A faded shield painted on the pavement. A neon motel sign warming up at dusk. A two-lane road disappearing toward red desert cliffs. These are the moments people picture when they ask, can you drive all of Route 66?
The honest answer is yes, you can travel the full historic Route 66 corridor from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California. But you cannot simply enter “Route 66” into a navigation app and expect one unbroken road to carry you 2,400 miles west. The Mother Road was officially removed from the US Highway System in 1985, and many original sections were bypassed, renamed, turned into local streets, or returned to the landscape.
That does not make the journey less possible. It makes it more interesting. Driving Route 66 is not about following a single highway number. It is about choosing the old road whenever it still exists, knowing when to use modern roads to connect the pieces, and leaving enough time for the places that give the route its soul.
Can You Drive All of Route 66 on the Original Road?
Not every mile, no. Much of the original roadway is still drivable, especially in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Yet some stretches are now private property, dead-end at abandoned bridges, disappear beneath interstate pavement, or are simply too damaged for regular travel.
The key distinction is this: you can drive the entire Route 66 experience, but not every inch of every historic alignment. Route 66 changed several times during its active years, too. In many places, there is more than one legitimate old route. An earlier alignment may pass through a tiny railroad town, while a later version follows a wider road a few miles away.
For most travelers, the best approach is not chasing every possible fragment. It is following a well-planned historic route that includes the strongest surviving sections, classic roadside landmarks, and the towns where Route 66 still feels alive. That is how the trip becomes a journey rather than a scavenger hunt.
Why Route 66 Is Not One Continuous Road Today
When the interstate system arrived, it did what it was designed to do: move people faster. Interstate 40 took over much of the western route. Interstate 44 replaced long portions through Missouri and Oklahoma. Other sections became business loops, county roads, or streets with names that no longer mention Route 66 at all.
This can surprise travelers who expect a clearly marked national highway. One morning, you may be cruising an original two-lane stretch lined with vintage filling stations. By afternoon, a “Road Closed” sign, a washed-out bridge, or a missing sign may send you back to the interstate for a few miles.
That is normal. In fact, it is part of the rhythm of the road. Route 66 rewards travelers who are willing to slow down, make a turn for a hand-painted sign, and accept that the best stories are not always found on the fastest route.
The Route Changes From State to State
Some states make the historic route remarkably easy to follow. Arizona has long, memorable sections where the old road runs through open country, including the spectacular drive between Seligman and Kingman. Illinois offers a strong opening chapter, with brick roads, classic diners, and small towns that understand their place in Route 66 history.
Other areas require more careful planning. In metropolitan regions around Chicago, St. Louis, Albuquerque, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica, original alignments can be buried in city traffic and layers of development. The scenery changes, but the experience remains powerful. Route 66 was always a road of contrasts: farm country and city blocks, Native American trading posts and neon motels, lonely desert and the Pacific Ocean.
How Long Does It Take to Drive Route 66?
A rushed drive can be done in about two weeks, but it will feel more like a cross-country transit than a Route 66 adventure. For travelers who want time to stop, take photographs, visit museums, linger over pie at a roadside café, and explore the road beyond the windshield, three weeks is a far better pace.
Four weeks gives you room to breathe. It lets you absorb Chicago’s opening energy, wander through Missouri’s caves and river towns, listen for music in Oklahoma, stand beneath the giant Texas sky, take in New Mexico’s high-desert colors, and spend unhurried time among Arizona’s roadside icons before reaching California.
Your ideal schedule depends on how you travel. Motorcycle riders may want shorter daily distances in heat, wind, or rain. Couples in a car may prefer a more relaxed pace with time for detours and comfortable overnight stays. Travelers coming from overseas often choose a guided or self-guided itinerary because it removes the pressure of solving every daily routing question while preserving the freedom that makes Route 66 special.
The Best Way to Plan the Full Route 66 Journey
Start by deciding what “all of Route 66” means to you. If your dream is to stand at the Start Route 66 sign in Chicago and finish at Santa Monica Pier, then build the journey around those two bookends. If your dream is the old road itself, prioritize surviving alignments and accept that interstates will sometimes be necessary connectors.
A good Route 66 plan balances three things: historic pavement, practical driving, and meaningful stops. If you spend every day trying to find obscure original pavement, you may miss the people and places that make the route memorable. If you stay only on the interstate, you may cover the distance but miss the heart of the journey.
Navigation apps are useful, but they are not enough on their own. They often favor speed over history and can send drivers past a classic alignment without notice. A dedicated Route 66 map, a detailed itinerary, or experienced local guidance makes a real difference, especially when road conditions or construction change.
Be prepared for the practical realities as well. Fuel stops can be far apart in the Southwest. Summer temperatures in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California can be intense, particularly for motorcycle riders. Winter weather may affect the eastern states and higher elevations in New Mexico and Arizona. Small-town hours can be limited, and a favorite café or museum may close earlier than expected.
None of this should discourage you. It is simply the difference between dreaming about Route 66 and traveling it well.
What You Will Miss If You Only Follow the Interstate
The interstate will get you across America. Route 66 will introduce you to it.
On the old road, the miles have texture. You pass restored service stations where attendants once checked oil beneath a canopy. You pull into motels where generations of families paused beneath glowing neon. You find diners where strangers ask where you started, where you are headed, and whether you have seen the big roadside attraction up the road.
You also encounter the quieter side of the journey: wind brushing across prairie grass, a nearly empty stretch of pavement in the Mojave Desert, the low hum of tires on a road that carried migrants, soldiers, honeymooners, and families chasing a better life in California.
That history is not trapped behind museum glass. It is under your wheels.
Guided or Self-Guided: Choose Your Kind of Freedom
There is no wrong way to travel Route 66, but there are different kinds of freedom. A guided motorcycle tour is ideal for riders who want the camaraderie of a group, professional support, and the confidence to focus on the road and the ride. The days still feel adventurous, but the logistics are handled by people who know the route.
A self-guided car tour offers a different pleasure. You have weather protection, more room for luggage, and the flexibility to travel at your own pace while following a thoughtfully built plan. It can also be an excellent choice for couples, families, and international visitors who want the Route 66 story without the demands of long days in the saddle.
After 14 years helping travelers experience this road, Route 66 Tours INC knows that the best format is the one that lets you be present for the journey. The destination matters, but so does the feeling of arriving in a town you have never heard of and realizing it may become one of the places you remember most.
Is Route 66 Worth Driving Today?
Absolutely, if you want more than a vacation built around landmarks and hotel check-ins. Route 66 is worth driving because it asks you to travel differently. It invites you to trade efficiency for curiosity and to let America unfold gradually, one town, one meal, one stretch of weathered pavement at a time.
You will use parts of the interstate. You may encounter detours. You may occasionally wonder whether you took the right turn. Then you will round a bend and see an old motel sign, a restored gas pump, a vast desert horizon, or the Santa Monica coastline waiting at the end of the road.
Take the time you can spare. Follow the old pavement whenever it calls to you. The Mother Road is still there, not as one perfect line on a map, but as a living trail of stories waiting for your wheels.