United States to United States
Route 66 end to end, with the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Angeles Crest folded into the last stretch.
Direct
3230 km
2007 mi
Scenic route
3940 km
2448.2 mi
Days
10
about 34 hr direct
Tolls
£40
one way, per car
The drive
The old road still exists in long, drivable pieces, and following it turns a boring interstate slog into the best known road trip on earth.
The middle days across Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas are about small towns, neon and diners rather than corners. Keep expectations honest and enjoy them for what they are.
Arizona and California are where the driving gets good. Oak Creek Canyon, the Grand Canyon detour and Angeles Crest Highway on the final morning into Los Angeles.
May, September and early October, avoiding desert heat.
Worth the detour
Arizona
Oak Creek Canyon, AZ 89A
Red rock Sedona at one end, pine forest at the other, with a hairpin climb between.
9.2 / 10 · 45 km
Utah and Arizona
US 163 Monument Valley
The straight every film crew shoots, buttes rising straight out of the desert floor.
8.9 / 10 · 72 km
California
Angeles Crest Highway
Los Angeles's mountain playground, hours of clean sweepers above the basin.
9.1 / 10 · 106 km
Where to break the drive
St Louis
Gateway Arch and the start of the classic alignment.
Amarillo
Cadillac Ranch and the halfway marker.
Flagstaff
Base for the Grand Canyon and Sedona.
Questions
About 3230 km, roughly 2007 miles, by the most direct route. The scenic version described here runs closer to 3940 km.
Around 34 hours of driving on the direct route, which most people split over two days. The scenic route takes 10 days without rushing.
Budget about £40 one way per car in tolls, vignettes and crossings, before fuel and hotels.
May, September and early October, avoiding desert heat.
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