Arizona's Desert Route 66

Route 66 leaves Oatman and drops down into the desert on its way to Golden Shores on the Colorado River and California beyond. This was many a west bound traveler's first glimpse of the dreaded Mojave Desert. Today this stretch of road, gently following the swell of the land, is quiet and peaceful - unlike the wild old days of Route 66. The scenery is spectacular and offers some great photographic opportunities. In the early 1950s this portion of Route 66 was bypassed. The new alignment (now Interstate 40) was straightened to avoid the Black Mountains and passed through Yucca, Arizona instead.