What states does Route 66 go through?
Route 66 goes through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. It runs about 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. Kansas is the state people forget. The road only clips its southeast corner, about 13 miles, which takes around twenty minutes to drive.
The road was commissioned on 11 November 1926, which makes 2026 its centennial year. The interstates bypassed it one town at a time, and it was removed from the US highway system on 27 June 1985. Williams, Arizona was the last town to be bypassed, in October 1984. What survives is signed as Historic Route 66, and most people who drive it now do it for the road itself.
How the Route 66 quiz works
- 1Start with the 8 states. Type each state the road passes through. The clock starts on your first answer, and your best time is saved in this browser.
- 2Then try the 45 stops: the towns and roadside landmarks along the road. There is no clock, and your progress is saved, so you can stop and come back.
- 3Stuck, or want to learn the road first? Open Study. Every state and stop is on the map, and you can tap any of them to read why it made the list.
The eight states, east to west
- IllinoisChicago to the Mississippi at St. Louis.301 mi
- MissouriAcross the Ozarks through Springfield, the town where the road was named.317 mi
- KansasClips the southeast corner. Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs, and that is the whole state.13 mi
- OklahomaThe longest drivable stretch of original road anywhere on the route.432 mi
- TexasStraight across the Panhandle, with the midpoint at Adrian.186 mi
- New MexicoThe longest stretch of all, over the Continental Divide.487 mi
- ArizonaThe Painted Desert, Flagstaff at 7,000 feet, then down to the Colorado River.401 mi
- CaliforniaThe Mojave crossing, then San Bernardino and out to the Pacific.314 mi
Mileages are approximate. The alignment moved many times between 1926 and 1985, so published figures differ by a few miles. The 2,448 mile total is the figure the Route 66 associations and the centennial use.
The 45 stops from Chicago to Santa Monica
Every answer in the stops round, in the order you reach them driving west.
| Stop | State | Why it's 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. |
| Gemini Giant | IL | A 28 foot fibreglass spaceman outside the Launching Pad in Wilmington. |
| 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. |
| Meramec Caverns | MO | The Missouri cave whose barn adverts became the most familiar sight on the road. |
| 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. |
| Blue Whale of Catoosa | OK | An 80 foot smiling concrete whale built in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift. |
| 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. |
| U-Drop Inn | TX | The 1936 art deco tower at Shamrock, the model for Ramone's body shop in Cars. |
| Amarillo | TX | The Texas Panhandle city, and Cadillac Ranch just west of town. |
| Cadillac Ranch | TX | Ten Cadillacs buried nose down in a field west of Amarillo since 1974. |
| 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. |
| Wigwam Motel | AZ | Fifteen concrete teepees at Holbrook, under the sign asking whether you have slept in a wigwam lately. |
| 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. |
| Roy's Motel and Cafe | CA | The googie sign at Amboy, standing alone in the Mojave. |
| 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. |
| Santa Monica Pier | CA | The End of the Trail sign, the symbolic finish of 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 crosses only about 13 miles of its southeast corner.
How long is Route 66?
About 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. The alignment was straightened and rerouted over the years, 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 end moved around central Chicago over the years, and the western end was in downtown Los Angeles until the road 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 US highway system on 27 June 1985, after the interstates had bypassed it. Much of it survives as Historic Route 66.
Can you still drive Route 66 today?
Most of it, but not as one continuous road. Long original stretches survive in Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. Elsewhere Interstates 55, 44, 40, 15 and 10 were built over it, or it was left as frontage road that is now closed. Oklahoma has the longest drivable run of original pavement.
Does spelling matter in this quiz?
Your answer has to match the name, but capitals, punctuation and accents don't count, and "St. Louis" and "Saint Louis" both work. In the states round you can also type the two-letter abbreviation. Route 66 passes through two Springfields, one in Illinois and one in Missouri, and typing Springfield gives you whichever one you haven't found yet.
Is there a time limit?
No. The states round has a clock, but it only times you against your own best, which is saved in this browser. The stops round has no clock, and Study shows every answer.
Is the quiz free?
Yes. It's free to play as often as you like, with no sign-up and no download.
More US map quizzes
Sources
- Stop coordinates come from Wikidata (CC0).
- State outlines and the basemap come from Natural Earth (public domain).
- The stop notes and state mileages were written for this page.
Last updated: 2 October 2026