[Tempelhof]

Can someone point me to the thread (if one exists here) that discusses all aspects of the US Historic Route 66?

If such a thread doesn't exist in Team-BHP (I'm unable to locate it here), can members share their experiences about this route in this thread?

Thanks in advance.

[mazda4life]

Hi, I have traveled many miles on this iconic road , one of the most traveled road is from Flagstaff to Winslow ( remember the Eagles song, 'Take it easy') . There are lots of curio shops on the route and traffic is pretty dense as well.

This website is my guide (The Mother Road: Historic Route 66 - Turn by Turn Road Description - Arizona) for my roadtrips and has a turn by turn guide. some of the stretches are closed due to various reasons and can be very small by American standards.

I have just given you the sense from Arizona perspective and might be others can pitch in from other states as it traverses from Chicago to LA.

[zipperone]

The southern end starts on the Santa Monica pier in LAX. There is a marker there and small souvenir shop where you can buy nice stickers and such.

[Tempelhof]

Originally Posted by mazda4life

I have just given you the sense from Arizona perspective and might be others can pitch in from other states as it traverses from Chicago to LA.

Thanks. Waiting for others to pitch in.

Specifically I am interested in:

• Weather aspects - best time to travel
• Safety issues
• Type of vehicle to use/hire
• Good (and safe) places to stay
• Approximate timeline for planning purposes
• Must see places on the route
• If only one segment can be covered, which one should I cover
• etc.

Thanks in advance.

[BurningHeart]

Originally Posted by Tempelhof

Thanks. Waiting for others to pitch in.

Specifically I am interested in:

• Weather aspects - best time to travel
• Safety issues
• Type of vehicle to use/hire
• Good (and safe) places to stay
• Approximate timeline for planning purposes
• Must see places on the route
• If only one segment can be covered, which one should I cover
• etc.

Thanks in advance.

Kicking up an old thread. I drove 2 weeks ago on Route 66 from Grand Canyon South Rim to Las Vegas NV. We were driving by and me & my son wanted to drive on Route 66 (He is 10 and he is a major Lightning McQueen fan). It was about 3 PM and we hadn't had lunch and I kept looking at YELP! to find out Mexican restaurants because my wife wanted that. Then I noticed that when we reached Seligman, I noticed that the Route 66 is running just 2 miles away from the Interstate-40 (the road that replaced Route 66). It was too good to be true and I had to make sure that this is not a tourist trap. So by the time I certified it OK, 18 miles had passed and we drove back.

But guess what, it is such an amazing feeling to eat and ride on Route 66. Yes, the curio shops are awesome sight. Food is awesome. And the road is desolate between towns. I think I picked up the best stretch of what is existing and I highly recommend that you drive between Seligman and Kingman, if you ever happen be in the region. The best part on one end you have Las Vegas and Grand Canyon on the other end. Either way, when you finish the ride, you will have a great destination to end your wonderful journey.

• Weather aspects - best time to travel -> The best time to travel is of course the summer time. We as Indians would love the feeling and it is not too hot with about 30 - 35 degree celsium at noon.
• Safety issues -> Very small stretches remain intact today and a lot of the road does not exist at all in places. Wherever the Route 66 exists, it is safe and there are normal people living on either side. The income levels are low, because a lot of mining towns have shut down. However, it has not driven up the crime or anything like that. In fact, be prepared to find a lot of friendly, old people who had the time of their lives in the 50s, 60s and 70s in that road. Be prepared to sit and listen to stories, you will love the experience, I promise.
• Type of vehicle to use/hire -> We drove a Chevy (I am a Chevy fan, even in India) Impala and that is one of the best cars in the US today. Take a full size Sedan for your long trips in the US and you will love it. It hardly costs more than the intermediate/standard cars. But in the US, you need a full size Sedan for road trips.
• Good (and safe) places to stay -> Seligman did not seem like a great place to stay. Kingman is a lot better as it gets back to Interstate - 40. But if you use Hotwire or any of the other travel apps, you will get very good rates. However, I am not sure staying in Route 66 is a great experience. I would say avoid it if you can.
• Approximate timeline for planning purposes -> Seligman to Kingman took us about 1 hour to drive, with another 1 hour spent on photos and driving slowly.
• Must see places on the route -> It is an ancient world. Stop and watch as much as you want. These are old towns, closed down mining operations, with minimal life between towns.
• If only one segment can be covered, which one should I cover -> Seligman to Kingman, period.

[BurningHeart]

Here are some pictures.

@admin: please merge with the previous post

[SandyX]

Chasing a mad man & his rocket story fired back up in me a long dormant Route 66 fever which i believe started with Disney's Cars & its Radiator Springs. So I burnt more than a couple of hours watching drive videos on this stretch on the tube & since i couldn't find a detailed single map elsewhere, ended up stitching this map which i hope could come handy for some & hopefully some day, Me.

Considering all the ghost towns included in the segments, i believe this could be considered 'original' alignment even though this route experienced realignment throughout its existence. This map is not to scale.



And this is how it looks on Gmap, sans the ghost routes.