Route 66 and all that...
Discussion
being now of the retired variety Mrs DG and I have started to look at some nicer and/or longer holidays than is frequently possible with the traditional "...2 weeks is all you can have in one go..." malarky a lot of employers seem to offer.
That means a new 'job' for me, which is going to be looking at cruises, road-trips etc. I know, it's a hard life
With the above in mind one of the trips we'd like to do is Route 66 (we are aware that a lot of it is just 'meh' and/or run down/sad but the thought of the trip still appeals and now there's time to enjoy it rather than rush through in 12 days) so just casting this out to the hive-mind and finding out who has 'done' R66 (preferably) recently and their experiences and (importantly) costs. The idea is that we'd do either May '25 or mid-September/October '24 or '25 since this would appear to miss school holidays and the (possibly) insane heat in the middle of summer.
With all that in mind...
- is three weeks enough time to 'do' it properly or will I wish I'd had more time? I suspect that less time is not something people would say?
- is there a 'better' way to drive it, ie Los Angeles to Chicago or the other way round?
- an idea is that ending up in San Fran might be a better ending than LA (I know that that means we won't have done R66 in its entirety, but again is that last bit worth it?)
- I'm thinking that, whilst a sporting car might be fun for chunks of it, we'd prefer comfort/relaxed driving so looking at (possibly) Bronco or Charger as the starting options.
- is there any point in specifying an SUV/4*4 type vehicle for use in any portions of the trip (eg bumpy dirt/gravel track to an oldish attraction?
- did you book all the motel stays ahead of time and force the trip to conform to that or did you just drive until you reached a point that looked pleasant? Going through Europe a few years back we just did the latter and enjoyed it but...
- not worried about Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam as we'll be visiting those in January, that said Death Valley does appeal, ditto Yosemite and it lends itself nicely into seeing Alcatraz and the GGB (though my understanding is that SF is '...somewhat less than pleasant...' these days
does anyone have any thoughts/ideas?
That means a new 'job' for me, which is going to be looking at cruises, road-trips etc. I know, it's a hard life
With the above in mind one of the trips we'd like to do is Route 66 (we are aware that a lot of it is just 'meh' and/or run down/sad but the thought of the trip still appeals and now there's time to enjoy it rather than rush through in 12 days) so just casting this out to the hive-mind and finding out who has 'done' R66 (preferably) recently and their experiences and (importantly) costs. The idea is that we'd do either May '25 or mid-September/October '24 or '25 since this would appear to miss school holidays and the (possibly) insane heat in the middle of summer.
With all that in mind...
- is three weeks enough time to 'do' it properly or will I wish I'd had more time? I suspect that less time is not something people would say?
- is there a 'better' way to drive it, ie Los Angeles to Chicago or the other way round?
- an idea is that ending up in San Fran might be a better ending than LA (I know that that means we won't have done R66 in its entirety, but again is that last bit worth it?)
- I'm thinking that, whilst a sporting car might be fun for chunks of it, we'd prefer comfort/relaxed driving so looking at (possibly) Bronco or Charger as the starting options.
- is there any point in specifying an SUV/4*4 type vehicle for use in any portions of the trip (eg bumpy dirt/gravel track to an oldish attraction?
- did you book all the motel stays ahead of time and force the trip to conform to that or did you just drive until you reached a point that looked pleasant? Going through Europe a few years back we just did the latter and enjoyed it but...
- not worried about Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam as we'll be visiting those in January, that said Death Valley does appeal, ditto Yosemite and it lends itself nicely into seeing Alcatraz and the GGB (though my understanding is that SF is '...somewhat less than pleasant...' these days
does anyone have any thoughts/ideas?
Firstly, search out the vast number of earlier Route 66 threads and trip reports from our comrade 'RD McG' that are more informative than any guide book.
I'd definitely be wanting to add on the coast road from LA to SF.
Death Valley and Yosemite are well worth it too, but need careful timing regarding weather (road closures in winter etc. And large parts of Death Valley were washed away in a flood earlier this year).
As for motorcars. I had a 300C for my most recent USA trip (and did a bit of R66 in Arizona through some nice winding mountain roads) and then was a good compromise between space, comfort and sportiness - plus wasn't that much more expensive than a Corolla sized car lower down the price list, whereas often the SUVs are much more expensive.
I'd definitely be wanting to add on the coast road from LA to SF.
Death Valley and Yosemite are well worth it too, but need careful timing regarding weather (road closures in winter etc. And large parts of Death Valley were washed away in a flood earlier this year).
As for motorcars. I had a 300C for my most recent USA trip (and did a bit of R66 in Arizona through some nice winding mountain roads) and then was a good compromise between space, comfort and sportiness - plus wasn't that much more expensive than a Corolla sized car lower down the price list, whereas often the SUVs are much more expensive.
Truckosaurus said:
Firstly, search out the vast number of earlier Route 66 threads and trip reports from our comrade 'RD McG' that are more informative than any guide book.
to be fair I think that my google-fu isn't up to snuff since, whilst there were quite a few R66 threads there didn't seem to be any recent ones. I was thinking that the travelscape may well have changed since 2020 (for obvious reasons), especially WRT costs (though they'll jump from, seemingly, minute to minute 
) and hotel/attraction closuresETA wouldn't you know it I was looking for other roadtrips on PH and a R66 one popped up which didn't in my original search <weird>
and I, finally, find the mother-lode - albeit (possibly) somewhat dated the info is pretty much what I was hoping for
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
also
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
now feeling suitably foolish I'll retire to read...
Edited by DodgyGeezer on Thursday 30th November 16:46
I've not done Route 66, but have done loads of USA road-trips and my strongest piece of advice is to get the biggest most comfortable car you can.
You will rarely ever come across any roads that are twisty and enjoyable to drive and if you do they'll usually have low speed limits and will often be enforced with radar (I even got stopped for speeding in Death Valley!).
When you join a highway and the Satnav says 'turn left in 500 miles' all you want is comfort, luggage space and a good view out of the windows. The one time I deviated from a big SUV and tried a 6.2 Camaro, it delivered on none of those.
PS I'm not against hiring sports cars for the right locations, in August this year we hired a BMW Z4 M40i 2 door roadster from Stuttgart and it was fabulous in the mountains of Switzerland and around the lakes in Germany.
You will rarely ever come across any roads that are twisty and enjoyable to drive and if you do they'll usually have low speed limits and will often be enforced with radar (I even got stopped for speeding in Death Valley!).
When you join a highway and the Satnav says 'turn left in 500 miles' all you want is comfort, luggage space and a good view out of the windows. The one time I deviated from a big SUV and tried a 6.2 Camaro, it delivered on none of those.
PS I'm not against hiring sports cars for the right locations, in August this year we hired a BMW Z4 M40i 2 door roadster from Stuttgart and it was fabulous in the mountains of Switzerland and around the lakes in Germany.
Edited by Guyr on Friday 1st December 18:04
Driving over Yosemite and Death Valley needs something suitable for sure and also good on MPG, I was amazed how the car performed when it was driving up the mountain range across to Yosemite.
I look at R66 and don't see a lot in the middle of the US to appeal to me, I'm happy seeing a proud section of it on display at the "we've got no history" National Museum of History in DC.
I look at R66 and don't see a lot in the middle of the US to appeal to me, I'm happy seeing a proud section of it on display at the "we've got no history" National Museum of History in DC.
We’ve done it a couple of times in both directions, watching the US roll by is endlessly entertaining. Many will argue that it’s not the best driving route in America but personally I think that misses the point, there’s history aplenty, I always find Americans engaging and always interested in our trip and planning.
We always book hotels in advance, we find some comfort in knowing where we will stay, the safety of the area and hospitality etc.
It’s not easy following Route66, it’s been realigned many times, officially de-categorised , there are sections where you can see 3 evolutions of R66 right next to each other.
Vehicle wise, we always go for a large SUV, last month we hired an X5 for a trip round Southern California and in May we had a Dodge Ram pickup for a 5000 mile coast to coast trip from the Hamptons to Monterey Ca, quality and comfort are definitely the key when you’re on the road for consecutive long days.
Speed and getting pulled for speeding often comes up, round town / city limits the limits are strictly enforced, once out in the sticks as long as you’re not really taking the piss you’ll be fine, Artics sit at 70-75, cars and bikes a tad quicker. Even if you do get pulled as long as you are friendly & polite they’ll often times end up more interested in your journey and usually just send you on your way with a warning.
Having said that, once out of Chicago the roads are empty so there’s no real need to push on. It’s very easy to keep good average speeds.
The final run into LA starts circa San Bernardino, it’s a seemingly endless 90+ miles of city driving, following R66 on that section is torture and most bail and take the interstate to Santa Monica.
I hope that you do the trip. We’re back in the US next year, Naples and Key West in April and a Cruise to Alaska in July. May 2025 we’re planning on another South West trip, San Diego, New Mexico, Texas, Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite finishing in Napa / San Francisco.
Safe travels…..
We always book hotels in advance, we find some comfort in knowing where we will stay, the safety of the area and hospitality etc.
It’s not easy following Route66, it’s been realigned many times, officially de-categorised , there are sections where you can see 3 evolutions of R66 right next to each other.
Vehicle wise, we always go for a large SUV, last month we hired an X5 for a trip round Southern California and in May we had a Dodge Ram pickup for a 5000 mile coast to coast trip from the Hamptons to Monterey Ca, quality and comfort are definitely the key when you’re on the road for consecutive long days.
Speed and getting pulled for speeding often comes up, round town / city limits the limits are strictly enforced, once out in the sticks as long as you’re not really taking the piss you’ll be fine, Artics sit at 70-75, cars and bikes a tad quicker. Even if you do get pulled as long as you are friendly & polite they’ll often times end up more interested in your journey and usually just send you on your way with a warning.
Having said that, once out of Chicago the roads are empty so there’s no real need to push on. It’s very easy to keep good average speeds.
The final run into LA starts circa San Bernardino, it’s a seemingly endless 90+ miles of city driving, following R66 on that section is torture and most bail and take the interstate to Santa Monica.
I hope that you do the trip. We’re back in the US next year, Naples and Key West in April and a Cruise to Alaska in July. May 2025 we’re planning on another South West trip, San Diego, New Mexico, Texas, Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite finishing in Napa / San Francisco.
Safe travels…..
omniflow said:
This may not be to your taste, but the Hairy Bikers did a series on Route 66. In my view it's worth watching to get a flavour of the journey and give you some ideas.
Also Billy Connolly’s Route 66 definitely worth a watch. Re the Hairy Bikers R66, they didn’t (not in the episode) stop / visit the Cyrus Avery statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I bumped into Si King (cornered him in a restaurant) and questioned why not pay homage to the father of the Mother Rd, he pointed out CA’s possible “colourful “ past which the producers didn’t feel appropriate, I did point out that in the first episode they were happy to glamourise Al Capone and left him to his tea. Nice guy, good listener.
Essarell said:
....
Speed and getting pulled for speeding often comes up…..
And don't forget that the speed limit varies from State to State, so you might have to google it if your satnav doesn't show the current limits.Speed and getting pulled for speeding often comes up…..
Normally the traps are where the road enters the city limits of some tiny town and the speed drops down but you are still on a huge road with nothing about.
I think the 'driving through miles of nothing' is the whole point of the R66 trip. If you want a more populated trip there's plenty of other alternative trips you could do on either coast.
Essarell said:
We’ve done it a couple of times in both directions, watching the US roll by is endlessly entertaining. Many will argue that it’s not the best driving route in America but personally I think that misses the point, there’s history aplenty, I always find Americans engaging and always interested in our trip and planning.
We always book hotels in advance, we find some comfort in knowing where we will stay, the safety of the area and hospitality etc.
It’s not easy following Route66, it’s been realigned many times, officially de-categorised , there are sections where you can see 3 evolutions of R66 right next to each other.
Vehicle wise, we always go for a large SUV, last month we hired an X5 for a trip round Southern California and in May we had a Dodge Ram pickup for a 5000 mile coast to coast trip from the Hamptons to Monterey Ca, quality and comfort are definitely the key when you’re on the road for consecutive long days.
Speed and getting pulled for speeding often comes up, round town / city limits the limits are strictly enforced, once out in the sticks as long as you’re not really taking the piss you’ll be fine, Artics sit at 70-75, cars and bikes a tad quicker. Even if you do get pulled as long as you are friendly & polite they’ll often times end up more interested in your journey and usually just send you on your way with a warning.
Having said that, once out of Chicago the roads are empty so there’s no real need to push on. It’s very easy to keep good average speeds.
The final run into LA starts circa San Bernardino, it’s a seemingly endless 90+ miles of city driving, following R66 on that section is torture and most bail and take the interstate to Santa Monica.
I hope that you do the trip. We’re back in the US next year, Naples and Key West in April and a Cruise to Alaska in July. May 2025 we’re planning on another South West trip, San Diego, New Mexico, Texas, Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite finishing in Napa / San Francisco.
Safe travels…..
at this point I'm info-gathering - still trying to decide whether to do it all myself or be lazy and hand over 75% of the heavy lifting to a company like "completenorthamerica.com". I know that the DiY option will be cheaper, but having the 'safety-blanket' of someone else to do the reorganising should something cause issues (like Covid, or less dramatically, roads washed out/hotel going bust etc etc).We always book hotels in advance, we find some comfort in knowing where we will stay, the safety of the area and hospitality etc.
It’s not easy following Route66, it’s been realigned many times, officially de-categorised , there are sections where you can see 3 evolutions of R66 right next to each other.
Vehicle wise, we always go for a large SUV, last month we hired an X5 for a trip round Southern California and in May we had a Dodge Ram pickup for a 5000 mile coast to coast trip from the Hamptons to Monterey Ca, quality and comfort are definitely the key when you’re on the road for consecutive long days.
Speed and getting pulled for speeding often comes up, round town / city limits the limits are strictly enforced, once out in the sticks as long as you’re not really taking the piss you’ll be fine, Artics sit at 70-75, cars and bikes a tad quicker. Even if you do get pulled as long as you are friendly & polite they’ll often times end up more interested in your journey and usually just send you on your way with a warning.
Having said that, once out of Chicago the roads are empty so there’s no real need to push on. It’s very easy to keep good average speeds.
The final run into LA starts circa San Bernardino, it’s a seemingly endless 90+ miles of city driving, following R66 on that section is torture and most bail and take the interstate to Santa Monica.
I hope that you do the trip. We’re back in the US next year, Naples and Key West in April and a Cruise to Alaska in July. May 2025 we’re planning on another South West trip, San Diego, New Mexico, Texas, Vegas, Death Valley, Yosemite finishing in Napa / San Francisco.
Safe travels…..
omniflow said:
This may not be to your taste, but the Hairy Bikers did a series on Route 66. In my view it's worth watching to get a flavour of the journey and give you some ideas.
watched that and thoroughly enjoyed it - not seen the Billy C one... yetThere are a number of other Road-trip ideas we're also looking at (in addition to R66) and websites like this (https://www.theamericanroadtripcompany.co.uk/roadtrips/) really don't help
I would agree to that you would need to be a masochist to drive the San Bernardino to Santa Monica section. I cycled Santa Monica to Ash Fork Arizona on R66 this year. Even on a bike the endless traffic lights in the greater LA area get a bit tiring.
This 35 mile section of old R66 through the Mojave Desert was car free as several bridges have been washed out.
Regarding your suggestions for times. September after Labor Day is a bit quieter. Still warm but the low desert areas are not burning hot. I got 42C in late September in the Mojave.
May is good for temps. But early May the Tioga Pass road going east from Yosemite which is a fantastic drive may still be closed with snow. Historically it can open any time from the first week in May to the second week in June.
.
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.ht...
This 35 mile section of old R66 through the Mojave Desert was car free as several bridges have been washed out.
Regarding your suggestions for times. September after Labor Day is a bit quieter. Still warm but the low desert areas are not burning hot. I got 42C in late September in the Mojave.
May is good for temps. But early May the Tioga Pass road going east from Yosemite which is a fantastic drive may still be closed with snow. Historically it can open any time from the first week in May to the second week in June.
.
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/seasonal.ht...
Edited by irc on Saturday 2nd December 11:40
DodgyGeezer said:
...still trying to decide whether to do it all myself or be lazy and hand over 75% of the heavy lifting to a company like "completenorthamerica.com". I know that the DiY option will be cheaper, but having the 'safety-blanket' of someone else to do the reorganising should something cause issues ...
I'm not convinced in the value of using a third party, especially for a country like the USA where there are minimal language barriers if problems occur and even in the wilds of the flyover states there will be plenty of alternatives for accomodation within a few miles. Just remember to make sure all bookings are cancellable so you can make last minute changes.
DodgyGeezer said:
watched that and thoroughly enjoyed it - not seen the Billy C one... yet
There are a number of other Road-trip ideas we're also looking at (in addition to R66) and websites like this (https://www.theamericanroadtripcompany.co.uk/roadtrips/) really don't help
For us, planning is all part of the experience, finding interesting towns to stay, ticking off famous movie scenes and of course marvelling at incredible nature like Yellowstone National Park. Also I’m always on the lookout for a great bar, nothing better than decompressing at the end of a day with a lovely cold beer. There are a number of other Road-trip ideas we're also looking at (in addition to R66) and websites like this (https://www.theamericanroadtripcompany.co.uk/roadtrips/) really don't help
As regards other road trip options, a loop from Washington DC taking in the Blue Ridge Parkway then heading west to Nashville, following the Natchez Trace down to New Orleans and then back to DC following the Atlantic coast up thru Florida, Georgia S & N Carolina is pretty good with something for everyone.
Or Seattle to San Diego, the Pacific Coast Highway is spectacular especially the stretch thru Oregon, roads are pretty quiet (outside of the major holiday season) and if you’ve never been the Redwoods Forests are incredible. San Francisco is really suffering, plenty of news items calling it the “Lost City”, WFH has left the offices empty, Fentanyl use and the softening of California's drugs laws has led to a city in decline.
It’s still worth a visit but I’d recommend Bay Area towns like Tiburon as an option, there are regular ferries to take you over to Fisherman’s Wharf.
https://www.sceniccartours.com/us-road-trips
You could try these guys . I’ve used them on a few trips in Europe, found them very good.
Nothing that big of course. Go on, it could be the trip of a lifetime.
You could try these guys . I’ve used them on a few trips in Europe, found them very good.
Nothing that big of course. Go on, it could be the trip of a lifetime.
I agree that the planning is a big part of the enjoyment leading up to the trip. You start off with some loose ideas, do some research and then refine them. Possibly repeating more than once, and posting on here to get some feedback - then adjusting (or not) your plans. Then you look back at your finalised plan and can't think why you were so uncertain at the beginning of the process.
Whether you pre-book, or wing it, or do a mix of both, very much depends on what's important to you. If all you care about is staying in a vague geographical location, then I'd definitely wing it. However, if you want specific hotels, or things like balconies with views then you're going to be best off pre-booking. In somewhere like the US there is zero requirement to use a 3rd party. If something does happen to go wrong then you'll have a choice of several alternatives within a few miles - even if it does end up being an 8-ball motel (or whatever they're called). Just make sure you've got data on your phone and a physical map in case of zero signal and you'll be fine.
For places like Yosemite, then you definitely need to pre-book.
Whether you pre-book, or wing it, or do a mix of both, very much depends on what's important to you. If all you care about is staying in a vague geographical location, then I'd definitely wing it. However, if you want specific hotels, or things like balconies with views then you're going to be best off pre-booking. In somewhere like the US there is zero requirement to use a 3rd party. If something does happen to go wrong then you'll have a choice of several alternatives within a few miles - even if it does end up being an 8-ball motel (or whatever they're called). Just make sure you've got data on your phone and a physical map in case of zero signal and you'll be fine.
For places like Yosemite, then you definitely need to pre-book.
I do it regularly and have done pretty much every inch of it. It does change quite a bit even since I did my postings here of many trips; helps to plan in advance...get the Route 66 EZ guide and maps which are very helpful.
You simply cannot see all of Route 66 in a single trip, but you can definitely see the highlights, and best to go from East to West. It does get much more interesting once you are past Illinois and into Missouri onwards.
If you have some specific questions let me know.
You simply cannot see all of Route 66 in a single trip, but you can definitely see the highlights, and best to go from East to West. It does get much more interesting once you are past Illinois and into Missouri onwards.
If you have some specific questions let me know.
RDMcG said:
I do it regularly and have done pretty much every inch of it. It does change quite a bit even since I did my postings here of many trips; helps to plan in advance...get the Route 66 EZ guide and maps which are very helpful.
You simply cannot see all of Route 66 in a single trip, but you can definitely see the highlights, and best to go from East to West. It does get much more interesting once you are past Illinois and into Missouri onwards.
If you have some specific questions let me know.
many thanks - much appreciated You simply cannot see all of Route 66 in a single trip, but you can definitely see the highlights, and best to go from East to West. It does get much more interesting once you are past Illinois and into Missouri onwards.
If you have some specific questions let me know.
We are doing it next summer - me and the Mrs - renting an SUV (have booked through Hertz via QEEQ) and driving from Chicago to LA via a Colorado loop to take in Royal Gorge, Pikes Peak and Million Dollar Highway. Will also do Death Valley, Area 51, Loneliest Road and Yosemite before finishing via PCH.
We are planning on five weeks - have started booking "free to cancel" hotels..... monitoring flight costs currently. Have a thread somewhere but have not updated for ages.... let me link to it........
Got it..... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Going to be amazing I am sure. We are going in August (only because of college holidays). Planning in anger as soon as I stop work for Xmas, but my planned route is in the link above.
We are planning on five weeks - have started booking "free to cancel" hotels..... monitoring flight costs currently. Have a thread somewhere but have not updated for ages.... let me link to it........
Got it..... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Going to be amazing I am sure. We are going in August (only because of college holidays). Planning in anger as soon as I stop work for Xmas, but my planned route is in the link above.
mattyn1 said:
We are doing it next summer - me and the Mrs - renting an SUV (have booked through Hertz via QEEQ) and driving from Chicago to LA via a Colorado loop to take in Royal Gorge, Pikes Peak and Million Dollar Highway. Will also do Death Valley, Area 51, Loneliest Road and Yosemite before finishing via PCH.
We are planning on five weeks - have started booking "free to cancel" hotels..... monitoring flight costs currently. Have a thread somewhere but have not updated for ages.... let me link to it........
Got it..... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Going to be amazing I am sure. We are going in August (only because of college holidays). Planning in anger as soon as I stop work for Xmas, but my planned route is in the link above.
Pleased to hear the trip is coming together. Colorado is fantastic, incredible scenery. Odd coincidence but I was trying to get the name of a Las Vegas casino earlier, as soon as I saw Million Dollar Highway i finally got it, Silverton…… Silverton is also famous for the worlds highest Harley Davidson Store and the wonderful steam trains that run down to Durango. Highly recommend the Steamworks Brewing Co in Durango We are planning on five weeks - have started booking "free to cancel" hotels..... monitoring flight costs currently. Have a thread somewhere but have not updated for ages.... let me link to it........
Got it..... https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Going to be amazing I am sure. We are going in August (only because of college holidays). Planning in anger as soon as I stop work for Xmas, but my planned route is in the link above.
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