We're planning a road trip along Route 66 this summer and were wondering if there are any National Parks along the way. Due to our schedule, we can only make stops within 30 minutes of the route. TIA!

Hi,

I have posted here before, trying to organize my trip with my best friend for 2026 from Europe.

https://www.reddit.com/r/route66/comments/1i1e69u/european_guys_planning_a_route66_trip_for_2026/

I have created a list with attraction along the route and started to split it up for days and I would like to get some feedback if we are planning too much or not enough for each days.

Here is the list:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K1MeSwsRX338LN0enUzIj43KMpOhOoei/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113628452233304421204&rtpof=true&sd=true

We are very flexible and the list does not mean we want to check everything on it, it is just some help for us.

Where i really need feedback if we should add extradays anywhere in the plan because some days looks a bit too long but it is really hard to split the trip up :)

And another big question if we should do 2 half days at Grand Canyon or 2 half days + 1 full day

But here is the plan.

We arrive in Chicago in Day 1 and we spend the first night in Chicago just to get rest and start fresh on Day 2. We only check what we can on Day 1 Chicago is not on our list.

Day 2 we start from the Start sign and below is the breakdown for the trip(Miles and time is just an estimate based on GMaps):

Night 1 - Chicago

Day 1 - 155m/4:20 Drive time

Cities: Chicago,Lemont,Joliet,Wilmington,Braidwood,Gardner,Dwight,Odell,Pontiac,Chenoa,Lexington,Towanda,Bloomington

Night 2 - McLean - Super 8 by Wyndham McLean

Day 2 - 137m/3:45 Drive time

Cities: Mclean,Atlanta,Lincoln,Williamsville,Sherman,Springfield,Chatham,Auburn,Girard,Nilwood,Litchfield, Mt Olive,Stanton, Livingston

Night 3 - Stanton - The Cabins and Cottages at Shale Lake

Day 3 - 195m/4:30 Drive time

Cities - Hamel, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Granite City, St Louis, Eureka, Pacific, Stanton, Sullivan, Charmwood, Cuba

Night 4- Cuba Wagon Wheel Motel

This part feels a bit of a stretch for me but we can track back if needed.

Day 4 - 155m/3:50 Drive time

Cities - St James, Rolla, Newburg, Devils Elbow, St Robert, Waynesville, Richland, Lebanon, Phillipsburg, Niangua, Marshfield

Night 5 - Springfield Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven or Rockwood Motor Court

Day 5 - 188m/4:20 Drive time

Cities - Springfield, Lawrence, Spencer, Carthage, Joplin, Certerville, Webb City, Galena, Riverton, Baxter Springs,Quapaw, Commerce, Miami, Afton, Vinita, Chelsea

Night 6 - Chelsea Chelsea Motor Inn

This one again a bit of a strech but longer stops are mostly in Springfield and some could be covered on the previous day

Day 6 - 170m/ 5:00 Drive time

Cities - Claremore, Tulsa, Sapulpa, Kellyville, Bristow, Stroud, Davenport, Chandler, Wellston, Luther, Arcadia, Oklahoma City

Night 7 - Oklahoma City Classen Inn Motel

Day 7 - 215m/ 5:15 Drive time

Cities - Oklahoma city, Yukon, El Reno, Weatherford, Clinton, Canute, Elk City, Sayre, Erick, Texola, Shamrock

Night 8 - Shamrock Shamrock Country Inn

This looks long but not many long stops and Oklahoma City museums are split between Day 6 and 7.

Day 8 - 160m/ 5:00 Drive time

Cities - McLean, Panhandle, Amarillo, Vega, Adrian, Glenrio, Tucumcari

Night 9 - Tucumcari Motel Safari

Day 9 - 220m / 6:00 Drive time

Cities - Tucumcari, Anta Rosa, Moriarty, Tijeras, Albuquerque

Night 10 - Albuquerque The Imperial - Newly Renovated or Hotel Jazz

This is again a stretch so might skip some museums in Albuquerque or left to Day 10

Day 10 - 200m/5:10 Drive time

Cities - Albuquerque, New Laguna, Seama, Casa Blanca San Fidel, Grants, Bluewater, Gallup

Night 11 - Gallup Historic El Rancho Hotel

Day 11 - 115m/2:30 Drive time

Cities - Lupton, Houck, Holbrook

Night 12 - Holbrook Wigwam Hotel

We are planning to spend 3-6 hours in the Petrified National Park hence the less driving

Day 12 - 110m / 2:40 Drive time

Cities - Holbrook, Joseph City, Winslow, Canyon Diablo, Flagstaff

Night 13 - Flagstaff Little America Hotel

Day 13 - 80m / 2:15 Drive time

Cities - Flagstaff, Williams, Grand Canyon

Night 14 - Grand Canyon

We don't know if 2 "half" day is enough for the Grand Canyon or we should spend and extra night here

Day 14 - 100m / 2:00 Drive time

Cities - Grand Canyon, Ash Fork, Seligman, Peach Springs, Hackberry

Night 15 - Peach Springs Hualapai Lodge

Day 15 - 170m / 4:00 Drive time

Cities - Kingman, Golden Valley, Oatman, Needles

Night 16 - Needles Rio Del Sol Inn

Day 16 - 220m /5:00 Drive time

Cities - Essex, Chambless, Amboy, Bagdad, Ludlow, Newberry Springs, Barstow, Helendale, Oro Grande, Victorville

Night 17 - San Bernandino Wigwam Motel

Day 17 - 140m / 5:00 Drive time

Cities - San Bernandino, Fontana, South Pasadena, Los Angeles, Santa Monica

Night 18 - Los Angeles No hotel yet

Day 18 - Flight back to Europe

Appreciate any feedback!

Join us for the Amboy's 1st Annual Car Show at Roy's Motel and Café in Amboy, California! Celebrate the 99th Anniversary of Route 66 with classic cars, gearheads, and spectators alike as we work together to bring Amboy back to life. The event kicks off at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 1, 2025. This grassroots effort invites car clubs, enthusiasts, and the community to make it a fun and memorable day. Mark your calendars, spread the word, and let’s make Amboy a drive-to place, not just a drive-through. Stay tuned for more details. Starts March 01, 2025 at 10:00 AM Ends March 01, 2025

Hi Everyone,

Me and my friend have been planning to do the Route 66 since we are 12 and next year we are planning to actually do that.

I have read a lot of blogs, articles, posts here etc and started to put together out itinerary.
It is a lot of work and a lot to review so I decided to make "sections" for the itinerary and get feedback from you. (If anyone reads it.)

The first section is from Chicago to St Louise or somewhere St Louise.

We are planning to spend 1 day just in Chicago to accomodate to the new timezone and start from the start sign the next day morning.

Based on my first calculation we would spend 1 night in Pontiac or near Pontiac, 1 night in Springfield and 1 night as mentioned earlier somewhere St Louise. I have only collected the attraction and stops until St Louse so thats why this post stops there.

We are not really interested in big cities we are interested in small attraction museums but i think the list gives an idea what we are interested in. One thing thats not yet in the list is national parks. If there are national parks nearby the road we are happy to take a detour and spend an extra day there.

I am sharing an Excel sheet which lists the attractions and 3 Google maps links which are the road we are planning to take.

For accomodation i haven't really find too much yet, only added one for Pontiac.

I would be really happy if I could get some feedback on this first section from experienced travellers like attractions i missed, restaurant we must try, museum, landscapes and motel/hotels where we should stay.

If you think we are planning to much or not enough for one day i'm happy to change our plan ,this is just the first draft.

Here is a link to the XLS and thank you for anyone who is helping us!

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=36.97439311624814%2C-103.06103119999997&z=6&mid=1AhAphxJ0eg_DRkiHp21btHCNyuxCCT4

My partner and I are hoping to make the whole trek September 2025, flying into Chicago and out of LA. What are people budgeting for food+accommodation? We're not American, so we have no idea what to set aside.

I'm planning a trip across the USA via Route 66 in 2026, for the Centennial of the Route and the 250th Anniversary of the USA. I am trying to get as many people as possible to end, or begin, their journey on the Santa Monica Pier at 5pm, April 30, 2026. The map below is Route 66, and all the fun things you can see on it. Start making plans now, if this is something you've always wanted to do. I'm happy to give recommendations for car rentals and stuff, we have done this trip before. https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1AhAphxJ0eg_DRkiHp21btHCNyuxCCT4&ll=36.97439311624814%2C-103.06103119999999&z=6