Route 66 in Kansas – All the highlights!

In what might be the longest running series of posts on this site, today I’m continuing my Route 66 Photo Story with Kansas – the sixth state on the route as we travelled from west to east. Two more to go! You can see highlights of the other Route 66 states here. We’re nearly there folks!

Now, I’ll be honest, Kansas was a bit tricky to do. Other states have long stretches of Route 66, giving me lots of options of photos to choose from. Kansas has a grand total of 12 miles of Route 66 before it heads into Missouri.

Thankfully, those 12 miles do have a number of attractions, including the “Cars on the Route” gas station that is home to the tow truck which inspired the character “Mater” in the animated Pixar movie “Cars”. We also cheated a little and went off Route to visit a huge mining machine.

Here then are some of our favourite photos from our brief Kansas Route 66 adventure!

I also have many of these photos available for purchase in my online Route 66 photo gallery here if you’re interested in having a memory of your Route 66 trip to hang on your wall.

Route 66 in Kansas

Here, in no particular order, were some of our favourite Route 66 sights in Kansas. For much more detail and useful information, see the Kansas section of our 2 Week Route 66 itinerary.

Rainbow Bridge

You can’t have a Route 66 road without the Route 66 logo printed on the road somewhere! And Kansas delivered, with this road marking taking pride of place on the entry to the Rainbow Bridge, just north of Baxter Springs, or two miles west of Riverton.

The bridge crosses Brush Creek, and is the last surviving Marsh Arch bridge on the entirety of the route!

Galena Signs and Murals

There are not many towns and cities on the 12 miles of Route 66 in Kansas. This however does mean that the towns that you do pass through are really able to showcase their love of the Route. The town of Galena for example has signs…

murals…

and even an old city jail!

The streets were very pretty with nice signs and shops to see.

As well as some interesting houses.

I mentioned the Cars movie earlier. You can pop in to the home of “Mater” when you’re here.

There he is!

And from another angle. Because he’s so cute.

Baxter Springs Gas Station

Of course no Route 66 photo essay would be complete without an old style gas station. This one is in Baxter Springs, a city Route 66 passes through in Kansas.

There’s an old Route 66 park just outside the city.

Perfect to pause awhile.

Big Brutus

And here is that promised mining machine – the “Big Brutus”. At its time, this was the second largest machine of its kind in the world. Yes, we had to cheat a little in terms of Route 66 for this one – a worthy deviation I think you’ll agree.

And that brings us to the end of Kansas! A short Route 66 journey, but an essential one. Now for a bit of further reading to help you plan your own Route 66 adventure.

Tips for Planning your own Route 66 Adventure

If you’re planning your own historic Route 66 adventure, we’ve got a bit of reading for you!

• First, be inspired by photos from all the states we visited, by checking our photos highlights from each Route 66 state: California, Arizona, New Mexico,  Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri & Illinois
• Next, check out Jess’s comprehensive guide to planning a Route 66 trip
• Then, take a look out our incredibly detailed day by day Route 66 itinerary, which covers all the sights you want to see, route tips, lodging options and places to eat. We also have a 1 week Route 66 road trip itinerary if you have less time
• If you’re looking for lodging, see our guide to where to stay along Route 66
• If you’re new to driving in the US, check out my tips for driving in the US to get you started
• Not sure how much it’s all going to cost? We’ve got you covered with our guide to travel costs in the USA
• Finally, take a look at this book – the best way in our opinion to successfully navigate the entire length of Route 66 as faithfully as you can. We followed it the whole way, and even met the author, and couldn’t have done without it!

Enjoy your Route 66 trip, and let us know which has been your favourite state so far in the comments below!