Historic Route 66
"Motor West" and Get More than a Kick on Arizona's Route 66

Departure: Painted Cliffs Welcome Center, Arizona
Destination: Topock, Arizona
Time to allow: 4 days

Your 4-day adventure on Arizona's Route 66 takes you from the New Mexico border to the byway town of Topock. Along the way you will encounter Wild West gun fights, natural wonders, and the eclectic culture of the Mother Road.

Day 1

  • Start: Painted Cliffs Welcome Center

    The Painted Cliff Welcome Center provides an overview of what is to come on your Route 66 adventure. Knowledgeable travel specialists will help you pick and choose which of the historic and natural wonders you want to visit on your journey. Exhibits within the museum showcase communities and attractions of Route 66.

  • Stop 1: Ortega's Indian Trading Post

    From previous stop: 2 minutes / 0.5 mi (0.8 km)
    Directions:

    You will pass the trading post on your way to the Welcome Center, so you will backtrack to the attraction.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    Experience Native American culture, and a part of Route 66’s notoriety at Ortega’s Indian Trading Post. The trading post opened on Route 66 in 1960.

  • Stop 2: Petrified Forest National Park Route 66 Interpretive Stop

    From previous stop: 1 hour / 73 mi (116.8 km)
    Directions:

    Enter I-40 at Lupton, then head west to exit 311, the Petrified Forest National Park exit. Enter the Park and travel South about 5 miles to the Route 66 Interpretive Pull-off. The Desert Inn museum is just a little farther south.
    Suggested time at this stop: 30 minutes

    The Petrified Forest National Park is the only National Park that Route 66 ran through. After the Park was bypassed, Rangers preserved some of the Park’s Route 66 history. This is the only place where telephone poles still stand along the abandoned Route, and there is a well-preserved stretch of road. Learn more about the connection between the park and the byway at this interpretive stop.

  • Stop 3: Petrified Forest National Park

    From previous stop: 5 minutes / 5 mi (8.0 km)
    Directions:

    There is only one road within the PFNP. Once you leave the Route 66 Interpretive area, stops are dotted along the road where you can pull off and explore the petrified logs and the views of the Painted Dessert.
    Suggested time at this stop: 2 hours

    This 52,000-acre National Park houses the largest and most colorful collection of petrified wood in the world. This site boasts historic structures, archaeological sites, a fascinating ecosystem, and an impressive Route 66 history.

  • Stop 4: The Painted Desert

    From previous stop: same location
    Directions:

    The Painted Desert can be seen from points all around Northern Arizona’s Eastern area, but is easiest to enjoy within the PFNP. So whether you drive a few feet or across the entire park, you will get to experience the beauty of the Painted Desert.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    The heart of the Painted Desert, a colorful fantasyland of mesa, buttes, and badlands, can be viewed from the Petrified Forest National Park. Walk a short distance from the historic Desert Inn to experience this natural wonder of beauty and solitude.

  • End: The Community of Holbrook

    From previous stop: 15 minutes / 19 mi (30.4 km)
    Directions:

    Take Highway 180 outside the south entrance of the PFNP directly to Hobrook’s Route 66.

    The first day's adventure comes to a close in Holbrook. In the city, you can enjoy a meal at mom and pop eateries, explore Hashknife Pony Express, browse exhibits in the Holbrook County Museum, and spend the night in a wigwam.

Totals for Day 1

Total Distance Traveled: 97.5 miles / 156.0 km
Total Travel Time: 1 hour 22 minutes
Total Stopping Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Day 2

  • Stop 1: Joseph City

    From previous stop: 5 minutes / 8 mi (12.8 km)
    Directions:

    Take I-40 west and exit at the next exit: 277, St. Joseph
    Suggested time at this stop: 45 minutes

    Founded by Mormon settlers in 1876 as Allen’s Camp, the settlement's name was later changed to Joseph City. Stop at the Old Fort Monument and end your Joseph City visit at the Jackrabbit Trading Post. The trading post hails from Route 66’s glory days and is still in operation. With a large plastic jackrabbit that young and old can sit upon for pictures, the facility is considered a major Route 66 attraction by Mother Road enthusiasts.

  • Stop 2: The Community of Winslow

    From previous stop: 10 minutes / 17 mi (27.2 km)
    Directions:

    Take I-40 west to the First Winslow exit, exit 257, which will lead you right onto Route 66.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    Mentioned in the famous song "Take it Easy" by the Eagles, Winslow has a monument on the corner bearing witness to that claim to fame. Diners, motor courts, and shops are within walking distance in the downtown area on Route 66, and the Standing on the Corner Park has been so successful that the city created an annual festival around it.

  • Stop 3: Twin Arrows

    From previous stop: 25 minutes / 33 mi (52.8 km)
    Directions:

    Travel Route 66 in Winslow to the I-40 on-ramp. Take I-40 to exit 219: Twin Arrows.
    Suggested time at this stop: 10 minutes

    As a gimmick to encourage road-trip travelers to stop at the gas station, curio shop, and diner, two telephone poles were put in the ground diagonally. Plywood feathers and tips were created and then painted a bright yellow and red, and a legend was born.

  • Stop 4: Walnut Canyon National Monument

    From previous stop: 10 minutes / 15 mi (24.0 km)
    Directions:

    Take I-40 west to exit 240, Winona. Follow the sign to the Monument entrance.
    Suggested time at this stop: 2 hours

    Nestled within the walls of the 600-foot-deep lime and sandstone canyon are the remains of 300+ cliff dwellings of the Sinagua Indian Tribe built nearly 1,000 years ago. Walk down 240 steps into the canyon to stand within the ruins, or take the .75-mile rim trail that offers views of the dwellings and the surrounding natural beauty of this canyon where there are no signs or sounds of man. Also, be sure to visit the welcome center for additional information.

  • End: The Community of Flagstaff

    From previous stop: 10 minutes / 6 mi (9.6 km)
    Directions:

    Travel along Route 66 heading west to downtown Flagstaff.

    Along Route 66 you will see a variety of remaining hotels, motor courts, and restaurants from the 1920s-1960s. Flagstaff is proud to have more remaining historic Route 66 inventory than any other city along Route 66 and a great collection of neon signs.

Totals for Day 2

Total Distance Traveled: 79 miles / 126.4 km
Total Travel Time: 1 hour
Total Stopping Time: 3 hours 55 minutes

Day 3

  • Stop 1: The Community of Williams

    From previous stop: 15 minutes / 24 mi (38.4 km)
    Directions:

    Old Route 66 out of Flagstaff actually merges onto I-40. Take I-40 to the first Williams exit, 171, and follow Route 66 west.
    Suggested time at this stop: 2 hours 30 minutes

    A ride down Williams’ Route 66 is like a scene out of “American Graffiti.” There is so much history along its streets that Williams' entire downtown along Route 66 was put on the National Register of Historic Places. This town has kept the flavor of Route 66 alive with the “Cruise the Loop” trademarked car cruise, ice cream shops, gas stations that are now popular eateries, and a variety of interesting shops.

  • Stop 2: The Community of Ash Fork

    From previous stop: 13 minutes / 16 mi (25.6 km)
    Directions:

    Follow Route 66 west until it leads you back onto I-40. Take exit 146, Ash Fork, which leads you right onto Route 66.
    Suggested time at this stop: 30 minutes

    The bypassing of Route 66 by I-40 forced towns along the road to sink or swim. This small community, like so many others, rose to the occasion by reinventing itself for survival. Inside the visitor center is the Ash Fork museum that does an outstanding job documenting the town’s struggles, from fires to the Harvey House closing, as well as the triumphs of keeping the history of Route 66 alive for future generations to experience.

  • Stop 3: The Community of Seligman

    From previous stop: 10 minutes / 8 mi (12.8 km)
    Directions:

    Continue traveling west on the original stretch of Route 66 to the community of Seligman which is also right on Route 66.
    Suggested time at this stop: 2 hours

    Seligman offers the authentic Route 66 experience with eateries, motor courts, gift shops, and people with Route 66 passion, including the father of Route 66, Angel Delgadillo. In his barbershop there are binders of media coverage and letters from all over the world from travelers that have repeatedly made a trip just to visit Seligman.

  • Stop 4: Grand Canyon Caverns

    From previous stop: 15 minutes / 16 mi (25.6 km)
    Directions:

    Head out of Seligman on Route 66 traveling west until you come to the Grand Canyon Caverns on your left. There is a huge sign at the entrance to the property.
    Suggested time at this stop: 1 hour

    Formed 345 million years ago, the Grand Canyon Caverns are the largest dry caverns in the US, and third largest in the world, with a labyrinth of limestone caves 21 stories beneath Route 66 that vents all the way to the Grand Canyon. This geological wonder has been a destination in and of itself since the 1930s.

  • End: The Community of Kingman

    From previous stop: 1 hour 10 minutes / 62 mi (99.2 km)
    Directions:

    Travel west on Route 66 from the caverns for 62 miles. The road will change to Andy Devine Avenue as you come into Kingman.

    Kingman is Andy Devine country. Devine, a famous Hollywood character actor, called Kingman home and the city honored its favorite son by naming their section of Route 66 "Andy Devine Blvd." Visit Mr. D’s Diner, Locomotive Park, and the Powerhouse Route 66 museum.

Totals for Day 3

Total Distance Traveled: 126 miles / 201.6 km
Total Travel Time: 2 hours 3 minutes
Total Stopping Time: 6 hours

Day 4

  • Stop 1: The Wild-West Town of Oatman

    From previous stop: 30 minutes / 19 mi (30.4 km)
    Directions:

    Head west out of Kingman on Route 66 all the way to Oatman. The last several miles are a constant climb along a winding road, so you will want to take it slow.
    Suggested time at this stop: 3 hours

    Once a bustling mining hub, Oatman is officially considered a ghost town. People looking for the Arizona of the past will find it at this favorite Route 66 stop. Take a mine tour, and be sure to visit the Oatman Hotel, built in 1902, which has a long and colorful history.

  • End: Topock

    From previous stop: 37 minutes / 28 mi (44.8 km)
    Directions:

    Head south on Highway 10 for 28 miles.

    End your trip of Arizona's Historic Route 66 in Topock, an almost forgotten legacy of Route 66. You'll find the Trails Arch Bridge that carries gas and utility lines across the Colorado and the 1-40 Bridge that travels to California, but the actual town does not exist anymore.

Totals for Day 4

Total Distance Traveled: 47 miles / 75.2 km
Total Travel Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
Total Stopping Time: 3 hours