Cross Country: Route 66

One of the first highways in the country, it's also referred to as the Main Street of America. We'll begin in Chicago and head southwest through Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, before we end on the beach in Santa Monica, California.Relatively flat, Route 66 quickly became popular among truck drivers once it was officially established in 1926. Since the Dust Bowl years of the 1930s, it also became popular among families looking for better jobs in California. When interstates started taking over much of its traffic in the 1960s and 1970s, and pieces of it were commandeered for other routes, it was officially decommissioned as a route in 1985.

Since then, Route 66 has experienced a revival. Various sections of the road are now on the National Register of Historic Places and listed as Scenic Byways. Designed to connect the Main Streets of small towns across the country, we will cycle through these small towns and the bigger cities that they've become. It is also Adventure Cycling's newest cross-country route. We'll follow the expertly designed route, staying in hotels with dry, warm beds and hot showers every night.