Yes, you can drive Route 66 in winter, and the road itself stays open all year. December, January and February are the coldest and darkest months, though, and two stretches decide whether your trip goes smoothly: the Arizona and New Mexico high country around Gallup, Flagstaff and Williams, where NOAA normals put 18 to 21 inches of snow a month in Flagstaff, and the Texas Panhandle, where a blizzard can blow in off the plains.
The rest of the road is cold but manageable, and the far west is mild: Barstow averages a 61°F high in January and Needles 66°F. What changes most in winter is not the pavement but the people. Small cafes, caves and campgrounds close or cut their hours, and the sun sets in Chicago at 4:22 p.m. around the solstice.
I'm Helena, and I wrote the Field Manual after driving the whole road from Chicago to Santa Monica in April 2026. Below are the official numbers, month by month, the places I know close in winter, the holiday events still on the calendar, and how I would pack and plan a winter drive.
Can you drive Route 66 in December?
You can. December is a reasonable month for the full road if you have a flexible schedule and you are happy driving shorter days. The Midwest is cold, with Chicago averaging a 37°F high, and Flagstaff gets 18.5 inches of snow in an average December. But storms come and go in a day or two, the interstate next to the old road is usually the first thing cleared, and the holiday lights in the small towns are a real reason to go.
The two things that make December harder than October are light and closures. The shortest days of the year fall in the third week of the month, and many family businesses close for Christmas week or take their winter break right after it. If you drive in December, plan around the holidays rather than through them.
Route 66 weather in December, January and February
These are NOAA's official 1991 to 2020 climate normals, rounded to the nearest degree. They are averages over 30 years, so a cold front can push any of them 20 degrees lower for a few days. For Barstow I used the Barstow-Daggett airport station, about 10 miles east of town.
| Stop | December high / low | January high / low | February high / low |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL (O'Hare) | 37°F / 24°F | 32°F / 19°F | 36°F / 22°F |
| St. Louis, MO | 45°F / 29°F | 40°F / 24°F | 46°F / 28°F |
| Tulsa, OK | 51°F / 31°F | 49°F / 28°F | 54°F / 32°F |
| Amarillo, TX | 52°F / 26°F | 52°F / 25°F | 56°F / 28°F |
| Albuquerque, NM | 47°F / 27°F | 48°F / 26°F | 54°F / 30°F |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 43°F / 17°F | 43°F / 18°F | 46°F / 20°F |
| Needles, CA | 65°F / 45°F | 66°F / 46°F | 71°F / 49°F |
| Barstow, CA (Daggett) | 60°F / 35°F | 61°F / 36°F | 66°F / 40°F |
Three things stand out. Chicago is the coldest place on the route by day, but Flagstaff is the coldest by night, with lows in the teens all winter. Amarillo and Albuquerque look mild on paper, with highs around 50°F, yet both drop well below freezing after dark, so morning frost on the windshield is normal. And the desert is the one stretch that gets easier in winter: the Mojave, which can pass 110°F in July, is pleasant driving weather.
Route 66 in December
December is the darkest month. Chicago gets about 9 hours of daylight on the solstice, and the cold settles in across Illinois and Missouri. Flagstaff averages 18.5 inches of snow, Williams 13.5 and Gallup 7.8. The holidays bring lights and events to small towns, and also closures, so call before Christmas week.
Route 66 in January
January is the coldest month nearly everywhere on the road. Chicago averages a high of 32°F and 11.3 inches of snow, and Flagstaff gets its snowiest month at 20.9 inches. In Flagstaff, an inch or more of new snow falls on about 4 to 5 days in an average January. This is the month when I would build in the most spare days.
Route 66 in February
February starts to warm from the west. Needles is back above 70°F and Albuquerque in the mid 50s. Snow is still heavy in the high country, with Flagstaff averaging 19.3 inches, and Meramec Caverns in Missouri closes for most of the month. Late February is the better half if you are flexible.
Where does it snow on Route 66?
Snow falls on most of the route at some point in winter, but only a few stretches make it a planning problem. Here are NOAA's average monthly snowfall normals, in inches, for the stations along the way.
| Station | December | January | February |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 7.6 | 11.3 | 10.7 |
| St. Louis, MO | 3.2 | 5.7 | 4.3 |
| Tulsa, OK | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.4 |
| Amarillo, TX | 3.8 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 2.8 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| Gallup, NM | 7.8 | 6.3 | 5.9 |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 18.5 | 20.9 | 19.3 |
| Williams, AZ | 13.5 | 16.8 | 12.4 |
| Needles and Barstow, CA | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Flagstaff and Williams, at about 7,000 feet
This is the hard part of a winter trip. The road climbs from Gallup, at about 6,500 feet, across the Colorado Plateau to Flagstaff and Williams, both close to 7,000 feet. Flagstaff averages about 90 inches of snow a year, more than twice what Chicago gets, and Gallup's average January low is 14°F. A storm can close I-40 for a few hours and leave the old alignments and motel parking lots icy the next morning.
My rule for this stretch: check the National Weather Service forecast for Flagstaff and Arizona's AZ511 road conditions the night before, and keep a spare day so you can wait out a storm in Gallup, Holbrook or Williams instead of driving through it. The detour to the Grand Canyon's South Rim, at about 7,000 feet too, carries the same risk.
The Texas Panhandle
Amarillo's winters are usually dry and sunny, with highs around 52°F. But the city averages close to 18 inches of snow a season, and the Panhandle is flat and open, so wind turns a few inches of snow into blowing drifts and whiteouts. The Weather Channel has ranked Amarillo the windiest city in the United States. Check the forecast before you leave Oklahoma, and if a blizzard warning is up, wait a day in Oklahoma City or Tucumcari.
Sitgreaves Pass and the Oatman Road
Sitgreaves Pass, on the old road between Kingman and Oatman, sits at 3,586 feet, about half as high as Flagstaff, so it is not where the big winter snow falls. What matters there in winter is the road and the light. The Bureau of Land Management describes it as 42 miles of paved two-lane with hairpin curves and steep grades, and vehicles longer than 40 feet are not allowed between Golden Valley and Oatman. The BLM says the road is best visited from October through April, so winter is actually its season, but with the short days, start it by early afternoon and skip it if there is ice in the forecast. I-40 is the alternative, and I compare the two in Route 66 vs. I-40.
What closes on Route 66 in winter?
Plenty of the best stops on this road are run by a family or a couple, and winter is when they rest, repair and take a vacation. Here is what I could confirm. If a place is not on this list, it does not mean it is open: it means I could not verify its winter schedule, so call.
| Place | Town | Winter status |
|---|---|---|
| Meramec Caverns | Stanton, MO | Closed February 5 to 27; call ahead in November and December |
| Springfield KOA Journey | Rochester, IL, near Springfield | Open April 1 to November 1 only |
| Meramec State Park | Sullivan, MO | Open all year, but showers and water at most sites run April 1 to October 31 |
| U-Drop Inn Cafe | Shamrock, TX | Shorter winter hours, posted as 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays |
| Midpoint Cafe | Adrian, TX | Open March through October only |
| Delgadillo's Snow Cap | Seligman, AZ | Seasonal hours; posted maintenance closures in January 2026 |
| Grand Canyon Railway | Williams, AZ | Runs daily, but leaves at 8:30 a.m. and returns at 4:45 p.m. in November and December |
The Midpoint Cafe matters most, because Adrian sits at the midpoint of the route and there is little else nearby. From November to February, stop for the sign and the photo and plan lunch in Amarillo. In Seligman, the Snow Cap posted on its own page that it would close for maintenance on several days in January 2026, and it keeps seasonal hours, so check its page the morning you drive through.
Motels in winter
The good news is that most of the famous motels keep the lights on, and winter is when you can get the room you want without booking months ahead. The catch is that small motels sometimes close for a week or two for repairs or a break, and they don't always post it far in advance. Call the motel directly a few days before. My picks, state by state, are in the best Route 66 motels.
Campgrounds and RV parks
Several Midwest campgrounds close for the season, and many that stay open turn off water at the sites to stop pipes freezing. If you travel by RV, carry fresh water and check each park's winter policy. I list the details in my guide to Route 66 camping and RV parks.
Route 66 holiday events and winter lights
Route 66 turned 100 on November 11, 2026, and a few events carry the centennial into the holidays. These are the ones with dates I confirmed. The full calendar is in Route 66 Centennial events in 2026.
- Yukon's Christmas in the Park, Yukon, Oklahoma (November 21 to January 1): free light displays from 6 to 11 p.m., in a town that sits on Route 66 just west of Oklahoma City.
- The Polar Express, Williams, Arizona (select dates from early November to late December): the Grand Canyon Railway's holiday train ride from the Williams depot. Book on the railway's own site, and early.
- The Leaning Tower of Britten, Groom, Texas: at Christmas the town lights the multicolored star on top of the tilted water tower, which you can see from I-40.
- National Route 66 Centennial Speaker Series (December 8, online): a free webinar at 11 a.m. Pacific, 2 p.m. Eastern, if you are planning from home.
If you are shopping rather than driving this December, my list of Route 66 gift ideas covers the centennial keepsakes.
Should you drive Route 66 west to east in winter?
In winter I would. Start in Santa Monica, where January highs average about 62°F, cross the Mojave in comfortable weather, and reach the Arizona high country early in the trip, while your schedule still has room. If a storm sits over Flagstaff, you wait it out in Kingman or Needles, where it is mild, and you have not yet spent your spare days.
Heading east also means the cold comes at the end, on the stretches with the most services. Missouri and Illinois are cold in January, but their towns are close together, motels are easy to find and the roads are plowed fast. Finishing at the End sign on Jackson Boulevard in a snow flurry is not a bad way to end it.
The one argument for going east to west is the finish: you arrive at the Santa Monica Pier into warm weather. Both work. What matters more than direction is that your schedule has slack exactly where the snow is, between Gallup and Williams. For the general case, and the summer version of this question, see my Route 66 road trip planner.
Plan shorter days
On December 21 the sun sets in Chicago at 4:22 p.m. Unlit two-lane alignments, deer in the Ozarks and black ice after dark don't mix, so I plan winter driving days to end by sunset. That means fewer miles per day than in spring, and usually two or three more days in total. The free trip planner at route66operator.com gives you miles and hours between 56 towns, which makes it easy to cut each day down to winter length.
What to pack for Route 66 in winter
You will see 70°F in the desert and single digits at night in Gallup on the same trip, so pack in layers rather than one heavy coat.
- Clothes: a warm insulated jacket, a fleece, a hat, gloves, and waterproof shoes with grip for icy motel lots. A light layer for the Mojave.
- For the car: an ice scraper and snow brush, a blanket, a phone charger, a flashlight, washer fluid rated for freezing temperatures, and a small shovel if you have room.
- Food and water: water and snacks for a few hours, in case I-40 closes behind a crash or a storm.
- Tires and checks: tires with good tread, and a check of the battery before you leave, because cold nights kill weak ones.
- Navigation: printed maps or a printed guide. Cell coverage drops out in parts of New Mexico, Arizona and the Mojave, and a storm is the worst time to lose it.
- Fuel: keep the tank above half west of Albuquerque. Towns are far apart, and in a closure you may idle for a while.
In Route 66, The Definitive Field Manual I put 169 maps and 105 GPS waypoints on paper for exactly this reason, along with 9 restaurants and 9 hotels per state on three budgets, so if your first choice is closed for the winter, you have others in the same state.
Is winter a good time to drive Route 66?
For the right traveler, yes. Winter is the quietest season on the road. The motels have rooms, the Grand Canyon is at its least crowded (the park says November through February), and the desert, which is the hardest part of a summer trip, is the easiest part of a winter one. You also see a side of the road most visitors don't: neon against a cold clear sky, and small towns that belong to the people who live there.
It is not the right season if you have a fixed set of days and a list of cafes you must eat at, or if you are nervous driving in snow. For those trips, look at late April to early June or September and October, which I compare in the best time to drive Route 66. If you are choosing between late fall and winter, my guide to Route 66 in the fall has the October and November numbers.
If you go in winter: drive west to east, keep two spare days for Arizona and the Panhandle, end each day by sunset, and call ahead before every stop you'd hate to miss.
