July 1, 2026
The Route 66 Cheese Trail Is Live: Eight States, One Mother Road, and the Artisan Cheesemakers Bringing It Back to Life
PETALUMA, CA— Cheese Trail (CheeseTrail.org) today launches the Route 66 Cheese Trail— a curated, eight-state route that connects travelers to the artisancheesemakers, cheese shops, and food destinations strung along America’s most storied highway.
Spanning Illinois,Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, thetrail goes live in conjunction with the 2026 Route 66 Centennial andoffers a real alternative to the corridor’s modern landscape of mega gasstations and shelf-stable snacks. It’s the first national cheese trail in thecountry.
“When Route 66 was built, astop on the road meant a conversation with a local and a snack made by someonewho lived nearby,” said Vivien Straus, Founder of Cheese Trail. “That kind food never fully disappeared — it just got harder to find. The Route 66 Cheese Trail is how you find it again.”
Cheese Trail launched inCalifornia more than fifteen years ago and has since distributed more than 800,000 printed maps in partnership with creameries, cheese shops, and tourism organizations across the state. The national expansion is supported by the American Cheese Society and by state and regional partners along the route, including the New Mexico Cheese Guild — the trail’s first fully integrated state partner — and the Albuquerque City Council, which has recognized the Route 66 portion of the trail as a partner in promoting authentic, place-based travel along the corridor.
Stops Along the Trail
A few of the standouts:
Oklahoma — Engel Farms(Perkins). A dynamic one-womanoperation. Sign up ahead for one of Valerie’s cheesemaking classes — known forboth the learning and the storytelling — or just stop by to pick up cheese.
Texas — Watonga CheeseFactory (Perryton). The Watonga story is pureRoute 66. The original 1940 Oklahoma factory was destroyed by Tropical StormErin in 2007; the recipe and equipment were salvaged and relocated to the TexasPanhandle, where production continues today. A direct line back to a time whensmall-town American cheddar was a roadside staple.
New Mexico — The Mouse HoleCheese Shop (Albuquerque). Albuquerque’s only cheeseshop that cuts to order, specializing in hard-to-find small-batch cheeses. Travelers can also have their cheese selected by Hanna Lee, winner of the 2025 International Young Cheesemonger of the Year Award. While in town, stop by the of Anthropology at UNM (free admission) for an exhibition onfermentation — featuring cheese, beer, and bread vessels from around the world.
The full trail, with maps and the complete list of stops, is live at CheeseTrail.org.
A Partnership Model
With active support fromboth the New Mexico Cheese Guild and the Albuquerque City Council, New Mexico hasthe highest concentration of stops along Route 66 thus far.
“We are proud to bring NewMexico into a national conversation about real food,” said Lissa Knudsen,Acting Executive Director of the New Mexico Cheese Guild. “Our cheesemakers anddairy farmers have been doing exceptional work, and the Route 66 Cheese Trail gives travelers a clear, organized way to find them — and to support them.”
Cheese Trail invites all cheesemakersand independent cheese shops along Route 66 to join for free.
About Cheese Trail
Cheese Trail(CheeseTrail.org) is a food and travel platform connecting the public withartisan cheesemakers, cheese shops, and cheese-focused destinations across theUnited States. It was founded in 2011 by Vivien Straus — former VP of Marketing at Straus Family Creamery, the first organic dairy west of the Mississippi. Sponsors and collaboration partners include the American Cheese Society, American AgCredit, Qualtech, Nelson-Jameson, Pacific Coast Coalition, Marin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Sonoma Ag + Open Space, Petaluma Market, Ohio Cheese Guild, New Jersey Cheese Guild, and California Artisan Cheese Guild. Vivien now runs Cheese Trail together with her brother Michael Straus.
About the New Mexico Cheese Guild
The New Mexico Cheese Guild is a non-profit organization supporting the state’s artisanal cheesemakers, small-scale dairy farmers, and cheese enthusiasts through education and promotion.
Media Contacts
Cheese Trail
Michael Straus, Partner
hello@cheesetrail.org
(415) 566-1271
New Mexico Cheese Guild
Lissa Knudsen, Acting Executive Director
Lissa@NMCheeseGuild.com
(505) 218-5115
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