{"id":201,"date":"2026-09-18T12:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/?page_id=201"},"modified":"2026-09-18T12:25:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:25:28","slug":"7-day-route-66-road-trip-chicago-to-santa-monica","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/7-day-route-66-road-trip-chicago-to-santa-monica\/","title":{"rendered":"7-Day Route 66 Road Trip: Chicago to Santa Monica"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For a 7-day Route 66 trip, you&#8217;ll need to keep moving, but you can still experience many of the road&#8217;s most iconic sights. Expect some long driving days of 300-450 miles, balanced with memorable stops along historic stretches of the route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 1: Chicago, IL \u2192 Springfield, MO<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approx. 450 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Route 66 Begin Sign in Chicago<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pontiac Route 66 Museum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Springfield, Illinois<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chain of Rocks Bridge near St. Louis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Meramec Caverns<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overnight:<\/strong> Springfield, Missouri<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don&#8217;t miss:<\/strong> Dinner at a classic Route 66 diner and an evening stroll through downtown Springfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 2: Springfield, MO \u2192 Oklahoma City, OK<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approx. 300 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carthage historic square<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rainbow Bridge (Kansas)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Miami, Oklahoma<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blue Whale of Catoosa<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tulsa&#8217;s Route 66 attractions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Arcadia Round Barn<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pops 66 Soda Ranch<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overnight:<\/strong> Oklahoma City<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Best photo stop:<\/strong> The Blue Whale, one of Route 66&#8217;s most recognisable landmarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 3: Oklahoma City \u2192 Amarillo \u2192 Tucumcari<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approx. 350 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clinton Route 66 Museum<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Shamrock&#8217;s U-Drop Inn<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cadillac Ranch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Amarillo Historic District<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tucumcari&#8217;s famous neon motels<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overnight:<\/strong> Tucumcari, New Mexico<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Evening:<\/strong> Drive the neon-lit main street after dark for the classic Route 66 atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 4: Tucumcari \u2192 Santa Fe \u2192 Albuquerque<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approx. 250 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas (if missed previous day)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Historic Route 66 alignment through Santa Fe<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Santa Fe Plaza<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Turquoise Trail scenery<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Old Town Albuquerque<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overnight:<\/strong> Albuquerque<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is one of the most scenic and culturally rich sections of the journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 5: Albuquerque \u2192 Holbrook \u2192 Flagstaff\/Williams<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approx. 330 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Continental Divide<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gallup<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Petrified Forest National Park<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Painted Desert<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wigwam Motel in Holbrook<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Winslow&#8217;s &#8220;Standin&#8217; on the Corner&#8221; Park<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Historic Flagstaff<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overnight:<\/strong> Williams, Arizona<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Williams has one of the best-preserved Route 66 downtowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 6: Williams \u2192 Seligman \u2192 Kingman \u2192 Barstow<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approx. 360 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Seligman, birthplace of Route 66 preservation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hackberry General Store<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kingman<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oatman&#8217;s wild burros<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mojave Desert crossing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Overnight:<\/strong> Barstow, California<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This day includes some of the most authentic surviving stretches of the original road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Day 7: Barstow \u2192 Pasadena \u2192 Santa Monica<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Approx. 150 miles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Highlights<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Elmer&#8217;s Bottle Tree Ranch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>San Bernardino Route 66 landmarks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pasadena&#8217;s historic sections<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Beverly Hills and Los Angeles boulevards along the route<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Santa Monica Pier<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finish<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Take the traditional photo beside the <strong>&#8220;End of the Trail&#8221; Route 66 sign<\/strong> overlooking the Pacific Ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travellogs.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/nextvoyage-sign-2380075-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"End of Route 66 - Image by Andrzej from Pixabay\" class=\"wp-image-1684\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">End of Route 66 &#8211; Santa Monica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If You Have Time for Only 5 &#8220;Must-See&#8221; Stops<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Route 66 Begin Sign (Chicago)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Blue Whale of Catoosa (Oklahoma)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cadillac Ranch (Texas)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Petrified Forest and Painted Desert (Arizona)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Santa Monica Pier (California)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Estimated Trip Totals<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Distance:<\/strong> Approx 2,450 miles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Driving Time: <\/strong>40-45 hours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Recommended Season:<\/strong> May-June or September-October<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ideal Daily Start: <\/strong>8:00am to maximise sightseeing and avoid night driving<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This itinerary captures roughly <strong>80-90% of the most significant surviving historic Route 66 attractions<\/strong> while remaining achievable in a single week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For a 7-day Route 66 trip, you&#8217;ll need to keep moving, but you can still experience many of the road&#8217;s most iconic sights. Expect some long driving days of 300-450 miles, balanced with memorable stops along historic stretches of the route. Day 1: Chicago, IL \u2192 Springfield, MO Approx. 450 miles Highlights Overnight: Springfield, Missouri [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-201","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202,"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/201\/revisions\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grippedbytravel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}