Grant Park

Route 66 begins here as a city street, not a desert highway. Grant Park meets the Michigan Avenue grid at Chicago’s lakefront, where the original 1926 alignment used Jackson Boulevard and the marked start shifted to Adams Street in 1955. Stand near Michigan and Adams, find the historic route marker, then look west: the first miles leave the Art Institute and downtown towers before the road opens into hundreds of small towns.The National Park Service lists Grant Park as Route 66’s official eastern terminus. Chicago’s 2026 centennial program also added a ceremonial Navy Pier start, so think of this Hop as the historic Grant Park chapter rather than a claim that every era used one fixed point. The park is a public outdoor site, but large events and street closures can change access. Check current conditions before you go. More

Route 66 begins here as a city street, not a desert highway. Grant Park meets the Michigan Avenue grid at Chicago’s lakefront, where the original 1926 alignment used Jackson Boulevard and the marked start shifted to Adams Street in 1955. Stand near Michigan and Adams, find the historic route marker, then look west: the first miles leave the Art Institute and downtown towers before the road opens into hundreds of small towns.The National Park Service lists Grant Park as Route 66’s official eastern terminus. Chicago’s 2026 centennial program also added a ceremonial Navy Pier start, so think of this Hop as the historic Grant Park chapter rather than a claim that every era used one fixed point. The park is a public outdoor site, but large events and street closures can change access. Check current conditions before you go. More