Drive Route 66

The adventure

It starts on Adams Street in downtown Chicago, at a brown sign that reads Begin, and ends at the end of Santa Monica Pier, at one that reads End of the Trail. In between is about 2,400 miles of America.

The road runs through cornfields in Illinois and small towns in Missouri, clips Kansas for just 13 miles, then crosses the plains of Oklahoma and Texas into the deserts of New Mexico, Arizona and California. There are neon-lit motels with wigwam rooms, diners with pie and bottomless coffee, Cadillacs buried nose-first in a Texas field, and long, empty stretches where the only sound is the wind and the hum of the tyres. It's the original American road trip, and it still feels like one.

Why it’s epic

• About 2,400 miles through eight states.
• Cadillac Ranch, the Blue Whale of Catoosa and the Wigwam Motels.
• Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert in Arizona.
• The End of the Trail sign on Santa Monica Pier.

What it is

The Mother Road: around 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica across eight states, opened in 1926. It was removed from the highway system in 1985, but most of it can still be driven.

How to do it

Hire a car in Chicago and drop it in Los Angeles. Follow the Historic Route 66 signs and a good guidebook, as the old road weaves on and off the interstates.

Top tip

Allow time for detours: the Grand Canyon is a short drive off the route in Arizona.

Need to know

• One-way car hire across states carries a large drop fee.
• Summer desert heat is extreme; carry water.
• Some original sections are gravel or closed, so follow a guide.

Plan this trip

Rough cost

£2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK

Time needed

2 to 3 weeks

Best time to go

May to October

Fly into

ORD airport

Car hire, fuel and three weeks of motels are the main costs.

Make it happen

• HotelsBooking.com
• FlightsSkyscanner

Why it’s on my list

Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.