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Route 66: Chicago to Los Angeles

Route 66 is the road trip everybody wants to do at least once, and it turns out there's a fair bit of weird along it if you know where to look. Chicago alone has old airship sightings, the 2017 run of "Chicago Mothman" reports and the Lawndale giant bird case before you've even left town.

By · Published October 24, 2026

  • 3,457 km2,148 mi
  • 38.2 hof driving
  • 14stops
  • 6cards to collect

Open in the planner Directions

After that you've got the Piasa bird and the Alton torpedo story around St. Louis, the Bigfoot on 66 festival in Missouri, and a lot of old newspaper monsters out in the California desert near the end. It's a long one (plan on a week at least, honestly more), so pick the stops that grab you.

Stops along the way

Everything within 40 km of the road, in the order you'll pass it. Distances are from the start.

Chicago to St. Louis

  1. 0 kmA snapshot of the airship at Rogers ParkOld newspaper story · Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois, April 11, 1897 · 15 km off the route
  2. 0 kmChicago and Evanston stare at four lightsOld newspaper story · Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, April 9, 1897 · 19 km off the route
  3. 3 kmFifty-five 'Mothman' reports in ChicagoFamous case · Mothman, Chicago, Illinois, 2017
  4. 12 kmLawndale incidentFamous case · Thunderbird, Lawndale, Illinois, 1977
  5. 460 km'Body like a naval torpedo' over AltonFamous case · Thunderbird, Alton, Illinois, 1948 · 26 km off the route
  6. 460 kmJohn Russell invents the Piasa legendFamous case · Piasa, Alton, Illinois, 1836 · 26 km off the route
  7. 460 kmMarquette and Jolliet see the painted monstersFamous case · Piasa, Alton, Illinois, 1673 · 26 km off the route

St. Louis to Tulsa

  1. 975 kmA wild man runs through Southwest CityOld newspaper story · Southwest City, Missouri, Sept. 1891 · 36 km off the route

Tulsa to Amarillo

  1. 1102 kmBigfoot on 66 FestivalPlace to visit · Festival or event, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Flagstaff to Santa Monica

  1. 2655 kmSedona UFO Night-Vision ToursPlace to visit · Expedition or tour, Sedona, Arizona · 36 km off the route
  2. 3338 kmA vulture as tall as a manOld newspaper story · Hills south of Chino, California, June 20, 1896 · 8 km off the route
  3. 3391 kmThe airship crosses the TehachapisOld newspaper story · Los Angeles, California, Nov. 25, 1896
  4. 3395 kmA horned 'young sea serpent' in the Long Beach surfOld newspaper story · Surf in front of the Long Beach bathhouse, California, March 12, 1907 · 31 km off the route
  5. 3395 kmLong Beach fishermen meet a 40-foot serpentOld newspaper story · Off Long Beach, California, Feb. 17, 1909 · 31 km off the route

Listen along

Podcast episodes about the creatures you'll pass, in the order you'll pass them. Start it before you pull out and it keeps going with your screen off, with big buttons so you never have to type anything. Episodes stream straight from each show, so the people who make them get the listen.

  1. Mothman

    First spot on the road: Fifty-five 'Mothman' reports in Chicago

    1. "Mothman Roundtable" w/ Steve Berg & W. Dave KeithBigfoot Collectors Club · Nov 12, 2025 · 95 min
    2. Mothman - Best of Coast to Coast AM - 1/31/26The Best of Coast to Coast AM · Feb 1, 2026 · 16 min
    3. The Mothman of Point Pleasant (West Virginia)Haunted American History · Sep 28, 2026 · 20 min

  2. Thunderbird

    First spot on the road: Lawndale incident

    1. The Thunderbird Re-VisitedOut There: A Cryptid Podcast · May 28, 2026 · 49 min
    2. Weird Club: The Thunderbird Re-VisitedOut There: A Cryptid Podcast · Jun 4, 2026 · 49 min
    3. Thunderbirds: Giant Birds That Defy ScienceCryptid Files · Oct 30, 2025 · 29 min

  3. Piasa

    First spot on the road: John Russell invents the Piasa legend

    1. Piasa BirdHaunted American History · Jan 28, 2026 · 22 min
    2. Piasa - the Monster of the MississippiHistory Dispatches · Apr 27, 2026 · 20 min
    3. 2.01 PiasaThe Cryptid Cases · Jul 25, 2018 · 19 min

  4. Bigfoot

    First spot on the road: Bigfoot on 66 Festival

    1. Bigfoot The Alaskan Hairy ManSasquatch Odyssey · Oct 14, 2026 · 47 min
    2. Capturing Bigfoot Live Q&ASasquatch Odyssey · Oct 16, 2026 · 35 min
    3. Sasquatch Are Drawn to Him - Bigfoot Eyewitness Episode 559Bigfoot Eyewitness Radio · Oct 17, 2026 · 109 min

Cards you can collect on this trip

Stand within 25 km of one of these spots and tap "I'm here" in the planner or on the cards page to add the card to your collection.

Route from OpenStreetMap data (FOSSGIS routing). Always check road conditions, opening hours and festival dates before you go.