Route 66 National Parks Road Trip: St. Louis to the Grand Canyon

Route 66 turned 100 in November 2026, and three National Parks sit on or close to its old line: Gateway Arch at the Mississippi, Petrified Forest in the Arizona high desert, and the Grand Canyon, an hour north of the road at Williams. Drive it west from St. Louis and the trip runs about 1,470 miles one way.

The catch is the shape of the thing. Two of the three parks sit at the far end, so this trip is mostly road, with the parks as the bookends. This post covers the driving, the miles, and where to sleep. Each park gets a short plan here, and the full days are in my guides.

Route 66 National Parks Road Trip at a Glance

• Parks: Gateway Arch, Petrified Forest, and Grand Canyon (South Rim).
• Start and finish: St. Louis to the South Rim, then a flight home from Phoenix or Las Vegas.
• Driving: about 1,470 miles one way on the interstates that replaced Route 66, more if you stay on the old road.
• Time behind the wheel: about 22 hours one way on the interstates, before stops.
• How many days: 6 at the least, 8 to 10 to enjoy it.
• Best seasons: April to May and mid-September through October.
• Pass: the $80 America the Beautiful annual pass covers Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon, and takes $3 off Gateway Arch tram tickets for up to four people.

Orientation sketch, not to scale. Check the official park maps for detail. Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); state lines from the U.S. Census Bureau.

How Many Days Do You Need?

I'd plan on 9 days. Here's the math. Four driving days at about 5 hours each take you from St. Louis to Holbrook. Add a day at the Arch before you leave, a day at Petrified Forest, a short drive to the rim, a full day there, and the drive out, and you're at 9.

The 6-day version means an afternoon at the Arch, long interstate days, a drive-through at Petrified Forest, and one full day on the rim. It works, but you'll see Route 66 mostly as exit signs. The longer version is the better one if the road itself is why you're going. Following the old alignments through Missouri, Oklahoma, and New Mexico is slow, so add 2 or 3 days.

If you only want the parks, skip the east half. Fly to Albuquerque and drive 204 miles to Petrified Forest, then on to the Grand Canyon. You'll do the part with the parks in 4 or 5 days.

Which Direction to Drive It

Drive west. Route 66's history runs that way, the country opens up as you go, and you finish at the biggest sight on the trip. Petrified Forest also suits it: the park suggests that westbound travelers enter at the north, drive through, and return to Interstate 40 through Holbrook, which costs you almost nothing.

This is a one-way trip, so price the rental before you book anything. A drop fee between Missouri and Arizona can be large, so compare it with flying and renting at each end. There are no rental cars in Tusayan or the park, so you can't drop one at the rim. Return it in Flagstaff, Phoenix (about 231 miles from the Village, roughly 4 hours), or Las Vegas (about 278 miles).

The Route, Leg By Leg

St. Louis: Gateway Arch

Interstates 44, 55, 64, and 70 all meet downtown, close to the park. The park has no parking lots of its own, and its preferred garage, Stadium East, has a height clearance of 6 feet 8 inches, so an RV or a trailer needs another plan. If you're flying in during late 2026, Metro listed both airport MetroLink stations as closed for construction into December, with a free shuttle between them, so check before you land.

The one thing you can't improvise is the tram. Same-day tickets aren't guaranteed, so buy ahead at gatewayarch.com. Hours change with the season, and the park closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

A short plan for Gateway Arch: Park at Stadium East or take MetroLink, and go in through the glass west entrance facing the Old Courthouse. Ride the tram to the top, then give the free museum the time it deserves. Eat at the Arch Café, walk the grounds, and finish at the Old Courthouse, your last stop. Full days are in my Gateway Arch National Park guide.

The Gateway Arch and the downtown St. Louis skyline across the Mississippi, seen from East St. Louis, Illinois, June 12, 2008 (NPS photograph from the park's Flickr account). Photo: National Park Service (Jefferson National Expansion Memorial), Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/).

St. Louis to Tulsa: About 395 Miles, 5.5 to 6 Hours

Interstate 44 runs southwest across the Ozarks through Rolla, Springfield, and Joplin, and it follows Route 66 most of the way. The old road survives beside the interstate in pieces, so you can leave and rejoin it. Gas and food are easy on this leg. Past Joplin, the interstate becomes the Will Rogers Turnpike in Oklahoma, a toll road, so have a way to pay or set your navigation to avoid it.

Tulsa to Amarillo: About 365 Miles, 5.5 Hours

Interstate 44 carries you on to Oklahoma City, about 105 miles on the Turner Turnpike, another toll road, and Interstate 40 takes over from there, about 260 miles to Amarillo. This is where the land flattens out and the wind picks up. High-profile vehicles feel it. The National Park Service keeps a Route 66 travel itinerary listing more than 100 historic sites along the highway, and it's the best way to choose your stops without inventing a detour for every motel sign.

Amarillo to Albuquerque: About 290 Miles, 4.25 Hours

Stay on Interstate 40 across the Texas Panhandle and into New Mexico through Tucumcari and Santa Rosa. Fill up in those towns, since the gaps start to grow. You also gain an hour here: Texas is on Central time and New Mexico is on Mountain time. Albuquerque sits at about 5,000 feet, so the trip's heat usually eases about here.

Albuquerque to Petrified Forest: About 204 Miles, 3 Hours

Interstate 40 west through Grants and Gallup to Exit 311 puts you at the north entrance. The park is 28 miles from end to end, it has a gate that closes at night, and it doesn't take cash. There's no public transportation here, and a paper map beats GPS, which doesn't understand the locked gates and back roads. The Painted Desert Visitor Center was closed for construction in 2026, so plan on the Painted Desert Inn for your questions.

This park also holds the only stretch of Route 66 inside a National Park. About four miles south of the inn, the park road crosses the old alignment, where a rusted 1930s Studebaker sits on the roadbed and a line of old telephone poles runs to the horizon. My Petrified Forest National Park guide has what to do with a full day.

A short plan for Petrified Forest: Enter at Exit 311 and stop at a Painted Desert overlook and the Painted Desert Inn. Cross the Route 66 alignment, then drive south to Blue Mesa and Crystal Forest. Bring lunch and eat at a picnic stop. Finish at the Giant Logs loop behind the Rainbow Forest Museum, then leave by the south entrance for Holbrook. Full days are in my Petrified Forest National Park guide.

Petrified Forest National Park. The red badlands of the Painted Desert from Nizhoni Point in December 2019 (photograph by daveynin, CC BY 2.0). Photo: daveynin, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/).

Petrified Forest National Park. The Blue Mesa Trail winding between banded badlands in May 1998 (photograph by Nikater; public domain). Photo: Nikater, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.

Holbrook to the South Rim: About 170 Miles, 3 Hours

From Holbrook, take Interstate 40 west past Winslow and Flagstaff to Williams, then Arizona 64 north about 60 miles to the South Entrance. At Flagstaff you've climbed to about 7,000 feet, so expect cooler nights and, in winter, real snow on the interstate.

The Grand Canyon's 2026 is worth reading before you book. An August 29 flood broke the South Rim's water line, and the park halted overnight stays in its lodges from August 31. As of late October 2026, Grand Canyon's conditions showed the rim open for day use, and the lodges' operator planned to reopen on November 20, a plan rather than a promise. Phantom Ranch was closed through at least January 31, 2027. Check Grand Canyon National Park alerts before you commit to a room inside the park. Tusayan's hotels stayed open through all of it.

A short plan for Grand Canyon: Use the South Entrance and park at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, with lunch and water bought outside the park. Walk to Mather Point, follow the Rim Trail to Yavapai Point, and continue on the Trail of Time to the Village. Kolb Studio is your turnaround; the free shuttle takes you back to your car. Full days are in my Grand Canyon National Park guide.

Grand Canyon National Park. Early light on the buttes and temples below Hopi Point on Hermit Road (NPS photograph). Photo: National Park Service (Grand Canyon National Park), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

Grand Canyon National Park. A rare winter cloud inversion fills the canyon below Mather Point (NPS photograph, November 2013). Photo: National Park Service (Grand Canyon National Park), Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (U.S. Government work).

A Sample 9-Day Driving Schedule

Here's the driving skeleton, so you can see where the miles fall. The park days are in the guides.

Day	Drive	Driving Time	Overnight Town
Day 1	Gateway Arch, driving in to downtown St. Louis	Local driving	St. Louis
Day 2	St. Louis to Tulsa, about 395 miles	5.5 to 6 hours	Tulsa
Day 3	Tulsa to Amarillo, about 365 miles	5.5 hours	Amarillo
Day 4	Amarillo to Albuquerque, about 290 miles	4.25 hours	Albuquerque
Day 5	Albuquerque to Holbrook, about 240 miles	3.5 hours	Holbrook
Day 6	Petrified Forest, driving from Holbrook	Local driving, about 1 hour	Holbrook
Day 7	Holbrook to the South Rim, about 170 miles	3 hours	Tusayan or Grand Canyon Village
Day 8	Grand Canyon, driving from Tusayan or staying on foot in the Village	Local driving	Tusayan or Grand Canyon Village
Day 9	South Rim to Phoenix, about 231 miles	4 hours	Fly home from Phoenix

Where to Stay Along the Way

• Gateway Arch: a downtown St. Louis hotel puts the Arch and the Old Courthouse in walking distance. There's no lodging or camping in the park.
• On the road: Tulsa, Amarillo, and Albuquerque all have plenty of rooms, and old motor courts survive in several Route 66 towns.
• Petrified Forest: Holbrook, between the park's two entrances, has motels and restaurants, including the Wigwam Motel, one of the road's old landmarks. There's no lodging, and no car or RV camping, in the park.
• Grand Canyon: Tusayan is 7 miles south of the Village. Inside the park, when open, are El Tovar, Bright Angel, Kachina, Thunderbird, Maswik, and Yavapai lodges. Williams and Flagstaff are the cheaper fallback, about an hour or more away.

Best Time of Year to Drive It

April to May and mid-September through October are the best windows. St. Louis is mild, the plains aren't yet baking, and Petrified Forest is comfortable for walking. Grand Canyon crowds thin after Labor Day, and spring break crowds are heavy.

Summer means hot, humid days in St. Louis and over 100°F in parts of the Panhandle and at Petrified Forest. The Arizona monsoon runs from June 15 to September 30, so plan to be indoors at Petrified Forest in the afternoons, when lightning and flash floods are real risks.

Winter is cheaper and quiet, but Interstate 40 can see snow and ice from Amarillo west, Petrified Forest may delay its opening for safe roads, and South Rim lows are often in the teens. Allow a spare day.

Road Trip Tips for Route 66

• Buy the tram ticket first. It's the only thing on this trip that sells out on a schedule you can't drive around.
• Bring a card. Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon's entrance stations are cashless. A Petrified Forest vehicle pass runs $25 and the Grand Canyon's $35, each for seven days.
• Know your nonresident fee. At the Grand Canyon, non-U.S. residents 16 and older pay an additional $100 each unless they have an annual pass.
• Pick your old-road sections ahead. The old highway is broken in places and some pieces dead-end. Decide on two or three sections rather than chasing all of it.
• Watch the clock in Arizona. Most of Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year, so its clocks match New Mexico's only in winter. The park's closing time is the one that counts.
• Keep the tank above half west of Albuquerque. Services are fine at the towns and thin between them.

Plan Your Days Inside Each Park

This post gets you from park to park, with a short plan for each stop. The full days are what my guides are for: each one has nine itineraries for one, two, or three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for bad weather or a closure, plus orientation maps, the park's history, and the animals you're likely to see. You get an EPUB and a printable PDF, so the day's plan can ride in the car with you.

• Gateway Arch National Park: history, highlights, and a perfect day in St. Louis
• Petrified Forest National Park: nine itineraries, 12 animals to look for, 4 maps, and 32 photographs
• Grand Canyon National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 5 maps, and 35 photographs

For This Route

The Arizona National Parks Collection covers 2 of the 3 parks on this route (Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon) in one download. For Gateway Arch, add the single guide above. It also includes Chiricahua and Saguaro, which this route doesn't reach.

Short on time at one stop? Just an Afternoon is my free four-hour plan for every U.S. National Park.

Route 66 National Parks Road Trip FAQ

Does Route 66 go through the Grand Canyon? No. The road passes through Williams and Flagstaff, and the South Rim is about 60 miles north of Williams on Arizona 64. It's an easy side trip, and on this route it's the finish.

Can you still drive all of Route 66? Not as one continuous road. Interstates replaced it, and the surviving pieces come and go. This route uses the interstates for the miles and leaves them for the sections you choose.

Is the North Rim worth adding? Not on this trip. It's a long way around the canyon, and the park listed it as open only through November 30, 2026, or the first major snow, with much of it still recovering from the 2025 fire.

Do I need a reservation to enter these parks? Not to enter, as of November 2026. You do need a timed ticket for the tram at Gateway Arch, and rooms at the Grand Canyon are a separate question, so check Grand Canyon National Park alerts and Gateway Arch National Park alerts before you lock in dates.

More Road Trips and Park Pages

• Arizona National Parks Road Trip: Saguaro to the Grand Canyon by Way of the Painted Desert
• Grand Circle Road Trip: Seven Parks in One Loop from Las Vegas
• Visiting Petrified Forest National Park with kids
• Visiting Grand Canyon National Park with kids

Before you go: roads, campgrounds, and visitor centers close for snow, fire, and repairs, so check each park's alerts and current conditions, updated daily: Gateway Arch, Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon. For every park at a glance, see the park conditions dashboard.

Planning a different route? See all my National Park road trips.

This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Driving times are estimates without stops, and conditions change; check each park's current alerts before you go.