Route 66 Tours INC.

Route 66 Tours INC.: tours along the legendary Route 66

Route 66 Tours INC. is a company based in Mesa, Arizona, that designs and operates trips along historic Route 66, the highway that linked Chicago and Los Angeles and was officially decommissioned in 1985. The company, owner of the website ridingroute66.us, presents itself as a specialist in covering the 2,448 miles of the "Mother Road" by motorcycle, car, minibus or coach, with guided and self-guided options.

Motorcycle programs

The catalog includes a standard 15-day/14-night tour that crosses the prairies, mountains and landscapes of the American Midwest and Southwest, with accommodation in motels and stops at diners and historic sites. This program can be booked as self-guided or fully guided and, on selected dates, includes a visit to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee.

For those who prefer small groups, the company offers a 17-day/16-night tour limited to two to four motorcycles, which travels along two-lane back roads and visits more places at a more relaxed pace. According to the website, there is usually only one departure per year and seats sell out quickly. It is also possible to join by car.

There are also two partial routes: the eastern section, 8 days, from the cornfields of Illinois to the plains of New Mexico through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico; and the western section, 9 days, from New Mexico to Santa Monica Pier (California) via Arizona and Nevada. The latter includes a helicopter flight over the Grand Canyon. Both can be booked as self-guided or guided.

Combined routes and Western experiences

The company also sells an 8-day trip through the great natural spaces of the Southwest, covering California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah and combining canyons, deserts and cities such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with visits to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley. It can be done self-guided or guided.

Another option is the 16-day Wild West experience, designed to ride a Harley-Davidson through settings such as Yosemite, Death Valley, Monument Valley, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with a final stretch along the California coast through Big Sur on Highway 1. It also offers self-guided and guided modes.

For those who do not wish to drive, a 13-day private guided tour is offered in a minivan or minibus for a maximum of eight people, with two nights included in Las Vegas.

Motorcycle and car rental

Route 66 Tours INC. allows you to rent a Harley-Davidson to travel Route 66 on your own, with pick-up points in Chicago, Las Vegas or Los Angeles, and even for periods of one or two days to explore specific sections near Chicago, Santa Fe, Las Vegas or Los Angeles. The website indicated rental rates from $99 per day. It also offers convertible car rental with various route options, such as the classic Chicago-Los Angeles, trips starting in New York and ending in Las Vegas, or routes that include Highway 1 from San Francisco.

Coach and tailor-made trips

The company organizes coach tours that follow Route 66 and recreate the American way of traveling from the 1920s to the 1960s, with stops in cities and themed museums along the eight states the route crosses. It also designs custom trips for groups with their own dates and ideas, upon request for a quote by email.

Languages and highlighted stops

The company offers exclusive tours in German, French, Italian and Spanish. Among the stops highlighted on its routes are the Willis Tower and the Pontiac Car Museum in Illinois; the Gateway Arch and Meramec Caverns in Missouri; the Rainbow Bridge in Kansas; the Blue Whale of Catoosa, the Arcadia Round Barn, the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City and Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park in Oklahoma; the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo and the Conoco Tower Station in Shamrock in Texas; the historic motels of Tucumcari and the Loretto Chapel in New Mexico; the Petrified Forest National Park, the Meteor Crater and the Wigwam Motel in Arizona; and Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch, the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville and Santa Monica Pier in California.

The company notes that around 85% of the original Route 66 alignment is still drivable and recommends using a mobile app for navigation. The website also mentions that the company has been operating since 2013 and that its activity is based on more than a decade of experience organizing this type of trip.

Offices and locations

Main office: 3707 E Southern Ave, Mesa, AZ, 85206-2569

Mailing address: 3104 E Camelback Rd., PMB #2100, Phoenix, AZ 85016