About This Trip
The western half of Route 66 runs 1,150 miles from Amarillo through New Mexico, Arizona, and the Mojave Desert to its dramatic terminus at the Santa Monica Pier. This is the half of the road that delivers the big landscapes — red rock mesas, painted desert, ponderosa pine, and finally the Pacific Ocean.
Leaving the Texas Panhandle, the route enters New Mexico at Glenrio (a near-ghost town straddling the state line) and rolls into Tucumcari — once a major Route 66 stopover and still home to the most concentrated stretch of restored neon on the entire road. The Blue Swallow Motel and Tee Pee Curios still glow at night, and a dozen other signs have been lovingly restored by the town's preservation society.
Santa Fe and Albuquerque sit on the original 1926 alignment (Santa Fe was bypassed in 1937, but the 'pre-1937' loop is still drivable and well worth the detour). Across Arizona, the road parallels I-40 through Petrified Forest National Park — the only national park split by Route 66 — past Holbrook (with the famous Wigwam Motel) and into the cool ponderosa pine of Flagstaff at 7,000 feet.
West of Williams, AZ — gateway to the Grand Canyon — the road descends through Seligman (birthplace of the modern Route 66 preservation movement) and the longest unbroken original alignment in the country, including the dramatic Sitgreaves Pass switchbacks down into the burro-overrun ghost mining town of Oatman. The Mojave Desert crossing is bleak and spectacular before the road climbs Cajon Pass into Southern California and threads through Pasadena to the Santa Monica Pier — the symbolic 'End of the Trail.'
Best for: desert lovers, photographers, anyone who wants the iconic Western half of the Mother Road without committing to the full 2,400-mile drive.
Best time to drive: March through May and September through November. Summer afternoon temperatures in the Mojave routinely exceed 110°F. Winter snow can close the higher Arizona stretches. Allow 5 to 7 days unhurried.
Stops
Tucumcari, NM — Neon Capital of the Mother Road
The most concentrated stretch of restored vintage neon on the entire route. Stay at the Blue Swallow Motel — opened 1939, original neon, vintage Cadillacs in the garages. Drive Route 66 through town at dusk for the full effect.
Albuquerque, NM — Central Avenue
The original Route 66 runs straight through downtown as Central Avenue, past the KiMo Theatre's Pueblo Deco facade and stretches of restored neon. The pre-1937 alignment loops north through Santa Fe — worth the detour if time allows.
Petrified Forest National Park, AZ
The only national park bisected by Route 66 — a rusted 1932 Studebaker sits as a monument where the original alignment crossed the park boundary. The Painted Desert overlooks and Crystal Forest trail are the highlights.
Holbrook, AZ — Wigwam Motel
Spend a night in a 30-foot-tall concrete teepee at the Wigwam Motel — one of only three surviving Wigwam Villages in the country, opened in 1950. Each room is a freestanding teepee with original hickory furniture and vintage cars parked outside.
Seligman, AZ — Birthplace of the Route 66 Revival
The Snow Cap Drive-In and Angel Delgadillo's barbershop are where the modern Route 66 preservation movement began in 1987. The town leans hard into its Route 66 identity and is one of the most fun small towns on the route.
Oatman, AZ — Burros & Sitgreaves Pass
A ghost town reborn as a Route 66 attraction. Wild burros (descendants of mining-era pack animals) wander the main street looking for carrots. The drive in over Sitgreaves Pass is the most demanding stretch of the entire route — single-lane switchbacks with no guardrails.
Santa Monica Pier, CA — End of the Trail
The symbolic terminus of Route 66 — the official 'End of the Trail' sign sits at the entrance to the pier. Walk to the Ferris wheel, dip your feet in the Pacific, and find a seat for the sunset. You've earned it.