California marks the westward terminus of Route 66. 314 miles separate the Arizona border and the Pacific Ocean on this final leg of the journey. After crossing the Colorado River on I-40 you'll soon be in Needles CA. As you pass through the town on Route 66 you will witness many buildings and establishments from a bygone era. You are now in the Mohave Desert and if you are traveling in the summer the 100+ degree weather will easily remind you of this. Amboy is home to Roy's Motel & Cafe, built in 1938, and is worth a stop. You'll travel through some other small towns like Baghdad, Ludlow, Newberry Springs and Daggett before coming into Barstow. Barstow marks the end of I-40 as it intersects with I-15 which leads into the Los Angeles basin. Barstow is the home to the Route 66 Mother Road Museum as well as the Western America Railroad Museum, both worth seeing. Before arriving in Victorville you'll pass Roy Rogers Double R Bar Ranch which was home to this famous movie star cowboy, his wife Dale and horse Trigger. Victorville is home to the California Route 66 Museum, another must-see. Leaving Victorville through the Cajon Pass you'll descend into San Bernardino. Here you can see the McDonald Brothers very first McDonalds restaurant which has become a museum dedicated to both the world's best known fast food frachise but also Route 66. At this point you have definitely entered the Los Angeles population basin as the solitude of the Route 66 desert behind you is but a distant memory. You'll now be driving through town after town whose borders run right into the next: Redlands, Rialto, Rancho Cucamonga, Claremont, San Dimas, Azusa and Duarte. In Monrovia you'll want to stop at the Aztec Hotel built in 1926 as it was and is still a Route 66 landmark that is worth seeing as well as being on the National Register. Pasadena is home to the world famous Rose Bowl and Tournament of Roses parade. There is a museum here of Rose Bowl memorabilia as well as other various museums. Leaving Pasadena you will finally enter the greater Los Angeles area. It's easy to spend weeks seeing everything that this great city has to offer. From the amusement parks of Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farms and Universal studios to everything that Hollywood & Beverly Hills offers to the many museums, art galleries, theaters and even the Zoo located in Griffith Park. Definitely lots to see and do. Entering the municipality of Santa Monica you will sense that your Route 66 journey is quickly coming to an end. Pacific Pallisades Park is home to a monument that is dedicated to Will Rogers and is considered by some to be the end/beginning of the western Route 66 route. Others believe you should park your car and walk out to the end of the Santa Monica Pier. No matter which landmark you consider the end you have reached the beautiful Pacific Ocean and some of the world's most famous beaches. Whether you have traveled just a stretch or the entire Chicago to Santa Monica distance, there is no doubt that you have memories that will last a lifetime as you stepped back in time to encounter a nostalgic highway that has very much taken on a life all it's own.

Needles, CA	Barstow, CA
Pasadena, CA	Santa Monica, CA

We're proud members of the California Historic Route 66 Association
and think you should be too! Click HERE for more info.

We're also proud members of the National Historic Route 66 Association
and believe you should join as well! Click HERE for more info.