Route 66 in Flagstaff AZ (2024)

Greetings from Flagstaff, Arizona

We have traveled Historic Route 66 across Arizona multiple times over the years, both eastbound and westbound.

Some of the journey is on I-40, which parallels the old Route 66 in many places.We drive the segments of the Mother Road where it still remains. Exits to Route 66 are marked in many locales.

We have visited Flagstaff on several road trips, when heading to the Grand Canyon, or continuing on further west to Seligman and Kingman on Route 66.

Flagstaff is also a convenient jumping off location for trips to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Antelope Canyon, and other Arizona attractions.

And with over 5,000 hotel rooms, the city offers travelers on Route 66 a large variety of accommodations.

Location

Flagstaff is situated in the pines at an elevation of approximately 7,000 feet (2,134 m), near the base of the San Francisco Peaks. Mount Humphreys is the highest point in Arizona and towers above Flagstaff at 12,633 feet.

The city is located near the center of Northern Arizona at the junction of Interstate 17 and Interstate 40, about 150 miles north of Phoenix, AZ and 80 miles south of the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff is the county seat for Coconino County, the second largest county in the United States, with an area of 11,896,720 acres.

Climate

Flagstaff enjoys a four-season climate. Altitude and low humidity combine to produce clear air and relatively mild weather conditions year-round. Flagstaff has an average of 108 inches of snowfall in a year, but averages 266 days of sunshine per year. In the fall, stands of Aspen trees turn golden creating beautiful autumn settings.

Truly, Flagstaff is "Arizona's Destination for all Seasons".

Route 66 in Flagstaff

Historic U.S. Route 66 runs directly through Flagstaff, and Flagstaff was the city with the highest elevation on the historic Mother Road. Today, 14.2 miles of Route 66 remain in Flagstaff.

In Flagstaff travelers can still cruise Route 66 and look back in time at iconic buildings and neon signs. Several historic hotels and motels still line Route 66 in Flagstaff.

Walk This Talk - Route 66 is a new pedestrian audio tour that commemorates Flagstaff’s original alignment of Route 66 on Phoenix Avenue and Mikes Pike. Located in the city’s walkable Southside neighborhood, Walk-66 features pedestrian scale signs to announce significant structures, events, and people that were affected by the Route, or which in turn, affected the Route’s alignment. The first stop on the audio tour begins just outside the entry doors on the north side of the Visitor’s Center, and ends at the intersection of Mikes Pike and Milton Road.

The Route 66 Trail follows the south side of historic Route 66 from downtown Flagstaff to the east side of town. In the mid 1990s the City removed a string of billboards from the strip of land between Route 66 and the BNSF railroad tracks, and replaced it with landscaping and an urban trail. Near the east end of the trail, just east of Fanning Drive, a short segment of the circa 1939 pavement for Route 66 has been preserved in place and made part of the trail.

Read more about Route 66 attractions in Flagstaff at DiscoverFlagstaff

See Also

Explore Flagstaff Route 66 Attractions - Discover FlagstaffRoute 66 in Arizona - Eine der schönsten Teilstrecken der berühmten TraumstraßeFlagstaff, Route 66 ArizonaFlagstaff: Tor zum Grand Canyon & die Route 66

Map showing the location of Flagstaff, Arizona on Historic U.S. Route 66

Lodging and Dining Options in Flagstaff

It is located at 1 E Route 66 in downtown Flagstaff.	Visitor Center in Flagstaff The Flagstaff Visitor Center is a great place to find out more about Route 66 in Arizona, area attractions like Sedona and the Grand Canyon, and lodging options. You can also begin the "Walk This Talk - Route 66" tour here.

Route 66 Murals in Flagstaff
Flagstaff Arizona ... on Historic U.S. Route 66 ... mural at the LumberYard Brewing Co. at 5 S. San Francisco St.
Route 66: Will Roger's Highway	Route 66" America's Highway

Scenes & Attractions Around Flagstaff
Babbitt Brothers Merchants & Ranchers	Weatherford Hotel
Steam Engine Number 25	Museum of Northern Arizona
Museum Club in Flagstaff
Lowell Observatory & Museum Shown below is th 20-foot tall Louie the Lumberjack Muffler Man on the Northern Arizona University (NAU) campus in Flagstaff. The lumberjack is the mascot of the University; one of these lumberjacks stands outside, and one inside, the Walkup Skydome stadium. The pair was formerly located outside of the Lumberjack Cafe (now called Granny's Closet) on Route 66. Read more about giant "Muffler Men" on Route 66, their locations, and view photos on this website

Interactive Map of the Flagstaff, Arizona Area

Side Trip from Route 66 to Grand Canyon National Park

Map showing a road trip from Route 66 in Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park is located in Arizona near Flagstaff and Williams, and is centered on a Colorado River canyon that is 277 river miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile deep.The Park is one of the world's most popular natural attractions, with attendance exceeding 6 million visitors a year.

The Park is located only about 75 miles northwest of Flagstaff, and is a popular side-trip for Route 66 travelers.

Those visitors approaching the park from Flagstaff take U.S. Highway 180 northwest from Flagstaff to Valle, and then U.S. Highway 64 north to the park.

Another access route is taking Highway 64 north from Williams, located a bit further west of Flagstaff on Interstate 40 and Route 66.

Some visitors to the park ride the Grand Canyon Railway, which runs from Williams, Arizona directly intothe park. The railroad has operated since 1901.

The South Rim of the canyon, with an elevation of about 7,000 feet, is open year-round, while the North Rim is open only part of the year, during the warmer months. Most Route 66 travelers visit only the South Rim.

Read more about a Route 66 Side Trip from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon

Entrance to the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Railway at the park

Side Trip to Monument Valley from Flagstaff

For many Route 66 travelers heading westbound across Arizona, a side trip to Monument Valley is a great opportunity to see this world-class destination.

Scene at the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is located in extreme southeastern Utah, on the northern border of Arizona. It is operated by the Navajo Nation, not the National Park Service.

Many travelers on Historic Route 66 make a once-in-a-lifetime side trip to visit Monument Valley, about 175 miles northeast of Flagstaff.

The valley is host to towering sandstone rock formations that have been sculpted over time and soar 400 to 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Combined with the surrounding mesas, buttes, and desert environment, Monument Valley is one of the natural wonders of the world.

Over the years, Monument Valley has been the locale for the filming of numerous movies starring such film legends as John Wayne. Scenes in movies such as Stagecoach, Back to the Future Part III, Easy Rider 2001: A Space Odyssey and Forrest Gump have been been filmed in the valley.

Visitors may explore the 17-mile scenic drive through the park in private vehicles or book a half-day or full-day jeep tour to explore the area's backroads and sacred lands with the help of a local guide.

Click to read more about a trip to Monument Valley

The road passes many notable features, including the Mitten Buttes, Three Sisters, Yei-bi-chai, North Window, and the famous Totem Pole. Passenger cars can drive the road, although care must be taken in loose sand and rocky areas. No hiking or driving off the posted track is allowed.

Leaving Flagstaff, head northwest on U.S. Highway 89; at Tuba City, resume northeast on U.S. 160 to Kayenta. There, join U.S. 163 north to Monument Valley. Travel time to cover the 175 miles is nearly three hours, leaving time to explore the Valley, and probably spend a night there. You can then reverse the route back to Flagstaff where you can rejoin Route 66 for the rest of your road trip westbound.

A option for the return to Flagstaff is to divert westward to the Page, Arizona area. Here visitors can explore Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend which is a horseshoe-shaped incised meander of the Colorado River, Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. After your stay in the Page area, drive south on U.S. 89 to Flagstaff.

Popular Destinations Just Outside of Flagstaff
Wupatki National Monument	Scene at Wupatki Monument
Walnut Canyon National Monument Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument north of Flagstaff
San Francisco Peaks, north of Flagstaff, Arizona	While in Flagstaff, visit nearby Sedona, only a few miles to the south!

MORE ARIZONA ROUTE 66

Earlier Times: Vintage Views along Route 66 in Flagstaff

We have included below a sampling of our collection of vintage travel postcards dealing with Flagstaff and Route 66.

What was Route 66 like in its earlier years, as visitors drove around and across Flagstaff? What did all the service stations, motels and public buildings look like when they were new?

What did the traveling public experience on the Mother Road? We wonder such things when we travel Route 66 today.

Those earlier times in the 1930s, 40s and 50s were not always captured on film. But the use of colorful postcards was common in those decades.

These portray the historic road in its prime and help us to visualize, and appreciate, "earlier times" as we drive Route 66 today across Flagstaff.

Branding Iron Motel	Lane Motel	Downtown Flagstaff
66 Motel Court	The Spur Motel	Sierra Vista Motel
The "L" Motel	Wonderland Motel	Hi-Land Motel

Travel Guides for Other States Along Route 66

Planning a Road Trip on Route 66? Here are trip planners for all eight states on The Mother Road ...