Kicks on 66

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I lived in Arizona most of my life and have been on a lot of 66 from the TX/NM border to Santa Monica, California. But my partner and I are looking to do a through drive sometime next summer or later and would appreciate any suggestions, including the places I've been a lot.

Yes, there are plenty of guides and I'll be looking at them. Just looking for any suggestions from folks here.

Also looking for easy spurs. Monument Valley in Arizona as well as the Grand Canyon will ne included as well as Mesa Verde, Four Corners, Dinosaur NP since I have family to visit in western Colorado.

I guess ideas east of NM are of most interest since that is where I am least familiar. But overlooked gems anywhere are of interest.
 
If you make it as far as St Louis I recommend eating at Crown Candy Kitchen. It is an old fashioned soda fountain-type restaurant. Good ice cream, great ambiance, lots of specialty chocolates for sale. And if you like bacon may I suggest their "heart-stopping BLT" sandwich.

https://crowncandykitchen.net/
 
In western CO I would also visit Colorado National Monument and Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
 
I live close to Route 66 in Illinois, and have driven it all except for about 20 miles or so around San Bernardino, Ca. I like the desolate section from Kingman to Seligman, Az. And my stomping grounds from Joliet to Bloomington, Il. Especially fond of the museums - good ones in Kingman, Az and Pontiac, Il. And fond of all the diners along the route. Mr Dz in Kingman, and Polk-a-Dot in Braidwood, Il.

Lots of guides, maps, and online info. I have the McClanahan guide and it's a good one.

Have fun and take your time!!
 
I live just off 66 in northern VA. Stay away from this road, one of the most congested in the area. I'm not sure if this counts as part of your travels but I had to comment. :cool:
 
Having traveled the whole (existing parts) of Route 66, I find it difficult to pick any place as "greater than." From the start at the cafe in downtown Chicago (needed just to say you were there) to Santa Monica (just to say you were there) there are too many stops well worth the visit.

I found it helps to invest a little in one of the many "guides" available (Google it). I found this one to be particularly useful:

https://www.amazon.com/Route-66-Travelers-Roadside-Companion/dp/0312644256
 
I will get you started:
 

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FYI: US hwy 50 between Montrose and Gunnison will have construction with 1/2 to 1 hour delays with pilot cars through June 2024. No word yet if there will be night closures as the past 3 years. Yes we're going into the 4th year of a 2 year project.
 
The mountain drive from Kingman, AZ to Oatman AZ, is really pretty. Not sure how those old cars made that drive.
 
Foodies?

Oklahoma onion burger
Horseshoe sandwich in Springfield, Illinois
Breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.
Brisket BBQ in Texas
 
RetireBy90 said:
I live just off 66 in northern VA. Stay away from this road, one of the most congested in the area. I'm not sure if this counts as part of your travels but I had to comment. :cool:
Click to expand...



But if one does venture this commuter’s nightmare road, be sure to checkout the Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. It’s where the Smithsonian displays their overflow and the really big stuff !
 
If the OP is anywhere near Dayton OH, the Air Force Museum is not to be missed. A day isn't enough.
 
RetireBy90 said:
I live just off 66 in northern VA. Stay away from this road, one of the most congested in the area. I'm not sure if this counts as part of your travels but I had to comment. :cool:
Click to expand...

jazz4cash said:
But if one does venture this commuter’s nightmare road, be sure to checkout the Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center. It’s where the Smithsonian displays their overflow and the really big stuff !
Click to expand...

I believe the OP was talking about a trip on the decomissioned, historic US-66 highway of yore and of lore (Chicago to Santa Monica).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66
 
PatrickA5 said:
The mountain drive from Kingman, AZ to Oatman AZ, is really pretty. Not sure how those old cars made that drive.
Click to expand...



+100, my favorite part of 66 is Oatman to Kingman, drove 66 three times as an adult and went along with family in 1961.
Liked the Big Texan, the Blue Hole, Cadillac ranch,
Drove many bits of 66 that changed over time, one corner was in Kansas
 
When I drive Oatman to Kingman I think of The Grapes of Wrath and wonder how people made the trip, California must have been such a magnet or Oklahoma hell (at the time) to undertake that journey. This part of the road is unchanged but I drive it in my air conditioned jeep listening to music.
 
Palo Duro State Park has some nice canyons and is just 30 minutes south of Amarillo near Canyon, TX. The outdoor musical "epic drama", TEXAS, is presented in the summer in the park amphitheater (I have not been to it).

Tucumcari, NM has a stretch of old Route 66 hotels, some in decent condition.

I have not been east of Amarillo on 66 so my other recommendations are west of Albuquerque and may not be new to you:

Santa Fe side trip

Acoma Pueblo - some tribal elders still live on the top of this high mesa (Sky City) that is also used for festivals and sacred ceremonies. Native Americans lead you on an interesting guided one mile tour of the pueblo.

In addition to the Durango-Silverton train, suggest you drive from Durango to Ouray, part of the Million Dollar Highway. Ouray has a cute historic downtown, hot springs, and the Cascade Falls State Park - a half mile RT walk on a railing along a canyon where several waterfalls converge.

La Posada Hotel in Winslow is a beautiful 1929 Fred Harvey hotel. The Turquoise Room is great for dinner but also serves breakfast and lunch. There is a cool gift shop with Native American jewelry and art. Gallup has the El Rancho Hotel built in 1937 as a base for movie productions where a lot of old movie stars stayed.

The Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff presents the history, culture, and art of the Native Americans of the Colorado Plateau - Anasazi or Ancestral Pueblo, Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo Indians of NM, etc. This would be a good introduction before going to Mesa Verde, etc.

Walnut Canyon National Monument, just east of Flagstaff, has a couple of short hikes where you can view the canyon and cliff dwellings. There is an easy 1 mile partially shaded Rim Trail hike and a strenuous 1 mile Island Trail hike where you get much closer to the cliff dwellings - lots of stairs too.

The Oak Creek Canyon Scenic Drive from Flagstaff to Sedona goes by Slide Rock State Park. A 50 minute drive each way or go back on I-17.
 
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OldShooter said:
Foodies?

Oklahoma onion burger
Horseshoe sandwich in Springfield, Illinois
Breaded pork tenderloin sandwich in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa.
Brisket BBQ in Texas
Click to expand...

Not exactly foodies in general but all of those sound good! Except maybe the horseshoe sandwich. I never knew they were edible and probably hard on the teeth.
 
My thoughts, Silverton is good idea, "I want to ride the Silverton train!", but stay the night in Silverton and return the next day by train, nice towns around there too. Ditto the Garden of the Gods, spend the night at the Broadmoor. You can drive up the shelf road or Phantom Canyon Road to the Town of Victor, see a Troll, and gamble in Cripple Creek, maybe win enough for a night's stay at the Broadmoor.

I frequent NM, Santa Fe and north, Ojo Caliente, Taos, the different pueblos, and the High Road in between Taos and SF is nice. Up to the Pandemic I spent my Holy Weeks there, photographing the Pilgrimage to Chimayo and other events, but any visit to El Santuario de Chimayó is special.
 
Also in St Louis is the Economy Museum at the Federal Reserve building. It is small but very well done. And it is free. : )
https://museum.stlouisfed.org/

In Flagstaff, AZ the Lowell Observatory is worth a visit. This is where Clyde Tombaugh was working when he discovered Pluto. The have several programs open for visitors. The programs I attended were excellent.
https://lowell.edu/

A meal at Black Bart's Steakhouse might be in order whether or not you visit the observatory.
http://www.blackbartssteakhouse.com/menu
 
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