CHICAGO, IL - ARRIVAL
Distance: 0 mi / km
Welcome to the Windy City. Nicknamed the ‘Paris of the Prairie’, Chicago is the biggest and most exciting of the Great Lake cities. It includes a stunning skyline along Lake Michigan and a string of top-rated museums, restaurants and cafes, plus unnumerable bars and nightclubs that pay homage to the city’s strong jazz and blues heritage. Tonight you meet your fellow riders and tour guides at an orientation meeting at the tour hotel, followed by a delicious welcome dinner to kick off your journey down Route 66.
Chicago, IL – Springfield, IL
Distance: 187 mi / 299 km
This morning you pick up your bike and begin the ultimate American road trip. From Chicago head south along the Pontiac Trail, the original name for this section of the road, passing through Joliet, checking out the Launching Pad Giant, stopping at the amazing RT 66 Museum in Pontiac, and generally getting a feel for the rubber on the road.
Springfield, IL – St Louis, MO
Distance: 116 mi / 186 km
Today you head west to St Louis, staying primarily on the two-lane sections of the Mother Road, traversing cornfields and small towns that represent the heartland of America. You arrive in St Louis by riding across the Chain of Rocks Bridge, the original bridge where Route 66 crossed the Mississippi River. It’s a shorter ride today, leaving plenty of time to enjoy St Louis, the ‘Gateway to the West’ and home to some of the best live music and BBQ ribs in the country.
St Louis, MO – Joplin, MO
Distance: 335 mi / 536 km
It’s worth getting up early today to enjoy views of the St Louis Arch and the mighty Mississippi before leaving the city behind and heading into the hills of Missouri, a beautiful part of the route and incredibly fun to ride. You’ll stop at a number of iconic Route 66 attractions, including the World’s Largest Rocking Chair in Fenning, before winding your way along the twisting roads of the Devil’s Elbow to Joplin. The city was hit hard by a ‘twister’ in 2011 and the locals have some amazing stories to tell about what it was like to be in the path of a tornado.
Joplin, MO – Oklahoma City, OK
Distance: 255 mi / 408 km
Today is all about the route. From Joplin head west through the hills and horse country of Oklahoma, crossing Miami, Claremore and Catoosa before passing through Tulsa. You’ll also ride through several Native American reservations. In the 1830s, much of this land was considered ‘unusable’ by the federal government and was given to various Native American tribes to settle in, including the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Seminole, Creek and Cherokee. This evening you’ll stay in Oklahoma City, the very heart and soul of Route 66.
Oklahoma City, OK – Amarillo, TX
Distance: 266 mi / 426 km
This morning you’ll travel along some the oldest stretches of Oklahoma’s Route 66. Once the land of great buffalo herds, this section traverses some of the great cattle trails used in the 1860s to drive herds from Texas up to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas. You’ll ride along a section of the Chisholm Trail, which passes through Yukon and El Reno, and stop at the fascinating Route 66 Museum in Clinton. After lunch you’ll cross the border into the Texas Panhandle, the southernmost portion of the Great Plains. No surprise then that dinner tonight is at the Big Texan Steakhouse in Amarillo.
Amarillo, TX – Santa Fe, NM
Distance: 303 mi / 485 km
Today you cross from Texas into the ‘Land of Enchantment’, New Mexico. Highlights include the world-famous Cadillac Ranch, stopping for lunch in Adrian, the midway point of Route 66, and the ghost town of Glen Rio, where you can stand with one foot in Texas and the other in New Mexico. From there you enter the land of the Comanche Indians, where mesas, mountains, cacti and pines define the landscape. Head into the high plains and end in Santa Fe, one of America’s oldest and most beautiful cities.
Santa Fe, NM – Free day
Distance: 0 mi / km
Today is spent at leisure to rest and enjoy the distinctive flavour of this nearly 400-year-old city. Perhaps you would like to take a ride along the river valley to the old Native American town of Taos, enjoy a sunrise hot air balloon ride, or play cowboy for a day on a horseback ride along a mountain or canyon trail? Santa Fe provides all these opportunities and more.
Santa Fe, NM – Gallup, NM
Distance: 271 mi / 434 km
This morning you’ll head south down to Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, where Route 66 crosses the Rio Grande. Once across the river head west into open country and the hues of the Navajo wilderness, skirting mesas and bluffs en route to Laguna, Grants, the Cibola National Forest and eventually the famous Route 66 town of Gallup – an old railroad town and Indian stronghold. The town is home to many biker-friendly hotels and chances are you’ll meet riders tonight from all around the world.
Gallup, NM – Grand Canyon, AZ
Distance: 283 mi / 453 km
Today is another huge day, full of spectacular scenery and iconic Route 66 stops. First cross the border into Arizona and ride to Petrified Forest National Park, a fossilised prehistoric forest of gigantic trees that has been unearthed by erosion. After time to explore and absorb the stunning landscape, head west to the Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, one of the finest remaining examples of Route 66’s roadside architecture. While most groups stop in Flagstaff or Williams, you’ll ride on to end the day watching the sunset over the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The dream is coming true.
Grand Canyon, AZ – Laughlin, AZ
Distance: 256 mi / 410 km
Start your day with a once-in-a-lifetime helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon – by far the best way to appreciate the scale and majesty of one of nature’s greatest masterpieces. Once back on the ground, pick Route 66 back up in Williams before heading to stops in the famous 66 towns of Seligman, Hackberry, Kingman and Oatman, arriving finally in Laughlin on the shores of the Colorado River.
Laughlin, AZ – Las Vegas, NV
Distance: 129 mi / 206 km
Take a detour today to Sin City itself, legendary Las Vegas. The morning’s journey will give you your first taste of the Mojave Desert and take you right across the top of the famous Hoover Dam. Whatever you do in Vegas will stay in Vegas, just try and be ready to join the route again tomorrow.
Las Vegas, NV – Victorville, CA
Distance: 282 mi / 451 km
Cross the border today into the Golden State of California, the final state along Route 66. As you enter the state, the Mojave Desert provides some of the most spectacular scenery of the whole two weeks. One can only imagine what early travellers made of this huge expanse of desert, dotted with volcanic rocks, cacti and Joshua Trees. There are stops at the tiny waystations of Amboy and Ludlow before riding into Victorville.
Victorville, CA – Los Angeles, CA
Distance: 124 mi / 198 km
Today you head to your final destination, the end of the road on Santa Monica Pier. First, however, you get to enjoy a stretch of the Angeles Crest Highway, considered one of the finest motorcycle rides in southern California. Next, descend the Crest into the Los Angeles Basin and head west to the Pacific Ocean. Riders always have mixed emotions as they stand at the ‘End of Trail’ sign on the Santa Monica Pier. There is a sense of joy at having completed a journey most people only dream about, and a sense of sadness at the thought of the ride having come to an end. Tonight you’ll celebrate the miles you’ve ridden and the friends you’ve made at a farewell dinner and final-night party.
Los Angeles, CA – Tour ends
Distance: 0 mi / km
The tour with EagleRider ends today but let us know if you’d like us to arrange any additional nights for you in LA or elsewhere in California. A stay at a luxury hotel is a wonderful way to unwind after so many days in the saddle. Perhaps you’d like to hit the beach in trendy San Diego, or rack up some more miles heading up the Pacific coast to bohemian San Francisco and the wineries of Napa?
