“Kingman is the home of Route 66 in Arizona, with vintage motels, classic diners, and a relaxed small-town feel. It’s an ideal overnight stop for Mother Road fans and an easy base for a short trip from Las Vegas.”
“Kingman is the home of Route 66 in Arizona, with vintage motels, classic diners, and a relaxed small-town feel. It’s an ideal overnight stop for Mother Road fans and an easy base for a short trip from Las Vegas.”
“Seligman is a Route 66 town straight out of Cars, with vintage diners and neon-lit motels. Its legend comes from Angel Delgadillo, the barber who became the guardian angel of the Mother Road. Near the end (or beginning) of the longest continuous stretch of original highway in the US, it’s a great place to stop for the night.”
“Williams was the last Route 66 town bypassed by the interstate, and today it’s best known as the gateway to the Grand Canyon. This is where you can board the historic Grand Canyon Railway, one of the most unique ways to visit the national park. Just an hour from the South Rim entrance, it’s also a handy base if the park’s lodges are fully booked.”
“Havasu Falls is a series of stunning blue-green waterfalls on the Havasupai Reservation and one of the Grand Canyon’s greatest treasures. Exit Route 66 near Peach Springs, drive 65 miles, then hike about eight miles through the desert and into a lush canyon to reach Supai, the most remote village in the Lower 48. Hiking here requires a campsite or hotel reservation, and these sell out fast, so book early at www.havasupaireservations.com.”
“Holbrook once proudly declared itself “too tough for women and churches,” and it even has a street called Bucket of Blood. It may not sound appealing, but the outlaws are long gone. Today, it’s a jumping-off point for Petrified Forest National Park and the fantastical Painted Desert.”
“Winslow has a blink-and-you-might-miss-it quality, and that’s part of its appeal. It’s refreshingly authentic and home to La Posada, a historic Harvey House built in 1930 and architect Mary Colter’s personal favorite. It’s the best place to stay on Route 66 for historic hotel lovers, so plan your trip to spend the night here.”
“Flagstaff is in the running for one of the cutest towns in Arizona, a bustling base for students, outdoor lovers, and adventurers headed to nearby destinations. At nearly 7,000 feet, it’s the highest town on Route 66 and the best place to stay for a gourmet dinner or to stock up on supplies. It also marks the halfway point of the tour.”
“About 1,000 years ago, a volcano erupted roughly 20 miles northeast of Flagstaff, and Sunset Crater National Monument is what it left behind: lava flows, black cinder cones, and a blanket of ash covering 800 square miles. Explore the unique geology on the ¼-mile A’a Trail and the 1-mile Lava Flow Trail near the 1,000-foot-high crater. For more of a workout, climb Lenox Crater (1.6 miles) for views across the volcanic landscape.”
“Want to get up close with a visitor from deep space? Meteor Crater Arizona is one of the best-preserved impact craters in the United States. About 50,000 years ago, a giant meteor struck the Earth outside Winslow at 11 miles per second, leaving a crater three miles in circumference and 700 feet deep. Explore the exhibits, film, and guided tours, and learn how the Apollo astronauts trained here for their moon missions.”
“About 700 years ago, four villages stood along the Little Colorado River just outside Winslow. This was home to the ancestors of the Hopi, before they migrated north to the mesa-top homes you can still see from the park on a clear day. A hike in Homolovi isn’t the most dramatic in Arizona, but there’s nothing quite like the silence of the desert as you walk toward ancient dwellings.”
“Nine hundred years ago, the Sinagua people carved homes into the walls of a quiet gorge just east of Flagstaff. Today, you can follow a paved one-mile loop down to their cliff dwellings and granaries. The descent is steep, and so is the climb back, so think of it as a workout with a view. Prefer something gentler? The ¾-mile Rim Trail leads to a clifftop dwelling beside the old Sinagua farmland.”
“Drive one of Route 66’s most spectacular stretches through Arizona’s Black Mountains, with 191 curves, Mojave Desert views, and wild burros roaming the old mining town of Oatman.”
