HIKE THE MOTHER ROAD ON ITS 100th ANNIVERSARY

This year marks the 100th Anniversary of Historic Route 66. During its roughy 50 years serving as the primary highway to the West, the narrow road embodied a uniquely American sort of inertia--constantly changing, evolving and adapting to innovations and lifestyle changes while respecting its roots. 

Also known as the Mother Road, the 2,448-mile route ran from Chicago to Los Angles weaving through cities, towns, whistlestops and open plains.  While it's no longer the arterial travel corridor it was from the 1920s to 1960s, its legacy has been curated in stretches of driveable pavement and fading backwoods ghost roads accessible only by high-clearance vehicles, horses, bikes and foot travel. In Northern Arizona, the iconic road was rerouted several times before being replaced by Interstate 40. 

These days, bits and pieces of the decommissioned road have been repurposed into scenic driving tours, wavy bike routes and shaded hiking trails the preserve its heritage and crumbling imprint on the landscape. Here are a few hikes that use remnants of Route 66 in and around the towns of Williams, Parks and Ash Fork.  Get out there and celebrate this classic slice of Americana.

• "Ghost Road Convergence" and "Devil Dog Loop"

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• Stone to Steel Dam"

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Beale Wagon Road:

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"Keyhole Sink" and other Route 66 adjacent hikes around Williams:

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