Greetings from California Postcard, available at Legends’ General Store.
The stretch of Route 66 that passes through California extends from the Colorado River near Needles to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica. Traveling through deserts, mountains, ghost towns, metropolitan areas, and beach communities, California’s 320 miles of the Mother Road provide various geography, cultures, architecture, and photographic opportunities.
When Route 66 began to be built in 1926, it made the Golden State accessible to thousands of travelers seeking the dream that California provided. Today, 95% of the original road is still drivable through California, and the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation is working hard to preserve those remaining icons of the past.
Enjoy your journey through the Golden State.
Route 66 East of Ludlow, California, Dave Alexander.
The Colorado River at Needles, California, Kathy Alexander.
About Route 66 Through California
Westbound on Route 66:
Needles – Gateway To The Colorado River
Ghost Town Stretch Across the Mojave Desert
Amboy – No More Burgers at Roy’s
Newberry Springs Has Seen Better Days
Barstow – Where The Trails Meet
Off the Path – Calico – Revived From A Desert Grave
Old Trails Highway to Victorville
Cajon Pass & San Bernardino – Gateway to Southern California
Off the Path – Belleville, California – Waiting for the Mother Lode
Urban Sprawl at the End of Route 66
Rialto – Progress From Lemon Groves
Rancho Cucamonga – Premier Empire City
Upland – At the Base of the Foothills
Claremont – City of Higher Education
La Verne – Holding on to Small Town Charm
San Dimas – A Slice of the Old West
Irwindale & Duarte – Leaving the Past Behind
Monrovia – Gem City of the Foothills
Arcadia – Racing Into the Future
Pasadena – A Village Inside a City
Santa Monica at the End of the Mother Road
Haunted Georgian Hotel in Santa Monica
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated May 2024.
