |
| 4 | Oklahoma | 432 | The longest drivable stretch of original road anywhere on the route. |
| 5 | Texas | 186 | Straight across the Panhandle, with the midpoint at Adrian. |
| 6 | New Mexico | 487 | The longest stretch of all, over the Continental Divide. |
| 7 | Arizona | 401 | The Painted Desert, Flagstaff at 7,000 feet, then down to the Colorado River. |
| 8 | California | 314 | The Mojave crossing, then San Bernardino and out to the Pacific. |
Mileages are approximate. The alignment moved repeatedly between 1926 and 1985, so published figures differ by a few miles either way. The 2,448 mile total is the figure the Route 66 associations and the centennial use.
Stops along the road
Every stop in round two, in order from Chicago to Santa Monica.
| Stop | State | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | IL | The eastern end. The road began at Jackson and Michigan, a block from Lake Michigan. |
| Joliet | IL | First city out of Chicago, and the prison in the Blues Brothers opening. |
| Pontiac | IL | Home of the Route 66 Hall of Fame and a much photographed mural. |
| Bloomington | IL | Steak 'n Shake began here in 1934, built for drivers on the new road. |
| Springfield | IL | The Illinois capital, and the Cozy Dog Drive In, birthplace of the corn dog on a stick. |
| St. Louis | MO | The Mississippi crossing. The 1929 Chain of Rocks Bridge carried the road at a famous 22 degree bend. |
| Rolla | MO | Missouri Ozarks town with a part scale replica of Stonehenge. |
| Lebanon | MO | The Munger Moss Motel and its neon sign have been lit here since 1946. |
| Springfield | MO | Called the birthplace of Route 66: the name was agreed in a telegram sent from here in 1926. |
| Joplin | MO | The last Missouri city before the road clips the corner of Kansas. |
| Galena | KS | A tow truck here inspired Tow Mater in Cars. |
| Baxter Springs | KS | The last of the three Kansas towns. The state holds only 13 miles of the road. |
| Miami | OK | Pronounced My am uh, and home to a nine foot wide stretch of original ribbon road. |
| Catoosa | OK | The Blue Whale, an 80 foot concrete whale built as an anniversary present. |
| Tulsa | OK | The largest city on the Oklahoma stretch and the home of Cyrus Avery, the father of Route 66. |
| Stroud | OK | The Rock Cafe, built in 1939 from stone dug out of the roadbed itself. |
| Arcadia | OK | The 1898 Round Barn, and Pops with its 66 foot neon soda bottle. |
| Oklahoma City | OK | The state capital and the biggest city between St. Louis and Albuquerque. |
| Clinton | OK | The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. |
| Elk City | OK | The National Route 66 Museum, near the Texas line. |
| Shamrock | TX | The Tower Station and U-Drop Inn, the art deco building that became Ramone's in Cars. |
| Amarillo | TX | The Texas Panhandle city, and Cadillac Ranch just west of town. |
| Adrian | TX | The midpoint. 1,139 miles to Chicago and 1,139 miles to Los Angeles. |
| Tucumcari | NM | Tucumcari Tonite. Once 2,000 motel rooms for one night of driving. |
| Santa Rosa | NM | The Blue Hole, an 80 foot deep artesian spring that draws divers to the desert. |
| Albuquerque | NM | Central Avenue through the city is the longest urban stretch of the road anywhere. |
| Gallup | NM | The El Rancho Hotel, where the film crews shooting Westerns stayed. |
| Holbrook | AZ | The Wigwam Motel, where the rooms are concrete teepees. |
| Winslow | AZ | Standin' on the Corner, from the Eagles song Take It Easy. |
| Flagstaff | AZ | Under the San Francisco Peaks at 7,000 feet, the highest city on the road. |
| Williams | AZ | The last town on the whole route to be bypassed, holding out until October 1984. |
| Seligman | AZ | Where the campaign to save the road began in 1987, which is why the route is signed today. |
| Kingman | AZ | The gateway to the Black Mountains and the hairpin climb to Oatman. |
| Needles | CA | The Mojave crossing, and one of the hottest towns in the United States. |
| Barstow | CA | Where the road meets the Mojave crossing to Los Angeles. |
| San Bernardino | CA | The first McDonald's opened here in 1940, on the road. |
| Santa Monica | CA | The western end at the Pacific, marked by the End of the Trail sign on the pier. |
| Cadillac Ranch | TX | Ten Cadillacs buried nose down in a field west of Amarillo since 1974. |
| Gemini Giant | IL | A 28 foot fibreglass spaceman outside the Launching Pad in Wilmington. |
| Santa Monica Pier | CA | The End of the Trail sign, the symbolic finish of the road. |
| Roy's Motel and Cafe | CA | The googie sign at Amboy, standing alone in the Mojave. |
| Blue Whale of Catoosa | OK | An 80 foot smiling concrete whale built in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift. |
| Wigwam Motel | AZ | Fifteen concrete teepees at Holbrook, under the sign asking whether you have slept in a wigwam lately. |
| U-Drop Inn | TX | The 1936 art deco tower at Shamrock, the model for Ramone's body shop in Cars. |
| Meramec Caverns | MO | The Missouri cave whose barn adverts became the most familiar sight on the road. |
Route 66 Quiz FAQ
What states does Route 66 go through?▼
Eight: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Kansas is the one most people miss, because the road only crosses about 13 miles of its southeast corner.
How long is Route 66?▼
About 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. The number moved over the years as the alignment was straightened and rerouted, so older sources give figures closer to 2,400 and some give 2,451.
Where does Route 66 start and end?▼
It starts in downtown Chicago and ends at the Pacific in Santa Monica, California. The eastern terminus moved around central Chicago over the years, and the western end was originally in downtown Los Angeles before it was extended to Santa Monica in 1936.
When was Route 66 built, and when did it close?▼
It was commissioned on 11 November 1926, which is why the centennial falls on 11 November 2026. It was removed from the United States highway system on 27 June 1985 once the interstates had bypassed it. Much of it survives, signed as Historic Route 66.
Can you still drive Route 66 today?▼
Most of it, yes, though not as one continuous road. Long original stretches survive in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Elsewhere the road was paved over by Interstates 55, 44, 40, 15 and 10, or left behind as frontage road that is now closed. Oklahoma has the longest drivable run of original pavement.
Does spelling matter in this quiz?▼
A guess has to match the name, but capitalization, punctuation and accents are ignored, and both "St. Louis" and "Saint Louis" work. There are two Springfields on the road, one in Illinois and one in Missouri, and typing Springfield credits whichever you have not found yet.
Is the quiz free?▼
Yes. Free, unlimited replays, no sign-up and no download.
More map quizzes
Stop coordinates from Wikidata (CC0). State outlines from Natural Earth (public domain).
