After 2,448 miles, eight states, two time zones, and somewhere between two and three weeks on the road, you'll roll into Santa Monica.
You'll smell the Pacific before you see it. You'll merge onto Lincoln Boulevard, then onto Ocean Avenue, then onto the parking lot of the Santa Monica Pier — and you'll see the sign.
"End of the Trail. Santa Monica 66."
This is the photo every Route 66 traveler takes. This is the moment that gets posted on every social media feed after every Mother Road trip. And it is — almost — the official end of America's most famous highway.
Here's what to know.
The Sign Isn't Actually the Original Terminus
The brown wooden "End of the Trail" sign on Santa Monica Pier was erected in 2009 — it's a tourist landmark, not a historic marker. Route 66 was originally terminated about a mile inland, at the corner of Lincoln Boulevard and Olympic Boulevard, when the route was first commissioned in 1926. In 1936, the western end was extended to Santa Monica Boulevard's intersection with Ocean Avenue — that's the historical "end."
Neither location is on the pier itself. But the pier is where the photo is, where the symbolism lives, and where every traveler ends up. Take the photo. Don't let a technicality ruin the moment.
The Pier Itself
Santa Monica Pier was built in 1909 and is one of the last operating wooden pleasure piers in California. It has:
Pacific Park. A small amusement park on the pier itself, with the Pacific Wheel (a solar-powered Ferris wheel that's the official symbol of Santa Monica) and a small roller coaster.
The Arcade. Old-school games, skee-ball, photo booths.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Yes, the Forrest Gump-themed restaurant chain has a flagship here. Skip it unless you're with kids who insist.
The fishing pier section. The west end of the pier is a working fishing pier — free, no license required for adults fishing from the pier itself. You'll see locals out here every morning.
The carousel building. A beautiful 1916 Looff Hippodrome carousel, still operating. $3 a ride, but worth a walk-through for the architecture even if you don't ride.
How to Time Your Arrival
If you have the option, arrive in the late afternoon and stay through sunset. The Pacific sunset behind the pier is genuinely spectacular, and the light makes the "End of the Trail" photo work in a way midday light never will.
If you're arriving in the morning, take the photo, walk the pier, eat lunch, and come back at sunset if you have time.
What to Do After the Photo
You've finished Route 66. Now you're in Santa Monica, a great city for a few days of rest before flying home. Some options:
Walk the beach. Santa Monica State Beach stretches for miles in both directions from the pier. Walk south toward Venice or north toward Pacific Palisades. Bring a towel.
Third Street Promenade. A pedestrian shopping street two blocks from the pier, with restaurants, street performers, and good people-watching.
Venice Beach. A 30-minute walk or 5-minute drive south. Tattoo parlors, bodybuilders at Muscle Beach, the famous boardwalk, basketball courts where pickup games run all day. It's grittier than Santa Monica and exactly what Venice should be.
Drive the Pacific Coast Highway. If your trip allows another day or two, PCH north toward Malibu is one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the country. It's a fitting epilogue to Route 66.
Where to Eat
The Lobster. Right at the entrance to the pier, with the best view of the ocean and the pier from the dining room. Pricey but iconic.
Pacific Park's snack stands. Cheap and fine if you just want a corn dog and a churro.
Bay Cities Italian Deli. A few blocks east of the pier on Lincoln Boulevard. Best Italian sub on the West Coast — get the "Godmother." It's a Santa Monica institution.
Cassia. Modern Southeast Asian, two miles east of the pier. One of LA's best restaurants. Splurge dinner.
The Original Muscle Beach. Right next to the pier, technically more bars than food, but the Patrick's Roadhouse location is a Route 66 traveler's favorite — green-painted diner, photos of every famous person who's ever stopped by, and very fair prices given the location.
Where to Sleep
Splurge: Shutters on the Beach. Right on the sand, two blocks from the pier. One of LA's most romantic hotels.
Boutique mid-range: Hotel Casa del Mar. Historic 1926 building, right on the beach, beautifully restored. A Route 66 traveler's perfect last night.
Affordable: The Ambrose Hotel in mid-Santa Monica is clean, well-priced, and a 10-minute walk from the pier.
Practical Tips
Parking is the hardest part. The pier has its own lots but they're expensive and fill up by early afternoon in summer. The cheapest option is to park east of Ocean Avenue (in residential streets where it's legal) and walk 10 minutes.
Buy a Route 66 souvenir at the End of the Trail. There's a small shop on the pier — Route 66 t-shirts, maps, books, the works. It's where you finally permit yourself to buy the souvenir you've been resisting since Chicago.
Take the photo with someone, not alone. Ask another traveler or a tourist to take your photo. The pier is full of people who'll be glad to, and you'll regret not having yourself in the shot.
Don't fly home the same day you finish. Your trip deserves an evening of celebration. Stay one more night in Santa Monica, eat dinner facing the ocean, and let the trip land before you head to the airport.
You Did It
There aren't many things left in America that take 2,400 miles to finish. You drove one of them. Welcome to the Pacific.
Back to the Pillar
Santa Monica Pier is stop ten of ten — the end of the road. See the full route here: Most People Drive Route 66 Wrong. These Are the 10 Stops That Matter.
