Historic Route 66

Immortalized in the 1946 song, "Get Your Kicks on Route 66," a portion of this legendary road runs through Petrified Forest National Park. Established in 1926, the 2,448-mile Route 66 connected Chicago to Los Angeles, and soon became known as the Mother Road. Dust Bowl migrants used the road during the 1930s to move west, and many businesses, including gas stations, hotels, and restaurants, sprang up to serve travelers. Although portions of the road are still drivable, the interstate highway system had largely replaced the road by 1985. Petrified Forest is the only national park containing a section of Historic Route 66. The road ran through the heart of the Painted Desert, and the Painted Desert Inn made for a popular stop. Nowadays, a 1932 Studebaker President Eight sits where the road once cut through the park, and there are Route 66 geocaching opportunities for visitors, as well. The eastern section of the highway route is open to bicyclists.