Arizona has a variety of Route 66 Markers, the new one seems to be the one on the left and some of the old (centre) markers have been updated by adding the graphic element (right) to them.

Arizona is another state where, unfortunately, long strips of the road have disappeared under the Interstate. However, as in New Mexico, there are still many mile of the original road to drive, though some of this consists of isolated pieces which are dead ends or turn into dirt roads.

Heading west from the state border you pass the Petrified Forest National Park which includes the Painted Desert. This is worth at least half a day to see it properly so, depending on what time of day you reach it, it may be better to go on to the next town (Holbrook) and come back to make an early start of it. This is what I did taking Highway 180 east from Holbrook to the Southern Entrance and then heading north through the park back to Route 66.
 

If you head into the park from Route 66 then you follow an interesting loop that includes part of the old road and takes you to the visitors centre (an interesting site in its own right) and then past the Painted Desert Inn (closed for refurbishment when I was there) and on into the body of the park.

Heading into the park from the visitors centre  you first head north on a loop through the desert then you turn south and run through the Painted Desert. There are a number of points where you can stop and follow trails through the park.

Then, as you continue south, the scenery changes and you enter the Petrified Forest where again a number of trails take you through various parts of the “forest”.

There is so much to see in the park that I’ve created a set of pages to show more of it, you can either follow the navigation bar “Petrified Forest Park” or click here to be taken directly to these pages (there is a link on those pages to bring you back to this point).

Whichever route you follow heading west takes you to Holbrook where the Route 66 and Highway 180 meet.
 


Holbrook has one of the three remaining Wigwam Motels (two of them are on Route 66).  This is another “Don’t Miss” on Route 66 particularly as it is still in the hands of the original owners.

Here is the Holbrook Wigwam Motel as dusk is falling and the neon signs are lighting up. This hotel (and indeed all the Wigwam Hotels) have an interesting history, click here for more information.

The interior is definitely a change from the standard chain hotel!



Carrying on west you largely have to travel on the Interstate though sections of the old road are still accessible around Joseph City and Winslow (of “standing on the corner” fame) as are a number of dead end sections at various Interstate junctions.

Still further west is Meteor City which features a geodesic dome and the “Longest Map of Route 66” and little else.

The real Meteor Crater is to the south of Route 66 an the next junction and is, in my view, worth the admission cost.

The visitor centre includes an outdoor area where you can sit and look through the “window” that rather neatly frames the desert.


 

Carrying on west you reach Twin Arrows where there is a short strip of Route 66 and the now closed trading post.

From here on there are large numbers of closed and derelict businesses of all types, the remaining Route 66 traffic being insufficient to keep them alive.

Continuing west don’t forget to visit Winona where you can get off the Interstate and back onto Route 66. Continuing west through Flagstaff you come to Williams which is one of the few places that has escaped the decline that has hit so much of the road.

Williams was the last place on Route 66 that was bypassed by the Interstate and is a major tourist stop. Among the attractions is the Grand Canyon Railway that runs from a splendidly restored station to the Grand Canyon itself.

Continuing west you reach Seligman where the Interstate and Route 66 part company and you start a splendid, if often rather isolated, 150 miles length of uninterrupted Route 66 that takes you into California.

The above photograph gives you some idea of how empty the road is as you head for the mountains. I’m standing on the centreline of the road to take it and if I waited there for a hour or two I could possibly have been at risk of being hit by another vehicle.

Carrying on west along this road through Kingman you reach the rather exciting part through the Black Mountains via Sitgreaves Pass which has lots of tight turns and guardrails (where there are any) that don’t seem likely to stop a mule let alone a car.

And then down the other side and into California.

Into California on the last leg of the trip

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