In this article we are going to share with you our experience after doing Route 66 and the route to be taken. A dream for many and of course, a unique experience. We had a total of 14 nights and decided to include San Francisco and some detours to see the national parks.. Below we tell you our entire trip itinerary from start to finish: places to visit around, where to eat, tips, good and not so good experiences with the hotels. Do not miss it!
route 66 tour
We leave from Gran Canaria to Madrid, from Madrid to Philadelphia and from Philadelphia to Chicago, since when we traveled there was no direct Madrid-Chicago flight. On the way back we can get a direct flight from Los Angeles to Madrid with Iberia. Once in Chicago, We made an itinerary through the main cities that Route 66 formerly passed through, including other stops. We drove approximately 4-5 hours a day. Our tour was as follows:
- Chicago, Illinois – 2 nights
- St. Louis, Missouri – 1 night
- Joplin, Missouri – 1 night
- Clinton, Oklahoma – 1 night > visit Oklahoma City and Amarillo
- Roswell, New Mexico – 1 night > known for the 1947 UFO incident.
- Gallup, New Mexico – 1 night > Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Petrified Forest National Park
- Williams, Arizona – 1 night > Sedona and Grand Canyon National Park
- Las Vegas, Nevada – 1 night > Death Valley National Park
- Visalia, California – 1 night > Sequoia National Park
- San Francisco, California – 2 nights
- Shell Beach, California – 1 night > Santa Barbara and Malibu
- Los Angeles, California – 2 nights
Route 66 map with stops at tourist sites
In the following image you can see the route 66 map and the small modification that we made. As you can see, we add sites that are not part of Route 66 as such, but are very interesting to visit. We will tell you about them below in case you are interested in taking advantage of the fact that you are nearby to take a detour and discover the United States.
Below we are going to tell you about our experience in each of the cities or stops after taking Route 66. We followed the itinerary with an app called Route 66 Ultimate Guide Pro in which the places of interest along the route are highlighted. It will be of great help to you and, above all, you will learn something about each stop they recommend in this application. However, you can also follow the stops that we say in our blog, since they are the same 🙂
Route 66 itinerary to do it on your own
✔Chicago, Illinois. One of the main cities on Route 66 and the beginning of the route
Chicago is one of the most populated cities in the United States. It reminded us of New York. Modern and traditional, nice for walking, visiting museums and shopping. It is located next to Lake Michigan and in the north of the country, so it is quite cool. We went in May and had temperatures below 10 degrees. Highlight that Historic Route 66 begins here. Al Capone also lived in Chicago. We loved the famous eggs benedict of the Lou Mitchell's Bar, open since 1923 and on the map of Route 66. Chicago is also well known for its thick pizzas, one of the most famous places is Giordano's.
We did the route on a motorcycle and rented it after spending two nights in Chicago. We tell you more details in our post with tips for doing the route 66 on motorcycle, although many of these tips can also help you if you are going to do it by car or caravan. We recommend you reserve the hotel in chicago in advance, since it is very expensive.
✔ St. Louis, Missouri
The first major stop on the route is in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. From here we highlight the Chain Bridge or Chain of Rocks Bridge, Mississippi River and its great Gateaway arch. We stayed in a roadside motel arriving at the city, since it was nightfall due to the time we spent preparing the motorcycle for the trip and having them explain its operation to us. We do recommend the motel in St. Louis, it was called Super 8 by Wyndham Staunton. In general, We quite liked the Super 8 motel chain.
✔ Joplin, Missouri. Route 66 map
This part of the trip was quite hard for us, since there was a strong storm of rain and wind. In fact, we had to take several detours finding ourselves with roads cut off by floods. Blessed GPS. And the rains were getting worse, so we barely made stops until the next state with the aim of leaving the storm behind. In Joplin we stayed in a Super 8 by Wyndham Joplin. Also quite recommended.
Yes, we made the typical stops that the mobile application recommended, such as the largest rocking chair in the world.
✔ Clinton, Oklahoma
From Joplin we headed to Oklahoma. On the way, We stopped at the well-known blue whale on Route 66. A little later we arrived at the industrial town of Tulsa, quite ugly and industrial. Nevertheless, It was worth visiting Hank's Hamburgers on Route 66. THE BEST BURGERS OF THE ENTIRE TRIP.
Later we passed through Oklahoma City, although it was nothing special. We spent the night in a small town called Clinton. Neither more nor less than in The Glancy Motel, frequented on historic Route 66.
✔ Roswell, New Mexico. route 66 tour
Although it was not within the itinerary that we planned for "our Route 66 by motorcycle", we wanted to get closer to Roswell. A UFO supposedly crashed here in 1947. On the way, we passed through Amarillo, Texas. Where we visited the Big Texan, known for its giant steaks or sirloins. We also visited the Cadillac Ranch.
We also passed by Midway point. That is, the point on the route where you have the same kilometers to Los Angeles and to Chicago. It is the photo we showed at the beginning of the post. We were already arriving in New Mexico. This day we had early dinner at another well-known point on the route. Del's Restaurant. This was where we tried the authentic and delicious Santa Fe salad. It was a luxury for us, we were already starting to get a little fed up with meat.
After this technical stop, we went straight to Roswell, it was a blast on the road. The detour is super desert, we were able to see foxes and quite a few deer. In Roswell we stayed in the Budget Inn West. The next morning we visited the International UFO Museum: International UFO Museum and Research Center. If you are not a geek about UFOs, skip this part.
✔ Gallup, New Mexico
The next stop was Santa Fe, one of the most beautiful cities on Route 66. We would have liked to stay one night here, but with the detour to Roswell we were short on time. Santa Fe is full of artists, sculptures, cafes, shops, restaurants and life in general. Their houses are like the one we show you below, as if they were made of clay. Yes, very hot.
We also went through Albuquerque, it was very hot here. The only thing we did was visit the house where the series was recorded Breaking Bad.. Later we continued advancing until we reached the town of Gallup at the gates of Arizona. Along the way, we encounter these giant arrows called Twin Arrows or twin arrows. In Gallup we stayed again in a Super 8. The Super 8 by Wyndham Gallup
✔ Williams, Arizona
We finally arrived in Arizona, the state that we fell in love with the most during the entire route of Route 66. We made the first stop in the Petrified Forest National Park or Petrified Forest. We walked along its trails and saw landscapes from another planet. Super recommended.
When we were in Roswell, we met a woman for breakfast who highly recommended us visit Sedona. So we did it. It was the next stop and the most beautiful thing of the trip without a doubt. This is why if you have time to spare, we recommend skipping the Route 66 map from time to time.
A quite posh place known for its wide range of adventure sports. It is characterized by its reddish mountains and streams. We took the motorcycle for a spin and also toured one of its trails. We would also have liked to be able to spend a night here, but we had to go to Williams, where we would sleep before visiting the Grand Canyon. We stay in the American Regency Inn, It was pretty good actually.
✔ Las Vegas, Nevada
The next morning we got up early to visit the Grand Canyon. Everything is super prepared so you can see it from above. However, if you have time to spare, we recommend exploring its trails, but you should plan ahead. After visiting the Grand Canyon, we headed to Las Vegas. Another of the detours we made from our route 66 by motorcycle. On the way, We stopped to regain strength at the well-known Delgadillos Snow Cup. Also very well known on the route.
The place is very cool and The burgers are also super delicious.. The bad thing about the place is that it was quite cool and they only had tables outside, so we ordered at least two hot coffees. A few hours later we arrived in Las Vegas. We took a walk around the main hotels, casinos and we saw the fountain show with music from the Bellagio. We highly recommend Las Vegas, it is crazy with hotels, casinos, bars and rivers of partying people. You have to know it once in your life.
The hotels here are quite cheap, contrary to what we thought, it must be because of the excess supply. We stay in the Stratosphere Hotel, Casino & Tower. The rooms were huge and comfortable, although what we liked most was the super breakfast buffet.. Especially after having experienced roadside motels where they only have sugary cereals and waffles for breakfast. The next morning we took another tour of Las Vegas and headed to California. We passed by the Death Valley National Park, but we didn't stop because it was very hot.
✔ Visalia, California
We leave Nevada to visit California. We chose to sleep in a city close to the Sequoia National Park, since we didn't want to miss it. The city we chose was Visalia. Arriving we stopped to eat in one of the In & Out burger. There are several throughout California and they are delicious.
In Visalia we stayed in Motel 6 Visalia that It had washing machines and we took the opportunity to do some laundry, since we didn't have clothes for the 14 nights.. Something that you should keep in mind if you are going to do Route 66 by motorcycle to save space and weight. The next day we went to meet its majestic sequoias, mountains and rivers, we were able to see deer and beavers. We took several paths along its paths in search of the Californian bears, but we were not lucky. Even though it was May, there was still snow. The beautiful place.
The Sequoias are amazing. Here you must visit the General Sherman Tree, the largest living being on the planet. Also get lost in its trails. This park is wonderful.
✔ San Francisco, California
After visiting the Sequoias we headed to San Francisco, another stop off Route 66. A city of contrasts where you will see where the rich coexist with the homeless. We loved the city, its fishing pier with seals, its streets and tram, its China Town, its gay neighborhood, its red bridge or Golden Gate, its supermarkets zero waste…Very cool.
In San Francisco we stayed two nights at the Civic Center Motor Inn. It was quite central, so we visited the entire city on foot. Except for the Golden Gate that we visited by motorcycle and, therefore, we left it for when we headed to Los Angeles.
✔ Shell Beach, California
It was a shame that California Coast Highway 1 was closed. Apparently the rains had caused landslides, which we missed one of the most beautiful parts of California. Maybe you are lucky enough to go along the coast and extend the trip a little longer. We recommend you check it.
Likewise, on the way to Los Angeles we stopped at Santa Cruz (previous photo) and in Solvang, a city founded by Dutch. Two quite curious stops that we recommend you make.
To eat we recommend you take into account the Whole foods supermarket in big cities like Santa Cruz. Here you can prepare your salad or combination plate and escape a little from all the hamburgers you may have eaten during Route 66.
Finally, this day of our special route 66 tour we arrived at shell beach. Here we spent a night and had a delicious dinner in the Mexican restaurant “Zorros”. Here we tried the delicious Santa Fe salad again. The motel we chose was pretty good, it was called The Palomar Inn.
✔ Los Angeles, California. End of Route 66 route
From Shell Beach to Los Angeles we passed through Santa Barbara. Here we took a motorcycle ride through the city and on foot along the beach.
We also pass by Malibu beaches until you reach the end of Route 66 by motorcycle, right in Santa Monica pier. A very iconic place that we have seen in many Hollywood movies.
In Los Angeles you have to visit the Observatory, preferably at night. Here you will have spectacular views of the entire city and the well-known hollywood sign. You should know that in Los Angeles there is a lot of traffic. So if you want to see the sunset at the Observatory, you will have to leave your hotel at least 1 hour before.
You should also know venice beach and its canals, Huntington beach, the walk of stars, Rodeo Drive and little else. We were a little disappointed in Los Angeles, maybe because we live in Gran Canaria and its beaches didn't surprise us that much. Of course, it's something you should know. Also, it's part of the end of the historic route 66. In Los Angeles we stayed in a motel that we don't recommend at all, but you can look for others. hotels in Los Angeles yourself.
Well, this has been our route of Route 66 adapted to the tourist attractions along the way. We hope it helps and inspires you. Don't miss our post with all our tips for doing the route on two wheels. Don't forget the most important tip: Take out travel insurance. Take advantage of the fact that as our reader you have a 5% off in all IATI policies.
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In any case, if you have any questions about Route 66 by motorcycle, leave us a comment or contact us by email at [email protected]. Finally, remember that you can discover other destinations in the world with us, as well as what to do in Gran Canaria in our local guide to the island. See you soon!
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