Myths About Driving Route 66 That Need Correcting

When the federal highway system expanded, many original Route 66 alignments were bypassed by wider interstates. In some states — particularly parts of Illinois and California — multiple alignments exist from different eras, and not all are intact. Dedicated driver guides and GPS overlays from Route 66 preservation organizations help navigate the gaps, but travelers should expect to use I-40 and other interstates to bridge missing segments. The experience of hunting down surviving sections is part of the adventure, not a disappointment.

Starting in Chicago, the road cuts through the flat agricultural plains of Illinois and the rolling hills of Missouri's Ozark region before opening into Oklahoma's grasslands. New Mexico introduces genuine desert at altitude — Albuquerque sits above 5,300 feet. Arizona's stretch passes through ponderosa pine forests near Flagstaff before descending into the Mojave. Anyone bracing for unbroken sand dunes will be pleasantly surprised by how much the scenery shifts every few hours.

Oklahoma alone retains multiple original alignments with working mid-century diners. Tucumcari, New Mexico is celebrated for its intact neon motel strip. The Blue Swallow Motel, for instance, has operated since 1939. In Arizona, the town of Williams still gives visitors a functioning gateway to the Grand Canyon with historic commercial architecture intact. Preservation groups, local governments, and passionate small-business owners have invested significantly in keeping the Mother Road's character alive. The closures get the headlines; the survivors deserve more credit.

Many first-timers underestimate the mileage because they're thinking of the interstate distance, not the original alignment with its detours, town loops, and multiple historic segments. Adding even a short side trip — to the Petrified Forest National Park, the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, or the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook — adds meaningful time. Rushing through in under ten days almost guarantees skipping the stops that make the drive worth doing. Budget generously for time, and treat the slow pace as the point.

Petrified Forest and Painted Desert in Arizona offer geological spectacle that stands on its own outside any nostalgic context. The Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico — one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in North America — sits near the route. Flagstaff is a thriving mountain town with access to the San Francisco Peaks and proximity to Grand Canyon's south rim. Oklahoma's Green Country offers kayaking and lake recreation. History gives Route 66 its frame, but the landscape and living communities inside that frame are compelling entirely on their own terms.