Photo: Scottb211 from Gaylord, Michigan, U.S.A., CC BY 2.0The old road beyond Arizona, from the Mojave to the Ozarks
Route 66 runs 2,400 miles (about 3,900 km) from Chicago to Santa Monica, and most of the people who drive it sleep in small towns along the way. This guide covers eight stops outside Arizona: three in the California desert, where the road crosses the Mojave between the Colorado River and the Cajon Pass, three in Oklahoma, the state with the longest drivable stretch of the old road, and two in Missouri, at the Kansas line and an hour from St. Louis. Every hotel listed here is independent, and the choice of town comes down to where your day's drive ends.
In California the road crosses the Mojave Desert, from the Colorado River at Needles past Barstow to the Cajon Pass, with Harvey House railway hotels, ghost towns and long empty stretches where the old two-lane highway runs beside the interstate.
Oklahoma has more miles of drivable Route 66 than any other state, and its small towns keep museums, cafés and motels from the road's heyday. Missouri brings the road out of St. Louis into the Ozark hills, past show caves and painted murals.
US 66 was created on 11 November 1926, so 2026 is the road's centennial, with events in towns all along it.
Downtown Needles, by the railway
A 1908 Harvey House beside the railway, once one of the grandest of the Santa Fe line's hotels, restored by the town after decades of decline. The building is worth a look from outside as you pass through.
Old town Victorville
A small museum in old town Victorville with signs, cars and memorabilia from the road's history in California. Check opening days before you go, as it does not open every day.
Casa del Desierto, Barstow
The museum is inside Casa del Desierto, Barstow's Harvey House and railway station, with photos and objects from the road and the railroad.
About 15 minutes northeast of Barstow
A silver mining town of the 1880s, restored and run as a county park, with old buildings, a mine tour and short walks in the hills. Go early in summer, when the desert is very hot.
Route 66 (3rd Street), Elk City
Part of a complex of museums on the old road through Elk City, with a recreated pioneer town, vintage cars and the story of the road across eight states.
Main Street, Stroud
A café on Route 66 built in 1939 from sandstone excavated when the road was built, still serving travellers.
11th Street and Southwest Boulevard, Tulsa
Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza, by the 11th Street bridge over the Arkansas River, honours the Tulsan who planned the highway. Along 11th Street are the restored Meadow Gold neon sign and old motor courts, and the Route 66 Historical Village is west of the river.
Old Route 66, west of Carthage
A drive-in cinema on Route 66 that opened in 1949 and still shows films on weekends in the warmer months. Check the season before you plan around it.
Stanton, Missouri, east of Bourbon
A large show cave that advertised for decades on barn roofs along Route 66. Guided tours run through the year.
Downtown Cuba, west of Bourbon
Cuba calls itself the Route 66 mural city: painted walls around its centre show scenes from local history.
Each area suits a different kind of trip. Pick yours, then compare the hotels in it.
| If you… | Stay in | |
|---|---|---|
| If you want the last night before Los Angeles, or the first night out of it | Victorville and Apple Valley (High Desert) | Victorville is at the top of the Cajon Pass on I-15, with the California Route 66 Museum in its old town. |
| If you are switching between I-15 and I-40, or want Calico Ghost Town | Barstow, California (Mojave Desert) | Barstow sits where the two interstates meet, with the Route 66 Mother Road Museum in its Harvey House and Calico a short drive away. |
| If you are crossing the Colorado River from Arizona, or coming down from Las Vegas | Needles, California (Colorado River) | Needles is the first California town after the Oatman stretch of Route 66, about two hours' drive south of Las Vegas. |
| If you want a Route 66 museum on the doorstep in western Oklahoma | Elk City, Oklahoma | Elk City's National Route 66 Museum is on the old road through town, and the Texas line is about half an hour west. |
| If you are driving between Tulsa and Oklahoma City | Stroud, Oklahoma | Stroud is roughly halfway between the two, with the 1939 Rock Cafe on its main street. |
| If you want a city night in Oklahoma, in the hometown of the man who planned Route 66 | Tulsa, Oklahoma | Tulsa has the most restaurants and sights on this stretch, and the motel here is on I-44 at the southwest edge of town. |
| If you want the short Kansas stretch and a 1949 drive-in cinema | Joplin and Carthage, Missouri | Joplin is at the Kansas line, and Carthage, with its 66 Drive-In and courthouse square, is about 20 minutes east. |
| If you are starting or ending the drive near St. Louis | Bourbon, Missouri | Bourbon is on I-44 about an hour southwest of St. Louis, close to Meramec Caverns and the murals of Cuba. |
| If you are on a budget | Barstow, California (Mojave Desert) | Barstow and Needles have the cheapest rooms in this part of the guide, from about €50 a night when we checked. |
Mojave Inn · Photo: Booking.comVictorville sits on the high desert at the top of the Cajon Pass, where I-15 climbs out of the Los Angeles basin. It is a large modern town, but its old centre along the original road has the California Route 66 Museum, and the old highway runs north from here towards Oro Grande and Barstow. Apple Valley is the neighbouring town to the east, on Highway 18.
This is the place for the last night before Los Angeles, or the first after leaving it, without paying city prices. The hotels here are near the interstate rather than in a historic street, so expect a practical stay rather than a Route 66 atmosphere.
Photo: Booking.comVictorville and Apple Valley (High Desert)8.2
Photo: Booking.comVictorville and Apple Valley (High Desert)7.2
Photo: Booking.comVictorville and Apple Valley (High Desert)7.0
Economy Inn Barstow · Photo: Booking.comBarstow is where I-15, between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, meets I-40 and the old Route 66 heading east. Its Harvey House, Casa del Desierto, holds the Route 66 Mother Road Museum, and Calico Ghost Town, a restored 1880s silver mining town, is a short drive northeast. Main Street is Route 66, lined with motels and neon signs, some of them closed.
Barstow is a convenient overnight on a drive between Los Angeles and Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon, and it has some of the cheapest rooms on this stretch. Like the rest of the Mojave it is very hot in summer.
Budget Inn · Photo: Booking.comNeedles is a railroad town on the Colorado River where Route 66 and I-40 enter California from Arizona. Its landmark is El Garces, a 1908 Harvey House by the railway that the town has restored. The town is small and practical: petrol, diners and a string of motels along the old highway.
It works as a night between Kingman and Barstow, after the winding Oatman road over the Black Mountains, and it is about two hours' drive south of Las Vegas. Needles is one of the hottest towns in the US: summer afternoons often pass 110°F (43°C), so drive the desert early or late from June to September.
Flamingo Inn · Photo: Booking.comElk City is a small town on I-40 in western Oklahoma, about 110 miles (180 km) west of Oklahoma City and roughly half an hour from the Texas line. Route 66 runs through town as 3rd Street, and the National Route 66 Museum, part of an old town museum complex with a recreated pioneer street, stands beside it.
It is a natural night on the long Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle stretch, between Oklahoma City and Amarillo. The motels are simple and inexpensive.
Photo: Booking.comElk City, Oklahoma7.9Photo: Booking.comElk City, Oklahoma7.1
Sooner Motel · Photo: Booking.comStroud is a small town on Route 66 between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, each about an hour's drive away. Its best-known stop is the Rock Cafe, built in 1939 from sandstone dug up during the building of the road. The old highway is the town's main street, and the Turner Turnpike (I-44) passes just north.
Stroud is a good place to break the drive across central Oklahoma on the old road rather than the turnpike, and the motels here are small and independent.
Photo: Booking.comStroud, Oklahoma8.1Photo: Booking.comStroud, Oklahoma7.1
Crystal Motel · Photo: Booking.comTulsa is the largest city on Route 66 between St. Louis and Los Angeles, and the home of Cyrus Avery, the highway official known as the father of Route 66. The road crosses the city along 11th Street, past the Meadow Gold neon sign and the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza by the Arkansas River, and west of the river through Red Fork to the Route 66 Historical Village.
The motel in this guide is on Skelly Drive beside I-44 at the southwest edge of the city, towards Sapulpa: convenient for the road, but you will need a car to reach the centre.
Guest House Motel · Photo: Booking.comJoplin sits in the southwest corner of Missouri, a few minutes from the Kansas line. Route 66 crosses only about 13 miles (21 km) of Kansas, through Galena and Baxter Springs, so a night here puts that stretch at the start or end of the day. The old road runs through Joplin as 7th Street and Range Line Road.
Carthage, about 20 minutes east, has a courthouse square, the site of an 1861 Civil War battle and the 66 Drive-In Theatre, which opened in 1949 and still shows films in season. Both towns have simple, inexpensive motels.
Photo: Booking.comJoplin and Carthage, Missouri7.7
Photo: Booking.comJoplin and Carthage, Missouri7.4
Budget Inn Motel · Photo: Booking.comBourbon is a small town on I-44 about 65 miles (105 km) southwest of St. Louis, along the corridor where Route 66 crosses the Ozark foothills. It is known for its water tower painted with the town's name. Meramec Caverns, a show cave that advertised on barns along Route 66 for decades, is a short drive east, and Cuba, the Route 66 "mural city", a short drive west.
Bourbon works as the first or last night of the drive when you start in St. Louis or Chicago, a little cheaper and quieter than staying in the city.
Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photo: Booking.comVictorville and Apple Valley (High Desert)8.2Photo: Booking.comStroud, Oklahoma8.1Photo: Booking.comElk City, Oklahoma7.9
Photo: Booking.comBourbon, Missouri7.7Photo: Booking.comJoplin and Carthage, Missouri7.7Photo: Booking.comNeedles, California (Colorado River)7.5Photo: Booking.comJoplin and Carthage, Missouri7.4Photo: Booking.comVictorville and Apple Valley (High Desert)7.2Photo: Booking.comElk City, Oklahoma7.1Photo: Booking.comStroud, Oklahoma7.1Photo: Booking.comVictorville and Apple Valley (High Desert)7.0Photo: Booking.comTulsa, Oklahoma7.0Photo: Booking.comBarstow, California (Mojave Desert)7.0| Hotel | Area | Booking.com score | Price level | Approx. price, 2 people | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mojave Inn | Victorville and Apple Valley (High Desert) | 8.2 (238) | €€ · Mid-range | €76 | Booking.com |
| Cattle Country Lodge | Stroud, Oklahoma | 8.1 (79) | €€ · Mid-range | €77 | Booking.com |
| Bedford Inn | Elk City, Oklahoma | 7.9 (74) | €€ · Mid-range | €66 | Booking.com |
| Budget Inn Motel | Bourbon, Missouri | 7.7 (73) | — | — | Booking.com |
| Guest House Motel | Joplin and Carthage, Missouri | 7.7 (92) | €€ · Mid-range | €63 | Booking.com |
| Budget Inn | Needles, California (Colorado River) | 7.5 (108) | — | — | Booking.com |
| Plaza Motel | Joplin and Carthage, Missouri | 7.4 (113) | €€ · Mid-range | €65 | Booking.com |
| Hotel Avenida Victorville | Victorville and Apple Valley (High Desert) | 7.2 (419) | €€ · Mid-range | €71 | Booking.com |
| Flamingo Inn | Elk City, Oklahoma | 7.1 (216) | — | — | Booking.com |
| Sooner Motel | Stroud, Oklahoma | 7.1 (45) | — | — | Booking.com |
| Apple Valley Hotel & Lodge | Victorville and Apple Valley (High Desert) | 7.0 (76) | €€€ · Upper mid-range | €110 | Booking.com |
| Crystal Motel | Tulsa, Oklahoma | 7.0 (40) | €€ · Mid-range | €60 | Booking.com |
| Economy Inn Barstow | Barstow, California (Mojave Desert) | 7.0 (240) | € · Budget | €49 | Booking.com |
Price for 2 adults, 12–15 January 2027, as shown on Booking.com on 17 Oct 2026.
The centennial. US 66 was created on 11 November 1926, so 2026 is its hundredth year, and towns along the road hold events through the year. Motels in the small towns can fill up on event weekends: book ahead if your dates match one.
Heat in the Mojave. Needles, Barstow and the empty road between them are among the hottest places in the US from June to September. Carry water, fill up before long stretches and avoid driving the desert in the middle of the day.
Prices. Prices here are the lowest Booking.com rate we saw for two adults in mid-January 2027, converted from US dollars to euros. Small motels often do not take every date on Booking.com; when we show no price, there were no rooms offered for those dates.
