Driving Historic Route 66 in Arizona: Seligman, Oatman and Las Vegas

On 8 October 2025 we drove from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas – about 331 miles (533 km) and roughly six hours of pure driving – with a detour onto Historic Route 66 in Arizona. We'd been looking forward to the Mother Road for a long time.

Honest verdict up front: Route 66 itself underwhelmed us a bit. Seligman was a fun stop, but we'd expected more places like it along the way. Then Oatman turned out to be the surprise of the day – and the reason we'd tell anyone driving this way to make the detour.

The short version

Seligman: fun, colourful and worth an hour. The drive between: longer, emptier stretches than we'd imagined. Oatman: free-roaming burros, a staged cowboy show and lunch under thousands of dollar bills – our highlight. Las Vegas: a very loud contrast at the end of a long day.

A long day ahead

We woke at Yavapai Lodge inside Grand Canyon National Park, with a deer wandering past outside – a nice way to start a day that was mostly going to happen behind the wheel. (Our quick look at the Grand Canyon is at the end of our Page article.)

A brown Arizona Historic US 66 sign on a gravel verge beside an empty road stretching into the desert under a deep blue sky — Historic Route 66 – and a lot of open road.

Seligman: a fun stop on Route 66

Seligman was our first real Route 66 stop. Route 66 came through town in 1926, and Seligman grew up around it – until Interstate 40 bypassed it in 1978. Local business people later lobbied for Route 66 to be designated a historic highway, and today the old town is a listed historic district that lives on Route 66 nostalgia.

We stopped for breakfast and spent about an hour walking around: old cars parked outside the shops, murals, souvenir stores full of 66 shields, and Delgadillo's Snow Cap, a drive-in decorated like a fairground.

Delgadillo's Snow Cap drive-in in Seligman with its colourful sign, flags and a decorated vintage car, on the corner of Lamport Ave and Old Highway 66 — Delgadillo's Snow Cap on Old Highway 66.

Kristine waving a Route 66 flag from the driver's seat of the decorated white Snow Cap car covered in flowers — Kristine at the wheel of the Snow Cap car.

Kristine standing beside a rusty vintage car in front of a big SELIGMAN mural with a Route 66 shield — Kristine and the Seligman mural.

Kristine and Inge standing behind a big Route 66 shield painted on the pavement in Seligman — Kristine and Inge on the 66.

A pale yellow vintage car parked in front of a Route 66 shop with a painted American flag and a motorbike sign — Old cars outside every other shop.

Kristine trying on a leather biker vest with a Live to Ride eagle patch in a Seligman shop — Kristine trying on the biker look.

Leif in a sparkly pink USA cap in a souvenir shop full of Route 66 T-shirts — And me, finding my size.

Souvenir table in the RoadRunner gift shop covered in Route 66 mugs, plates and T-shirts — Route 66 souvenirs, as far as the eye can see.

Leif standing next to a huge black pick-up truck in front of a giant American flag painted on a wall — Peak America.

It was a fun, relaxed stop. The only thing was that we drove on expecting more of the same further along.

Source: NPS – Seligman Historic District.

Our honest take on Route 66

That's not quite how it turned out. Between Seligman and Oatman, a lot of the drive was less interesting than we'd hoped – long stretches without much to make you stop, get out and soak up the classic Route 66 feeling we'd pictured: more small towns, more diners, more old cars and roadside oddities.

That's our impression of the stretch we drove on one day, not a verdict on Route 66 in general. Plenty of people love it. But if you're imagining a non-stop string of Seligmans, adjust your expectations a little.

Burros before Oatman

Just before Oatman, the free-roaming burros started appearing by the road – and walking right up to the cars. We stopped, and one of them stuck its head straight in through our window. A strange and very funny preview of what was coming. (They're wild animals, even if they don't act like it. Every shop in Oatman sells burro food, and you're allowed to feed the adults – but not the foals, which are usually marked. Be a little careful: they can kick and bite.)

A free-roaming burro pushing its nose into the open window of our grey rental car on the road before Oatman — Our first burro – straight in through the car window.

Oatman: the surprise of the day

We reached Oatman around 1.15–1.20pm, parked just outside town and walked in. The atmosphere changed immediately. Oatman is a small former mining town with a full-on western feel: burros wandering down the main street, old wooden facades, souvenir shops, a small mine you can walk into and look at, and a staged cowboy shoot-out on Main Street.

We know it's not authentic everyday life – the cowboy show is obviously a show, and the town lives on tourists. But we didn't mind at all. It's a fun set, and it's hard to walk around without grinning. We spent at least two hours there, and Oatman is what rescued our Route 66 day.

The dusty main street of Oatman with wooden western buildings, Julie's Saloon sign and desert mountains behind, Kristine walking in the foreground — Main Street, Oatman.

Three burros standing in the street in front of a wooden saloon with wagon wheels and a sign for the Wild West show — Burros waiting outside the Wild West show.

A free-roaming burro walking along the covered wooden boardwalk past the Gold Dollar Variety shop — Sharing the boardwalk.

Leif taking a selfie with a curious burro in the middle of Oatman's main street — Making friends.

Close-up selfie of Leif cheek to cheek with a grey and white burro — Very good friends.

Kristine stroking a burro's head outside a wooden shop with a burro statue on the roof — Kristine and a local.

Three burros standing outside the old General Store with T-shirts hanging on the porch — Outside the General Store.

The weathered wooden facade of Jackass Junction, covered in rusty tools and old signs — Jackass Junction – Oatman doesn't take itself too seriously.

Wooden saloon buildings on Oatman's main street with a Julie's Saloon sign and a Zombie parking only sign — Saloons, signs and wooden porches.

A rusty antique tractor in front of the Janky Jamboree Old West show building and the Sugar Saloon — Old machinery on every corner.

A timber-framed mine tunnel leading into lit rock — The little mine you can walk into.

A rusty iron 1897 jail punishment cell next to an old wooden coffin and bones — The 1897 punishment cell…

Leif peering out through the hatch of the rusty iron jail cell — …and its latest inmate.

Kristine leaning on a painted Arizona Sidewinder Route 66 sign on Oatman's main street — Kristine on Route 66.

Kristine and Inge on a wooden boardwalk lined with old wagon wheels and tools — Kristine and Inge on the boardwalk.

A burro grazing in the middle of the street with parked cars and desert peaks behind — Traffic, Oatman style.

Our advice: we wouldn't necessarily plan a whole trip around Route 66, but if your route passes anywhere near Oatman, seriously consider the detour.

Lunch at the Oatman Hotel

For lunch we went into the Oatman Hotel. The entrance is a red door on Main Street that's easy to miss, and from outside it doesn't look like much – but inside is a saloon-style restaurant with dollar bills stuck all over the walls and ceiling.

We added our own: names and the date written on dollar bills and pinned up with all the others. The food was ordinary burger fare – nothing special – but the service was good and the room is the reason to go.

Kristine, Leif and Inge laughing at a table with dollar bills covering the wall behind them — Lunch at the Oatman Hotel – and our bills went up on the wall.

The Oatman Hotel restaurant seen from above, with walls and pillars completely covered in dollar bills — Dollar bills on every surface.

The Oatman Hotel dining room with a railroad crossing sign and walls papered in dollar bills — The dining room under a railroad crossing sign.

On to Las Vegas

From Oatman we drove on to Las Vegas, and the contrast couldn't have been bigger. After hours of open road and small western towns, suddenly: a huge, loud, busy city.

We'd booked three nights at Circus Circus, and we hadn't understood how big it is. It's not a hotel – it's a resort with a casino, restaurants and entertainment, and thousands of rooms. It took us at least half an hour just to work out the hotel – parking, reception and the way to our room – because it's so big. After a long day on the road it felt overwhelming, and already on arrival we started wondering if it had been the right choice.

The Circus Circus entrance in Las Vegas at night under a huge canopy of red and gold lights — Arriving at Circus Circus.

The giant neon clown sign of Circus Circus Hotel Casino at night, with the Fontainebleau tower behind — The famous clown sign.

Circus Circus at night with its striped big-top roof, lit arches and two hotel towers — The big top and the hotel towers.

A long, colourful corridor inside Circus Circus with purple, red and yellow pillars and a shiny dark floor — One of the endless corridors inside.

We were tired, so we didn't go out that night. Around 8pm we ate something we'd bought in a supermarket and took it easy – the next day was for Las Vegas itself, and then Mr. Olympia.

For all its size, Circus Circus has two big things going for it: it's central on the Strip, and it's good value.

Looking back on the day

We'd looked forward to driving Historic Route 66, and the route itself didn't quite live up to it. Seligman was a nice stop, but we'd imagined more along the way. Oatman, on the other hand, was a brilliant surprise: the burros, the western set, the cowboy show and lunch under the dollar bills. Then came the jolt of Las Vegas and the sheer size of Circus Circus.

A road trip doesn't always go the way you expect – but one good stop can make the whole day. For us, that was Oatman.

Practical information

When	8 October 2025
Route	Grand Canyon – Seligman – Historic Route 66 – Oatman – Las Vegas: about 331 miles (533 km), ~6 hours of driving without stops
Time spent	Seligman about 1 hour; Oatman at least 2 hours
Burros	Free-roaming; burro food is sold in the shops – adults may be fed, foals may not
Stayed	Circus Circus, Las Vegas (3 nights, Hotels.com)