Old Route 66 South of Kingman

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Arizona

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 5 visitors

State: Arizona
Date Submitted: March 1, 2003
Submitted by: Kurt Wilson
Motorcycle Road Length: 85 Miles

Written Directions

Written directions:

The directions are pretty straight forward. The road starts in Kingman, AZ (about 70 miles southeast of Las Vegas Nevada). From Kingman you can find and get on Old Route 66 (look for the signs) and head soutwest towards Oatman, AZ. When you get to Oatman, continue down to Topock, AZ and you are at the end of the route.

From here you could head down to Lake Havasu if you want to see some nice scenery ... the town also has a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, shops, gas stations etc

Scenery

You'll drive through the Black Mountains and get some dynamite views of the mountains and rock formations along the road. From the Tri-State overlook you can see into Arizona, California, and Nevada. Most of the route has been designated by the Bureau of Land Management as a Type I Back Country Byway.

Road Quality

The road has a great collection of twists and turns and in fact, they say that vehicles over 40 feet should not attempt to travel it because of the number of tight turns. .

Roadside Amenities

Note:I gave this road a 3 star "roadside amenities" rating because most of the things to do along the way are low key tourist attractions. The road description I provided ends at Golden Shores Arizona. However, if I you take into account that Lake Havasu City is just 30 miles down the road, I could have given it a 5 star rating here.

There are some old abandoned historic structures along this road such as a famous Route 66 gas station and a ghost town that used to be a busy mining town (Gold Road Townsite). A town called Oatman is one of the few surviving gold rush towns in the area and has an interesting history. It also was the honeymoon town of Clark Gable and has the Oatman Hotel which has been converted to a museum. They also let wild burros pass through the streets of Oatman and there is an Indian Reservation just west of the road. If you continue to head south (take I-10 east and then get on 95 south) in to Lake Havasu City, you can see the real "London Bridge" ... in Arizona?!? The history of how it got there is very interesting ... somebody actually bought the thing and had it sent here and reassembled brick by brick. You can tour a replica of an English village on the other side of the bridge. Lake Havasu City is loaded with things to do, places to eat and places to stay.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) Kurt Wilson

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Reviewed by Guest on August 15, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jim B
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: Road condition is not the best in some areas but the beautiful scenery, tight twisties and the mining town of Oatman add to the character of this great stretch of road. Very desolate in stretches so pack on the water
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Reviewed by Guest on April 19, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: james
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: a buddy and i are planning on doing a ride through this pass on our Harley's, i was wondering, has anyone had any issues with over heating on their Harleys? or any other mechanical dificulties with their bikes due to the heat or sand or anything?
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Reviewed by Guest on January 2, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jim
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I did this ride a couple of years ago and was soo blown away by it I even got an Arizona rt 66 tattoo. This is a do for anyone. The Scenery is incredible, lots of tight very tight turns and lots of local flavor. Once a again you have to do this ride!
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Reviewed by Guest on May 19, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Perrones
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: In May 2009 I rode Route 66 for the second time between Golden Shores and Flagstaff on my way to Sedona. The weather was perfect and the road was great. Lot's to see and you always see other riders. Traffic not bad at all.
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Reviewed by Guest on February 22, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Chris
Comment: It is important to watch for gravel in the sharpest, slowest turns between Kingman and Oatman. This is the most scenic part and cars tend to wander across the centerline. Oatman to Golden Shores is best for sport riding, cleaner and less traveled.
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