Texas Has It’s Own Route 66 And It’s Way Cooler Than The Real One

Route 66 is an iconic highway that brought peeps from Chicago to the west coast. It ran through Texas but another, even cooler, highway also runs through the lone star state.

Route 66, aka the "Mother Road", started in Chicago and crossed 8 states before ending in Santa Monica, California. It inspired countless songs, loads of stories and a 1960's tv series before being eclipsed by modern day interstate highways.

It, or what's left of it, will celebrate its centennial in 2026 but Texas has its own version of Route 66 that is only 1 year younger ... and so much cooler.

Route 66 crossed Texas from Texola, (on the Texas/Oklahoma border), to Glenrio where it entered New Mexico ... a distance, originally, of about 178 miles. Arizona and California were next.

Meanwhile, Route 90 covered a larger chunk of Texas ... about 607 miles between Van Horn and the Louisiana border ... and offered so much more to see and do than 66 did.

Route 90 crossed pretty much the widest part of Texas and starts, or ends depending on your perspective, very close to El Paso, in Van Horn. Cool things along Highway 90 include Alpine, Marfa and Big Bend National Park. Route 66 only crossed the skinny, "Panhandle" area. (No offense Panhandle peeps.)

Along route 90 you'll find Big Bend National Park, (it's loaded with things to do), some very cool small towns like Alpine and Marfa, (home of those creepy, mystery lights), and you'll brush up against the international border between the USA and Mexico.

If you want to plan a trip along Route 90, you can use this article as a guide.