Kingman
111 N 4th St, Kingman, AZ
Kingman, AZ
A high-desert crossroads where the railroad, the mother road, and the interstate all meet, and where the longest surviving stretch of Route 66 begins.
Kingman calls itself the heart of Historic Route 66, and it earns the title. The town grew up in the 1880s as a stop on the railroad through the high desert of northwestern Arizona, then flourished again when Route 66 came through and traffic streamed along the mother road. Today Interstate 40 carries the through traffic, but Kingman has held onto its old highway soul, with neon signs, vintage motor courts, and a museum devoted to the road.
West of town begins the longest surviving stretch of original Route 66 anywhere, a lonely two-lane that climbs over the Black Mountains through the gold-mining ghost town of Oatman and rolls on toward the Colorado River. Kingman makes a fine base for that drive and for the whole corner of the state, a working desert town with mountain views in every direction and a deep sense of the road.
What Guests Love
- Calling itself the heart of Historic Route 66 and living up to it with neon and old motor courts
- A walkable downtown of brick storefronts, murals, and a working rail line
- The nearby gateway to the longest unbroken stretch of original Route 66
- Cooler air and big mountain views at its mile-high desert elevation
Worth Knowing
- Summer days get hot in the low desert around town, though the elevation keeps Kingman milder than the river valleys
- Freight trains run through downtown often, part of the town's working character
- This is a base for the region, so plan on driving to reach the river, Oatman, and the open stretches of 66
- Winter nights can be cold at this elevation, so pack a layer
Details
Kingman, AZ
Learn about Kingman
Railroad town, highway town
Kingman began as a construction camp and water stop when the railroad pushed across northern Arizona in the early 1880s, and it took the name of a railroad surveyor. The trains still run through the middle of downtown, and the old depot has been kept as part of the town's Route 66 story, a reminder that the rails came first and the highway followed the same natural path across the desert.
When Route 66 was laid out in the 1920s it ran right through Kingman, and the town became a place travelers stopped to eat, sleep, and gas up before the hard stretches on either side. That legacy shows in the brick downtown, the old motels, and a downtown museum that tells the tale of the road, from Dust Bowl migrants to postwar vacationers to the road-trip romantics who keep the route alive today.
The high desert and its mines
Kingman sits about a mile high in the Hualapai Valley, a wide basin rimmed by the Hualapai, Cerbat, and Black mountains. The elevation gives the town cooler air and clearer skies than the river valleys below, and the surrounding ranges are seamed with the remains of old mining camps that drew prospectors chasing gold, silver, and turquoise across these hills.
The desert here is classic high-country Arizona, spread with creosote and Joshua trees rather than the tall saguaros of the south. To the west the Black Mountains rise in a jagged wall, crossed by the old highway; to the north the land drops toward the Grand Canyon country and the Colorado River, giving Kingman its role as a hub for the whole northwestern corner of the state.
The road west to Oatman
From Kingman the old Route 66 heads west and immediately gets interesting, climbing into the Black Mountains on a narrow, curving grade that once frightened the daylights out of early motorists. Near the top sits Oatman, a former gold-mining town where wild burros, descended from mining stock, wander the main street among the old saloons and shops.
This is the beginning of the longest continuous stretch of original Route 66 still drivable, a run that leaves the interstate far behind and keeps the feel of the road as it was. It is slow going by design, all switchbacks and open desert, and it rewards travelers who want the real thing rather than the fast lane, ending down at the Colorado River near the California line.
A base for the region
Kingman's real value to a traveler is its position. It is close to the Colorado River and the water-sports scene at Lake Havasu and Laughlin, within a couple of hours of the west entrances to the Grand Canyon country, and squarely on the path between the desert Southwest and California. That makes it a comfortable and affordable place to spend a night on a longer journey.
The town itself offers the simple pleasures of a Western railroad crossroads: a downtown to stroll, diners and a brewpub, mining and railroad history to poke through, and big skies at both ends of the day. For anyone drawn to Route 66, the desert, and the open road, it is a fitting place to pause.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Sands Motel of Boulder City
Honorable Mention809 Nevada Way, Boulder City, NV
70 miles away|Learn More ›
Things to Do Near Kingman
Oatman
About 28 miles, a 45 minute drive
A gold-mining ghost town on Route 66 in the Black Mountains, where wild burros roam the main street among old shops and staged gunfights.
Route 66 west of Kingman
Begins at the edge of town
The start of the longest unbroken stretch of original Route 66, a lonely two-lane over the mountains and out across the desert.
Hualapai Mountain Park
About 14 miles, a 25 minute drive
A cool, pine-topped mountain refuge above the desert, with hiking trails, big views, and rustic cabins.
Lake Havasu City
About 60 miles, an hour drive
The Colorado River resort town, home of the transplanted London Bridge and a hub for boating and water sports.