What awaits at the End of the Trail on this legendary highway is truly awe-inspiring and worth every minute spent traversing the road. If you’ve heard the song, “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66”, then you have already memorized all the stops along the way. California, the final state you drive into, has you crossing the perilous Mojave Desert and welcomes you into the urban sprawl that is Los Angeles, right through the heart of Hollywood, and finally leads to the buzzing city of Santa Monica.

Most believe that the road ends at the Pacific Ocean - and they aren’t wrong. The Santa Monica Pier is regarded as the official stop to Route 66, and the landmark was identified by a sign that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, marking Santa Monica as the “End of the Trail”. Although it vanished just as mysteriously as it appeared about half a century ago, a replica of the original sign marks the spot on the pier. Be sure to snap some selfies under the sign and simply rejoice at having become part of the scores of travellers who sought this destination as they began their journey on Route 66.