Interstate 44: Rolla to Doolittle – Missouri

Take a short but scenic ride through the Missouri Ozarks as we follow a 5-mile stretch of Interstate 44 from Rolla to Doolittle—a brief but meaningful leg of Historic Route 66. This compact drive offers a snapshot of mid-Missouri’s rolling terrain, its evolving road network, and the quiet echoes of the Mother Road’s heyday, all while skirting the northern edge of the Mark Twain National Forest.

We begin our journey in Rolla, merging onto I-44 westbound from Kingshighway near the city’s bustling core. Rolla, a college town known for the Missouri University of Science and Technology, is a regional hub where Route 66 has long intersected with progress. The interchange here reflects that dual identity—bridging both the old and the new. As we accelerate onto the interstate, we briefly pass the last signs of Rolla’s development: motel chains, fuel stops, and roadside diners that harken back to a more analog era of travel. Within moments, the landscape begins to open up, transitioning from commercial corridors to a patchwork of wooded hills and farmland typical of the northern Ozarks.

Curving gently northwestward, the highway unfolds across a rising ridge line, offering elevated glimpses of the surrounding countryside. To the south lies the outer edge of the Mark Twain National Forest, its dense canopy giving way to open meadows and narrow hollows. This section of I-44 closely parallels the original alignment of Route 66, which occasionally diverges just to the south as County Highway V or T. Though updated for modern traffic, the road here still evokes a sense of nostalgia—smooth concrete flanked by older utility poles and weather-worn fence lines. Traffic is moderate, and the mood is unhurried; many travelers here are either heading toward Fort Leonard Wood or exploring the smaller Ozark communities that dot the map like forgotten postcards.

As we approach exit 179, the terrain flattens and the woods thin out. A modest exit sign points us toward Highways T and C—our off-ramp into Doolittle and Newburg. Doolittle itself was founded during World War II as a railroad town serving nearby Fort Leonard Wood, and its name honors aviation hero Jimmy Doolittle. Though small, the town still sits proudly alongside Route 66, with a few vintage motels and gas stations serving as reminders of the golden age of road trips. Just beyond Doolittle lies Newburg, nestled along the Little Piney River and once a key stop on the Frisco Railroad line. As our drive ends here, the rhythm of the road slows, and we’re left with a sense of transition—between cities and countryside, modern interstates and historic alignments, past journeys and the next stretch of road ahead.