100 years after a stretch of sand, gravel and wood planks first related the American heartland to the Pacific coast, Route 66 is celebrating its one hundredth anniversary – and the California portion of the Mom Street, which winds via deserts, canyons and ends with an epic beachside finale, is on the heart of the nationwide dialog.
From the sun-drenched Mojave terrain of San Bernardino County to the salty air of the Santa Monica Pier, the Golden State’s 310-mile stretch is buzzing with new cultural installations, retro-inspired motels, a model new customer heart and a calendar of centennial occasions occurring in 2026.
“Route 66 is greater than a freeway; it’s a dwelling image of America’s pioneering spirit,” he stated Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Go to California and chair of the Route 66 Centennial Fee. “From the bustling gateway to Chicago to the epic Pacific sunsets, this legendary street connects individuals not simply throughout miles, however via generations of shared discoveries. Intrepid vacationers ought to hit the street this yr to benefit from the nostalgia, variety and open-hearted welcome that make Route 66 – and the American street journey – so unforgettable.”
When Route 66 first opened on November 11, 1926, connecting eight states and stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, solely a couple of third of its 2,500 miles had been paved. The remainder was filth, gravel or wood planks.
John Steinbeck later immortalized it because the ‘Mom Street’ The grapes of wrathand Bobby Troup turned it into probably the most enduring street songs in American historical past. The route was formally decommissioned within the Nineteen Eighties and by no means actually disappeared – and in 2026 will probably be again within the highlight greater than ever.
The place the journey to California begins: San Bernardino and the Inland Empire
The California portion of Route 66 enters the state at Needles on the Arizona border and travels west via the Mojave earlier than reaching San Bernardino, the unofficial gateway to Southern California. The town wears its Route 66 heritage overtly.
The enduring Wigwam Motel – a row of concrete tepee-shaped rooms that turned one of many freeway’s most photographed landmarks – anchors the downtown space subsequent to surviving mid-century motels, diners and fuel stations. The Inland Empire 66ers baseball groupNamed after the Mom Street, it’s going to have fun the Route 66 Centennial at each residence recreation at San Manuel Stadium via the 2026 season, making it probably the most distinctive methods to take in the environment of the freeway whereas within the area.
The Mojave Center: Amboy, Newberry Springs and the desert nobody stops anymore
Between San Bernardino and Los Angeles lies probably the most cinematic and traditionally underappreciated stretches of California Route 66. The Mojave stretch – which runs via Needles, Ludlow, Newberry Springs and Amboy – is having its largest tourism second in a long time.
Roy’s Motel & Cafe in Amboy hosted its first-ever centennial automotive present on March 7, 2026, that includes basic autos, reside music, a pin-up contest, out of doors films and tenting beneath the Mojave sky.
Roy’s – a placing instance of mid-century Googie structure – will likely be expanded by 2026 with a newly restored motel and café. There’s additionally one on the location 4 meter excessive mural in honor of Albert Okurathe entrepreneur who purchased your entire metropolis of Amboy in 2005 and performed a vital position in revitalizing this stretch of freeway
Close by, Newberry Springs will host its personal Route 66 Large Birthday Bash on Could 2, 2026, with horseback rides, a beer backyard, reside music and a automotive present – a group celebration that may put this Mojave group on the map for the primary time in years.
Through Pasadena: A Colorado Boulevard Double Centennial
As Route 66 descends from the Cajon Go and passes via the San Gabriel Valley, it enters Pasadena alongside Colorado Boulevard – probably the most traditionally intact city stretches of freeway within the nation. Colorado Boulevard itself will likely be 150 years outdated in 2026, marking a double centennial for the hall. A part of the celebration will embrace the Route 66 and Colorado Boulevard themes for the town’s annual chalk artwork competition, held within the Paseo out of doors procuring district, with dates anticipated in mid-June 2026.
The Route 66 centenary calendar lists much more group occasions in Pasadena associated to the historic yr, along with a nationwide Route 66 Centennial Speaker Sequence that takes place the second Tuesday of each month and brings collectively historians, advocates and authors in a webinar format open to the general public.
The Ultimate Miles: Santa Monica Pier and the tip of the route
Route 66 does not simply finish, it arrives. The ultimate blocks of the Mom Street take vacationers down Colorado Avenue and straight to Santa Monica Pierthe place the ‘Finish of the Path’ signal marks the conclusion of one of many world’s most emotionally resonant rides.
On January 3, 2026, The Drive Dwelling VII: Route 66 – A century of journey launched from Santa Monica as an enormous caravan of classic autos that traveled your entire route of Route 66 to kick off the centennial celebration, ending in Chicago on January 12 earlier than being on show on the Detroit Auto Present.
Later, in June 2026, the Primary Road of America Route 66 Centennial Caravan departs from Santa Monica with one consultant from all fifty states and members of the worldwide group on a coast-to-coast journey again to Chicago – a very powerful organized journey alongside your entire route for the reason that freeway’s heyday. Santa Monica additionally has one Route 66 Centennial Track Contest with a prime prize of $10,000inviting musicians all over the world so as to add a brand new chapter to Mom Street’s musical legacy.
Plan your California Route 66 journey: vital dates and what it’s essential to know
Whereas Route 66 formally celebrates its one hundredth anniversary on November 11, 2026, the nationwide festivities start on April 30, 2026 – 100 years after the street acquired its numerical designation – with simultaneous opening ceremonies and group occasions alongside the route.
The height of the celebration in California runs from April via June, with occasions in San Bernardino, Amboy, Newberry Springs, Pasadena and Santa Monica.
Visit California’s Official Centennial Guide supplies a complete, state-specific itinerary with confirmed and scheduled occasion dates, really useful stops, and EV-friendly route choices for contemporary street trippers. For the entire nationwide calendar of occasions in all eight states, the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission maintains a constantly up to date record of licensed applications and group initiatives.
For vacationers who wish to expertise California’s stretch with out finishing your entire 2,000-mile Nationwide Route, the stretch of state alone—from Needles to Santa Monica—gives ghost cities, Googie structure, desert sunsets, mountain passes, basic automotive reveals, retro motor cabins, and probably the most satisfying arrivals in American street journey: climbing one final hill because the Pacific Ocean fills the windshield. 100 years later, the Moederweg nonetheless manages to make an entrance.