Eastbound (California to Illinois) on Route 66 - Turn by Turn
This set of instructions was compiled for those of us who wish to travel Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago. I started with the directions provided on the Route 66 web site, and transcribed them backwards. Where there was a choice of alignments, I generally tried to take the oldest possible road. This was a good start, and I tried to make some notes to refine the steps as I traveled the mother road.
I traveled the road by motorcycle, so I generally tried to avoid dirt and gravel sections. Some weren't bad, and I've made notations where it's okay to ride a street bike on the unpaved sections. There's a bad 17 mile section just west of Glenrio. My friend lost a tire on his bike there due to some baling or barbed wire. (we hadn't intended to travel THAT far on dirt, we'd expected it was only two miles long)
These directions were formatted to fit in a motorcycle tank bag map holder, and be easy to read while riding. (If you don't ride motorcycles, don't worry about the format) I'd be glad if anyone traveling Route 66 corrects any errors or adds clarifications to these directions. It's my hope that after a few revisions this document will be comprehensive. No doubt I'll update it the next time I travel it, but that won't be for at least another year.
Have a good trip, and remember to take lots of film with you! -Kelly Cash
Editor's Note: Because Route 66 - in a technical sense - doesn't exist anymore, no governmental unit is charged with it's maintenance and upkeep. It would be a mistake for anyone to follow any "directions" to Route 66 with anything less than a great deal of caution. If the road ahead doesn't look safe you really do travel it at your own risk. Don't let pride or "directions" interfere with your safety.
Directions from Santa Monica to Topock via Route 66
Start at intersection of Ocean Ave. and Santa Monica Blvd.
Head east on Santa Monica Blvd. Through Beverly Hills and West Hollywood
Right onto Sunset Blvd. south.
110 Freeway North. It ends on Arroyo Parkway.
Follow it North, It runs into Colorado Blvd.
Take Colorado Blvd. East; It curves around Santa Anita racetrack.
Follow to Huntington Dr. East, through Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte.
Turns into Foothill, then Alosta, back into Foothill.
Follow Foothill East through La Verne to Rancho Cucamonga.
See Rt. 66 Territory Museum in Rancho Cucamonga: 909-948-9166 At rear of Thomas Winery Plaza on Foothill Blvd. at Vineyard
Follow Foothill East through Fontana, Rialto
Foothill becomes 5th Street. Follow east
Left onto Mount Vernon Ave.
Right on Cajon Blvd., follow it North.
It dead-ends, get on 215 North to 15 North.
Exit I-15 at Kenwood Ave., go under freeway.
Turn Right on Cajon Blvd. again, follow it about 5 miles. (One half of the
divided highway is open- looks like CalTrans gave up on half of the road!)
Get on I-15 North
Get off at 7th Street North.
Take National Trails Highway North (left).
Follow it east to Barstow, it becomes Main Street.
Main Street becomes National Trails Highway again.
Follow it East.
At Marine Corps Logistics Base, get on I-40 East.
Exit Nebo street, turn Left to National Trails Highway.
Take National Trails Highway East. (Right)
Almost to Ludlow, take a quick left onto Lavic, then Right back onto
National Trails Highway.
Roy's Cafe: Lots of Route 66 Memorabilia, absolutely killer milkshakes! Doing things the legal way requires you to hang a Left on Kelbaker to I-40 east past Amboy, Get off at Essex Road Southeast (Right), then Left onto National Trails again. However, if you tip Roy well, you'll find that the locals simply drive AROUND all the barricades, and never leave Route 66. There's a blocked bridge in the middle of the barricaded section, but there's a PAVED path around it! One thing to note, however- as soon as I went around the barricades, my RADAR detector went berserk from X-band, and didn't shut up until I passed the final barricade on the other side. I saw no police, and was beginning to wonder if the barricaded section was radioactive!
At Essex, turn Left on Goffs Road. Cross I-40.
At Goffs, the Goffs road Bears Right. Stay with it.
Take US-95 South
Take I-40 South
Take US-95 South to Five Mile Station Road. It's unmarked, but it's there.
Turn left at the 'Y' in the road.
Take Five Mile Station Road East to I-40.
Take I-40 East into Arizona. Avoid signs telling you to exit for Route 66
before you get to Arizona. They're for old alignments that no longer exist.
Directions from Topock to Lupton via Route 66
Enter Arizona on I-40.
Take the first exit from I-40 onto SR66 East and follow the signs.
When you get to Golden Shores, go straight to Oatman.
Follow SR66 to Oatman
Take Oatman Road East out of Oatman
Turn Right onto BR-40 (It's Andy Devine Blvd., though not marked as such)
Pass under I-40
Turn Left at I-40 exit 44 (McConnico)
Follow path of railroad through narrow canyon
At 'Y' intersection, turn Right to remain on BR-40
Follow into Kingman
Quality Inn in Kingman is dedicated to Rt. 66. Don't miss it, it's quite a place. It has more memorabilia than the Route 66 Hall of Fame in Illinois.
Head East out of Kingman on SR66 through Valentine,
Truxton, Peach Springs, Nelson, Seligman.
Exit Seligman to the East on Crookton Road (SR66)
Crookton Road intersects I-40 before Ash Fork. Older alignment?
Follow to Ash Fork
Enter I-40 East
Leave I-40 at Exit 161
Follow Bill Williams Blvd. East
Pass under railroad
Enter I-40 at Exit 165, follow to Exit 171.
Head East on North Frontage Road
Re-enter I-40 at Exit 178
Leave I-40 past Bellemont at Exit 191
Take Old Highway 66 East
Turn Left onto Sitgraves Street
Pass railroad
Turn Right onto Santa Fe Ave. (labeled Route 66) at Flagstaff
Walnut Canyon- Ancient cliff dwellings
Santa Fe Ave. dead-ends into Walnut Canyon.
You have to get back on I-40. I couldn't find the frontage road. Besides, there's a lot of dirt road on Route 66 at this point.
At Junction of US 89, bear right onto Camp Townsend-Winona Road
Enter I-40 at Exit 211, through Winona, Leupp Corner
Point of Interest: Meteor Crater, 9 miles south of I-40 at Exit 233 Leave I-40 at Exit 252 West of Winslow.
Take 2nd Street (Rt. 66) East, go through Winslow
Find BR-40, Follow East(ish)
Turn Left onto frontage road on south side of I-40
Enter I-40 at exit 257
Leave I-40 at exit 269, Take south frontage road East
Follow frontage road East (to north of I-40)
Just West of Jack Rabbit, cross to South side frontage road
Point of Interest: Jack Rabbit Trading Post
Continue East on south side frontage road
At Exit 274, cross to north side frontage road
Enter I-40 at Exit 277
Leave I-40 at Exit 285
Take Hopi Drive East through Holbrook
Turn left onto Navajo Blvd.
Pass under I-40 at far edge of city
Enter I-40 at Exit 289
Point of Interest: Petrified Forest, Painted Desert
Leave I-40 at Exit 333
Do NOT follow north side frontage road East, it dead-ends.
At Sanders, enter I-40 at Exit 339
If you can travel extensive unpaved roads, follow this next section.
Leave I-40 at Exit 342
Note: May want to stay on I-40 through Houck and Lupton. 66 is dirt road between Exit 342 and Exit 339. But has Querino Canyon Bridge, Old Querino Canyon Trading Post points of interest.
Take north side frontage road East, onto dirt road, passing Querino Cross Box Canyon Dirt road becomes 346 (Big Arrow Road). Take it East to I-40, and enter I-40. Leave I-40 at Exit 354 (Hawthorne Rd.) Take south side frontage road East into New Mexico
Directions from Manuelito to Glenrio via Route 66
Enter New Mexico on SR118 from Arizona frontage road
Go through Manuelito on SR118
Cross railroad tracks
Turn Left, curve around intersecting road, cross over I-40 at Exit 8
Go about 3 miles on the south frontage road (SR118)
Pass under I-40, take north frontage road
Pass the I-40 overpass, continue East on SR118
Red Rock State Park
Follow Railroad tracks through Gallup
At East end of Gallup, cross over I-40 to north frontage road
Follow frontage road East, enter I-40 at Exit 36 (Iyanbito)
Leave I-40 at other side of Continental Divide (Exit 47)
Take SR122 East through Thoreau, Prewitt, Bluewater, Milan
Follow SR122 into Grants. Cross over railroad tracks
Find Sanders Avenue, follow out of Grants.
Find & follow SR117 East
Cross over I-40 at Exit 89, follow frontage road through tunnel
May want to take I-40 from Exit 89 to exit 96 if road is bad.
Take SR124 East through McCartys, San Fidel, Cubero, Paraje
Around I-40 Exit 114, turn left onto North frontage road, follow East
Follow east, pass Exit 117, cross I-40
Road conditions are bad. Should take I-40 to Cuerbo. Route 66 is dirt, and severe "washboard" which is quite hard on street motorcycles. It's not well marked, either. It's no fun at night.
Turn Left, pass railroad overpass, go into Cuerbo
Exit Cuerbo on SR6, go North on SR6 for 2 miles to Laguna
Follow SR6 (may need to ask directions) to Correo
Continue on SR6 to Las Lunas
Go two lights, Turn Left on 314 (Luna Ave.)
Continue on SR314 North through Pajarito
SR314 becomes Isleta Blvd. in Albuquerque.
Turn right onto Bridge Blvd., cross the Rio Grande on Barelas Bridge.
Turn Left (North) onto 4th St.
Turn Right onto Silver Ave.
Albuquerque Museum
Turn Left onto 2nd St.
Turn Left onto Lomas Blvd.
Turn Right (North) onto 4th St.
4th Street becomes SR313, follow it North.
Follow SR313 through Alameda, Bernalillo
At Algodones, enter I-25 at Exit 248.
Leave I-25 at Exit 267 (Waldo).
Take South (East) frontage road North.
La Cienega
Rejoin the I-25 at Exit 276, go for two miles to Exit 278.
Follow Cerrillos Road way up, it becomes Gallisto.
Turn right onto Water Street.
Turn Right onto Old Santa Fe Trail, cross the Santa Fe River.
Old Santa Fe Trail becomes Old Pecos Trail.
Cross the Pecos River.
Old Pecos Trail becomes northern frontage road of I-25.
Follow frontage road, enter I-25 at Exit 294.
Leave I-225 at Exit 299 at Glorieta
Take SR50 at Pecos, turn right onto SR63 South.
Take US84/85 South through Rowe
Cross to south side of I-25 at Ilfed/Sands
Continue on US84/85 on north side of I-25
Pass Riberia, Serafina/Bernal to Las Vegas
Take US84/85 south through Romeoville, Charles R Ranch, Los Montoyas,
Dilla. (84 is also I-40)
Leave I-40 at Exit 273. (by Santa Rosa)
Pass under Railroad, and bear Left at US54 junction
Cross Pecos River
Silver Moon Restaurant (East end of town)
Follow the boulevard East through Santa Rosa
Enter I-40 at Exit 277, leave I-40 at Exit 291 at Cuervo
Follow I-40 frontage road parallel to railroad tracks to Newkirk
Follow frontage road through Montoya, cross to north frontage road
Enter I-40 at Exit 321 (or at Exit 311 if you don't want to ride on gravel)
Leave I-40 at Exit 329 (Tucumcari Blvd)
Follow South frontage road to San Jon
Take old road (frontage?) past Endee to Glenrio-
But when you see the sign stating that "Pavement Ends", get back on I-40 East or you'll go on 17 miles of dirt road. The dirt is deep, and there's glass and wire scraps in it. NOT for street motorcycles.
Take I-40 East to Texas
Directions from Glenrio to Texola via Route 66
Can leave I-40 at Exit 0 to see a Ghost Town
Leave I-40 at Exit 18 (Gruhlkey Rd.)
Head East on northern service road (May be BR-40?)
Follow service road through Adrian, Vega, Wildorado, Bushland
Cadillac Ranch: On south side of I-40, West of Amarillo
Get to Indian Hill Road, turn Left onto BR-40
Follow BR-40 into Amarillo, pass underneath Amarillo Blvd.
Turn Right onto 9th Street (east)
Just before Western, turn Left onto Bushland (northeast)
Just before Belleview, turn right onto South 6th Street
Cross railroad bridge, and turn Left onto Pierce Street
At intersection with US-287, turn right onto Amarillo Blvd. (US-60 & BR-44)
Turn Right onto Road 1912
Turn Left onto Farm Market Road (#2575)
Get on frontage road, cross BR-40. Road curves towards I-40
Follow Northern I-40 frontage road east.
Cross to south frontage road at Exit 89
Follow south frontage road Through Lark, Groom
See Leaning Water Tower East of Amarillo
Follow southern frontage road to Jericho, Enter I-40 at Exit 124
Lots of unpaved sections here, "Jericho Gap" Stay on I-40 to Alanreed
Follow south frontage road east, cross I-40 to Northern frontage road
Follow into McLean
Devil's Rope Museum, Rt. 66 Display, First Phillips 66 station (restored).
Cactus Inn
At County line road (exit 146) cross I-40 to south frontage road
Rattlesnake Sign
Continue on south frontage road past Lela into Shamrock
Frontage road becomes BR-40 in the city. Continue through.
U-Drop-Inn, Texan Route 66 Motel
Continue on south frontage road to Texola in Oklahoma
Directions from Texola to Baxter Springs via Route 66
Continue on south I-40 frontage road through Erick
Halfway to Hext from Erick, frontage road crosses to northern side of I-40
Heading to Sayre, cross river, take 4th street (US-283)
Bear right on BR-40 through Sayre
Take Northern Service Road towards Elk City
Service road will jog south of I-40 once towards Elk City
As soon as the road jogs, hang a left past the Texaco station across I-40.
In Elk City, Get to 3rd Street.
Follow BR-40 to Van Buren, BR-40 is also SR34i
(Weak directions here)
Follow northern frontage road East, cross to south side, to Canute
Follow southern frontage road East, cross to north, south, north again.
Past Foss, cross to south side. Ignore 2 chances to cross north.
Cross North, at I-40 take 10th St. North into Clinton
Turn Right onto Gary Blvd.
At Yield sign (may not be facing you!) turn Left onto frontage road (?) East
Follow North Frontage Road East, cross over I-40 to South Frontage Road
Skip next opportunity to cross I-40
Cross I-40, at |-- intersection , turn Right
Take North Frontage Road 6 miles (Ignore SR54) to Weatherford
Turn right on Rainey
Left onto 4th Street, Cross the Railroad
Go left onto Main Street
Left onto Washington
Right onto E. Main Street, Follow onto North I-40 Frontage Road
Bear left before the freeway
Follow North Frontage Road through Hydro, to Bridgeport
Take US-281 North to Geary
Take US-270 East to Calumet
Continue on US-270 (it bears South) back to North Side I-40 Frontage Road
Follow Frontage Road East for about 5-6 miles to Fort Reno
Follow SR66 East to El Reno. Becomes Sunset [Rd].
Right onto Choctaw
Left onto Wade
Right onto Rock Island Rd. This becomes SR66
Follow SR66 East through Yukon
Exit Yukon on Mustang Rd.
Follow East, over Old Bridge (Not Overholster)
(It's not easy to get to the old bridge, so Overholster may have to do)
Get back on 4-Lane SR66 East through Bethany, to War Acres
SR66 becomes 39th Street
Take 39Th Street East, Into Oklahoma City, Right onto Western Ave.
Left onto 23rd St., Left onto Lincoln Blvd.
Right onto 50th Street, left onto Kelley Ave. for approximately 5 Miles
Kelley dead-ends into Memorial Road.
Take Memorial Road, then a quick right turn.
Left onto US77 North, 77 is also named Broadway. Go on it a few miles.
Get back on SR66 East, go through Edmond, Arcadia
Turn right on SR66, go through Luther
Follow through Wellston, Pass under I-44
After Wellston, pass under railroad
Continue East on SR66 to Chandler
Follow SR66 East through Davenport, Stroud, Milfay, Depew
Follow curves into Bristow
Follow SR66 East to Kellyville
Follow SR66 to Intersection of SR33 and I-44.
SR66 becomes Dewey, Left onto SR66 (Mission) into Salupa
Follow SR66 NE to Southwest Blvd. in Oakhurst
Follow 66E. It joins 44E. Stay on 66/44E.
When they split apart again, follow 66E.
Follow it through Catoosa, into Verdigris
Take Lynn Riggs Blvd.
SR66 NE through Claremore, Sequoia, Foyil, Chelsea, Catale, White Oak
Take US60/69 East to Vinta
66 becomes 66E.
In Vinta, 60/66 turns right on Illinois Ave., and becomes 59/66/69.
Take US59/69 SE through Afton
Cross I-44, follow US59/69 through Narcissa, Dotyville
When approaching Miami, Take Steve Owens Blvd.
Turn Left onto Main Street.
Take US69 North to Commerce
US69 is Mickey Mantle Blvd. in Commerce. Follow it.
Take US-69 Alt North through Quapaw, into Kansas
Directions from Baxter Springs to Galena via Route 66
Enter Kansas on US-69 North
At Baxter Springs, Connect to 30th Street before commercial building
Left onto Roberts Road,
Immediately Right onto Military Avenue (US-69 ALT)
Take 3rd Street West
Cross Willow Creek
Rainbow Bridge is one way, north to south. 3rd street parallels the bridge.
Pass the bridge, then cross it from north to south over Bush Creek.
Rainbow Bridge
Follow US-69 North (jogs a little left & right), then East
Join SR66, cross Spring River to Riverton
At Galena, Take Main Street, Left on Jefferson, Right onto Front Street
Continue East past Galena
Follow road East, take "Old Route 66" hook to SR66
Follow SR66 East to Joplin, MO
Directions from Joplin via Route 66
Enter Missouri on SR66 East
Becomes 7th Street into Joplin
The following is a deviation from the signs:
Turn Left (North) onto Rangeline, becomes Madison
Turn Right on MacArthur Blvd. (US-71)
Follow US-71 East / North to Webb City
At Carthage, Take Oak
Left onto Garrison, right onto Central Ave.
Instead, we took:
66 East, past Rangeline, to 71 north.
Leave at 3rd Carthage Exit.
Turn Right onto SR96 East.
Follow SR96, go over Railroad tracks, across Spring River
Head due East on SR96 through Avilla, Stone City, Log City, Rescue,
Phelps, Albatross
At Spencer, take Historic Loop, head towards Halltown
(we missed the historic loop entirely)
At the West end of Halltown, go from SR96 to SR266 East
Continue on SR266 through Halltown, Elwood, Haseltine
Enter Springfield on SR266, becomes Chestnut Expressway East
At 'Y', bear right onto College Street.
Left at the next 'Y' in the road.
Take St. Louis Street East.
Turn Left onto National, then Left onto Kearny Street.
Kearney Street becomes County Road 00. Follow it straight.
County Road 00 bends Right. Follow it out of Springfield,
Follow 00 NE through Mulroy, Strafford, Holman, Northview.
In Marshfield, take road "CC" North (it branches left)
Follow Road CC through Marshfield, Niangua, Conway, Phillipsburg.
Take Road "W" North, cross I-44. Follow Road W 9 miles.
Go towards 'W' fork
Road 'W' dead-ends into Elm. Turn Left onto Elm.
Elm becomes Mill Creek. Follow it straight.
Left on Outer road past Lebanon, cross over I-44
Turn left on frontage road
When Road 'MM' splits right, bear left to stay on the frontage road.
Join County Road "F" at I-44's Exit 135, go through Hazelgreen
Take County Road "AB" East through Laquey
Connect to Road "AA"
Right onto Road "P"
Left onto SR17
At I-44 Exit 153, cross to north side of I-44 on SR17
Follow SR17 through Waynesville
The following section was too hard to find, we wound up going
40 miles out of our way. We were running short of time and daylight, so we
just jumped on I-40 for awhile. Okay, it's blasphemy, but hey- Sue me. I'll
go back and do the road again later.
Cross over I-44 before St. Robert, head to Devil's Elbow
Take South Outer Road (I-44 frontage road) to Arlington
Cross I-44 at Clementine
Enter I-44 at Exit 172, then leave I-44 at Exit 176
Follow South Outer Road past Newburg and Doolittle
Follow BR-44 East through Rolla
BR-44 becomes US63 (Bishop Ave.).
This section was hard to find at night, nothing to see in the dark anyway.
Follow it across I-44, go onto North Outer Road
Follow North Outer Road about 8.5 miles
Cross I-44 at intersection of SR68 (Jefferson)
Continue North on south outer frontage road through:
St. James, Fanning, Cuba, Hofflins, Bourbon, Sullivan.
Road jogs Right at Sullivan, left onto Elmont
Back onto south outer road heading North
Follow North through Stanton, cross to north outer road
Cross to south outer road around St. Clair
Cross north, then south again before Gray Summit
Connect to SR100, pass through Gray Summit, Pacific
Take BR-44 to I-44, enter I-44 at Exit 261
Continue on I-44 through Allenton, Eureka, Peerless Park
Leave I-44 to join Watson road.
Continue on Watson Road through Crestwood, Marlborough.
At St. Louis,
Bear left onto Chippewa Street
Bear left onto Gravois Ave., onto Tucker Blvd.
Follow to 13th Street, to Florissant (Jefferson?),
Right onto Salisbury,
Cross McKinley Bridge (TOLL). The bridge was reported to be in bad shape,
but it's fine. A fully functioning, working bridge.
Directions from St. Louis to Chicago via Route 66
After crossing McKinley Bridge, take Madison Ave. NE Actually, it's rather
hard to get to Madison Ave., so take Spur 3 to Chain of Rocks Road.
Area was reported to be unsafe. It's a bit depressed, but not bad.
Madison Ave. becomes SR203. Take it NE to Chain of Rocks Rd.
Sidetrack- Hang a left on Chain of Rocks Rd, follow over first bridge. The road dead-ends to packed gravel. 1/2 mile of gravel to the Chain of Rocks bridge. Not bad for motorcycles. The bridge is impassable to vehicles.
Mustang Corral is supposed to be right by there, but we didn't see it.
Head East on Chain of Rocks Rd., turn East on Old Poag Road.
It becomes SR157.
Follow SR157 through Edwardsville
SR157 becomes Old Route 66.
Take SR157 North past Church of the Neon Cross, past Hamel.
There are lots of older original alignments of Route 66 which criss-cross over SR4. Most are reasonable to travel on, though some are dirt.
Left onto SR4 North through Sawyerville, Benld, Gillespie, Carlinville,
Nilwood, Girard, Virden, Thayer, Auburn, Chatman
From SR4 North, connect to Spaulding Orchard Rd. East.
Go North on Chatam Road (SR4)
Turn Right on Wabash Ave., it then blends into MacArthur Blvd.
Head North on MacArthur, turn Right (East) onto South Grand
Turn Left onto 9th Street. (BR55)
Turns into Peoria Rd.
Head out of Springfield on BR55 North.
Follow BR55 through Sherman.
First 4-Lane section of Rt. 66
Take East side frontage road (of I-55) North.
Take I-55 to Williamsville. Frontage road becomes BR-55, and is still Rt. 66.
Signs clearly mark the route.
Follow east frontage road through Elkhart, Broadwell, Lincoln
The Mill: famous for schnitzel
Cross I-55 to west side frontage road
Follow west frontage road north through Lawndale, Atlanta
First Truck Stop- Always open. Dixie Truckers Museum, Rt. 66 Hall of Fame. Located in McLean.
Follow north through McLean, Funks Grove, Shirley
Cross I-55, continue NE. Becomes Beich rd.
Right on Springfield Road. Exit right for Main Street.
Left onto Main Street
Right on Willow, Left on Linden, Right on Pine
Pine becomes Henry. Follow it, then turn right on Shelbourne.
Follow NE to East side I-55 frontage road
Pass Bloomington, Normal, Towanda, Lexington, Chenoa, Pontiac,
Continue through Odell, Dwight
Marathon Oil Station - Rt. 66 relic
Take SR53 NE, Continue through Gardner
Riviera Restaurant
Continue on SR53 NE through Braceville, Godley, Braidwood
Gemini Giant mascot at Launching Pad Drive In
Becomes Baltimore Street, then Left (North) onto SR53 again.
Follow SR53 North into Elwood, SR53 may be called Douglas also.
Cross Des Plains River, Follow SR53 through Joliet, Romeoville, Bollingbrook,
SR53 runs into Joliet Road North. (SR53 veers away from Joliet road)
Follow to I-55, enter I-55 at Exit 269.
Leave I-55 at Exit 276C
Take Joliet Road Northeast, turn Left on Harlem Ave. (SR43)
Turn Right on Ogden Ave. Follow it a long way.
Turn Right (East) on Jackson Blvd.
Follow to Lake Shore Drive.