Good ole Route 66 trip planning
My wife and I are going to take a trip from Chesapeake VA to the Grand Canyon. Along the way I'd like to see as much of old Route 66 and it's attractions as possible. I'm a goodsam member and hav...
Forum Discussion
You need a good route 66 guide. National Historic Route 66 Assoociation publishes a good one, but bought my copy through the Oklahoma association. I'd give you a title, but not where I can get my hands on it now. Title contains "E-Z Guide...".
I've run most of 66 in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, about 1/3 of it in New Mexico, found parts in Illinois and eastern Arizona, but not west of Flaggstaff. Old 66 is largely replaced by I-55 in Illinois, I-44 in Missouri to Springfield, then runs some distance away from I-44 in Oklahoma. In most of Missouri I-44 business route will follow old 66 to go through towns, similar for along I-40 from OK City to Santa Rosa.
Finding the sections of 66, knowing when to use the replacement Interstate, is what the guides are about, in addition to finding the museums, historic reconstructions, relics, and interesting ruins.
Baxter Springs, Kansas, has made itself over into a route 66 tourist destination, and most people don't even know 66 cut through a corner of Kansas.
Route starts on the lakefront in Chicago, ends at the ocean in Santa Monica. Gets reasonably near the Grand Canyon.
I don't think this is one you want a computer or trip planner service to work out for you, because you need to make your own decisions about when to use the Interstate, when to follow one of the several old routes, and which one. Like do you want to ge west from Santa Rosa to Abq like 60s, or through Santa Fe as in the 40s; both still exist.
Little decisions can make big differences. You can get through St Louis in 20 minutes on I-44 at a good time on a good day, old city street routing of 66 could take a couple hours or more. Same for Tulsa, OKC, Amarillo, Abq, Springfield, on a smaller scale. Tulsa to OKC on 66 is twice the time of following the Interstate, but you can travel most of the way on 66 at the cost of an hour, if you know where to start, where to hop back onto the superhighway.
But if you are planning to try to see everything, maybe driving times aren't going to matter, you can spend two days in museums between El Reno and the Texas line, driving time would be under three hours with no stops.
I've run most of 66 in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, about 1/3 of it in New Mexico, found parts in Illinois and eastern Arizona, but not west of Flaggstaff. Old 66 is largely replaced by I-55 in Illinois, I-44 in Missouri to Springfield, then runs some distance away from I-44 in Oklahoma. In most of Missouri I-44 business route will follow old 66 to go through towns, similar for along I-40 from OK City to Santa Rosa.
Finding the sections of 66, knowing when to use the replacement Interstate, is what the guides are about, in addition to finding the museums, historic reconstructions, relics, and interesting ruins.
Baxter Springs, Kansas, has made itself over into a route 66 tourist destination, and most people don't even know 66 cut through a corner of Kansas.
Route starts on the lakefront in Chicago, ends at the ocean in Santa Monica. Gets reasonably near the Grand Canyon.
I don't think this is one you want a computer or trip planner service to work out for you, because you need to make your own decisions about when to use the Interstate, when to follow one of the several old routes, and which one. Like do you want to ge west from Santa Rosa to Abq like 60s, or through Santa Fe as in the 40s; both still exist.
Little decisions can make big differences. You can get through St Louis in 20 minutes on I-44 at a good time on a good day, old city street routing of 66 could take a couple hours or more. Same for Tulsa, OKC, Amarillo, Abq, Springfield, on a smaller scale. Tulsa to OKC on 66 is twice the time of following the Interstate, but you can travel most of the way on 66 at the cost of an hour, if you know where to start, where to hop back onto the superhighway.
But if you are planning to try to see everything, maybe driving times aren't going to matter, you can spend two days in museums between El Reno and the Texas line, driving time would be under three hours with no stops.
