Route 66 Road Trip: 10 Unique Stops from Texas to California

June 24, 2025

The stretch of Route 66 from Texas to California covers over 2,500 miles and many iconic stops. With several detours along the way, this is not a classic Mother Road itinerary. Tag along for 10 unique stops on and around Route 66 between Texas and the endpoint in Los Angeles.

1. Big Texan Steak Ranch, TX

The city of Amarillo in Texas is the entry point of this Route 66 road trip. The first stop is impossible to miss: the Big Texan Steak Ranch takes up a lot of billboard space in Amarillo. The restaurant is worth a stop even if you don’t intend to conquer the 72oz steak, offering a full Texas menu, gift shop and wild west decor. The ranch also houses a motel and RV park.

2. Cadillac Ranch, TX

Amarillo’s real Route 66 landmark awaits further down the road. The Cadillac Ranch is one of the most famous stops on the Mother Road. There is no need to spend money on spray paint, as the 10 Cadillacs buried in the sand are surrounded by leftover spray paint bottles. Our work of art held up just long enough for a picture, before it got sprayed over.

3. Palo Duro Canyon State Park, TX

Right outside of Amarillo lies one of Texas’ best kept secrets. Palo Duro Canyon State Park houses the second largest canyon in the country, aptly named “The Grand Canyon of Texas”. The park offers the type of stunning scenery you probably wouldn’t expect to find in the Texas Panhandle.

The Givens, Spicer & Lowry Trail to the Lighthouse Trail and Paseo del Rio takes you on a 6-mile loop through the canyon’s red soil, with scenic views from start to finish. The trail leads to the park’s famous rock formation, the Lighthouse. Hiking in Texas outside of winter means breaking a sweat, and Palo Duro offers practically no shade.

4. Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Route 66 cuts right through one of Arizona’s three national parks. Petrified Forest National Park harbors fossils of over 200 million years old, in addition to stunning scenery. Contrary to most national parks, Petrified Forest is only open during the daytime from 8 AM to 5 PM. The Painted Desert Visitor Center right off Route 66 is the start of a scenic drive through the park.

The one-mile Blue Mesa Trail offers a short hike among spectacular badlands and a first glimpse at the petrified wood the park got named after. The best spot to admire this “wood turned into stone” is the Crystal Forest, a short loop scattered with colorful lumps of petrified wood. Through a process of millions of years, plant material is transformed into minerals, turning the log of wood into a fossil.

5. Wigwam Village Motel, AZ

Route 66 is famous for the vintage motels that dotted the road during its heyday, but few of them still operate. The Wigwam Village Motel in Holbrook, Arizona is one of seven Wigwam Village Motels that were built between 1936 and 1950. Three of them have survived and #6 in Holbrook is one of them. The motel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The wigwams are actually concrete tipis, serving as individual hotel rooms. The vintage cars out front take you right back to the glory days. Even though we towed our teardrop trailer along Route 66, we locked it up for one night for this unique stay in a historic Route 66 motel.

6. Rutherford’s 66 Family Diner, AZ

Another nostalgic feature of Route 66 are the classic American diners. Many towns along Route 66 house retro diners, although few of them actually date back to the heyday. Known as “the heart of historic Route 66”, the city of Kingman in Arizona is no exception. Mr D’z Route 66 Diner and Rutherford’s 66 Family Diner both offer home-cooked meals in a vintage decor.

7. Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim makes up a popular side-trip from Route 66. The South Entrance is located just 55 miles north of Williams, Arizona. A one-hour detour means little to admire one of America’s greatest natural wonders.

The Rim Trail stretches for 13 miles along the majestic South Rim, connecting endless stunning views. You can take the free shuttle buses to hop on and off at different points along the route. Both sunrise and sunset are gorgeous along the South Rim and attract big crowds. The historic El Tovar Hotel has an elegant restaurant and cocktail lounge right on the rim to end the day in style.

8. Sedona, AZ

The breathtaking scenery of Sedona is definitely worth the 45-minute detour from Route 66. Whether you approach Sedona from the north or south, the views are bound to leave you speechless. Since we were towing our trailer, we picked the I-17 south over the winding SR-89A, accessing Sedona via the spectacular Red Rock Scenic Byway (SR-179). We stayed the night at Rancho Sedona RV Park, a beautiful creek-side campground with big shady spots.

With time for just one trail in this hiker’s paradise, the 4-mile Devil’s Bridge Trail is a safe pick. After a walk through Red Rock country, the trail ends with a steep climb to the viewpoint of Devil’s Bridge. If you are willing to wait your turn, you can walk onto the bridge for an impressive picture. We ended our day in Sedona with a stunning sunset from Sedona’s Airport Overlook.

9. Joshua Tree National Park, CA

One of California’s most emblematic national parks is located a short detour from Route 66. From Amboy, California on Route 66, it’s a one-hour drive south to the Joshua Tree National Park North Entrance in Twentynine Palms. The best way to take in the park’s beautiful scenery is by driving Park Boulevard, the main east-west park road.

From the park road, a 20-minute drive to Keys Views leads to panoramic views over the Mojave Desert. We set up camp between the unique rock formations at Jumbo Rocks Campground.

10. Santa Monica Pier, CA

By now there is only one obstacle to reach the California coast and endpoint of Route 66. Los Angeles traffic is notoriously bad and no doubt the least fun stretch of the road trip. The Route 66 Sign on the Santa Monica Pier marks the official end of the Mother Road. From the pier, a scenic boardwalk runs along the beach all the way to Venice Beach. The High Rooftop Lounge at Hotel Erwin is the perfect spot for toasting to the end of an iconic road trip with a Pacific sunset.