The Alphabet Towns of California's Mojave Desert

West of Needles, Route 66 crosses California's desolate Mojave Desert, following the railroad built through here in the 1800s. In the 1880s the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad created a series of small towns as water stops along its railroad. They’re called the “alphabet towns” because the railroad named them alphabetically from west to east: Amboy, Bristol, Cadiz, Danby, Essex, Fenner, Goffs, Homer, and Ibis. All the alphabet towns were eventually bypassed by newer alignments of Route 66 or by I-40. Today some are tiny towns, some are ghost towns, and some have vanished completely.

From Needles, we took I-40 about 7 miles to Exit 133 (US 95). Here two “alignments” of Route 66 split. The original 1926 alignment follows CA 66, which arcs to the northwest through the town of Goffs, then southwest to I-40. The 1931 alignment is gone, replaced by I-40.  We followed the original 1926 alignment by heading north on US 95.  In about 5 miles, we turned left (west) on CA 66. This intersection was once the alphabet town of Ibis.

We continued west on CA 66, running along the south side of the railroad. The alphabet town of Homer was once here, but all signs of it are gone.

Route 66 (CA 66) west of Goffs

In about 13 miles we reached the tiny town of Goffs. Just before Route 66 crosses the railroad tracks, we saw an abandoned general store on the north side of the road.

Former general store in Goffs

Right after crossing the railroad tracks, Route 66 turns left to continue west along the north side of the railroad tracks. In about 500 feet, we turned right (north) onto Lanfair Road. In a few hundred feet we reached Goffs Schoolhouse, built in 1914 and nicely restored.

1914 Goffs Schoolhouse

A sign near the schoolhouse explains that, during World War II, Goffs was the center of a desert army training camp, with as many as 10,000 troops stationed here.

Sign at Goffs Schoolhouse

The school is fenced and was closed when we visited. After we saw the sign below, we decided not to wander around!

Warning sign near Goffs Schoolhouse

A few hundred feet further north on Lanfair Road is a replica of the Goffs Santa Fe Railway Depot. It’s also fenced and was closed when we visited.

Replica of Goffs Depot

Goffs is called the Desert Tortoise Capital of the Road, but we didn’t see any. We visited in late October, and the tortoises hibernate underground from November through February.

West of Goffs, Route 66 continues along the north side of the railroad tracks.

Route 66 west of Goffs

Just before I-40, we saw the Desert Oasis gas station on the left. This is about all that's left of the alphabet town of Fenner. If you need gas, get it here—there’s no more gas for at least the next 55 miles.

Desert Oasis gas station in Fenner

About 3 miles south of I-40, Route 66 is closed because floods have washed out some of the bridges.

Route 66 closure at Fenner

So we took I-40 west about 30 miles to Kelbaker Road, then took Kelbaker Road about 11 miles south to rejoin CA 66. While we missed seeing what’s left of Essex and the Cadiz Summit, we were glad we drove Kelbaker Road, because the views are stunning.

Looking south on Kelbaker Road

When we reached CA 66 (also called the National Trails Highway), we  turned left (east). There’s a sign that the road is closed, but you can drive it about 5 miles or so before it really closes.

Route 66 road closure east of Kelbaker Road

Once again the views were stunning. Far ahead, Route 66 bends to the left (northeast) and passes through Cadiz Summit.

Route 66 west of Chambless, looking west

Along the road is “rock graffiti”: hundreds of travelers have spelled out their names with rocks.

"Rock graffiti" along Route 66 west of Chambless

In about 4 miles, we reached the remains of the Road Runners Retreat.

Road Runners Retreat near Chambless

Road Runners Retreat was once a truck stop. The gas station is on the left and the restaurant on the right.

In another mile and a half, we reached the town of Chambless.

Chambless, California

You may recall that the “alphabet towns” included Cadiz, not Chambless. Between Essex and Amboy, the railroad and the original National Trails Highway runs a few miles south of Route 66. Cadiz was established along the railroad about 3 miles south of where Chambless is today. Route 66 was built north of the railroad and the original National Trails Highway, bypassing Cadiz. Chambless was established in the 1930s and named for the family who settled there.

What’s left of the Wayside Café is on the southwest corner of CA 66 and Cadiz Road.

Wayside Cafe in Chambless

There’s also a monument to Route 66 here with a plaque.

Route 66 plaque in Chambless

CA 66 is truly closed to all traffic past Cadiz Road, so we turned around and headed back west. We could see Amboy Crater, a volcanic cylinder cone, in the distance.

Route 66 looking west toward the (low black) Amboy Crater

About 4 miles west of Kelbaker Road we reached an iconic Route 66 stop: what’s left of the town of Amboy. Amboy was a true oasis for Route 66 travelers until I-40 opened. After I-40 opened, many of the structures were bulldozed to avoid paying property taxes on them. But there's still a post office here on the south side of the road.

Amboy Post Office with Amboy Crater on the right

The remains of Amboy School are here, too, on the north side of the road. 

Amboy School

But what makes Amboy iconic is Roy’s, a complex built to serve Route 66 travelers.

Roy's in Amboy

Today Roy’s is an icon of a lonely desert gas stop and has appeared in films, ads and commercials, video games, and more. (Wikipedia has a pretty extensive list.)

Roy Crowl opened Roy’s gas and service station in 1938. In 1945 he and his son-in-law added a café, which is now a gift shop.

Former cafe at Roy's, now a gift shop

Interior of the former cafe at Roy's, now a gift shop

In 1948 Roy and his son-in-law added cabins.

Cabins at Roy's

A true motel was built behind the cabins and, in 1959, Roy and his son-in-law added Roy’s iconic sign and motel office in space-age “Googie” style.

Roy's motel office, cabins and sign

While all the buildings have been spruced up on the outside, only the gift shop in the former café is open.

West of Amboy, Route 66 was again closed because of bridge washouts when we visited in October 2022. So, after this great stop, we drove back east toward Kelbaker Road, enjoying the magnificent views one last time.

Route 66 east of Amboy, looking east

We then drove back north on Kelbaker Road to I-40 and our next Route 66 stop: Ludlow, California.

Topock, Arizona, and Needles, California

The Oatman Highway (AZ 10) ends just after passing the town of Topock, Arizona. As the road approaches I-40, it curves right (west) to briefly parallel railroad tracks. It then makes a hairpin turn to cross under the railroad tracks, then go east between the railroad and I-40. Here, on the north side of the road next to the railroad tracks, is a water tower built in 1908.

Topock Water Tower

When AZ 10 crosses I-40, the long unbroken stretch of original Route 66, which began east of Seligman, Arizona, ends. You must get on I-40 to cross the Colorado River and enter California. But, if you can safely pause on the overpass over I-40, you can see two sights. To the east are some mountains called The Needles. They appeared in the movies The Grapes of Wrath and Easy Rider.

The Needles, south of Topock

And to the west is a beautiful bridge.

Old Trails Bridge near Topock

This bridge was built in 1916, a decade before the National Old Trails Highway became Route 66. I’ve seen it called the Old Trails Bridge, Trail Arch Bridge, and Old Trails Arch Bridge. Today it only carries a pipeline; it is closed to traffic and pedestrians.

Instead of getting on I-40 into California, we took a detour off Route 66. We went east on I-40 to Exit 9 (AZ 95), then took AZ 95 south to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Lake Havasu is a real contrast from Route 66, because it was created in 1963, decades after Route 66 was established. It’s most famous as the home of London Bridge, which was installed here in 1971.

London Bridge in Lake Havasu City

London Bridge at night

We spent the night at the Holiday Inn Express, which has great views of London Bridge, and ate dinner at The Chair next to the bridge. It was a very pleasant break—to us, it was worth the detour. 

The next morning we backtracked to I-40 west, now crossing the Colorado River and entering California. (Tip: Get gas before entering California—it’s much more expensive there.)

We wanted to take the original 1930s Route 66 alignment to Needles, so about a mile after crossing into California, we took the exit for Park Moabi Road, turning right (north) onto Park Moabi Road. In about a mile, we turned left (west) on National Trails Highway—the original Route 66. We soon encountered this:

National Trails Highway west of Park Moabi Road

At the time, we thought National Trails Highway was blocked off. Afterwards, I studied my maps again and I now think National Trails Highway veers left, crossing under the railroad tracks. No matter—it would have been far too rough for us to feel comfortable driving. So we backtracked to I-40 and continued west on I-40 to the exit for Five Mile Road. We turned left (west) on Five Mile Road. Here the National Trails Highway that we wanted to drive merges into Five Mile Road, so we were back on the 1930s Route 66 alignment. In about a mile, Five Mile Road merges into US 95—still the 1930s Route 66 alignment. 

US 95 (1930s Route 66 alignment) south of Needles

We continued on US 95 north about five miles into Needles, California. Here US 95 (Route 66) becomes Broadway Street.

Just off Route 66, at 91 Desnok Street, is the adorable 66 Motel, built in 1945-1947.

66 Motel in Needles

The 66 Motel has a great old sign on Route 66, pointing travelers to the motel.

66 Motel sign

About 3 blocks north of the 66 Motel on Route 66, just past Palm Way, is the former Old Trails Inn. It opened in the 1930s as the Palms Motel.

Former Palms Motel in Needles

Across Route 66 from the Old Trails Inn, a borax wagon welcomes visitors to Needles.

Borax wagon in Needles

The wagon is a tribute to the wagons that once hauled borax out of nearby mines. (We’re old enough to remember TV commercials for “20 Mule Team Borax.”) This wagon was once in front of the long-gone El Rancho Motel a bit north of here.

Four blocks north of the borax wagon is a beautiful 1930s art deco building at 725 West Broadway Street.

Former Claypool & Company Hardware

The building once housed Claypool & Company Hardware. Today it houses Palo Verde Community College.

A block past the Claypool building, we turned right on F Street, then left on Quinn Court. On the right (north) side of Quinn Court is the beautiful El Garces Hotel.

El Garces Hotel

The El Garces Hotel was built in 1908 to replace a train depot that burned. It was designed to look like a Greek temple. It was one of the Harvey House chain built primarily to serve railroad passengers. (See my post on Winslow for more information on the Harvey Houses.) It is open for tours by appointment only; inquire at the Needles Regional Museum across the street.

On the north corner of the park in front of the hotel is a great sign honoring both Route 66 and Needles' railroad heritage.

Route 66 sign in front of El Garces Hotel

And across Quinn Court from the hotel is a Route 66 gem: the Needles Regional Museum in a former J.C. Penney’s department store.

Needles Regional Museum

The building has a great mural on its right (north) side.

Needles Regional Museum mural

The museum itself is a wonderful Route 66 stop. At the entrance is a statue of Spike, Snoopy’s brother.

Spike (and a lot of other cool stuff) at the Needles Regional Museum

Charles Schulz, who created the Peanuts comic strip, lived in Needles as a child for a few years. In the strip, Spike lived in the desert but periodically came into Needles.

 The museum staff were wonderful—in a few minutes we learned a great deal about the Needles region, including the Harvey House across the street and the Old Trails Bridge near Topock. We wish we could have spent even more time here!

 We returned to Broadway Street via G Street. On the northeast corner of Broadway and G Streets is another cool Route 66 sign.

Route 66 sign on the corner of Broadway & G Streets

We turned right (north) on Broadway Street and drove about three-quarters of a mile before turning left (west) to stay on Broadway Street and Route 66. Here Broadway Street is also called Needles Highway. In about half a mile Needles Highway bends a bit to the right. Here a restored Texaco station is at 2211 Needles Highway.

Texaco station in Needles, with Route 66's ever-present trains running behind it

Across Needles Highway from the Texaco Station, at 2302 Needles Highway, a Chinese restaurant is in a former Denny’s, complete with classic boomerang roof.

Former Denny's in Needles

About a quarter mile past the former Denny’s is a Route 66 institution: the Wagon Wheel Restaurant at 2420 Needles Highway.

Wagon Wheel Restaurant in Needles

There are very few services between Needles and Ludlow, California—a good 2½ hour drive if you’re taking the original Route 66. So consider getting gas and something to eat here and make sure you have plenty of water and snacks. If you’re using a GPS, set it before you leave, as cell phone service will be spotty.

After the Wagon Wheel, the Needles Highway crosses I-40. In about a mile, the road forks, with National Old Trails Road on the left and Needles Highway on the right. We took the National Trails Road on the left. When it ended in about a mile, we turned left (west) on West Park Road, then took I-40 north toward CA 66, one of the most desolate, haunting stretches of Route 66, crossing the Mojave Desert.

Oatman and the Oatman Highway

As I explained in my last post on Kingman, Arizona, we followed Route 66 out of Kingman until it ran along I-40. We then took the first right turn to cross I-40, then left on AZ 10, to continue on one of the most famous stretches of Route 66: the Oatman Highway. This was Route 66 between Kingman and Topock, Arizona, until 1952, when a new Route 66 “alignment” was built along what’s now I-40.

The Oatman Highway is known for three things: some of the most beautiful scenery along Route 66, the adorable town of Oatman, Arizona, and nerve-wracking hairpin turns, many with no guardrails. In fact, one of the highway’s nicknames is the Sidewinder. A sign in Oatman claims the road as 191 curves in 8 miles. Oatman Highway is perfectly safe if you drive carefully and the weather is good. But if you think you’d be too nervous to enjoy the drive, don’t go. After all, Route 66 is supposed to be fun! If you don’t want to drive a road with 191 curves in 8 miles but still want to see Oatman, drive up to Oatman and back from Topock—that stretch has far fewer curves.

About 18 miles past the turn onto AZ 10 is Cool Springs Station, built in 1926.

Cool Springs Station, Arizona

We stopped here to buy some snacks—I also treated myself to a Route 66 jigsaw puzzle—and enjoy the great views.

Past Cool Springs Station, the Oatman Highway starts to get dramatic.

Oatman Highway west of Cool Springs

About 10 miles before Oatman, we saw our first wild burros.

Burros along the Oatman Highway

Burros were brought to Oatman in the early 1900s as pack animals for the town’s gold mines. When the mines closed, they were set free. Today they approach tourists looking for treats. But they can get sick from most food, including carrots, so they should only be fed burro kibble sold in stores in Oatman.

Here one of the burros, clearly serving as a security guard, checked us out very thoroughly.

A burro checking us out along the Oatman Highway

When we assured him that we would only feed the burros approved kibble, he let us pass.

Now we began to see some of the Oatman Highway’s famous hairpin turns…

A hairpin turn on the Oatman Highway

…as well as some of its great views.

View from the Oatman Highway

About 4 miles before Oatman is Sitgreaves Pass with spectacular views. Fortunately there’s a pull-off here with plenty of parking.

View from Sitgreaves Pass along the Oatman Highway

There are a lot of memorials at Sitgreaves Pass.

Memorials at Sitgreaves Pass

I read that the memorials are tributes to loved ones who have died and whose ashes have been scattered here.

And then we reached Oatman, one of the highlights of any Route 66 road trip.

Oatman, Arizona

Oatman is a former gold rush town, founded in the early 1900s. It was named for Olive Oatman, who was captured by a Native American tribe when she was a teenager. While she was with the Mohave people, her chin was tattooed, consistent with Mohave tradition. After five years, she was returned to white society. She eventually gave lectures on her experience. Today it’s hard to tell how accurate her lectures were or what her true experience was.

Olive Oatman Restaurant in Oatman

At its peak, Oatman had thousands of residents. When the gold mines were tapped out, Oatman became a ghost town, and most of the buildings burned in a fire in 1920. Today it’s been transformed from a ghost town to a “Wild West” tourist town with a population of about 100. There are even wood sidewalks, just like in Western movies.

Some of Oatman's wood sidewalks

It was hard for me to tell which buildings are original and which have been built more recently to add to the town’s character.

The burros wander the town looking for treats from visitors (or, as one guidebook said, shaking down visitors for treats). Remember to feed them only burro kibble, available in some of the shops.

Oatman burros

And when I say the burros wander the town, I mean everywhere.

Oatman burros checking things out

Oatman’s business district is just a couple of blocks long, so it’s easy to see everything on foot. At 181 Main Street is the Oatman Hotel and Saloon. It was built in either 1902 or 1922 (sources give varying dates). There’s a legend that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon here…but they didn’t.

Oatman Hotel & Saloon

On the north corner of Main Street and Rock Hound Hill Road is the former Oatman Drug Company, sometimes referred to as the Glory Hole.

Former Oatman Drug Company building

This building was built in 1915 and survived the 1920 fire. It was originally a saloon, then a drug store. 

Across the street is a sign commemorating your completion of the Oatman Highway.

Sidewinder sign in Oatman

If you look to the southeast, you can see Elephant’s Tooth Mountain, which is actually a volcanic plug.

Elephant's Tooth Mountain behind one of Oatman's shops

There are a lot of other fun buildings in Oatman. For example, this building at 280 Main Street has a ghost sign for Lee Lumber Company.

One of Oatman's shops, with a "ghost sign" for Lee Lumber

But, as I said, I’m not sure which buildings are old and which are just built to look old. I would love to know more about the story of Oatman's renaissance--how it happened and who was involved.

West of Oatman, the Oatman Highway (AZ 10) no longer twists and turns. It’s now a pretty straight drive to Topock, Arizona, and the California state line.

Oatman Highway (Route 66) west of Oatman