Small groups of up to 14, a road captain on every trip

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Glass bottles in green, blue and amber on rusty poles at Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, California

State 8 of 8, driving west

Route 66 in California: the Mojave, Barstow and Santa Monica

The last state is the most dramatic change of scene on Route 66: a near-empty desert road past Roy's and a cinder cone, the railroad town of Barstow, the drop through Cajon Pass and the long boulevard to the Pacific.

Trips
51 only in California
Stops
4On our trips
Length
5 to 15 daysSmall groups
Best months
Mar to AprTrips run Feb to Dec
From
$2,190Per person

California to the Pacific

What the road is like in California

Route 66 crosses the Colorado River into California at Needles and runs about 315 miles to the ocean. The first 150 miles are the Mojave, on the National Trails Highway past Goffs, Essex, Amboy and Ludlow, desert towns that lost almost everything when I-40 opened, and some lost all their people. At Barstow the road turns southwest along the Mojave River to Victorville, climbs over Cajon Pass and drops into San Bernardino. From there it follows Foothill Boulevard through Rancho Cucamonga, Pasadena and Hollywood, then Santa Monica Boulevard to the ocean. In one day you go from creosote and lava to palm trees and traffic.

Five of our trips finish in California. The five day California trip, Route 66: The Mojave to the Pacific, starts in Las Vegas, drives down through Needles and covers the state at an easy pace, with time for photographs. The Desert Ride by motorcycle comes the same way on rented Harley-Davidsons. The End to End journey, the classic convertible and the full-route motorcycle trip end their two weeks here, with a last photo at the End of the Trail sign on Santa Monica Pier and a farewell dinner. Sandy Ruiz, born in Barstow, leads most of our California days and knows the desert in every season.

Route 66 tours through California, 2026 and 2027

Per person sharing a double room. Trips that only cross part of California are listed too.

All 16 trips

5 trips

    Your own private trip

    Car club, family reunion or friends: any trip can run just for your group on your dates, from 6 travelers.

    Private and group trips

    Deals and early booking

    Save $150 per person on 2027 departures booked by January 31, 2027, plus last-minute prices on November and December 2026 dates.

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    Not sure which stretch?

    Tell us how many days you have, the month and what you love: neon, diners, museums or open desert. A trip advisor in Tulsa suggests two or three trips.

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    4 stops

    Route 66 stops in California

    Roy's Motel and Cafe sign above the 1950s cafe in Amboy in the Mojave Desert

    Amboy and Roy's: Roy's sign and a cinder cone

    Amboy is a nearly empty railroad town in the Mojave with one famous business. Roy's Motel and Cafe opened in 1938, and its tall boomerang sign went up in 1959; the motel rooms are closed, but the station sells gas, cold drinks and souvenirs, and the sign is the most photographed thing for 50 miles. Behind the town, Amboy Crater is a black cinder cone about 250 feet high; the trail to it is about four miles round trip across the lava field, best walked early. The old road here, the National Trails Highway, has had bridge closures in recent years, so we set the route each season. There is no shade and no water outside Roy's, so we carry plenty.

    • Photos under the Roy's sign
    • Walk toward Amboy Crater
    • The empty National Trails Highway

    Best monthsFebruary to April, October and November

    Trips that stop here

    Casa del Desierto Harvey House with arched colonnades beside the railroad tracks in Barstow

    Barstow and the Mojave: Railroad town of the Mojave

    Barstow grew up where Route 66, the Santa Fe railroad and the Mojave River meet, and it still runs on trains and trucks. The Harvey House, called Casa del Desierto, opened in 1911 beside the tracks and now holds the Route 66 Mother Road Museum, with photographs and objects from the desert road, and a railroad museum. Our road captain Sandy Ruiz was born here. East of town in Newberry Springs is the Bagdad Cafe, where the 1987 film of that name was shot. West in Oro Grande, Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch is a field of metal poles hung with colored glass bottles and old signs, built by Elmer Long over two decades. Most trips spend a night in Barstow.

    • Route 66 Mother Road Museum in the Harvey House
    • The Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs
    • Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch

    Best monthsFebruary to May, October to December

    Trips that stop here

    Concrete tepee rooms and palm trees at the Wigwam Motel near San Bernardino, California

    San Bernardino and the Wigwam Motel: Teepees at the foot of the pass

    Coming down the Cajon Pass, Route 66 drops about 3,000 feet from the high desert into the old orange grove country of the Inland Empire. On Foothill Boulevard at the western edge of San Bernardino, the Wigwam Motel has rented rooms in concrete teepees since 1949; it is one of three of Frank Redford's wigwam villages still standing, and its twin is in Holbrook, Arizona. In San Bernardino itself, the site of the first McDonald's, opened by Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1940, holds an unofficial museum of company memorabilia. Our California trip spends a night here, at the Wigwam or similar, before the drive west on Foothill Boulevard through Pasadena to the coast.

    • A night in a Wigwam Motel teepee, or similar
    • The first McDonald's site museum
    • The descent through Cajon Pass

    Best monthsFebruary to May, October to December

    Trips that stop here

    Strollers and cyclists under the Route 66 End of the Trail sign on Santa Monica Pier

    Santa Monica Pier: End of the trail at the Pacific

    Route 66 first ended in downtown Los Angeles and was extended in 1936 to the corner of Lincoln and Olympic boulevards in Santa Monica, but the place everyone finishes is the pier. A sign reading Santa Monica 66 End of the Trail went up on the pier in 2009, and it is where our groups take their last photo, usually in late afternoon. The pier dates from 1909, and the Ferris wheel of Pacific Park turns above it. In Palisades Park on the bluff, a plaque from 1952 names Route 66 the Will Rogers Highway. Expect crowds on weekends and cool sea air even in summer. Los Angeles International Airport is about 30 minutes south without traffic.

    • The End of the Trail sign
    • Sunset on the pier
    • Will Rogers Highway plaque in Palisades Park

    Best monthsAll year; best March to May and September to November

    Trips that stop here

    Coach, convertible or motorcycle

    Ways to drive Route 66 in California

    1. By small coach from Las Vegas

      The Mojave to the Pacific trip runs five days with Sandy Ruiz, a professional driver and no more than 14 guests. It starts in Las Vegas, drives down to Needles and then follows the old road through Amboy, Barstow and the Cajon Pass, with nights in Barstow and at a San Bernardino motel, or similar. The pace is relaxed, and the timing gives good light for photographs.

    2. By motorcycle across the desert

      Desert Ride: Route 66 by Motorcycle finishes in California after Arizona, with riders on rented Harley-Davidson touring bikes and a support van carrying the luggage. The Mojave days are long and straight, with fuel planned carefully because stations are far apart. The full-route motorcycle trip rides the same desert at the end of its two weeks, and both finish at the Santa Monica Pier.

    3. At the end of two weeks on the road

      On the End to End journey and the classic convertible, California is the finale. The groups cross the Colorado at Needles, stop at Roy's and the Bagdad Cafe, and drop through the Cajon Pass on the last full day. In the convertibles, guests drive Foothill Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard themselves, and the mechanic in the chase truck stays close in city traffic.

    One price

    What is included on our California trips

    In California our prices cover hotel and motel nights (such as a Barstow hotel and the Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino, or similar), breakfast every day, the dinners listed in each itinerary, the road captain and driver or vehicle support, parking in Santa Monica, and museum entries named in the itinerary.

    Flights are optional: each trip page shows the add-on price for flying into the start and home from the end, from 10 US cities. Full list and payments.

    Included on every California trip

    • Restored vintage motels and good 3 to 4 star hotels, double room with private bathroom
    • Breakfast daily plus the lunches and dinners listed in the itinerary
    • A road captain from the first day to the last, and local guides at museums and parks
    • Small coach with a professional driver, or your classic convertible or motorcycle on themed trips
    • Museum, park and attraction entries listed in the itinerary
    • Airport pickup on day 1 and drop-off on the last day

    Seasons

    Best time to drive Route 66 in California

    The Mojave sets the calendar. From June to September it regularly passes 105 degrees around Amboy and Needles, so only the full-route trips cross in summer, early in the day. March, April and October are the best months, with desert highs in the 70s and 80s; after a wet winter, March and April can bring wildflowers. February, November and December are cool and clear in the desert and mild on the coast, which is why our California trip runs then. The coast itself is pleasant all year, with morning fog in May and June.

    1. JanNo trips: No trips
    2. FebGood: Good
    3. MarBest: Best
    4. AprBest: Best
    5. MayGood: Good
    6. JunGood: Good
    7. JulGood: Good
    8. AugNo trips: No trips
    9. SepGood: Good
    10. OctBest: Best
    11. NovGood: Good
    12. DecGood: Good

    Best monthsGood, some trips runNo trips

    Practical

    Route 66 in California at a glance

    • Route 66 miles

      About 315 miles from Needles to Santa Monica, on the National Trails Highway across the Mojave, over Cajon Pass and along Foothill and Santa Monica boulevards

    • Main towns on the road

      Needles, Essex, Amboy, Ludlow, Newberry Springs, Barstow, Victorville, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Pasadena, Santa Monica

    • Airports

      Las Vegas Harry Reid (LAS) for the start, Los Angeles (LAX) for the end; Ontario (ONT) near San Bernardino

    • Time zone

      Pacific Time, with daylight saving time from March to November; in summer the same clock as Arizona

    • Road weather

      Very hot desert summers, mild sunny winters in the Mojave, cool nights; the coast stays mild all year with fog in early summer

    • What to eat

      Cold drinks at Roy's, a burger at the Bagdad Cafe, Mexican food in San Bernardino and Pasadena, fish tacos near the Santa Monica Pier

    • Best months for our trips

      March, April and October; February, November and December on the California trip

    5 questions

    Route 66 in California: questions

    Where does Route 66 really end?

    The official end moved over the years. In 1926 it was in downtown Los Angeles at Seventh Street and Broadway, and in 1936 it was extended to Lincoln and Olympic boulevards in Santa Monica. The pier was never the legal end, but it is where the road meets the Pacific, and the End of the Trail sign has been there since 2009. We visit the pier and point out the 1936 corner on the way.

    Why does the California trip start in Las Vegas?

    Las Vegas has many more flights than Needles or Barstow, and it is about two hours from Route 66 at Needles. The trip drives down on the first morning and joins the old road at the Colorado River, so you see every California mile in order.

    How hot is the Mojave on your trips?

    Our California trip runs between October and April, when desert days are usually in the 60s to 80s. Full-route trips that cross in June or early July can see 100 degrees or more, so they cross the desert early in the day, carry plenty of water and keep stops short.

    Is the National Trails Highway always open?

    Not always. Flash floods have damaged bridges east of Amboy, and sections have closed for repairs in recent years. We check before each departure and use the open sections of the old road, joining I-40 briefly where needed. Roy's and Amboy remain reachable.

    Can I stay on in Los Angeles after the trip?

    Yes. Our trip advisors can book extra nights in Santa Monica or elsewhere in Los Angeles. If we book your flights, we can set the return from LAX for any later date.

    Next on the road

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    Drive California on the old road

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