Route 66: Kingman to Seligman

Route 66 is undoubtedly the most famous road-tripping route in America. One of the original highways, designated in the 1920s, Route 66 (The Mother Road) ran from Chicago to Santa Monica. However, the introduction of the Interstate roads in the late fifties began the decline of the hey-day of Route 66. Luckily for us, several byways have been preserved and thrive today, and have been designated as ‘Historic Route 66’. We drove one of these byways – the section of Route 66 from Kingman to Seligman in Arizona.

If you’re road-tripping around this part of the US, you should visit Grafton Ghost Town too!

Getting there

This section of Route 66 is easily accessed from Las Vegas. It is only 100 miles south-east via the US-93 highway. We picked up a Jeep in Las Vegas (in preparation for our trip to the desert landscapes of Arizona and Utah), and headed out of Vegas past the Hoover Dam. Then on past the sparse ex-mining town of Grasshopper Junction, and the abandoned town of Santa Claus.

Another interesting road trip is to Oatman, along the number 10 Oatman Highway (old Route 66). This ex-mining town has a pack of community donkeys (wild burros), their descendents were abandoned after the mines shut down, but the burros are now wild and are cared for by the town / fed by tourists. You can see them in this video from Grand Adventure.

Historic Route 66

The Mother Road carried many folk west as they fled the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. In the 40s and 50s it became the route for vacation-seekers. Roadside motels and eateries sprang up, and whole towns survived solely from the trade of this passing traffic. The whole motor holiday came alive and then became legend here on Route 66. As the interstate roads and air travel overtook this way of travel, Route 66 was relegated to byways and once bustling rest stops became ghost towns.

But the legacy of Route 66 couldn’t be quashed that easily, and sections of the old route have had a resurgence, as holiday-makers try to relive the heyday of this era in road travel.

Be sure to visit the Arizona Route 66 Museum in Kingman to learn more about the history.

Hackberry

Hackberry General Store is a sight to behold. A low slung corrugated iron building, covered in Route 66 signs and kitsch accoutrements, this one-time gas station is now a tourist photo dream! Grab yourself a refreshment from the store, and admire years of collecting, and vintage cars from many different generations. The collection of vintage petrol pumps is particularly special. For me, it brought to life the generations of motor holidays along this route, and helped fuel (excuse the pun) my romantic notions of it for sure!

Seligman

Seligman is known as the ‘Birthplace of the Historic Route 66’. Not to be confused with the ‘Birthplace of Route 66’, which was Springfield Missouri. It was the residents of Seligman that lobbied to get the old neglected Route 66 byways designated as ‘Historic Route 66’. Breathing life back into these old roads, and therefore into these little towns too.

Roadkill Cafe

Apparently roadkill cafes were once quite common along the roads of America. These days, the Roadkill Cafe in Seligman doesn’t do as the sign says – “You kill it, we grill it”, but they do serve some tasty food! I had the french dip roast beef sandwich and it was delicious. Well, at least I *think* it was beef (joke)!

Seligman Depot

Created just for the tourists, this faux ghost town is a fun area next to the Roadkill Cafe. These facades and jail house look like historic places and even have signs to explain a (fake) history – it is a very fun stop – especially for the kids! This again, much like Hackberry, helps to maintain my romantic notion of the west, and the pioneers that shaped the country.

If you are travelling further along Route 66, check out GoRoamin’s guide of places to chill in Flagstaff

Route 66: Kingman to Seligman

This section of Historic Route 66 is only 87 miles long, but is a perfect sneak peak into the road’s hey-day. The open roads that symbolise that pioneer spirit and history in the USA still inspire road-trippers today.

My pop-culture references run from ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ to Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’. And then to all the road trip movies I wanderlusted after before travelling myself. Experiencing part of this heritage and indulging in my romantic notions of this road trip culture was a highlight of our time in the area. If you’re travelling from Vegas to Flagstaff, take this slight detour and take Route 66: Kingman to Seligman – you won’t regret it.

Are you planning a road trip across the USA? Let me help you plan your adventure! From Nebraska’s Carhenge sculpture to Sunrise at Cocoa Beach, Florida!

All photos & content © Hannah Henderson and may not be used without permission (sharing this blog post is fine, though!). Images shot with a Canon DSLR T3i Rebel + Canon EF Lens 50mm 1:1.8 STM; and an iPhoneX.