If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, the highway that’s the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!
Have you ever wanted to take a driving vacation like this, straight into nostalgia? You’ve heard the song; doesn’t it make you want to drive Route 66? The song was first recorded by Nat King Cole and was subsequently covered by many others including Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones. A whole generation grew up humming along and dreaming of throwing caution to the wind and driving this fabled highway.
Originally, the Route 66 highway ran from Chicago to Los Angeles. It was America’s primary east-west highway through the middle of the 20th century. In the middle of the 50s and 60s, the automobile became the transport of choice for many Americans, and they took to the highways on driving vacations seeking fun and adventure. Kitschy hotels and tourist attractions sprang up along Route 66 to accommodate them.
Nowadays, old Route 66 does not show up on current road maps as such. You have to check with guidebooks written about the old route; there are several books and maps written for this. A great place to check is the historic66 website for information.
Today the longest remaining stretch of the original route 66 is in Arizona. This section is about 370 miles long (595 km). The main streets of Holbrook, Flagstaff and Williams still feature classic 1950s-style motels and diners. Picture wigwam motels, doggie diners and emporiums like the Geronimo Trading Post, the Jack Rabbit Trading Post or tourist traps like the Tee Pee Curios shop. Gas up in great old “filling stations”.
There is some of the original two lane blacktop. Some of the road lies on old wagon trails and railroad routes. The route may be hard to follow and frustrating to find at times, but those turn-by-turn maps will help.
This drive is about fun and an age of innocence and slightly kitschy stuff, so stop in towns like Oatman and enjoy the Old West gunfights put on for the tourists. There are “wild burros” roaming around. They are descendants of burros used by the miners (take care, they will beg for food.) Explore “ghost towns” like Peach Springs, Truxton, Valentine and Hackberry.
Drive by the corner in Winslow, Arizona - that the Eagles sang about.
You will drive through the Painted Desert, a vast area of colored sand and beautiful views. Also see the Petrified Forest National Park. 225 million years ago, these stones were trees that were growing here. Nearby you can see goofy looking dinosaurs that advertise a petrified wood shop.
There is also a dinosaur park where more than a dozen concrete dinosaurs have been created by local artisans… just in case you wanted to drive through a herd of dinosaurs.
Take side trips to see Sedona, Meteor Crater and especially the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
You can drive the route in either direction but going from east to west is considered the “right” way. And since most guide books are written in that direction it is easier that way too. You can drive this section of the highway any time of the year, but spring and fall are best.
Some areas pass through the desert, so take precautions like having plenty of water and sunscreen. There are also stretches where gas is not easily available, so make sure the tank is full.
Here are some guidebooks for your Route 66 Road Trip
Route 66: EZ66 GUIDE For Travelers – 2nd Edition
Price: $18.95
This second edition updates 90 pages of the first. The EZ66 GUIDES were developed by noted Route 66 historian, Jerry McClanahan and The National Historic Route 66 Federation to make it as EZ as possible for travelers to find and follow the various alignments of Route 66. The guides have been used by thousands from around the world. The 200 page, 5 1/2′ x 8 1/2′ guide is spiral bound, to make it EZ to use while traveling. It includes EZ to use maps you can follow going EAST or WEST. The guide also includes attractions, games and historic details. This second edition makes an excellent traveling companion with the Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide.
ROUTE 66 DINING & LODGING GUIDE – Expanded and enlarged
Price: $8.95
The new 14th Edition guide has been enlarged to 120 pages; it now includes photos inside and it is a larger 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 format with spiral binding – like the EZ66 GUIDE. These unique guides have been used by thousands around the world to find the best places to stay and eat along the Route. It lists over 500 dining and lodging establishments objectively reviewed by Federation Adopt-A-Hundred members. No advertising is allowed. It concentrates on the vintage properties that made the Route famous. Price ranges, amenities, credit cards accepted, must stops and other specialty features are included. The guide covers all 8 states comprising several major alignments. An excellent traveling companion to the EZ66 GUIDE For Travelers.
Legendary Route 66: A Journey Through Time Along America’s Mother Road
Price: $21.42
It started in the heartland and originally ended in Los Angeles (not, contrary to myth, at the ocean). It carried truckers crossing the country, Okies fleeing the Dust Bowl, vacationers seeking the sun. It was Americas Main Street, the Mother Road, the Will Rogers Highway, and, at its dangerous curves, Bloody 66. Get your kicks on Route 66 with this wonderfully illustrated tribute to the best-loved highway in this car-loving nation. Michael Witzel shares his expertise and wealth of personal, archive, collector, and contributing photographer images in these pages, offering a nostalgic tour of the charms and oddities of this road through American cultural history. Starting in Chicago and running to Santa Monica, this book highlights the sights along the highway with historic and current photos in then-and-now pairings, and includes Route 66 postcards, road signs, trinkets, maps, brochures, and advertisements. Here we see Route 66 as it was in its heyday and as it is now, the neon glamour of yesterday versus the ghost towns of today. Witzel and his wife, Gyvel Young-Witzel, recount the highways history, its role in popular culture, and its demise, as well as the individual stories of famous sights. Several profiles of those with close ties to the Mother Road, including the woman who played Ruthie Joad in the The Grapes of Wrath film, are included.