Read about my exciting 18-day road trip along the legendary Route 66! Known as the “Mother Road,” this historic highway stretches over 2,400 miles across eight states, from Chicago, Illinois, all the way to Santa Monica, California. Established in 1926, this route became a vital artery for westward migration and a symbol of American optimism and adventure. Today, driving its preserved sections offers a unique journey through classic Americana, dotted with iconic roadside attractions, vintage diners, and charming small towns that keep the spirit of the original highway alive. We did quite a bit of detours to get the best of American memorabilia as well as wonderful nature. Also, our trip coincided with Total Solar Eclipse which we managed to observe!
Table of Contents
Day 1 – Flying to Chicago
Day 2 – Exploring Chicago
Day 3 – From Chicago to Springfield, IL on Mother Road
Day 4 – Exploring Springfield, IL
Day 5 – From Springfield, IL to Springfield, MO on Mother Road
Day 6 – From Springfield, MO to Tulsa on Mother Road
Day 7 – From Oklahoma City to Amarillo on Mother Road
Day 8 – From Amarillo to Albuquerque via Santa Fe
Day 10 – From Albuquerque to Shelly Canyon
Day 10 – From Shelly Canyon to Arches National Park
Day 11 – From Arches National Park to Monument Valley
Day 12 – From Monument Valley to Page
Day 13 – From Page to Grand Canyon
Day 13 – From Grand Canyon to Las Vegas
Day 15 – Las Vegas
Day 16 – Arriving to Los Angeles and doing walk of Fame
Day 17-18 – Exploring Los Angeles and Santa Monica
This marked the end of our trip.
Tips for Seeing National Parks in USA
- If you are planning to visit more than one National Park, consider buying National Park Annual Pass, which will grant you entry to most of the USA national parks for $80 per car! We visited quite few of them and it was a great save! Also the pass has two names and one you can leave empty and it is valid for a year. I guess you are getting where I am going with that. Also you can enter the same National Park multiple times. Make sure it is a government website when you buy it though!
- Do visit National Parks and do plan to camp. It was the best experience of the entire trip. Shelly Canyon, Glen Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon and Arches National Park.
- It was very useful to have a foam fridge in the trunk of the car, to keep any food or drinks cold as you can always refill ice in any superstore.
Tips for Camping
- You do want to have a gas stove to cook your coffee and food. Easy to buy one.
- Do have inflatable mattresses as the ground in some places was really hard and rough. You can thank me later!
- Have torches and mosquito repellent.
- Gift not needed inventory to the travellers at your last stop, instead of throwing away. There are always people happy to take on some stuff.
- If you have space bring good binoculars as stargazing or sometimes random wild animal observing (best from the distance, they are wild!) is amazing!
- If you do have time, stay longer than one night in a place as it was exhausting camping one night, building, disassembling the tent and next day doing the same. There are plenty things to see around.