Smeagol

Ok, so this is a little premature but we are thinking about doing Route 66 Nov 2015. ( I know, I am obviously forward planning.. ) is this an ok time to do this? suggestions of stops along the way ( we will be driving.......) total time will be around 16 nights, we will be coming from the UK,.... We were thinking of doing East to west?

Thanks in advance
S

happytrailstoyou

Some stretches of Route 66 are interesting; however, you may have a more satisfying sixteen days if you spend some of them investigating some of our national parks, Highway 1 in California, and other scenic destinations.

HTtY

Smeagol

I have done the PCH twice so thinking of something different, hence the thought of route 66...

Smeagol

Should add the first time we did the PCH it was from Napa to LA 2nd ttime SF to San Diego.

tomfuller

The east end is at the intersection of Jackson Blvd and Michigan Avenue in Chicago. I don't know much about the route between Chicago and Amarillo Texas. I do know that much of the original route is now under Interstate Highways (Mostly I-40).
The parts that are much as they were are through Albuquerque NM (Central Avenue), From Seligman (Se-LIG-man) AZ past Grand Canyon Cavern to Kingman and in California west of Needles through Barstow to Victorville (National Trails highway).
There is a small Rt. 66 museum in the basement of the old Barstow train station. There is also a small Rt. 66 museum in Victorville across the street from the train station.
The west end is at the Santa Monica Pier. http://www.cart66pf.org/Map/66west.htm
Plan on at least getting off the route to visit the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (North from Williams AZ).
Make sure you leave Kingman AZ with a full tank of gas.
Shop around for the best car rental without a drop off fee.

rizzo0904

This website has a forum dedicated to Route 66. You may get some help there:

http://www.historic66.com/

Smeagol

Thank you both. at least I have ages to sort!

jayne1973

As a huge Route 66 fan, I envy your plan and agree that starting in the East is the way to go. (I have not done that yet.)

Having so far only done segments in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, my best advice is to start researching soon to determine what parts of the route you really want to see.

Find a guidebook that you like to help locate historic "jewels" of interest along the way. There are also a number of good Route 66 museums in various states.

Yes, some of the route has been overrun with interstates, but if you understand where you are going, there is still plenty left, including segments of the oldest 1920s "historic" portion as well as the mid-century era route. This is a trip in which the journey is truly the destination.


If you decide to do this, I would love to hear about your plans and maybe a trip report when you return.

Smeagol

Thanks Jayne, I promise to return with loads of questions if we give this the green light, it is looking likely , I am just concerened about the time of year and whether November will be an issue.

ElendilPickle

You *might* get a little snow in November, but I don't think it will be much of an issue.

Lee Ann

happytrailstoyou

I guess if you've driven Highway 1 you've been to Yosemite NP, Sequoia NP, Death Valley, Las Vegas, Zion NP, Bryce NP, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Canyon de Chelley, Monument Valley, etc. Have you been to New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville, Charleston, and Big Bend, Texas?

HTtY

spirobulldog

Weather would be very unlikely to be a factor as you head to the west. I live in Oklahoma and I can only remember a couple of times it has snowed much at all here in November in the past 45 years. November is a pretty rainy month(I know this because I own car washes and keep up with the weather pretty good).
My favorite stop on 66 in Oklahoma is Pops (it has more soda flavors than anywhere--over 100 different varities of Root Beer)

Nelson

My wife and I drove parts of the New Mexico and Arizona sections of Route 66 last month. We enjoyed it for a couple of days, slept in The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, dined in The El Rancho in Gallup. Fun stuff.

We tried to avoid I-40 for most of that drive and stay on the old roads that parallel the highway. You see a lot of broken lives in the ruined buildings, faded paint and boarded up windows and doors. Also unusual history, like Bucket of Blood street in Holbrook. We both found it evocative, but then I like things like the New Topographics photography exhibition, perhaps not to everyone's taste. We even enjoyed Petrified Forest NP, also not on everybody's hit parade.

It was a spur of the moment decision to drive that route. Along with the website mentioned by rizzi0904 we also used the NPS site:
http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/listofsites66.html

There is also a lot of cool stuff an hour or two off the route in that section. You can keep yourself busy for a long time in that stretch, depending on your interests. November should be good. Have fun.

jayne1973

That is a great link, Nelson!

jayne1973

Rizzo, your link is really good too, with the turn-by-turn directions. Excellent info!

Smeagol

Thanks everyone, great info.
happy, no I haven't been to Memphis etc, yet more places on my ( growing) bucket list.

hetismij2

We drove route 66 in March 2002. Very quiet on the road, since tourists hadn't really returned after 9/11, and everyone was very welcoming to us and glad to see tourists returning.
We had three weeks, but spent a couple of days in Chicago and a couple of days with friends in Ca at the end, so were on the road probably 14 days. Some places we stayed a couple of days - St Louis so we could visit the Cahokia Mounds and the city itself, OKC for the Cowboy museum and city, Las Vegas NM (NOT NV which isn't on the route!) to explore that area and Williams to go to the GC for a day. We stuck to the route and found it pretty easy to follow, although for some parts we had to use the Interstate.
It was bitterly cold in many places, especially in New Mexico. We had a picnic in Texas it was so warm so the cold of NM was a real shocker. We had snow in Chicago and down past Funks Grove (where we stopped for maple sirop), and again at GC but mostly had dry weather.

We'd love to do it again, and take a bit longer over it. It is my understanding that it is better signposted now, and some sections have been restored, and reopened, as interest in it grows within the US.