From the beautiful beaches of Santa Monica, through the citrus-rich inland valleys, over mountains and across the demanding Mojave Desert, Route 66 passes through every type of Southern California landscape. The old road, which survives intact almost all the way across the state, is marked for most of its 315 miles by signs declaring it Historic Route 66; in the Mojave desert the route is also marked as National Old Trails Highway, its title before the national numbering system was put into effect in the late 1920s.
