Written Directions
NOTE: Due to technical limitations, the Google Maps route does not match these written directions. Use the written directions or the Harley-Davidson Ride Planner route link provided below. Take your best route to the Route 66 Springfield Visitor Center (815 E. St. Louis St.). Head west on E. St Louis St. for 0.5 miles. Take the second exit from the Park Central Square roundabout to continue on W. College St. In 2.1 miles, turn left onto W. Chestnut Expressway. Continue for 20.4 miles. Cross over Hwy 96 onto MO-N. In 0.5 miles, turn right onto Farm Road 2062. Continue for 1.2 miles, then turn left onto Hwy 96. Continue for 30 miles. Turn left onto County Road 118, then turn immediately right onto Old 66 Blvd. In 1.4 miles, turn left onto Esterly Rd. In 0.6 miles, turn left onto Hwy 96. In 0.3 miles, turn left onto N. River St. In 0.3 miles, turn right onto E. Central Ave. In 0.2 miles, turn left to remain in E. Central Ave. In 0.5 miles, turn left onto N. Garrison Ave. In 0.2 miles, turn right onto Oak St. In 1.6 miles, bear left onto W. Old 66 Bvld. In 3.2 miles, turn left to remain on Old 66 Blvd. In 2.6 miles, turn left onto N. Pine St. In 1.2 miles, turn right onto E. Main St (MO-HH). In 1.6 miles, turn left onto N. Webb Ave, then immediately right onto Broadway St. In 0.5 miles, turn left onto N. Jefferson Ave. In 0.4 miles, turn right onto W. McArthur Dr., then left onto S. Madison Ave. In 0.2 miles, turn left onto W. 7th St., then right onto S. Jefferson Ave. In 0.5 miles, turn right onto W. 14th St., then left onto S. Madison Ave. In 1.3 miles, turn right onto Zora St. In 0.5 miles, turn left onto N. Florida Ave. In 0.3 miles, turn right onto Utica St. In 0.2 miles, turn left onto Euclid Ave. In 0.6 miles, turn left onto N. St. Louis Ave. In 0.7 miles, turn right onto Broadway St. In 0.8 miles, continue onto E. 2nd St. In 0.3 miles, turn left onto S. Main St. In 0.4 miles, turn right onto W. 7th St. (Hwy 66). In 5.2 miles, turn right onto Old MO-66. In 0.6 miles, you will reach the Missouri-Kansas state line, which is the end of this route (in front of the Hogs & Hot Rods Saloon). You can continue west on Front St. to Main St. in Galena, KS, then left (south) to W. 7th St. (KS-66).
Scenery
The views along this route are mixed, as it goes through the farms and towns of southwestern Missouri. While there's obviously been a lot of new development since Route 66 was decommissioned, there are still plenty of buildings and sites to give a good idea of what it was like during it's heyday.
Drive Enjoyment
The route has a little bit of everything as far as road conditions. Some sections have been recently repaved, while others are in rougher conditions. In many places, you can tell that your on the original 1920s-1930s concrete road under either asphalt or chip-and-seal. As befits a major cross country route, the route is not very technically challenging, but is definitely a "cruising" route, with easy curves and rolling hills in the countryside, a few long straight sections, and going through the "old town" sections of the towns and cities.
Tourism Opportunities
This is Route 66, so the things to see and do along the route are almost too many to list. Your best bet is to find one or more of the many Route 66 resources, including YouTube travel vlogs and Internet travel guides. A good place to start is theroute-66.com, which I used to map the route and describes many of the sites along the route. However, there is a wealth of Route 66 info out there, and many will be tailored to the types of sites and activities that you may be interested in.
Motorcycle Road Additional info
As noted above in the directions, the Google Maps route is not accurate, due to the technical limitations on waypoints. The full, accurate route can be found on the Harley-Davidson Ride Planner, at https://maps.harley-davidson.com/share/rides/4Y6PUAyWM
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