US Route 66 in California - wikipedia US Route 66 in California This article is about the section of U.S. Route 66 in California. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 66. U.S. Route 66 Will Rogers Highway Route information Length 315 mi ( 507 km ) Existed November 11, 1926 ( 1926 - 11 - 11 ) -- June 25, 1979 ( 1979 - 06 - 25 ) Major junctions West end US 101 Alt. in Santa Monica I - 405 in Los Angeles US 101 in Los Angeles I - 5 / SR 110 in Los Angeles I - 210 in Monrovia I - 15 in Fontana I - 215 in San Bernardino I - 15 in San Bernardino I - 40 in Barstow East end US 66 at Arizona state line Highway system United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Replaced State highways in California Interstate U.S. State Pre-1964 History Unconstructed Deleted Freeway Scenic ← SR 65 SR 66 → U.S. Route 66 ( US 66, Route 66 ) is a part of a former United States Numbered Highway in the state of California that ran from the west in Santa Monica on the Pacific Ocean through Los Angeles and San Bernardino to Needles at the Arizona state line. It was truncated during the 1964 renumbering and its signage removed in 1974. The highway is now mostly replaced with several streets in Los Angeles, State Route 66 ( SR 66 ), Interstate 15 ( I - 15 ) and I - 40. Contents 1 History 1.1 Old Trails Highway 2 Route description 2.1 Santa Monica to San Bernardino 2.2 San Bernardino to the Arizona state line 3 Major intersections 4 Structures 4.1 Restaurants 4.2 Camps, motor courts, and motels 4.3 Museums 4.4 Bridges 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links History US 66 was assigned by the American Association of State Highway Officials in November 1926 and signed in 1928 by the Automobile Club of Southern California ; however historic US 66 shields and even present day US 66 shields remain. US 66 continued to be signed east of Pasadena until 1974, when it was removed, and the remaining separate section became SR 66. In 1977, `` Hotel California '' alluded to Route 66 in its opening lines, `` On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair, Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air, Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light, My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night ''. According to Eagles guitarist Don Felder, `` Everybody had driven into Los Angeles on what used to be Route 66. And as you drive in through the desert at night, you can see the glow of Los Angeles from a hundred miles away. The closer and closer you get, you start seeing all of these images, and these things pounded into our heads : the stars on Hollywood Boulevard, movie stars, palm trees, beaches and girls in bikinis. '' Nationally, Route 66 has been a decommissioned highway since 1985, with the last section through Williams, Arizona, bypassed by I - 40 in 1984. The first efforts to return the route to maps as `` Historic Route 66 '' date to 1987 and Angel Delgadillo 's Arizona Historic Route 66 Association. This initiative was soon followed in all eight US 66 states, including California. The California Historic Route 66 Association, established in December 1990 to advocate the preservation, restoration and promotion of historic Route 66 in California, is the youngest of the eight state - level Route 66 Associations. Old Trails highway 1916 Trails Arch Bridge spanning the Colorado River From San Bernardino to the Arizona state line US 66 followed the old National Old Trails Highway. The old highway veers away from I - 15 between Victorville and Barstow, following the railroad through Oro Grande, Helendale, and Lenwood. Through Barstow, it is Main Street. East of Barstow, the National Old Trails Highway passes through a Marine Corps base, limiting public access and forcing traffic onto I - 40. From Daggett, Historic 66 leaves I - 40, crossing it three times before winding away through Bagdad, Amboy, and Essex. US 66 was all paved in California by 1935. This area is desert ; towns like Amboy originated as Atlantic and Pacific Railroad stops and were sustained by Route 66 traffic during the Mother Road 's heyday, then became ghost towns when I - 40 bypassed them to the north. From Essex the highway was Goffs Road through Goffs until about 1931, joining I - 40 at the US 95 exit. The later alignment is now I - 40 east of Essex. The original highway winds around I - 40 in the Needles area, before crossing the Colorado River into Arizona. Route description Will Rogers Monument at the western terminus of Route 66 in Santa Monica Santa Monica to San Bernardino Starting in Santa Monica, California, US 66 originally started at the southwest end of Santa Monica Boulevard, which was, from the Santa Monica city line with Los Angeles up to US 101, added to SR 2 during the 1964 renumbering, the same name it had before 1936. In today 's terms, it followed Santa Monica Boulevard until the east end, where it continued to the southeast as Sunset Boulevard up to SR 110 ( Arroyo Seco Parkway ), at the interchange with US 101. Running northwards on SR 110 to the northern terminus in Pasadena, the highway continued east onto Colorado Boulevard. When crossing North Baldwin Avenue, Colorado Boulevard becomes Colorado Street, and after 0.3 miles ( 0.48 km ) it changes again to Colorado Place. In Arcadia the highway continues eastwards through Arcadia, Monrovia, and Duarte as Huntington Drive, which it follows until the road crosses the San Gabriel River into Irwindale, becoming Foothill Boulevard after 5.7 miles ( 9.2 km ). In Azusa, the highway veers away from Foothill Boulevard, becoming Alosta Avenue. The city of Glendora renamed their segment of Alosta Avenue to Route 66 ; the highway is known as Foothill Boulevard again when it enters into San Dimas. Foothill Boulevard is numbered SR 66 from the interchange with SR 210 in La Verne onward until the road crosses into San Bernardino, where it becomes 5th Street. SR 66 ends at the 5th Street interchange with I - 215 in San Bernardino. San Bernardino to the Arizona state line CR 66 sign near Amboy Route 66 highway sign, near Needles. US 66 originally exited San Bernardino on Mount Vernon Avenue and Cajon Boulevard, which meandered its way up to Cajon Pass. US 66 originally followed 7th Street and D Street through Victorville then the National Old Trails Highway through Barstow, California ( where it took on the name `` Main Street '' ) and across the Mojave Desert to Needles. US 66 followed Broadway Street through Needles, then crossed into Arizona on the Trails Arch Bridge ( 1916 - 1946 ) or the Red Rock Bridge ( converted from railroad bridge in 1946, abandoned 1966, dismantled 1976 ). By 1964, most or all of this part of the route had been replaced by three Interstate highways, the first being I - 215, known as I - 15 in 1964. It followed I - 215 from SR 66 up to I - 15. After I - 15, the highway followed I - 40 until it got to the state line with Arizona in Needles. Major intersections County Location mi km Destinations Notes Los Angeles Santa Monica 0 0.0 US 101 Alt. ( Lincoln Boulevard / Roosevelt Highway ) / SR 26 east ( Olympic Boulevard ) -- Oxnard now SR 1 Los Angeles 3.9 6.3 SR 7 ( Sepulveda Boulevard ) 11.0 17.7 Highland Avenue ( Legislative Route 160 ) now SR 170 14.4 23.2 US 101 north ( Sunset Boulevard ) -- Sacramento west end of US 101 overlap 15.9 25.6 SR 2 east 17.5 28.2 US 6 west / SR 11 south ( Figueroa Street ) / US 99 south / US 101 south ( Macy Street ) -- Santa Ana, San Pedro east end of US 101 overlap ; west end of US 6 / US 99 / SR 11 overlap 18.9 30.4 Figueroa Street Tunnels under Elysian Park Riverside Drive -- Griffith Park, Burbank Figueroa Street Viaduct over Los Angeles River 19.7 31.7 US 6 east / US 99 north ( Avenue 26 / Legislative Route 4 ) -- Sacramento east end of US 6 / US 99 overlap 26.9 43.3 SR 134 west ( Colorado Boulevard ) -- Ventura Pasadena Colorado Street Bridge over Arroyo Seco SR 11 north ( Linda Vista Avenue ) interchange ; east end of SR 11 overlap SR 118 west ( Fair Oaks Avenue ) -- San Fernando Broadway ( Legislative Route 205 ) post-1940 US 66 west ( via Arroyo Seco Parkway ) 29.7 47.8 Altadena Drive ( Legislative Route 9 east ) East Pasadena 31.2 50.2 SR 19 south ( Rosemead Boulevard ) Monrovia 36.5 58.7 Mountain Avenue ( Legislative Route 9 west ) Azusa 41.1 66.1 SR 39 ( Azusa Avenue ) ​ 49.1 79.0 SR 30 east ( Baseline Road ) ​ 51.6 83.0 SR 71 south ( Garey Avenue ) -- Pomona San Bernardino Upland 57.2 92.1 Euclid Avenue ( Legislative Route 192 ) now SR 83 San Bernardino 76.6 123.3 US 91 south / US 395 south / US 66 Bus. east / SR 18 ( 5th Street / Mount Vernon Avenue ) -- Riverside west end of US 91 / US 395 overlap 78.5 126.3 SR 30 ( Highland Avenue ) Devore 84.9 136.6 US 66 Bus. west ( Kendall Drive ) Cajon Junction 95.9 154.3 SR 2 east -- Silverwood Lake, Summit Valley west end of SR 2 overlap ; now SR 138 east SR 2 west / SR 138 west -- Palmdale, Wrightwood east end of SR 2 overlap ​ 103.8 167.0 US 395 north -- Adelanto, Bishop east end of US 395 overlap Victorville 115.8 186.4 SR 18 east ( D Street ) -- Apple Valley Barstow 152.0 244.6 US 91 north ( North 1st Avenue ) to US 466 -- Las Vegas, Bakersfield east end of US 91 overlap ​ 294 473 US 95 north -- Searchlight, Las Vegas west end of US 95 overlap ​ 306 492 US 95 south -- Blythe east end of US 95 overlap ​ 316 509 US 66 east Arizona state line 1.000 mi = 1.609 km ; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Structures Restaurants Roy 's in the Mojave Desert at Amboy Roy 's Motel and Café was once the largest roadside business in what is now the desert ghost town of Amboy, California. The motel has been closed for years as the town died when Interstate 40 in California diverted traffic ten miles further north. Amboy, as a ghost town, had been used as a filming location for various movies. More recently, the Roy 's filling station and café have operated at least sporadically in an attempt to preserve this landmark for tourism. The Summit Inn, a diner and filling station originally located in 1928 at the summit of the Cajon Pass, moved to Oak Hills, California when the highway was re-routed in 1952. Its visitors include Elvis Presley, reported to have kicked the jukebox and left without dining after finding none of his own records among the available selections. The building was destroyed by the Blue Cut Fire on August 16, 2016. The buildings current owners plan to rebuild the restaurant, as it appeared before the fire. Camps, motor courts, and motels 66 Motel in Needles Route 66 has attracted campers since the Great Depression era, where The Grapes of Wrath describes a large but primitive riverside campground as one of the first sights when arriving in Needles, California from Arizona. Needles later became the site of the Carty 's Camp cabins seen briefly in John Ford 's 1940 film version of `` The Grapes of Wrath '' ( now a deteriorating ghost tourist court ) and the later adjacent 66 Motel ( which currently offers long - term rental only ). The 1924 Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, a National Historic Landmark in the San Gabriel Valley, is notable for its Mayan Revival architecture. One of three restored Wigwam Motels accommodates motorists in San Bernardino near Rialto. Based on a once - patented novelty architecture, these are tourist courts in which each cabin is a free - standing concrete wigwam. This group of motels served as an inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars ( film ). Museums California devotes a pair of museums to the history of old Route 66, the California Route 66 Museum in the former Red Rooster Café in Victorville and the Barstow Route 66 `` Mother Road '' Museum in the town 's former Harvey House Railroad Depot. Bridges The Figueroa Street Tunnels carry the Arroyo Seco Parkway through Elysian Park in Los Angeles ; a Four Level Interchange connecting the Hollywood Freeway ( Route 101 ) to Route 66 was the first stack interchange in the world. The historic 1916 Trails Arch Bridge spanning the Colorado River from Topock, Arizona to Needles, California still stands but is no longer open to traffic as the roadbed has since been removed to carry a natural gas pipeline. See also California Roads portal References Jump up ^ `` Route 66 California ''. RoadTripUSA.com. Avalon Travel. Retrieved November 12, 2014. Jump up ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering ( June 25, 1979 ). Written at Buford, GA. `` Route Numbering Committee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee '' ( PDF ) ( Report ). Washington, DC : American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 1 -- via Wikimedia Commons. Jump up ^ `` Photo of US 66 shield ''. AARoads. Retrieved July 27, 2008. Jump up ^ Felder, Don ( August 21, 2012 ). `` Interview : Don Felder on The Eagles ' Classic Song, ' Hotel California ' ''. MusicRadar ( Interview ). Interview with Joe Bosso. Retrieved August 26, 2012. Jump up ^ Los Angeles and vicinity map ( Map ). Retrieved August 26, 2012 -- via California Highways. Jump up ^ Google ( August 26, 2012 ). `` US 66 '' ( Map ). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 26, 2012. Jump up ^ Mokhtari, Todd ( @ Todd_Mokhtari ) ( August 16, 2016 ). `` This is the Summit Inn that 's now burned. The # bluecutfire is still out of control that 's why we... www.instagram.com/p/BJMYJokA4wl/ '' ( Tweet ). Retrieved February 15, 2017 -- via Twitter. Jump up ^ Steinberg, Jim ( August 17, 2016 ). `` Summit Inn Destroyed by Blue Cut Fire but New Owners Say They Will Rebuild ''. San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved August 24, 2016. Further reading Duncan, Glen ; California Route 66 Preservation Foundation ( 2005 ). Route 66 in California ( Images of America ed. ). Mount Pleasant, South Carolina : Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738530376. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to U.S. Route 66 in California. California Highways : US 66 Historic U.S. 66 at AARoads U.S. Route 66 Previous state : Terminus California Next state : Arizona Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=U.S._Route_66_in_California&oldid=811631828 '' Categories : U.S. Route 66 in California History of Southern California U.S. Highways in California Former state highways in California History of the Mojave Desert region Historic trails and roads in California Roads in Los Angeles County, California History of Los Angeles County, California Roads in San Bernardino County, California History of San Bernardino County, California Hidden categories : All articles with self - published sources Articles with self - published sources from February 2017 Articles needing more detailed references Use mdy dates from November 2014 Infobox road temporary tracking category 1 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 22 November 2017, at 21 : 50. 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Question: where does route 66 start on the west coast
Answer: Santa Monica on the Pacific Ocean; Santa Monica on the Pacific Ocean; in Santa Monica