The section of Route 66 starting near the western Arizona state line in the town of Golden Shores, passes through an authentic ghost town of Oatman and ends up in Kingman and is reported to be some of the most scenic, treacherous and mountainous sections of the historic highway.
And this is where we decided to start following Route 66 after our stay in Lake Havasu City. The section cuts through land maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and is part of the scenic byways program. Route 66 actually bypassed this section in 1953 in favor of flatter land, but it has been repaved and restored in effort to recapture some of the wonder that earlier travelers experiences in this dramatic landscape change uncommon for Route 66.
The road was windy, but we wouldn’t call it treacherous as compared to the many other windy mountain roads we’ve been on. Just take it slow and easy, enjoy the views, take a break in Oatman to feed carrots to burros – and you’ll be fine. But the scenery was indeed amazing! It’s 60 miles of wonder, and a fabulous way to start our Route 66 journey through Arizona and New Mexico.
[geo_mashup_map]
Great report ! When times were hard here in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, our Family moved to Arizona to work in the copper mines during the late 1940’s. Some of those roads were really something ! Few of them were paved and meeting another vehicle could be quite exciting.
Thanks for your video report.
mountainborn & Butcherknife