Route 66 in El Reno, Oklahoma
El Reno is a railroad town about 925 miles from Chicago, the last sizable stop west of Oklahoma City before the road runs out onto the open plains. The stops we group here reach west along Route 66 to Geary and Hinton.
- About mile 925 of 2,448 from Chicago
- 11 stops in and around El Reno
- Small-town overnight
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop. Open El Reno on the full map to filter by kind or add stops to your trip.
El Reno's downtown keeps two early gas stations: Avant's Cities Service Station, a 1933 Art Deco station built to fuel cars on the Mother Road, and the 1934 brick Jackson Conoco Service Station, one of a family of look-alike stations built for Route 66 drivers. The railroad left its hotels: the 1892 El Reno Hotel is the town's oldest surviving commercial building, and the three-story 1909 Southern Hotel was once among the grandest in Oklahoma. A small wooden Red Cross Canteen from World War I, built by volunteers to feed soldiers on troop trains, still stands too.
West of town, the land takes over. Red Rock Canyon State Park near Hinton is a red-walled canyon with wagon ruts, rare Caddo maples and campsites on the canyon floor, and Rock Mary is a lone rock that guided 1849 wagon travelers on the California Road, named for a 17-year-old girl. The grounds of the Darlington Agency, an 1870 Indian agency for the Cheyenne and Arapaho, are a short drive from El Reno, and a three-building 1930s station near Geary still has the hand-dug well and engraved slab left by its builder.
Practical note: El Reno has food, fuel and motels. West of here the towns thin out: Clinton is about 55 miles on and Elk City about 109.
Top 10 Route 66 attractions in and around El Reno
Retro roadside (3)
See all Retro roadside on Route 66 →
Historic hotels (2)
See all Historic hotels on Route 66 →
Nature & parks (2)
See all Nature & parks on Route 66 →
Historic districts (1)
See all Historic districts on Route 66 →
Historic buildings (3)
See all Historic buildings on Route 66 →
.jpg/500px-El_Reno%2C_OK_USA_-_panoramio_(20).jpg)
Next towns on Route 66
Route 66 in El Reno: questions
- Did Route 66 go through El Reno?
- Yes. Route 66 ran through downtown El Reno; Avant's Cities Service Station and the El Reno Hotel both sit about a tenth of a mile from the old road.
- What is there to see on Route 66 in El Reno?
- We list 11 stops in and around El Reno, mostly historic buildings, retro roadside stops and historic hotels. The ones our trip planner rates highest are Avant's Cities Service Station, Jackson Conoco Service Station and Bridgeport Hill Service Station. Every stop is on the map above with a photo where one exists, and the distance from the old road.
- How far is El Reno from the next towns on Route 66?
- El Reno sits at about mile 925 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Oklahoma City, OK, about 32 miles back. Heading west, Elk City, OK is about 102 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.
- Is El Reno a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?
- It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in El Reno when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.