4 days ago
I road-tripped on Route 66 — these are the 6 stops you don't want to miss
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Freedom, adventure and the pursuit of the American Dream —Route 66 is a symbol of it all. So strong is the lore, some even call it 'Mother Road'.
The historic highway, which was one of the first roads in the US, spans2,448 miles and eight states, stretching from Chicago, Illinois, all the way to Santa Monica in California.
Truckers kept the roadside diners in business for decades, but it wasn't until the birth of the road trip in the 1950s that the highway became the household name it is today.
Progress replaced much of Route 66 with bypasses and interstates, but travellers remain drawn to its nostalgic appeal — nowhere more so than Arizona, home to the longest remaining drivable stretch.
As it gears up to celebrate its centenary, I joined the highway in the heart of the southwestern Grand Canyon state, whizzing past historic trading towns, otherworldly national parks and lunar-like landscapes on a journey to the New Mexico border.
These are the seven stops that deserve to be on every road-trip bucket list.
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Lake Havasu has the original London Bridge. Yes, the actual one.
In what was then the largest export in the world, London Bridge was moved from the English capital (it was sinking into the water due to its weight), to Arizona.
Intrepid travellers make the journey to Lake Havasu City just to cross it, but there's more to this place than its ties to the UK — it's rich in tribal history and has world-class fishing.
I didn't make it this far, but if you're willing to make the five-hour drive from Lake Havasu City, you'll find a remote oasis that's the stuff of legends.
Hidden deep within Havasupai Tribal Lands, Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon is an ethereal pool of azure waters and cascading waterfalls. It gets its name from the indigenous word Havasu, a native word meaning blue green which symbolises the water.
But be warned, you can only access the falls with a permit. Limited numbers go on sale each year on 1 February.
On the last leg of Arizona's Route 66 is Oatman, a gold rush town surrounded by desert. It's sort of like a timewarp to the Wild West.
Nestled in the Black Mountains, this former mining town turned tourist attraction is like a timewarp to the Wild West, with wooden sidewalks and wild burros roaming the main street.
These friendly donkeys are descendants of the burros used to transport mining supplies – they're cute, but watch out, they will come for your bags if they think you have food.
On the side of the road in Oatman, you can watch a gunfight: the Oatman Ghost Rider Gun Fighters group performs Wild West shootouts on at 1:30pm and 3:30pm daily.
While you're here, stop by the historic Oatman Hotel and stick a dollar bill on the ceiling, in keeping with local tradition.
Other activities include tours of the Mohave Desert area, shopping and browsing art galleries, specialty shops, gift shops, horse riding, escape rooms, and bars and clubs in the area.
Located in Mohave County, Kingman hosts the annual I ♥ 66 Fest – a whole festival dedicated to Route 66.
The event highlights the history and culture of America's Main Street, featuring live bands – including a renowned Japanese trio – beer garden, food and craft vendors, a motorcycle show, classic car show, a vintage trailer show, pin up contest and Kingman's first and only zipline.
One of my favourite stops here was the Giganticus Headicus, a 14-foot tall Tiki head created by local artist Gregg Arnold. This is located along the longest continuous curve on a US highway, found at Antares Point Visitor Center (it's hard to miss).
As well as the sculpture, you'll be treated to stunning views of the Arizona desert and, if you're lucky, the biker gangs that often pass through.
A short drive is the Hackberry General Store & Visitor's Center, which is full of souvenirs and kitsch memorabilia.
No visit is complete without an hour at the Powerhouse Museum, where you'll learn the history of the dust bowl refugees who migrated there.
Route 66 is replete with gift shops but if there's one worth your time, it's Angel's Barber Shop.
This isn't a place to get a haircut. It's named after Angel Delgadillo, the barber dubbed the 'guardian angel' of Route 66 for his efforts to save the town from destitution when the Interstate 40 opened in the 80s.
If it hadn't been for Angel and the townspeople that rallied to make Route 66 a 'historic' highway, Seligman would have dwindled into the dust.
You might remember seeing him on Blue Peter when he was awarded the coveted Blue Peter badge.
Beside the barber shop, you'll find an ice cream parlour that claims to have the Guinness World Record for the most milkshake flavours.
Seligman even has a Hollywood connection: it was the inspiration for the animated movie Cars, which tells the story of a champion racing car forced to spend time in one of the Route's bypassed towns.
Winslow, immortalised in the Eagles hit Take It Easy , is worth checking out in its own right. You know the one: I was standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona…
Here you'll find the rather uncreatively named Standin' on the Corner Park, where you can snap up pictures as you envision the band writing the song on the spot.
The Old Trails Museum and Affeldt Minion Museum are also on hand to teach you the history of the town.
Not far from Winslow is the town of Holbrook, where the quirky Wigwam Hotel offers concrete tepees for guests to stay in.
The star of the show, though, is Meteor Crater. Some 25 miles west of Winslow, it measures 550 feet deep and almost a mile wide, making it one of the largest craters in North America.
It was created 50,000 years ago when a massive meteorite crashed into Earth with a force more powerful than an atomic bomb.
It was used as NASA as a training ground for the Apollo missions, and today you can look back to the past from one of the observation decks dotted around the rim.
Don't let the name scare you, this is a stunning place embroidered with unusual rock formations. More Trending
Where Route 66 passes through the national park, nature has taken over the road, but an old car and a small plaque on the side still marks the crossing.
Here you'll find something called petrified wood – these prehistoric trees have been around for so long that they have started to crystallise as a result of minerals deposited within the crevices.
They still look like trees, but they've literally turned to stone.
The easiest way to get to Arizona is to fly into Phoenix, which you can do from London via British Airways non-stop £625 (these are December dates so prices are likely to be inflated – they're cheaper other times in the year).
Given that Phoenix is one of the hottest U.S states, it is best to avoid in the summer due to its intense heat.
JetBlue offers flights from London to Phoenix for £473 with some stops meanwhile United has £599 flights and American, £604, both with transits in between. Meanwhile West Jet offers the same journey, with two stops, for £365.
Once you land in Phoenix, your best bet of joining Route 66 is hiring a car from the airport and joining the I-40 freeway to access some of the best stretches of the road.
You can also take the American railway Amtrak which will take you to stops on Route 66 including Flagstaff and Winslow (from Flagstaff to Winslow, for example, you can expect to pay $35 (£27.56)). If you're in Williams, Arizona, you can also take the train straight to the Grand Canyon in 70 minutes.
If you don't feel like taking the train or hiring a car, there are also tour operators such as Get Your Guide who offer a 15-hour Route 66 and Grand Canyon tour with lunch for £148.97.
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