Did Route 66 go through Shamrock?

Yes. Route 66 runs through Shamrock along 12th Street, past the U-Drop Inn, and I-40 now passes just south of town. The McLean and Alanreed stops are on the old road too.

What is there to see on Route 66 in Shamrock?

We list 12 stops in and around Shamrock, mostly retro roadside stops, museums and historic bridges. The ones our trip planner rates highest are U-Drop Inn, Phillips 66 Service Station and 66 Super 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 Shamrock from the next towns on Route 66?

Shamrock sits at about mile 1,085 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Elk City, OK, about 58 miles back. Heading west, Amarillo, TX is about 110 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.

Is Shamrock a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?

It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in Shamrock when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.

Route 66 town guide · Texas

Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas

Shamrock is the first Route 66 town in Texas for westbound drivers, about 1,085 miles from Chicago and some 15 miles past the Oklahoma line. The stops we group here follow the old road from Texola and Erick in the east to McLean and Alanreed in the west, so four of them are in Oklahoma, a few miles east across the state line: the Magnolia Service Station in Texola and the West Winds Motel, the Roger Miller Museum and the First National Bank in Erick.

About mile 1,085 of 2,448 from Chicago
12 stops in and around Shamrock
Small-town overnight

Tap a dot to see that stop here.

Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop. Open Shamrock on the full map to filter by kind or add stops to your trip.

The town's landmark is the U-Drop Inn, the Art Deco gas station and café with twin flared towers, glazed tile walls and neon trim where Route 66 runs along 12th Street. East of town a 1932 Route 66 bridge over the old Rock Island line still carries traffic. About three-quarters of a mile south of the road, the Pioneer West Museum fills the 1920s Reynolds Hotel with 25 rooms of Panhandle history, and the restored Magnolia Gas Station on its corner keeps its gravity pumps and big round sign.

West of Shamrock the road runs about 25 miles to McLean, where the Devil's Rope Barbed Wire Museum covers ranching and the Texas stretch of Route 66 in an old bra factory, and the restored 1929 Phillips 66 Service Station stands a short walk away with two old pumps and a vintage fuel truck. The Cactus Inn, a 1956 motor court with a saguaro-shaped neon sign, still rents rooms at the west end of town. Another 9 miles on, in tiny Alanreed, the 66 Super Service Station of 1930 keeps its name on the canopy and newly restored pumps.

Practical note: most of these are quick photo stops, so the whole stretch from Erick to Alanreed fits into half a day. Shamrock has fuel and food, and Amarillo is about 110 miles further west.

Top 10 Route 66 attractions in and around Shamrock

U-Drop InnShamrock's Art Deco gas station and cafe, with twin flared towers, glazed tile walls and neon trim.
Phillips 66 Service StationA restored 1929 cottage-style Phillips 66 station with two old pumps on the old road through McLean.
66 Super Service StationA restored 1930 Texaco station with its name on the canopy, where early Route 66 turned in Alanreed.
Magnolia Gas StationA restored 1930s Magnolia filling station with gravity pumps and a big round sign at the Pioneer West Museum.
Magnolia Service StationA little house-style gas station in Texola, one of the last stops in Oklahoma for westbound drivers.
West Winds MotelA 1940s Mission Revival motor court in Erick, with a garage beside every room around a U-shaped yard.
Route 66 Bridge over the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf RailroadA 1932 steel-and-concrete Route 66 bridge near Shamrock that still carries traffic over an old rail line.
Cactus InnA 1956 motor court in McLean with a tall saguaro-shaped neon sign, still renting rooms on old Route 66.
Devils Rope Barbed Wire MuseumA McLean museum all about barbed wire, ranching and the Texas stretch of Route 66, set in an old bra factory.
First National BankA 1907 bank building in Erick with a survey marker for the 100th meridian set into its wall.

Retro roadside (6)

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West Winds Motel

Erick, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1940s Mission Revival motor court in Erick, with a garage beside every room around a U-shaped yard.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

Magnolia Service Station

Texola, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A little house-style gas station in Texola, one of the last stops in Oklahoma for westbound drivers.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

U-Drop Inn

Shamrock, Texas · on Route 66

Shamrock's Art Deco gas station and cafe, with twin flared towers, glazed tile walls and neon trim.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

Magnolia Gas Station

Shamrock, Texas · 0.7 mi from Route 66

A restored 1930s Magnolia filling station with gravity pumps and a big round sign at the Pioneer West Museum.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

Phillips 66 Service Station

McLean, Texas · on Route 66

A restored 1929 cottage-style Phillips 66 station with two old pumps on the old road through McLean.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

66 Super Service Station

Alanreed, Texas · on Route 66

A restored 1930 Texaco station with its name on the canopy, where early Route 66 turned in Alanreed.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

Historic bridges (1)

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Route 66 Bridge over the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad

Shamrock, Texas · on Route 66

A 1932 steel-and-concrete Route 66 bridge near Shamrock that still carries traffic over an old rail line.

Historic bridgePhoto credit

Historic hotels (1)

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Cactus Inn

McLean, Texas · on Route 66

A 1956 motor court in McLean with a tall saguaro-shaped neon sign, still renting rooms on old Route 66.

Historic hotelPhoto credit

Museums (4)

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Roger Miller Museum

Erick, Oklahoma · on Route 66

The former home of a Roger Miller museum in the singer's hometown of Erick, on old Route 66.

Museum

First National Bank

Erick, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1907 bank building in Erick with a survey marker for the 100th meridian set into its wall.

MuseumPhoto credit

Pioneer West Museum

Shamrock, Texas · 0.7 mi from Route 66

Shamrock's local history museum in the 1920s Reynolds Hotel, with 25 rooms of Panhandle life and a space room.

MuseumPhoto credit

Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

McLean, Texas · on Route 66

A McLean museum all about barbed wire, ranching and the Texas stretch of Route 66, set in an old bra factory.

MuseumPhoto credit

Next towns on Route 66

Route 66 in Shamrock: questions

Did Route 66 go through Shamrock?: Yes. Route 66 runs through Shamrock along 12th Street, past the U-Drop Inn, and I-40 now passes just south of town. The McLean and Alanreed stops are on the old road too.
What is there to see on Route 66 in Shamrock?: We list 12 stops in and around Shamrock, mostly retro roadside stops, museums and historic bridges. The ones our trip planner rates highest are U-Drop Inn, Phillips 66 Service Station and 66 Super 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 Shamrock from the next towns on Route 66?: Shamrock sits at about mile 1,085 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Elk City, OK, about 58 miles back. Heading west, Amarillo, TX is about 110 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.
Is Shamrock a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?: It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in Shamrock when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.