Leg 5 - Route 66: Albuquerque to Flagstaff/Sedona

The Wow Diner will make you feel as if you’ve time-traveled back to the 1950s. This is a popular spot, so prepare for a wait. Order one of the homemade milkshakes made with real ice cream or a glass of wine or beer—something you don’t always find at these retro diners.

The historic El Rancho Hotel in Gallup was built by Joe Massaglia in 1936 and has been featured in dozens of old Hollywood movies. The Western-style hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and features wagon-wheel headboards and suites named after famous Hollywood Western stars. Even if you don't spend the night here, at least pull over to check out the epic hunting lodge-inspired lobby, which is full of antiques and Native American decor. The onsite restaurant makes a delicious green chile enchilada, a tasty margarita, and the crispiest pancakes you’ll find along the route.

The Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano south of Grants is a privately owned and operated cave, absolutely worth its $6 to $12 entrance fee. There’s a half-mile walk to the volcano, and a 400-yard walk to the Ice Cave, which, thanks to its low temperatures, creates green ice formations that are around 20 feet thick. Be sure to wear good shoes, because the trail is lined with tiny pebbles and can be difficult to traverse without good traction. If you visit in the hot summer months, this stop can be a cool and refreshing break from the road.

A forest in the middle of Arizona’s grassland may sound odd, but Petrified Forest National Park is unlike any other forest in the country. The park is packed with gems—quite literally, since the ancient wood has been turned into sparkly stone—that anyone, from the outdoor enthusiast to the science geek, can enjoy.

The park’s location right off the highway means that many people at least drive through it (though it closes as early as 5 p.m., so plan accordingly). A portion of old Route 66 is located within the park—the only portion of the classic road to still be preserved within a national park (the asphalt is gone so it’s not driveable, but look for the old telephone poles marking the route). Wilderness camping is available within the park. Homolovi State Park, about an hour away, also offers camping options. Nearby in Holbrook, Arizona, are additional accommodation and camping options, including a KOA.

Don't let the glittering logs temp you into snagging a souvenir—removing any petrified wood from the park is illegal. You can purchase a box of petrified wood from a gift store (sourced from private lands), but don’t open it until you’ve left the park premises.

Summers in the park can get hot, with little to offer in the way of shade, and winters are often cold and snowy. Wildflowers pop up throughout the desert between March and October, especially in May, July, and August, so if you're looking for an extra colorful landscape, this is a good time to visit.

At Stewart's Petrified Wood, you can buy the world’s most colorful petrified wood—some of which the store claims is more than 225 million years old. If that’s not reason enough to pull over, Stewart’s also has ostriches and ostrich eggs for sale.

This classic Route 66 restaurant is best-known for its homemade red and green chile sauces. Even if you’re not hungry, it’s worth stopping for a photo in front of the building, which features a hand-painted map of Route 66.

Drive through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park in the late afternoon and then stop at Wigwam Village Motel #6 for the night. The rooms of this charming historic motel—located inside individual concrete and steel teepees—are pure roadside kitsch. There are only three remaining Wigwam Motels, and the vintage cars parked outside of each room make this the best one for photos.

We don’t know for sure that this is actually the world’s largest petrified tree, but it is definitely big, reportedly weighing 80 tons. Stop for a photo, do a little climbing, and then it’s on to the next stop.

Thanks to Standin' on the Corner Park, Winslow, Arizona, is back on the map as tourists once again travel through the heart of town. The park features a couple of statues and a mural of a girl in a red Ford truck, with the flatbed perpetually parked across the street. But this perfect photo op is only the beginning of what Winslow has to offer.

The Turquoise Room is a hidden gem located inside La Posada Hotel. It's a refreshingly different experience from the many diners and fast food joints that line the highway. Here, you can sit down and enjoy a nice meal that feels like something you might find in a big city, with an Arizona twist.

Rock Art Ranch is a privately-owned working cattle ranch that was originally a part of the Hashknife Cattle Co. It’s also home to incredible Anasazi dwellings and petroglyphs, and the onsite museum is a labor of love by proprietor Brantley Baird.

Just outside of Flagstaff is one of the weirdest attractions in the West: Meteor Crater. The impact crater formed when a meteor hit Earth about 50,000 years ago and left a massive, almost mile-wide hole in the ground. The visitor center features a museum, videos, and a great observation deck.

Montezuma Castle National Monument might be one of the greatest misnomers in the country. It looks nothing like a castle, never housed kings or knights, and was built well before Aztec warlord Montezuma was even born. So if Montezuma Castle wasn't used as a castle, and Montezuma never lived there, how did it get its name?

When American settlers first encountered the ruins in the 1860s, they mistakenly assumed it was built by, and for, the Aztec emperor. In reality, the crumbling building was actually more of an apartment complex for the Sinagua people and built between 1100 and 1425. It was mostly abandoned (empty of residents but frequently visited by Indigenous people as well as looters) about 40 years before Montezuma was born.

Now it's known that the Sinaguas built the dwelling to avoid having their homes destroyed when the Beaver Creek, which provided necessary water for their crops, flooded each year. That way they could continue farming while having their homes above the ground, where the water couldn't touch them. The complex grew to be about 4,000 square feet spread across five stories, perched perilously on the side of a cliff.

Against seemingly impossible odds, the structure is still intact today, a testament to the Sinaguas’ engineering and construction skills. After the people left, the "castle" sat mostly abandoned until it was declared a national monument through the American Antiquities Act of 1906. You can't go inside anymore, but you can get pretty close.