Planning a Route 66 road trip doesn’t have to start with a screen. One of the most classic ways to prepare for the Mother Road is by collecting free Route 66 brochures, travel guides, and maps: the same kind travelers have been flipping through for generations. These paper guides are packed with practical details, local insight, and inspiration you won’t always find in an app, making them a surprisingly useful (and nostalgic) part of trip planning.
All along Route 66, state tourism offices, cities, towns, and Route 66 associations offer free visitor guides and maps designed to help travelers make the most of their time on the road. Many of these brochures can be ordered online and mailed straight to your door before your trip, giving you plenty of time to map out stops, spot must-see attractions, and flag places you don’t want to miss. Others are available as digital downloads, perfect for saving to your phone or tablet for quick reference on the go.
You don’t have to plan everything in advance, either. Once you’re actually traveling Route 66, free brochures are easy to find along the way. Visitor and Welcome Centers, Route 66 museums, hotels and motels, and even some rest areas stock free travel guides and local maps you can grab as you go. These guides often highlight nearby attractions, historic sites, events, and dining spots, sometimes pointing you toward surprises you didn’t even know to look for.
This guide brings all of those resources together in one place. Below, you’ll find links to free Route 66 brochures from states, cities, counties, and Route 66 organizations across the entire route. Whether you prefer planning ahead with a stack of mailed guides or picking up paper maps mile by mile, these free brochures are an easy, old-school way to get to know Route 66, one page at a time.
Free Route 66 Road Trip Checklist
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Free Route 66 Brochures by State
Illinois Tourism Brochures
Illinois is where every Route 66 journey begins, and it’s also one of the easiest places to stock up on free Route 66 brochures and visitor guides. From statewide travel guides to city-specific maps and Route 66 association resources, Illinois offers plenty of ways to plan your trip before you ever hit the road.
Missouri Tourism Brochures
Missouri’s stretch of Route 66 is packed with classic roadside stops, small towns, and some of the Mother Road’s most recognizable scenery. It’s also a great state for picking up free Route 66 brochures and visitor guides.
Kansas Tourism Brochures
Kansas may have the shortest stretch of Route 66, but it still delivers plenty of classic Mother Road charm. Pick up a free Kansas tourism brochure as an easy way to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
Oklahoma Tourism Brochures
With more drivable miles of the Mother Road than anywhere else, Oklahoma is the heart of Route 66. Makes your road trip easy to plan with a number of free Route 66 brochures and visitor guides available throughout the state. You can even order a free Oklahoma Route 66 Passport to bring along on your journey!
Texas Tourism Brochures
Texas brings big skies, wide-open roads, and some unforgettable Route 66 moments. If you’re heading this way, free Texas tourism brochures and visitor guides are a helpful way to plan your stops and get a feel for what’s ahead.
New Mexico Tourism Brochures
From neon-lit motels to high desert landscapes, New Mexico adds a new layer of color and adventure to your Mother Road road trip. Pick up a free New Mexico tourism brochure to better understand what makes this section of Route 66 so distinct.
Arizona Tourism Brochures
Arizona’s stretch of Route 66 is all about dramatic scenery, historic towns, and some of the most memorable drives on the Mother Road. To make the most of it, free Arizona tourism brochures and visitor guides can help you plan your route and spot can’t-miss stops along the way.
California Tourism Brochures
California marks the final stretch of Route 66, where the Mother Road meets the Pacific. To make the most of this iconic ending, free California tourism brochures and visitor guides are a great way to plan your stops and uncover hidden gems along the route.
Go Beyond Free Brochures with a Route 66 Guidebook or Map
Free brochures are a great starting point, but if you want to dig a little deeper into Route 66, a dedicated Route 66 guidebook and map, like the Route 66 EZ66 GUIDE For Travelers and Rand McNally the Official Route 66 Centennial Map, can help tie everything together. Guidebooks are designed to give you a clear, mile-by-mile view of the route, with detailed maps, historical context, and practical tips that make navigating the Mother Road easier, especially in areas where Route 66 splits, disappears, or overlaps with modern highways.
Using a guidebook and map alongside free state and city brochures gives you the best of both worlds. The brochures highlight local attractions and events, while a guidebook helps you understand how each town fits into the bigger Route 66 story and how to get there without missing important stops and maps help get you where you’re going. If you’re planning a longer trip or want a little more structure to your itinerary, a good Route 66 guidebook, like the Route 66 EZ66 GUIDE For Travelers, and a dedicated map, like the Rand McNally the Official Route 66 Centennial Map, are reliable companions from Chicago to Santa Monica.
Free Route 66 brochures offer one of the simplest ways to plan a Mother Road adventure. Whether you like spreading paper maps across the kitchen table before you leave or collecting visitor guides as souvenirs along the way, these resources help you slow down, explore deeper, and enjoy Route 66 mile by mile.
Order a few guides in advance, grab others at visitor centers as you travel, and don’t be afraid to mix paper planning with digital tools. However you use them, these free brochures are proof that some of the best road trip planning still starts with a map, a guidebook, and the open road ahead.
