In 2026, America’s most famous highway turns 100. Nicknamed the Mother Road, Route 66 is more than pavement. It is living American history.
It all started on April 30, 1926, in Springfield, Missouri. Cyrus Avery and his colleague sent a telegram to Washington to claim the number 66, which was free and easy to remember. On November 11, 1926, the new U.S. Highway system was made official. Route 66 then linked Chicago to Santa Monica for nearly 2,448 miles (3,940 km), crossing eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
In the 1930s, John Steinbeck named it the Mother Road in The Grapes of Wrath. It became the road of exodus for families fleeing the Dust Bowl. In the 1950s came the golden age: neon signs, diners, teepee motels and gas stations turned the drive into a celebration.
Decline began on June 29, 1956, with Eisenhower’s Federal-Aid Highway Act. The faster interstates I-40, I-44 and I-55 bypassed small towns. Route 66 was shortened several times, then decommissioned on June 27, 1985.
Its rebirth came from Arizona. In 1987, barber Angel Delgadillo from Seligman founded the first Historic Route 66 Association. Others followed, states designated it a Scenic Byway, and in 1999 Congress created a preservation program.
For the centennial, 2026 will be historic. Illinois is investing $6.6 million to restore stations and signs, and is installing giant selfie monuments from Chicago to Springfield. Missouri, the official birthplace, will unveil a monumental gateway. In Kansas, the Rainbow Bridge will be repainted. Everywhere, festivals, classic car gatherings and Green Book exhibitions are planned.
From Las Vegas, you are perfectly placed. In just under 2 hours you reach Kingman, then Seligman and Oatman, the wildest and most authentic stretches in Arizona. Driving Route 66 in 2026 is not just ticking a box. It is crossing a century of freedom, honoring those who saved it, and living your own American myth.
And you, ready for the road trip of the century? Tell us in the comments which stretch of the 66 you want to drive in 2026, and subscribe to the PlaneteVegas newsletter to receive our posts .
