diff --git a/ec2api/api/route_table.py b/ec2api/api/route_table.py
index de443c2e..6d76b578 100644
--- a/ec2api/api/route_table.py
+++ b/ec2api/api/route_table.py
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ class RouteTableDescriber(common.TaggableItemsDescriber,
 
 
 def describe_route_tables(context, route_table_id=None, filter=None):
+    ec2utils.check_and_create_default_vpc(context)
     formatted_route_tables = RouteTableDescriber().describe(
             context, ids=route_table_id, filter=filter)
     return {'routeTableSet': formatted_route_tables}
diff --git a/ec2api/tests/unit/fakes.py b/ec2api/tests/unit/fakes.py
index 04d51293..01b3e282 100644
--- a/ec2api/tests/unit/fakes.py
+++ b/ec2api/tests/unit/fakes.py
@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@ ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_DEFAULT = random_ec2_id('rtb')
 ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_1 = random_ec2_id('rtb')
 ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_2 = random_ec2_id('rtb')
 ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_3 = random_ec2_id('rtb')
+ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_ASSOCIATION_DEFAULT = ID_EC2_VPC_DEFAULT.replace('vpc',
+                                                                    'rtbassoc')
 ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_ASSOCIATION_1 = ID_EC2_VPC_1.replace('vpc', 'rtbassoc')
 ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_ASSOCIATION_2 = ID_EC2_SUBNET_2.replace('subnet',
                                                            'rtbassoc')
@@ -1242,6 +1244,21 @@ DB_ROUTE_TABLE_3 = {
                {'destination_cidr_block': CIDR_VPN_1_STATIC,
                 'gateway_id': ID_EC2_VPN_GATEWAY_1}],
 }
+EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_DEFAULT = {
+    'routeTableId': ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_DEFAULT,
+    'vpcId': ID_EC2_VPC_DEFAULT,
+    'routeSet': [
+        {'destinationCidrBlock': CIDR_VPC_DEFAULT,
+         'gatewayId': 'local',
+         'state': 'active',
+         'origin': 'CreateRouteTable'}],
+    'associationSet': [
+        {'routeTableAssociationId': ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_ASSOCIATION_DEFAULT,
+         'routeTableId': ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_DEFAULT,
+         'main': True}],
+    'propagatingVgwSet': [],
+    'tagSet': [],
+}
 EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_1 = {
     'routeTableId': ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_1,
     'vpcId': ID_EC2_VPC_1,
diff --git a/ec2api/tests/unit/test_route_table.py b/ec2api/tests/unit/test_route_table.py
index 46c739cd..a15de09b 100644
--- a/ec2api/tests/unit/test_route_table.py
+++ b/ec2api/tests/unit/test_route_table.py
@@ -726,7 +726,8 @@ class RouteTableTestCase(base.ApiTestCase):
             'DependencyViolation', 'DeleteRouteTable',
             {'RouteTableId': fakes.ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_2})
 
-    def test_describe_route_tables(self):
+    @mock.patch('ec2api.api.ec2utils.check_and_create_default_vpc')
+    def test_describe_route_tables(self, check_and_create):
         self.set_mock_db_items(
             fakes.DB_ROUTE_TABLE_1, fakes.DB_ROUTE_TABLE_2,
             fakes.DB_ROUTE_TABLE_3, fakes.DB_SUBNET_1, fakes.DB_SUBNET_2,
@@ -769,7 +770,8 @@ class RouteTableTestCase(base.ApiTestCase):
             'DescribeRouteTables', 'routeTableSet',
             fakes.ID_EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_1, 'routeTableId')
 
-    def test_describe_route_tables_variations(self):
+    @mock.patch('ec2api.api.ec2utils.check_and_create_default_vpc')
+    def test_describe_route_tables_variations(self, check_and_create):
         igw_1 = tools.purge_dict(fakes.DB_IGW_1, ('vpc_id',))
         igw_2 = tools.update_dict(fakes.DB_IGW_2,
                                   {'vpc_id': fakes.ID_EC2_VPC_2})
@@ -1129,6 +1131,19 @@ class RouteTableTestCase(base.ApiTestCase):
             mock.ANY, self.neutron, 'fake_cleaner', fakes.DB_ROUTE_TABLE_1,
             [fakes.DB_SUBNET_1])
 
+    @mock.patch('ec2api.api.ec2utils.check_and_create_default_vpc')
+    def test_describe_route_tables_no_default_vpc(self, check_and_create):
+        def mock_check_and_create(context):
+            self.set_mock_db_items(fakes.DB_VPC_DEFAULT,
+                                   fakes.DB_ROUTE_TABLE_DEFAULT)
+        check_and_create.side_effect = mock_check_and_create
+
+        resp = self.execute('DescribeRouteTables', {})
+        self.assertEqual(resp['routeTableSet'],
+                         [fakes.EC2_ROUTE_TABLE_DEFAULT])
+
+        check_and_create.assert_called_once_with(mock.ANY)
+
 
 class RouteTableValidatorTestCase(test_base.BaseTestCase):