Nature and parks on Route 66

Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve

Darien, Illinois · 0.4 mi from Route 66

Nearly 2,500 acres of prairie, oak savanna and creekside waterfalls, wrapped around a national laboratory.

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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Joliet, Illinois · 0.7 mi from Route 66

The country's first national tallgrass prairie, on a former ammunition plant, now home to bison.

Miller Park Zoo

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

Bloomington's city zoo, set inside Miller Park beside a lake and a preserved steam locomotive.

Miller Park (Bloomington, Illinois)

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A big city park in Bloomington with a lake, a zoo, a steam locomotive and summer theater.

Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site

Springfield, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

The restored brick office building where Abraham Lincoln practiced law beside the Old State Capitol.

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Washington Park

Springfield, Illinois · 0.4 mi from Route 66

A century-old Springfield park with a duck pond, rose garden, botanical garden and a carillon.

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Gateway Arch National Park

St. Louis, Missouri · 0.7 mi from Route 66

The nation's smallest national park holds the Arch, the Old Courthouse and a riverfront museum.

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Castlewood State Park

Castlewood, Missouri · 1.6 mi from Route 66

A big riverside state park on the Meramec, close to St. Louis and a few miles from the old road.

Endangered Wolf Center

Eureka, Missouri · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A wolf conservation center founded by Marlin Perkins, where rare wolves are bred for return to the wild.

Route 66 State Park

St. Louis, Missouri · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A riverside park on the site of the lost town of Times Beach, named for the old highway.

Meramec Caverns

Sullivan, Missouri · 1.9 mi from Route 66

Missouri's most-visited cave, a 4.6-mile system advertised by dozens of billboards along I-44.

Battle of Carthage State Historic Site

Carthage, Missouri · 0.5 mi from Route 66

A small state-run field in Carthage that preserves part of an 1861 battle from the start of the Civil War.

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Claremore Mound

Sageeyah, Oklahoma · 4.6 mi from Route 66

A rocky hill by the Verdigris River, site of an 1817 battle and the source of Claremore's name.

Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · 1.6 mi from Route 66

A big city zoo and garden with more than 2,000 animals, a good family break from long Route 66 miles.

Myriad Botanical Gardens

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · 1.9 mi from Route 66

A 15-acre downtown garden in Oklahoma City built around the Crystal Bridge Conservatory.

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Red Rock Canyon State Park

Hinton, Oklahoma · 6.0 mi from Route 66

A red-walled canyon near Hinton with wagon ruts, rare Caddo maples, trails and campsites on the canyon floor.

Rock Mary

El Reno, Oklahoma · 5.3 mi from Route 66

A lone rock landmark that guided 1849 wagon travelers on the California Road, named for a 17-year-old girl.

Foss State Park

Foss, Oklahoma · 5.0 mi from Route 66

A big lakeside state park near Foss with boating, a swimming beach, horse trails and plenty of RV sites.

McClellan Creek National Grassland

Amarillo, Texas · 1.9 mi from Route 66

A small national grassland around McClellan Lake in the Texas Panhandle, recovering from a huge 2006 fire.

Tucumcari Mountain

Tucumcari, New Mexico · 2.6 mi from Route 66

The flat-topped mesa beside Tucumcari, a landmark for travellers and hunters long before Route 66.

Blue Hole

Santa Rosa, New Mexico · 0.3 mi from Route 66

A round, spring-fed pool near Santa Rosa where swimmers and scuba divers take the plunge.

Wildlife West Nature Park

Edgewood, New Mexico · 0.4 mi from Route 66

A 122-acre nature park in Edgewood that cares for animals unable to return to the wild.

Tijeras Canyon

Tijeras, New Mexico · on Route 66

The mountain pass east of Albuquerque that Route 66, and now I-40, uses to cross the Sandia–Manzano range.

Bluewater Lake State Park

Grants, New Mexico · 5.6 mi from Route 66

A high mountain lake in the Zuni Mountains, known for trout fishing, bird-watching and winter ice fishing.

Campbell Pass

Continental Divide, New Mexico · on Route 66

The broad, gentle Continental Divide crossing between Gallup and Grants used by rail, Route 66 and I-40.

Petrified Forest National Park

Holbrook, Arizona · 2.4 mi from Route 66

Fossil wood, painted badlands and open grassland in a national park that old Route 66 once crossed.

Meteor Crater

Winslow, Arizona · 5.4 mi from Route 66

A huge, remarkably well-preserved meteorite crater in the desert between Winslow and Flagstaff.

Mount Elden

Flagstaff, Arizona · 1.3 mi from Route 66

An extinct lava dome rising above Flagstaff, laced with forest roads and hiking trails.

Riordan Mansion State Historic Park

Flagstaff, Arizona · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A duplex mansion built for two lumber-baron brothers, preserved as a state park in Flagstaff.

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Grand Canyon Caverns

Peach Springs, Arizona · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A dry cave 210 feet underground just off Route 66 near Peach Springs, reached by elevator, reopened in 2025.

Sitgreaves Pass

Oatman, Arizona · on Route 66

The steep, twisting Black Mountains summit on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman.

Amboy Crater

Amboy, California · 1.4 mi from Route 66

A dormant cinder cone rising from a dark lava field, a short detour south of Route 66.

Mojave Trails National Monument

Ludlow, California · 1.7 mi from Route 66

A vast desert monument that protects long stretches of Route 66 across the Mojave.

Pisgah Crater

Ludlow, California · 1.4 mi from Route 66

A young volcanic cone west of Ludlow, lowered by mining and visible from the old road.

John R. Rodman Arboretum

Claremont, California · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A college arboretum on the Pitzer College campus, steps from other Claremont museums and landmarks.

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California Botanic Garden

Claremont, California · 0.3 mi from Route 66

86 acres of California native plants below the San Gabriel foothills in Claremont.

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Chavez Ravine

Los Angeles, California · 0.3 mi from Route 66

The hillside canyon north of downtown Los Angeles that sits beside Dodger Stadium.

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