Elk City is on I-40, the main east-west interstate across Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle, at the intersection with US-283 running north-south. Oklahoma City is about 120 miles east, Amarillo about 170 miles west. There is no passenger train service and no commercial airport — the nearest airports are Oklahoma City (Will Rogers World Airport) and Amarillo Rick Husband International.
By road, Elk City is straightforward: take I-40 exit 38 for the museum complex and Route 66 historic alignments, exit 40 for the main commercial strip. Most travellers come through on the I-40 cross-country drive; Elk City is one of the few stops along the Oklahoma-Texas stretch that genuinely rewards getting off the interstate.