Route 66 & the Canyonlands by RV — Chris Macnamara

Road Trip Co · RV Self-Drive

For Chris Macnamara

Route 66 & the Canyonlands by RV

1 – 26 May 2027

Twenty-six days from Chicago to Los Angeles in a Cruise America C25 motorhome — Route 66 as far as Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and Zion, and the run down through Vegas to the Pacific. Flights, hotel in Chicago and the RV are all on us. Campgrounds are yours.

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The Trip at a Glance

Twenty-six days, one motorhome, and the great American road trip — Route 66 west, then the Canyonlands and down to the sea.

26Days
23RV Nights
2Chicago Nights
C25Motorhome
Day 01 · Sat 1 May

London → Chicago

A morning British Airways flight to the start of Route 66.

London Heathrow
Chicago O'Hare
Chicago
11:10
Chicago 13:50 local
British Airways BA295 out of Heathrow at 11:10, into Chicago O’Hare mid-afternoon local time. Transfer into the city and check in for two nights at the Millennium Hotel Knickerbocker — right off Michigan Avenue and around the corner from where Route 66 begins.
Days 02–03 · Sun 2 & Mon 3 May

Chicago, then the keys

A day in the city, then the RV out to Route 66.

Chicago
Cruise America depot
Route 66 · westbound
Free daySun 2 May — Chicago at your own pace
RV pickupMon 3 May, 09:00 — Cruise America Chicago depot
Route 66 beginsThe famous 'Begin Route 66' sign — E Adams St at Michigan
A free day in Chicago — the lakefront, the Art Institute, the deep-dish pizza. Monday morning at 9am you’re at the Cruise America depot to collect the C25 motorhome. The Early Departure Special is included, so you’re on the road before mid-morning with the whole of Route 66 ahead of you.
Your Chicago Hotel · Nights 1 & 2

Millennium Hotel Knickerbocker

Chicago · steps from Rush Street & Michigan Avenue

  • Steps from Chicago's vibrant Rush Street and around the corner from the start of Route 66 on E Adams
  • Walking distance to Water Tower Place, Michigan Avenue, the John Hancock Tower and Navy Pier
  • Historic Crystal Ballroom, a chophouse restaurant on the ground floor, and easy transfers to the Cruise America depot on Monday morning
Stay2 nights
RoomStandard King
BoardRoom only
Local$49 resort fee, payable at check-out
Your Motorhome · Days 3 – 26

Cruise America C25

Chicago pickup · LAX drop-off

  • A 25-foot Class C motorhome — kitchen, bathroom and sleeps up to five, more than enough for two with room to spread
  • Unlimited mileage and unlimited generator use — no per-mile clock, no rationing power at night
  • Third Party Liability and Supplemental Liability Coverage up to $1M included, and the Early Departure Special covers airport transfers at both ends
Days23
PickupCruise America Chicago · Mon 3 May 09:00
DropCruise America LAX · Wed 26 May by 15:00
Local$650 One Way + $50 Prep + $9.95 Environment fees at pickup
Days 03–11 · Mon 3 May → ~ Wed 12 May

Route 66 west — Chicago to Flagstaff

The Mother Road at your own pace — eight states, five time zones, and every diner between.

Chicago
St Louis
Oklahoma City
Amarillo
Santa Fe
Flagstaff
The heart of the trip. Route 66 runs 1,800-odd miles from the Chicago lakefront to the Arizona desert, and the RV lets you take it at your own pace. Diners, motels, gas-station museums, and the Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo. Santa Fe is worth two nights on its own; so is Flagstaff, sat at the gateway to the Grand Canyon.
Days 11–17 · ~ Wed 12 May → ~ Tue 18 May

The Canyonlands loop

Grand Canyon → Page & Horseshoe Bend → Zion — the greatest concentration of red-rock scenery on earth.

Flagstaff
Grand Canyon South Rim
Page · Horseshoe Bend
Zion National Park
Off Route 66 and into the great American canyon country. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon first — the free park shuttle handles the parking, and the Bright Angel trailhead lets you drop below the rim for as long as you’d like. North to Page for two nights: Horseshoe Bend on foot, Antelope Canyon with a Navajo guide (booked direct), and a half-day kayak on the Colorado at Horseshoe Bend — the closest you can get to paddling the Grand Canyon inside a day. Then Zion, where the Virgin River has cut a valley you can walk straight up.
Days 17–25 · ~ Tue 18 May → ~ Wed 26 May

Zion → Las Vegas → Los Angeles

The desert south to the Strip, then the run down through Death Valley or Joshua Tree to the Pacific.

Zion
Las Vegas
Death Valley (optional)
Joshua Tree (optional)
Los Angeles
VegasA night or two on the Strip — the RV parks well outside town
Death ValleyThe lowest, hottest, driest point in North America — dramatic in May
Joshua TreeThe alternative — softer, easier, boulder-strewn desert
LA arrivalAim for the coast at Santa Monica — the western end of Route 66
Out of Zion and south into Nevada. Vegas is worth a night for the sheer improbability of it. From there you cross into California — either the wide open of Death Valley or the softer boulders of Joshua Tree — before rolling into the LA basin and the Pacific at Santa Monica Pier, where Route 66 formally ends.
Day 26 · Wed 26 May

Los Angeles → London

Drop the RV at LAX, then a red-eye home.

RV drop · LAX
Los Angeles
London Heathrow
RV backBy 15:00 — Cruise America LAX depot (return airport transfer included)
FlyBA282 · LAX 15:45 → Heathrow 10:15 next morning
Drop the RV at the Cruise America LAX depot by 3pm — a transfer to the terminal is included in the Early Departure Special. BA282 out at 15:45, into Heathrow at 10:15 the following morning. Twenty-six days behind you, and one very good story.
What you'll see

The moments this trip is built around.

C25
Cruise America Motorhome

Twenty-three days in a 25-foot Class C — kitchen, bathroom, sleeps five. Unlimited mileage, unlimited generator, LAX transfer included.

1,800mi
Route 66 (Chicago → Flagstaff)

The Mother Road as far as Flagstaff — the classic western half, at your own pace.

1,857m
Grand Canyon South Rim

The shuttle bus, the rim trail, and the Bright Angel trailhead for a walk below the edge.

5mi
Kayak Horseshoe Bend

A half-day guided paddle down the Colorado from Page — the closest you can get to a Grand Canyon paddle in a single day.

1
Zion National Park

Angels Landing (permit), the Emerald Pools and the Riverside Walk into the Narrows.

0m
Santa Monica Pier

The Pacific end of Route 66 and the finish line of the whole trip.

Plus Antelope Canyon at Page, Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo, and the option of Death Valley or Joshua Tree on the way into LA.

Good to know

How this trip is set up.

Return British Airways flights London Heathrow → Chicago O'Hare and Los Angeles → London Heathrow, both in Economy with 23 kg checked baggage.
23 days in a Cruise America C25 motorhome — Chicago pickup, LAX drop, unlimited mileage.
2 nights in Chicago at the Millennium Knickerbocker before the RV pickup, room only.
RV campgrounds are not included and are booked by you directly — this keeps the itinerary flexible and lets you decide the pace each day.
The suggested Canyonlands loop (Grand Canyon → Page → Zion) leaves Route 66 west of Flagstaff and rejoins near Kingman for the run to Vegas.
You cannot canoe through the Grand Canyon in a day. The Horseshoe Bend paddle at Page is the closest equivalent and covers that itch.
What's included
  • Return British Airways flights London Heathrow ↔ USA (Economy · 23 kg checked)
  • 2 nights at the Millennium Hotel Knickerbocker, Chicago (Standard King, room only)
  • 23-day Cruise America C25 motorhome — Chicago pickup, LAX drop-off
  • Unlimited mileage, unlimited generator & Supplemental Liability Coverage up to $1M
  • Early Departure Special — 9am pickup, 3pm drop, LAX airport transfer + all vehicle kits

Not included — booked directly or paid locally

  • RV campgrounds throughout — booked by you directly, at your own pace
  • RV fees at the Chicago depot on collection: One Way Fee $650, Preparation Fee $50, Environment Fee $9.95
  • $49 resort fee at the Chicago hotel (payable at check-out)
  • National park entrance fees — we recommend the "America the Beautiful" annual pass ($80 at the first park gate, then free at every other)
  • Optional Zero Damage Plan on the RV (reduces excess to $0 — added at the depot)
  • Fuel, meals, activities and anything not listed above

Trip total, for two

£5,841
£500 Deposit to hold Balance due 16 January 2027

Return flights and 23-day motorhome rental included · Campgrounds & RV fees paid locally

The route

Chicago to the Pacific, at your own pace.

Tap the days to follow the trip — Route 66, then the canyons, then the coast.

Ready when you are

Shall we lock it in?

Reply to your quote email or drop me a line — the RV is on request, so the sooner we know your dates the sooner I can hold it.

Get in touch

hello@roadtripclub.co.uk

A tailor-made trip by Road Trip Co