Route 66 in Elk City, Oklahoma
Elk City is a western Oklahoma town about 1,034 miles from Chicago, the last big stop before the Texas line. The stops we group here run along Route 66 from Canute through Elk City to Sayre, and they are small but full of character.
- About mile 1,027 of 2,448 from Chicago
- 9 stops in and around Elk City
- Small-town overnight
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop. Open Elk City on the full map to filter by kind or add stops to your trip.
Downtown, the Casa Grande Hotel is a four-story 1928 Spanish-style building, the only high-rise hotel for miles on Route 66. The best stops around it are gas stations built in the styles of the 1930s. In Canute, the Canute Service Station is Pueblo Deco, with a stepped parapet, tile diamonds and a red tile roof, and in Sayre the 1934 Sayre Champlin Service Station is Streamline Moderne, with oval pilasters and bold colors.
Sayre is worth a short stop of its own. The Sayre Downtown Historic District is three blocks of early 1900s brick storefronts that Route 66 once ran right through, and the circa-1905 J. W. Danner House was built from unusual triangular concrete blocks that set a local building style. Back in Elk City, a National Register house and an old motor company building stand a block or two from the Casa Grande. The rest is open country, with the small community of Hext tucked between the interstate and the old business loop.
Practical note: this is wide-open country with long gaps between towns, so fill the tank here. Elk City works as a small-town night before Texas; Shamrock, with its Art Deco U-Drop Inn, is about 34 miles further west.
Top 9 Route 66 attractions in and around Elk City
Retro roadside (2)
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Historic hotels (1)
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Ghost towns (1)
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Historic districts (1)
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Historic buildings (3)
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Next towns on Route 66
Route 66 in Elk City: questions
- Did Route 66 go through Elk City?
- Yes. Route 66 runs through Elk City; the Casa Grande Hotel stands right on the old road downtown.
- What is there to see on Route 66 in Elk City?
- We list 9 stops in and around Elk City, mostly historic buildings, retro roadside stops and ghost towns. The ones our trip planner rates highest are Sayre Champlin Service Station, Canute Service Station and Casa Grande Hotel. Every stop is on the map above with a photo where one exists, and the distance from the old road.
- How far is Elk City from the next towns on Route 66?
- Elk City sits at about mile 1,027 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is El Reno, OK, about 102 miles back. Heading west, Amarillo, TX is about 167 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.
- Is Elk City a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?
- It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in Elk City when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.