Route 66, and its 2,500 miles, is known affectionately as "The Mother Road." It's the quintessential cross-country road trip experience. From Chicago through the beating heart of America, the route officially ends at the Santa Monica Pier. The road reached peak popularity in the late 1940s and early '50s before being officially removed from the U.S. Highway System in 1985. After a few years, travelers from around the country and beyond started feeling tinges of nostalgia, and by the end of the 1980s it was once again becoming one of the most popular road trip routes.
Looking for more tips for your Route 66 trip? We've got you covered.
Whether you call it the starting or ending point of the Mother Road, the Santa Monica Pier is the perfect spot to stretch your legs or snap photos of the ocean before embarking on a 2,000-mile trip east. Sure it’s touristy, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a ride on the 1922 carousel or grabbing something sweet from the soda fountain. From the roller coaster and Ferris wheel to the arcade and the sign noting that it is the official end of Route 66, there's tons of fun to be had here.
This is your last chance to sleep in an iconic Wigwam Village along Route 66, so don’t pass it up. Number 7 was built by Frank Redford, creator of the Wigwam Villages.
If Oatman and its wild burros were a bit too rowdy for your taste, Calico Ghost Town might be a better bet. It's a bit touristy and maintained by the regional park system, but it has a nice campground and several old buildings to explore, including museums, shops, and restaurants.
37833 National Trails Highway, Daggett, United States
National Trails Highway, Newberry Springs, United States
Selected Location, 34.696046, -116.056853
National Trails Highway, Amboy, United States
Needles to Ludlow Truck Trail, Essex, United States
Selected Location, Amboy, United States
You’d be hard-pressed to find a ghost town more real—or more alive—than Oatman. Located at the edge of Arizona on Route 66 and perched 2,700 feet above sea level in the Black Mountains, Oatman is a strange place run by wild burros.
In 1908, gold was discovered in the Black Mountains and many prospectors flocked to Oatman to stake their claims. For the remainder of the 19th century, mining in the area steadily decreased, and in 1921, a fire ripped through town, destroying most of the buildings. I-40 bypassed Oatman in the early 1950s, and nearly a decade later, it was a virtual ghost town.
But the people of Oatman fought to survive and now the town has more than 40 shops, eateries, and other attractions including Wild West reenactments, gunslinging shows, annual bed races, a sidewalk egg fry contest, Gold Camp Days, the International Burro Bisket Toss, and a yearly book fair and bake sale.
Another classic Arizona road food stop is Mr D'z Route 66 Diner. The retro diner prides itself on its home-cooked food and family-friendly vibe. Try the chicken fried steak and wash it down with a root beer float.
When Juan and Mary Delgadillo opened the Snow Cap Drive-In on Route 66 in Seligman in 1953, they probably didn’t anticipate it becoming a worldwide tourist attraction. More than 60 years later, Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In is one of the most sought-out Route 66 destinations. Built with scrap lumber from the Santa Fe railroad yard, the Delgadillo family constructed the drive-in on an absolute shoe-string budget.
To attract travelers, Delgadillo took a 1936 Chevy, cut the top off, and decorated it with every weird paint color and doodad he could find, including a Christmas tree in the back. The plan worked and it’s still one of the most photographed pieces of Route 66 Americana.
The drive-in isn’t the only iconic Route 66 location in the Delgadillo family. Juan’s brother, Angel, made his mark on the Mother Road with his barber shop (now a gift store). Angel, affectionately known as the “guardian angel” of Route 66, founded the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona in 1987, a move that would quickly be imitated in other states along the route.
Old US Hwy 66, Seligman, Arizona
