It’s tough to get a more classic road trip than Route 66. And this year, the Mother Road celebrates her 100th birthday (!). A legendary highway stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, Route 66 is a piece of living history. It passes through classic Americana, desert landscapes, national parks, and quirky (yet iconic) roadside attractions along the way.
It is, also, a long, long drive — that is, if you tackle the whole thing. That’s why many road trippers prefer to take to it in segments. But even segments can feel lengthy when you need to save time, energy, and money for the return trip.
Enter the one-way RV road trip. Here at RVshare, we recently introduced one-way RV rentals, which can truly change the game when it comes to longer trips and routes that simply call for more detailed, up-close-and-personal exploration. When you only have to drive one way, you can spend all of your resources on fully living up that experience, rather than budgeting around the need to return to where you started from.
And, you guessed it: We have all the details below to help you do it right.
Why Take a One-Way RV Trip on Route 66?
Route 66 is all about the spirit of the open road. Instead of feeling constrained by must-dos, a one-way RV road trip allows you to start off in one major city and end in another, taking all the time you need to branch off Route 66 to reach some of the West’s most unforgettable destinations.
A one-way RV rental gives you the freedom Route 66 was built for:
- No need to loop back to your starting point. (Just fly out of your terminal city.)
- More time exploring the towns, parks, and attractions that brought you to the Mother Road in the first place.
- Easier logistics for longer, cross-state road trips (no anonymous hotel rooms!).
- Ideal for travelers flying into one city and out of another. See more in less time!
Whether you’re chasing neon signs, desert landscapes, or Pacific Coast sunsets, one-way RV travel lets you keep moving forward just like the original Route 66 travelers did. And with one-way RV rentals from RVshare available between major hubs like Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle, you can design a Route 66–inspired itinerary that fits your timeline, travel style, and bucket list.
Let’s take a closer look.
Denver-Based Route 66 One-Way RV Trips
The Mile High City is a popular launching point for longer western road trips of many stripes — and especially for travelers who want to connect Route 66 with national parks, mountain excursions, desert scenery, or the West Coast.
While the world (or at least the U.S. map) is truly your oyster in this scenario, we’ve broken down some popular segments below, including major, must-do highlights.
Denver to Las Vegas
While many will take routes further north to connect these two cities, if you swing south, this route can pair historic Route 66 stretches in New Mexico and Arizona with a dramatic finish in Las Vegas. Along the way, you’ll pass through the stunning San Juan National Forest, studded by cities that sit even higher than Denver (like Ouray).
Other highlights include:
- Route 66 towns like Gallup and Kingman
- Petrified Forest National Park
- The opportunity for a stopover at the Hoover Dam before arriving in Las Vegas
Denver to Los Angeles
A lot like Denver-to-Las Vegas, but even more epic: Connecting these two cities is a classic Route 66-inspired journey. After weaving through the Southwest (don’t miss stops in Santa Fe or Grand Canyon National Park), you’ll reconnect with Route 66’s official western endpoint at the Santa Monica Pier.
Denver to Salt Lake City
While this route doesn’t follow Route 66 directly, it’s ideal for travelers combining Route 66 history with:
- Utah’s red rock landscapes
- Scenic desert highways
- National parks like Arches and Canyonlands
Denver to San Francisco
Instead of following Google Maps’ suggestion to swing north into Wyoming, head south through Colorado Springs (don’t miss Red Rock Canyon or the Manitou Incline). Then, take Route 66 west through New Mexico and Arizona before heading north into California for a finish in San Francisco. An utterly epic road trip, with opportunities to stop at nearly half a dozen national parks (Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Yosemite, just to name a few), this one is perfect for travelers who want desert charm followed by coastal culture.
Denver to Seattle
We’ll be real: This one is pretty far out of the way of Route 66 if you’re traveling directly. But with a one-way RV trip, it would be possible to make this into an epic adventure that includes Route 66 Americana in southern California with all the quirky delights of the Pacific Northwest. After swinging south through the southwestern desert and completing your Route 66 stretch in California, you’d head all the way north through California before exploring Oregon and Washington.
Potential highlights include:
- Redwood National and State Parks
- Crater Lake
- A stopover in Portland for food and culture
- Olympic National Park
Las Vegas Route 66 One-Way RV Trips
While Las Vegas isn’t along Route 66 itself, it’s just a stone’s throw away — and well worth a little detour to pair its bright lights and big-city feel with some of the most scenic and well-preserved desert stretches of the Mother Road. Here are some of our favorite segments.
Las Vegas to Los Angeles
This trek allows you to explore some of the most popular segments along the entire stretch of Route 66:
- Kingman and Oatman, Arizona (you’ll need to backtrack a bit, but it’s worth it; say hi to the burros for us!)
- Mojave Desert landscapes you will never forget
- The opportunity for a classic finish at Santa Monica’s Route 66 sign
Las Vegas to Denver
If you swing south into Arizona and New Mexico, you’ll hit classic Route 66 towns as you travel east before cutting north toward and into Colorado. This is a wild-west trip that combines epic desert history with stunning mountain scenery.
Las Vegas to Salt Lake City
Take this route to trade neon signs for red-rock canyons, offering a quieter, scenic alternative that still connects easily with Route 66 highlights in western Arizona.
Plus, you’ll also pass by many Utah must-hit destinations, including Zion National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and Fishlake National Forest. In a one-way RV road trip, it wouldn’t be too hard to connect in the other Utah national parks, as well.
Las Vegas to San Francisco
Perfect for travelers who want a touch of Route 66 nostalgia followed by California wine country or coastal highways. After seeing the western terminus of the Mother Road follow southern California’s desert to its coast, choose your adventure between traveling up the central valley or meandering along U.S. Highway 101 (aka the Pacific Coast Highway). There is literally no wrong way to go.
Las Vegas to Seattle
It doesn’t get more epic than this! When you start in Las Vegas, you can dip directly south (and even a little east) to connect classic Route 66 desert-scapes with your northward trek. Depending on your time, budget, and energy level, you could do this trip in as little as a week or really stretch it out for an unforgettable month on the road, truly familiarizing yourself with the American west.
Los Angeles Route 66 One-Way RV Trips
Los Angeles marks the official western end of Route 66, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start your trip there. (Or end it there, for that matter.) Here are some of our favorite Route 66-adjacent trips with a terminus in the City of Angels
Los Angeles to Las Vegas
A short but iconic Route 66 trip, this segment is ideal for first-timers who want classic roadside attractions without a long timeline. (Which classic roadside attractions, you ask? Don’t miss Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch, Roy’s Motel & Café, or the Calico Ghost Town.)
Los Angeles to Denver
While the most direct route from L.A. to Denver will wind you mostly through Nevada and Utah, which is an incredible trip in its own right, lengthen your stay and enjoy Route 66 nostalgia by following the road east through California, Arizona, and New Mexico before heading north into Colorado. Starting and ending in two of the most iconic cities in the American West, this one’s a true cross-country-style experience.
Los Angeles to Salt Lake City
Another one that’ll require you to linger further south for a while to enjoy the Route 66 landmarks in Southern California and the desert southwest, this trip easily allows you to connect quirky roadside attractions with breathtaking, alien landscapes — not to mention Utah’s can’t-miss national parks.
Los Angeles to San Francisco
Is there another road trip in the entire United States as classic as connecting these two California mega-cities? We don’t think so — and while, again, you’ll have to go out of your way to add some Route 66 nostalgia into the mix, we highly recommend slowing down to enjoy California’s coastal highway if this is the main event of your route.
Highlights may include:
- Gum Alley in San Luis Obispo
- Big Sur (we recommend a stopover at Esalen)
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium (one of the best in the entire country)
- A photo at the Golden Gate Bridge
Los Angeles to Seattle
If you’re lucky enough to have the opportunity to see the entire West Coast of the U.S. by driving from Los Angeles to Seattle… what can we say? You should do it. Add as much or as little Route 66 as you’d like while you’re in SoCal, then head north after snapping a picture at the Santa Monica Pier sign.
This is what we call a mega road trip, and it’s another one you could easily spend a month (or more!) on if you wanted to. Whatever you do, be sure not to shortchange yourself: There is so, so much in these parts of the country to explore and enjoy.
Salt Lake City Route 66 One-Way RV Trips
Since we’ve already gone into many of these segments in depth, we won’t repeat ourselves below. But we will say that Salt Lake City works well for travelers who want to blend Route 66 history with national parks and wide-open western landscapes — and it’s easy to fly into.
Just as it makes a good destination, Salt Lake City can also be the starting point for a Route 66-adjacent road rip, including segments like:
- Salt Lake City to Denver
- Salt Lake City to Las Vegas
- Salt Lake City to Los Angeles
- Salt Lake City to San Francisco
- Salt Lake City to Seattle
These routes allow you to dip into Route 66 through Arizona and California while enjoying Utah’s dramatic scenery along the way.
San Francisco Route 66 One-Way RV Trips
While San Francisco isn’t on Route 66 itself, it’s a popular endpoint for travelers who finish Route 66 in Southern California and continue north. If you’ve got a longer road trip in you, consider making one of the following iconic treks:
- San Francisco to Los Angeles
- San Francisco to Las Vegas
- San Francisco to Denver
- San Francisco to Salt Lake City
- San Francisco to Seattle
These routes are ideal for travelers who want both Route 66 history and classic California coastal or mountain drives, not to mention a winery or two.
Seattle Route 66 One-Way RV Trips
Yes, Seattle is about as far away from Route 66 as you can get. But for many travelers, Seattle is the starting point for a much longer journey — one that, if you play your cards right, can begin surrounded by evergreen forests and waterfront views before transforming into that otherworldly Route 66 desert landscape further south.
To get the best of both worlds, consider one of the following for a one-way RV road trip:
- Seattle to Los Angeles
- Seattle to Las Vegas
- Seattle to Denver
- Seattle to Salt Lake City
- Seattle to San Francisco
This option works especially well for long-haul adventurers looking to experience multiple regions in one seamless RV trip.
Tips for Planning a One-Way Route 66 RV Trip
A one-way Route 66 RV road trip can be a truly unforgettable experience — but we want to make sure we mean that in the good way, not in the uh oh way.
When it comes to a drive this epic, a little bit of planning can do a lot of work. Fortunately, our team is experienced and skilled, which means you can learn from our experiences without having to repeat any beginner mistakes of your own!
Some of the bare-bones basics:
- Plan fuel stops and campgrounds in advance, especially in desert regions. We also recommend fueling up more than you strictly need to. Consider half a tank to be empty — if your upcoming planned station is out of fuel, that way, you won’t be stranded.
- Carry extra food and water, too! These are extremely remote stretches, often without cell signal.
- Allow flexibility. Route 66 is about detours and discoveries, not “getting it done.” Give yourself as much time as possible, and resist the temptation to overplan.
- Mix it up. While the road itself is the highlight for many contemporary travelers, the whole point of it was to help Americans get between cool places. Combine your classic Route 66 town stopovers with national parks, modern cities, and more.
- Choose your RV carefully. Smaller rigs can make navigating narrow alignments easier (and may be more beginner-friendly when it comes to driving), but a larger RV offers luxury and space for the long haul. Here at RVshare, you can choose from all of the above!
Start Your One-Way Route 66 RV Adventure
With one-way RV rentals between major western cities, you can experience the Mother Road your way, without rushing or retracing your steps.
Whether you’re chasing desert sunsets, neon signs, or Pacific Coast views, a one-way RV road trip lets you turn a legendary highway into a modern adventure — on your own terms. And of course, we’ll be there to help every step of the way!
