Route 66 itinerary: 14 days from Chicago to Santa Monica
Updated October 2026
Two weeks is the sweet spot for Route 66: long enough to drive the whole road from Chicago to Santa Monica without rushing, short enough to fit into one vacation. This itinerary splits the roughly 2,448 miles into 14 days of about 175 miles each, which leaves time to stop, look around and eat somewhere that is not a chain.
Change the days, the pace or the kinds of stops. Nothing to sign up for.
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Every stop of the 14 days on one map. Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop, or open the plan to see each day's route.
It is built by the same engine as our trip planner, from our map of 823 stops. Every night ends in a town with places to stay, most of them the main overnight towns on the road, such as Springfield, Springfield, Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Amarillo. Each day then gets the best stops on its stretch, chosen from facts: Route 66 icons first, then a mix of kinds, so a day is not all museums or all gas stations, and a long empty stretch gets a stop to break it up.
Use it as a starting point. Daily miles are measured along the old road and rounded, and the driving times assume an average of 45 mph, because much of Route 66 is two-lane road through small towns. Allow extra time in the big cities at each end. If you have more or fewer days, want a slower pace, or care more about museums than neon, open the plan in the planner: it rebuilds the days, the overnight towns and the stops, and sends the trip to Google Maps or a GPX file for your phone.
Day 1Chicago to Springfield
About 216 mi · about 4 h 45 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Springfield, IL
Plus 1 more stop in the planner. Open day 1 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 2Springfield to Cuba
About 194 mi · about 4 h 15 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Cuba, MO
Open day 2 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 3Cuba to Springfield
About 154 mi · about 3 h 30 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Springfield, MO
Open day 3 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 4Springfield to Tulsa
About 211 mi · about 4 h 45 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Tulsa, OK
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Open day 4 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 5Tulsa to Oklahoma City
About 119 mi · about 2 h 45 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Oklahoma City, OK
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Open day 5 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 6Oklahoma City to Shamrock
About 175 mi · about 4 h driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Shamrock, TX
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Open day 6 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 7Shamrock to Amarillo
About 126 mi · about 2 h 45 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Amarillo, TX
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Open day 7 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 8Amarillo to Tucumcari
About 129 mi · about 2 h 45 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Tucumcari, NM
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Open day 8 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 9Tucumcari to Albuquerque
About 202 mi · about 4 h 30 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Albuquerque, NM
Plus 1 more stop in the planner. Open day 9 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 10Albuquerque to Gallup
About 153 mi · about 3 h 30 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Gallup, NM
Open day 10 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 11Gallup to Flagstaff
About 215 mi · about 4 h 45 min driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Flagstaff, AZ
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Plus 1 more stop in the planner. Open day 11 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 12Flagstaff to Kingman
About 177 mi · about 4 h driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Kingman, AZ
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Open day 12 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 13Kingman to Barstow
About 222 mi · about 5 h driving · 5 stops · Sleep in Barstow, CA
Plus 1 more stop in the planner. Open day 13 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Day 14Barstow to Santa Monica
About 153 mi · about 3 h 30 min driving · 5 stops · Finish in Santa Monica, CA
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Open day 14 in the planner for every stop on this stretch, directions and a map of the day.
Before you go
When to go
Spring and fall are the comfortable seasons, roughly April to June and September to October. In July and August the Mojave Desert in California and western Arizona is very hot: summer highs there are often above 100°F. In winter, snow is common in the high country around Flagstaff, which sits near 7,000 feet. The road turns 100 on November 11, 2026, so expect busier motels around the centennial and book ahead.
Finding the old road
Phone maps and car GPS tend to send you onto the interstates (I-55, I-44 and I-40), and the old road is not signed the whole way, because it is no longer a federal highway. Use our plan to know where to stop, and a turn-by-turn Route 66 guide or offline maps for the old alignments. The EZ66 Guide for Travelers, a widely used printed guide, gives turn-by-turn directions both westbound and eastbound.
A closed stretch in the Mojave
The old road between Essex and Amboy, California, has been closed since 2014 while its bridges are rebuilt; the work is expected to finish in 2027. The usual detour is Interstate 40 and Kelbaker Road. The stretch from Ludlow to Amboy, past Roy's, is open.
Water, fuel and heat
In the desert, carry at least a gallon of water per person per day, start each stretch with a full tank, and tell someone your route. If the car breaks down in the heat, stay with it. Cell signal can drop out for long stretches.
Ten days or three weeks instead
About ten days is the practical minimum for the old road; most guides suggest two to three weeks. The same trip in 10 days means longer drives, and in 21 days an easy pace with more stops; the planner rebuilds the days either way.
Route 66 itinerary: questions
- How many days do you need to drive Route 66?
- About two weeks is the most popular choice: 14 days at roughly 175 miles a day leaves time for the stops. About ten days is the practical minimum if you want the old road rather than the interstate; most guides suggest two to three weeks. The trip planner rebuilds this plan for any number of days.
- Where do you stay overnight on this itinerary?
- Every night ends in a town with places to stay, mostly the bigger overnight towns along the road: Springfield, IL, Cuba, MO, Springfield, MO, Tulsa, OK, Oklahoma City, OK, Shamrock, TX, Amarillo, TX, Tucumcari, NM, Albuquerque, NM, Gallup, NM, Flagstaff, AZ, Kingman, AZ and Barstow, CA, and finally Santa Monica, CA. Book ahead in summer, especially in the classic motel towns.
- Should you drive Route 66 east to west or west to east?
- Either works. Most travelers start in Chicago and drive west, the way the road is usually described, which saves the desert and the Pacific for the end. Driving east from Santa Monica works just as well; open the plan in the planner and swap the start and finish.
- What is the best month to drive Route 66?
- April to June and September to October: mild weather in the desert states, long days and most seasonal attractions open. High summer is very hot in the Mojave and western Arizona, and winter can bring snow around Flagstaff and in New Mexico.
- Which is the longest day on this itinerary?
- Day 13, from Kingman, AZ to Barstow, CA, at about 222 miles and about 5 h of driving. If that is too much, add a day in the planner and it splits the trip again.
More answers on the Route 66 facts page.