How long is Route 66? Miles, drive time and days needed
Updated October 2026
Route 66 is about 2,448 miles long, from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, through eight states. Driving it takes about 54 hours at the 45 mph average our planner uses. Most people allow about 14 days at 175 miles a day; 10 days is a fast trip and 20 days a relaxed one.
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
The red line is Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica. Dots are the road's best-known stops; open the full map to see every stop.
How many days do you need for Route 66?
About 14 days is the usual answer: 175 miles a day, about 3.9 hours of driving, with time left for stops. The planner offers three paces; open one to get a day-by-day plan with an overnight town for each day.
| Pace | Miles a day | Driving a day | Days | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relaxed | 125 | about 2.8 h | 20 | Plan it at a relaxed pace |
| Normal | 175 | about 3.9 h | 14 | Plan it at a normal pace |
| Fast | 245 | about 5.4 h | 10 | Plan it at a fast pace |
If you have a set number of days
Divide the road by the days you have. The driving hours use the 45 mph average of the planner, which is low on purpose, since much of the old road runs through towns. Our own bands for a day behind the wheel: up to 4 hours is easy, up to 6 comfortable, up to 8 long and more than 8 very long.
| Days | Miles a day | Driving a day | Feels | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 490 | about 10.9 h | very long | Plan 5 days |
| 7 | 350 | about 7.8 h | long | Plan 7 days |
| 10 | 245 | about 5.4 h | comfortable | Plan 10 days |
| 14 | 175 | about 3.9 h | easy | Plan 14 days |
| 21 | 117 | about 2.6 h | easy | Plan 21 days |
Short on time? Drive one or two states instead of the whole road; the mile table below shows the distances. For a ready-made plan, see the 14-day Route 66 itinerary.
How many miles of Route 66 are in each state?
Seven of the eight states hold roughly 180 to 400 miles of Route 66 each, and Kansas only about 13. The figures are rounded and depend on the alignment you follow.
| State | About miles |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 300 |
| Missouri | 315 |
| Kansas | 13 |
| Oklahoma | 400 |
| Texas | 180 |
| New Mexico | 380 |
| Arizona | 400 |
| California | 315 |
| Rounded figures added up | 2,303 |
The state figures add up to 2,303, not 2,448: each one is rounded, and the road was rerouted many times between 1926 and 1985. The 2,448-mile total is the figure used by our map and planner, and every distance on this site is "about".
How far is it between the main towns?
Measured along the road from Chicago, St. Louis is about mile 327, Tulsa about 775, Amarillo about 1,195 and Albuquerque about 1,525. The last column plans the leg to the next town.
| Town | Mile mark | To the next town | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 0 | about 327 mi to St. Louis | Plan it from Chicago to St. Louis |
| St. Louis, MO | 327 | about 447 mi to Tulsa | Plan it from St. Louis to Tulsa |
| Tulsa, OK | 775 | about 119 mi to Oklahoma City | Plan it from Tulsa to Oklahoma City |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 893 | about 302 mi to Amarillo | Plan it from Oklahoma City to Amarillo |
| Amarillo, TX | 1,195 | about 329 mi to Albuquerque | Plan it from Amarillo to Albuquerque |
| Albuquerque, NM | 1,525 | about 367 mi to Flagstaff | Plan it from Albuquerque to Flagstaff |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 1,892 | about 399 mi to Barstow | Plan it from Flagstaff to Barstow |
| Barstow, CA | 2,291 | about 153 mi to Santa Monica | Plan it from Barstow to Santa Monica |
| Santa Monica, CA | 2,444 | End of the road |
Where does Route 66 start and end?
Route 66 starts in downtown Chicago, by Grant Park, and ends about 2,448 miles later at the Santa Monica Pier in California. The road first ended in downtown Los Angeles and was extended to Santa Monica in the mid-1930s. More on both ends, and on the history of the road, is on our Route 66 facts page.
How long is Route 66: questions
- How long is Route 66 in miles?
- Route 66 is about 2,448 miles long, from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, through eight states. Driving it takes about 54 hours at the 45 mph average our planner uses. Most people allow about 14 days at 175 miles a day; 10 days is a fast trip and 20 days a relaxed one.
- How long does it take to drive Route 66?
- The driving alone is about 54 hours at an average of 45 mph, because so much of the old road is two-lane road through small towns. Spread over 14 days that is about 3.9 hours behind the wheel a day at the normal pace, before any stops.
- How many days do you need for Route 66?
- Plan on about 14 days for the whole road, 175 miles a day. 10 days is the practical minimum if you want the old road and a few stops, and 20 days leaves time for museums, motels and detours. In a week you would drive about 350 miles a day, around 7.8 hours behind the wheel.
- Why do the miles per state not add up to the total?
- Each state's figure is rounded, and the road was rerouted many times between 1926 and 1985, so the count depends on which alignment you follow. The rounded state figures here add up to 2,303; the 2,448-mile total is the figure our map and planner use from Chicago to Santa Monica. Treat all of them as "about".
- Which state has the most miles of Route 66?
- Oklahoma (about 400 miles), Arizona (about 400 miles) and New Mexico (about 380 miles) have the longest stretches by our rounded figures. Kansas has the least, about 13 miles in the state's southeast corner.