Kansas Historic Route 66 Byway 66
Kansas Historic Route 66 Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Kansas. Within Kansas it covers roughly 11 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Kansas Historic Route 66 Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Kansas's Historic Route 66 Byway covers just 13 miles of the Mother Road, the shortest state stretch of Route 66 anywhere, from Galena to Baxter Springs. The road received its federal Route 66 designation in 1926, growing up alongside the Tri-State lead mining boom that stretched from Galena east into Joplin and Carthage, Missouri, and south through Baxter Springs into northeastern Oklahoma. The drive still passes many of the Mother Road's original structures, including the Rainbow Bridge, or Marsh Arch Bridge, the last of its kind remaining anywhere on Route 66. Galena's vintage roadside garages have also drawn attention from fans of Pixar's 'Cars' films, which drew inspiration from towns like this one along the old highway. Short as it is, the Kansas stretch condenses lead-mining history, classic Route 66 roadside architecture, and modern pop-culture tourism into a drive that takes barely twenty minutes end to end.
- Rainbow Bridge (Marsh Arch)
- Galena to Baxter Springs
- 13 miles
- 1926 Route 66 designation
- Tri-State lead mining district
- Riverton
- Cars movie connection
Plan a drive on Kansas Historic Route 66 Byway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Kansas Historic Route 66 Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Kansas Historic Route 66 Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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