The End of Route 66—Santa Monica, CA

All good things must come to an end. When motorcycling through Route 66, the road ends in Santa Monica, CA.

Or that could be where your journey starts, depending on which way you’re going. We started our ride in Illinois, though, so Santa Monica is where we put the kickstand down.

In a way, this is a very sensible place for Route 66 to end. Thanks to its warm Mediterranean climate and natural beaches, Santa Monica has been a popular seaside resort town for well over 100 years. As such, a dip in the Pacific is ideal for washing off the dust of the road.

To officially put a period to the end of your Mother Road adventure, you must snap a photo of yourself standing by the Route 66 End of the Trail Sign. You can’t ride your motorcycle up to it, since it’s on the pedestrian-only pier, but paid parking is available at the adjoining (and often full) parking lot.

Even if the Route 66 End sign wasn’t on it, you shouldn’t miss out on strolling down the famous Santa Monica Pier. Having grown out of the Pleasure Pier built in 1916, the pier hosts the Pacific Park amusement park with a Ferris wheel, old-timey carousel, arcades, shops, and restaurants. There’s also the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, where you can gawk at sea life.

On both sides of the pier, the sands of Santa Monica Beach and several others stretch on for several miles. Really, you’ve ridden all the way here, so you owe it to yourself to sunbathe for a while. You can also take a stroll in the Palisades Park right by the beach.