Should you visit Route 66 Historic Back Country Byway?
This is a 42-mile stretch of original two-lane Route 66 in northwestern Arizona, managed as a back country byway rather than a conventional park unit.
The experience is a road trip through living American highway history, passing through desert landscapes, over Sitgreaves Pass, and into the historic ghost town of Oatman. It is free, open, and genuinely one of the best-preserved segments of the original alignment still drivable today. The score of 72 reflects solid access and real camping options, not a lack of character. This is not a place you hike a loop trail and leave. You drive it, stop where something catches your eye, and let the pace of a two-lane road do the work. For Route 66 enthusiasts, road trippers, and anyone who wants dispersed camping in the Mojave Desert corridor, this delivers something most interstate miles never could.
What makes it worth it
A good day on this byway starts in Golden Valley, where signage warns vehicles over 40 feet about the Sitgreaves Pass restriction, which is your first signal that this road has real character. The climb over the pass delivers the kind of narrow, winding two-lane driving that interstates permanently erased. Dropping down into Oatman, a genuine ghost town with a documented history and feral burros still roaming the main street, gives the drive a concrete destination rather than a vague scenic corridor. Dispersed camping along BLM-administered stretches means you can sleep on the route itself, waking up to desert quiet before the day-trippers arrive. Dogs are welcome on leash throughout, making this viable for travelers with pets.
Who should go
Best for Route 66 devotees, road trip-focused travelers, history buffs drawn to 20th-century Americana, and campers who want a free, dispersed overnight with real context. Skip it if you need structured hiking, visitor center amenities, or are driving an RV or vehicle combination over 40 feet, as the pass creates a hard restriction.
When to go
Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons for driving and camping in this part of Arizona, when desert temperatures are manageable. Summer heat in the lower elevations near Oatman can be intense, pushing well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter is generally mild but Sitgreaves Pass can see cold overnight temperatures. Oatman's feral burros are a year-round draw.
Highlights
- One of the last fully intact and drivable segments of the original Route 66 alignment
- Sitgreaves Pass, a narrow mountain crossing that filters out large vehicles and preserves the road's original character
- Oatman ghost town as a concrete historical destination at the end of the descent
- Free dispersed camping along the corridor for overnight road trippers
- Dogs on leash are welcome, making it accessible for pet-traveling households
- The byway passes through wilderness, valleys, and small-town main streets within a single 42-mile stretch
Plan ahead
Entrance is free. Vehicles and combinations over 40 feet are prohibited over Sitgreaves Pass between Golden Valley and Oatman, and signage in Golden Valley marks this restriction. The road is two-lane paved blacktop suitable for most standard vehicles but wider rigs should exercise real caution. No dedicated campground infrastructure exists, so dispersed camping means self-sufficiency with water and waste.
Editor's tipDrive the segment west to east, from Golden Valley toward Oatman, so that Sitgreaves Pass is your ascent rather than your descent. The views opening up as you climb, combined with arriving in Oatman from above, gives the route its best dramatic sequence rather than arriving at the ghost town before you have earned it.
