Carol Highsmith on the Alluring and Enduring Route 66

With Route 66’s centennial fast approaching in 2026, Highsmith is striving to capture every last subtlety of the famed highway, and the National Trust is committed to protecting the power of this enduring place through its Preserve Route 66 initiative. We sat down with Highsmith to learn more about her photographic process, her devotion to Route 66, and her journeys across America.

Highsmith didn't jump into photography immediately as a professional. One day, while working in broadcasting in Washington, D.C., she left her office and went inside the nearby Willard Hotel (which had been closed in 1969 and was in danger of being demolished). "I went inside, and I was hooked," Highsmith says. "I've never seen anything like it, it was just trashed."

From that point on, she dedicated her life to photographing the rebuilding of the city's Pennsylvania Avenue.

Over the years (with a number of different publishers) Highsmith and Landphair have published over 35 photography coffee table books that show the breadth and wonder of the United States.

As an adult she wanted to document every single inch of it.

Carol Highsmith: "When we started traveling America, I would always say to Ted, 'well, we have to go to Route 66." I would say, "listen, we're only two or three thousand miles away from it.' And we would always go, and he would laugh at me and say, 'right.' [laughter]. But it's always been fascinating to me."

Thus began her relationship photographing this iconic American highway. Along the way she encountered many memorable places. These photographs are sometimes planned, while others are by chance or "spur of the moment."

Carol Highsmith: "And I adore it. That car’s always been there, the old washing machine. There used to be a Corvette parked out front, an old Corvette, it’s gone now. But, you know, these are where the mules were...it's just fascinating."

For Highsmith, documenting Route 66 was a part of capturing every detail, every nuance of the United States.

Carol Highsmith: "Well, the thing about my photography is, I am not trying to give you art that I created. I’m not standing upside down so I can just give you something so unique that you won’t believe it. I’m showing you what I saw. I’m not taking it for me. I’m recording this for our history and to show what America looks like right this minute. This wonderful place."

Over the past 44+ years, Highsmith has traveled over 2 million miles.

Learn more about the National Trust for Historic Preservation's campaign to preserve Route 66, sign our petition to advocate for the Mother Road,  and then share your Route 66 story with us.