One hundred years after a stretch of dirt, gravel, and wooden planks first connected the American heartland to the Pacific Coast, Route 66 is celebrating its 100th anniversary — and California’s portion of the Mother Road, which winds through deserts, canyons, and concludes at an epic beachside finale, is at the center of the national conversation.
From San Bernardino County’s sun-scorched Mojave terrain all the way to the salt air of the Santa Monica Pier, the Golden State’s 315-mile stretch is alive with new cultural installations, retro-inspired motels, a brand-new visitor center, and a calendar of centennial events running throughout 2026.
“Route 66 is more than a highway — it’s a living symbol of America’s pioneering spirit,” said Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of Visit California and Chair of the Route 66 Centennial Commission. “From the bustling Chicago gateway to Santa Monica’s epic Pacific sunsets, this legendary road connects people not just across miles, but through generations of shared discovery. Intrepid travelers should hit the road this year to soak in the nostalgia, diversity and open-hearted welcome that make Route 66 — and the American road trip — so unforgettable.”
When Route 66 first opened on November 11, 1926 — connecting eight states and stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica — only about a third of its 2,400 miles were paved. The rest was dirt, gravel, or wooden planks.
John Steinbeck later immortalized it as the “Mother Road” in The Grapes of Wrath, and Bobby Troup turned it into one of the most enduring road songs in American history. Officially decommissioned in the 1980s, the route never truly disappeared — and in 2026, it is driving back into the spotlight harder than ever.
Where the California Journey Begins: San Bernardino and the Inland Empire
The California leg of Route 66 enters the state at Needles on the Arizona border and travels west through the Mojave before reaching San Bernardino, the unofficial gateway to Southern California. The city wears its Route 66 heritage openly.
The iconic Wigwam Motel — a row of concrete teepee-shaped rooms that became one of the highway’s most photographed landmarks — anchors the downtown stretch alongside surviving mid-century motels, diners, and service stations. The Inland Empire 66ers baseball team, named after the Mother Road, is celebrating the Route 66 Centennial at every home game at San Manuel Stadium throughout the 2026 season, making it one of the more distinctive ways to absorb the highway’s spirit while in the region.
The Mojave Middle: Amboy, Newberry Springs, and the Desert Stops Nobody Skips Anymore
Between San Bernardino and Los Angeles lies some of California Route 66’s most cinematic and historically underappreciated terrain. The Mojave stretch — running through Needles, Ludlow, Newberry Springs, and Amboy — is having its most significant tourism moment in decades.
Roy’s Motel & Café in Amboy hosted its first-ever centennial car show on March 7, 2026, featuring classic vehicles, live music, a pin-up contest, outdoor movies, and camping under the Mojave sky.
Roy’s — a standout example of midcentury Googie architecture — is being expanded by 2026 with a newly restored motel and café. The site also features a 14-foot mural honoring Albert Okura, the entrepreneur who bought the entire town of Amboy in 2005 and played a pivotal role in revitalizing this stretch of the highway
Nearby, Newberry Springs is hosting its own Route 66 Big Birthday Bash on May 2, 2026, with horseback rides, a beer garden, live music, and a car show — a community celebration that puts this blink-and-miss-it Mojave community on the map for the first time in years.
Through Pasadena: A Colorado Boulevard Double Centennial
As Route 66 descends from the Cajon Pass and threads through the San Gabriel Valley, it enters Pasadena along Colorado Boulevard — one of the most historically intact urban stretches of the highway in the country. Colorado Boulevard itself turns 150 in 2026, making it a double centennial year for the corridor. Part of the celebration includes Route 66 and Colorado Boulevard themes for the city’s annual chalk art festival, held at The Paseo open-air shopping area, with dates expected in mid-June 2026.
The Route 66 centennial calendar lists further Pasadena community events tied to the landmark year, alongside a national Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series running on the second Tuesday of every month — bringing together historians, advocates, and authors in a webinar format open to the public.
The Final Miles: Santa Monica Pier and the End of the Trail
Route 66 does not merely conclude — it arrives. The final blocks of the Mother Road carry travelers down Colorado Avenue and directly onto Santa Monica Pier, where the “End of the Trail” sign marks the conclusion of one of the world’s most emotionally resonant drives.
On January 3, 2026, The Drive Home VII: Route 66 — A Century of Adventure launched from Santa Monica as a massive caravan of vintage vehicles tracing the entire span of Route 66 to kick off the centennial year, ending in Chicago on January 12 before going on display at the Detroit Auto Show.
Later, in June 2026, the Main Street of America Route 66 Centennial Caravan will depart from Santa Monica carrying one representative from all 50 states and members of the international community on a coast-to-coast journey back to Chicago — the most significant organized drive along the full route since the highway’s heyday. Santa Monica has also launched a Route 66 Centennial Song Contest with a $10,000 grand prize, inviting musicians worldwide to add a new chapter to the Mother Road’s musical legacy.
Plan Your California Route 66 Trip: Key Dates and What to Know
While Route 66 officially turns 100 on November 11, 2026, the national festivities begin on April 30, 2026 — 100 years after the road received its numerical designation — with opening ceremonies and community events launching simultaneously along the route.
California’s peak celebration window runs from April through June, with events anchored in San Bernardino, Amboy, Newberry Springs, Pasadena, and Santa Monica.
Visit California’s official centennial guide provides a comprehensive, state-specific itinerary with confirmed and pending event dates, recommended stops, and EV-friendly routing options for modern road trippers. For the full national event calendar across all eight states, the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission maintains a continuously updated directory of certified programs and community initiatives.
For travelers who want to experience the California stretch without committing to the full 2,400-mile national route, the state’s portion alone — from Needles to Santa Monica — offers ghost towns, Googie architecture, desert sunsets, mountain passes, classic car shows, retro motor lodges, and one of the most satisfying arrivals in American road travel: cresting a final hill with the Pacific Ocean filling the windshield. One hundred years in, the Mother Road still knows how to make an entrance.
