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"

https://arizonahiking.blogspot.com/search/label/Route%2066

• Stone to Steel Dam"

https://arizonahiking.blogspot.com/search/label/Ash%20Fork

Beale Wagon Road:

https://arizonahiking.blogspot.com/search/label/Beale%20Wagon%20Road

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

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Keyhole Sink

KEYHOLE SINK

Keyhole Sink surrounds a moist seep area

Not too far off Old Route 66 a few miles east of the town of Williams, a cloistered box canyon with vertical stone walls encircles a depression where water sometimes cascades over the cliffs and pool at the base of the pine-shaded oasis. 

The woodsy approach to Keyhole Sink

The sounds of tree frogs, birds, and scampering squirrels bite through a soundtrack of wind rustling through aspen canopies.  The moist, cool place vibrates with a life essence that transcends the moment.  It’s like walking through a sort of time capsule set on perennial-fill mode.

A petroglyph panel at Keyhole Sink

The Kaibab National Forest site’s ample forage grasses, water and quiet isolation made this a perfect spot for wildlife to congregate, feed, drink, and--oh yeah--be stalked.  

Aspen saplings on the Keyhole Sink Interpretive trail

From roughly 1,000 years ago, ancestral Native American hunters documented their experiences at this enchanting hideaway by pecking images of deer, bear and other local wildlife into the folds and panels of cliff faces that are the weathered remains of ancient lava flows.   Today, hundreds of the images are visible on the volcanic escarpments.

Keyhole Sink is a wildlife oasis

Dense galleries depict a vibrant, and resource-rich environment.  While the meaning and utility of the petroglyphs is best known to the makers, present day viewers may immerse in the pure beauty of the etchings and extrapolate the notes of celebrations, observations, and maybe just the plein air sketches they may have depicted.  Regardless, it’s clear that Keyhole Sink remains a living, breathing microcosm of life in the forest. 

Visitors must be front-line protectors of this heritage site

A short, interpretive trail and a descriptive brochure available online, guide visitors through the woodsy outdoor classroom.

Sadly, there’s a history of vandals defacing the rock art. Restoration involves hundreds of volunteer hours, thousands of dollars, and years of work with no guarantees of fully rehabilitating the artfacts.  Why this happens in a place that is sacred to modern Native American tribes is beyond comprehension. The place is not a “ruin”, it’s an ancestral homeland.

Although Keyhole Sink is monitored by Arizona site stewards, visitors must be the front-line protectors. As with all heritage sites, respect the irreplaceable artifacts. Do not touch or otherwise alter the rock art, stay on designated trails, pack out all trash, and leave what you find so that future generations may appreciate this Arizona point-of-pride.

LENGTH: 2 miles round-trip

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,100 – 7,000 feet

GETTIGN THERE: From Flagstaff, go 16 miles west on Interstate 40 to the Parks exit 178. Connect with Historic Route 66 and go 4 miles west (left) to the Oak Hill Snow Play Area on the left. The trailhead is located across the road from the parking lot at a signed gate.

INFO:

Kaibab National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/kaibab/recarea/?recid=11678

 

Route 66 Ghost Roads Convergence

Route 66 Ghost Roads Convergence

A spring house on the Route 66 Ghost Road trail

Historic Route 66 embodies a uniquely American sort of inertia: constantly changing, evolving and adapting to innovations while respecting its roots.

The Mother Road that ran for 2,448 miles between Chicago and Los Angeles is no longer the arterial travel corridor is was from the 1920s to the 1960s, but its legacy has been curated in stretches of drive-able pavement and backwoods “ghost roads” accessible only by way of bike or foot travel.

In Northern Arizona, the iconic road was re-routed several times before being replaced by Interstate 40. Today, bits and pieces of the decommissioned road have been repurposed into scenic driving tours, bike trails and walking paths that preserve its heritage and crumbing imprints on the landscape.  One interesting location to explore on foot is where remnants of the road’s 1921, 1931 and 1941 alignments converge north of Interstate 40 in the tiny community of Parks.

Three alignments of Route 66 meet at this point on the trail.

Hiding in plain sight along a motorized stretch of Old Route 66 about halfway between Flagstaff and Williams, in Kaibab National Forest, a dusty pullout and information kiosk mark the beginning of an easy stroll at the juncture of three ghost roads.

Plants take root in the abandoned 1931 alignment of Rt. 66

Located not far from the Pines General Store Deli & Café and postal annex that’s been around since 1906, the who-knew trailhead surrounded by a fading log-pole fence directs hikers onto a mile-long segment of the 1931 alignment--the northernmost vestige on the hike. 

Trailhead sign shows the evolution of Route 66 near Parks.

A few yards to the south, the 1921 alignment is a barely-there dirt two-track that’s slowing being reclaimed by the forest. South of the vanishing dirt passage, cars whiz by on paved Old Route 66 (1941- 1964) while the hum of vehicles on Interstate 40 betray the location of the freeway that diluted Route 66’s status as a major thoroughfare and gateway to the Southwest down to a recreational curiosity.

The ghostly footprint of the 1921 alignment of Route 66

The 1931 road-turned-hiking-trail makes a straight shot through pine-oak forests and weedy meadows.  

Calliopsis grown in drainages along the trail.

At the start of the hike, part of the road appears to have been bulldozed away.

A decommissioned segment of Rt. 66 is now a hiking trail.

Piles of broken concrete along the north edge of the route soon give way to patches of intact pavement in varying degrees of decay. Underfoot, the remains of the road include a montage of blacktop, concrete and a pinkish pebble conglomerate that hint at the challenges of Depression-era road maintenance.

A Depression-era culvert spans a drainage on the trail.

 

The route passes through pine-oak woodlands in Kaibab NF.

About a quarter-mile in, a culvert bearing the clean lines and subdued edges typical of 1930s design spans a drainage area replete with wildflowers.

Gate at trail's end.

Beyond that, near where a wall of basalt bolsters the road’s edge, there’s a stone spring house that had been used as part of a defunct forest service camp. 

The trailhead is in a pullout on the 1941 alignment of Rt.66

A few steps past the spring house, the trail passes a wooden gate where a pair of culverts--one from 1931 and the other from 1941—mark the merger point of the three ghost roads that are the fading predecessors of the modern-day interstate highway system.

An old forest service camp spring house along the trail.

Yellow sweet clover grows along the edge of the trail.

The 1931 alignment is composed of various materials

LENGTH: 2 miles out-and-back

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 7,015 - 7,171 feet

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 40 about 13 miles west of Flagstaff, take the Parks exit 178 and go 0.4-mile north to Old Route 66. Turn right and continue 0.4-mile to the trailhead on the left.

INFO: Kaibab National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/kaibab/recreation/scenicdrivinginfo/recarea/?recid=80822&actid=105
Route 66 Association of Arizona
https://www.historic66az.com/

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DEVIL DOG LOOP #117

DEVIL DOG LOOP #117 

Stump Tank along Forest Road 108

The year 1926 marked the birth of two American icons---Route 66 and Devil Dogs snack cakes. That year, the Mother Road, which runs from Chicago to Los Angeles, received its official numerical designation and the Drake Baking Company rolled out the chocolate cream-filled treats. So, how do these bits of trivia distill into a story about hiking? Easy—the subject route begins at the Interstate 40 Devil Dog exit and follows two decommissioned sections of Historic Route 66.

Although it’s more likely that the Devil Dog Loop #117 was named for the World War I moniker for U.S. Marines instead of the kiddie lunch box staple, the trail makes a name for itself as a history-steeped walk in the forest.

1922 alignment of Route 66

For much of the 20^th century, Route 66 served as a major highway through northern Arizona. Its demise came with the construction of Interstate 40 which gradually replaced the scenic road with a modern freeway.

Walter (not a devil dog) on the 1932 alignment

The section near Williams was completed in 1984. Except for preserved segments that run through places like Flagstaff and Winslow, all that remains of Route 66 are weedy tracks and patches of cracked asphalt. But our nostalgia for artifacts of simpler times motivates us to preserve historic transportation corridors by repurposing them into recreational trails.   And, that’s what was done with the decommissioned 1922 and 1932 realignments of Route 66 west of Williams.

The woodsy circuit  isn't too difficult to navigate as long as you pay attention.  There are a few strategically placed bike emblem trail markers, but they are easy to miss. From the trailhead kiosk, continue hiking south on Forest Road 108.

Trail marker on the 1922 alignment

At 0.4 mile, the road meets the grassy swale of Stump Tank. Go left at the next junction, hike to the 0.7 mile point and veer right. At 0.9 mile the road meets the loop portion of the route, go right at the Hat Ranch sign (the left fork is the return route). After a short distance, a rough dirt road veers off to the left---this is the 1922 alignment (a.k.a Forest Road 45). Follow this road to the 2-mile point and go straight at the junction.

Mushrooms thrive along the route 

At 2.4 miles, the trail loops back on the 1932 alignment (a.k.a. Forest Road 9217E) and is easy to follow.

Remnants of pavement and stonework culverts conjure images from John Steinbeck’s depression-era novels and pre-digital days when folks cruised in Model Ts, Studebakers and souped up Chevys.  

Stump Tank

To get your fix of axle grease and chrome, the town of Williams hosts several classic car shows each year and you can almost always spot a few restored beauties parked near the mid-century-themed diners that line downtown streets.

Get your kicks on Route 66

1922 alignment of Route 66

For those who enjoy hiking to music, won’t you get hip to this timely tip: download one of the many iterations of the tune (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66. The 1946 Nate King Cole version is a master class in rhythm and blues, but if you prefer a rock spin, try the one by the Rolling Stones. Either one will put a hop in your step as you trek through history.

Wild geraniums are a familiar sight in summer

LENGTH: 5-mile loop

RATING: easy

ELEVATION: 6236’ - 6800'

GETTING THERE:

From Interstate 40 in Williams, go 6 miles west to the Devil Dog exit # 157 for Forest Road 108. Follow FR 108 to the first "T" junction, go right then make a left at the next "T" and continue to the kiosk and parking loop on the right.

INFO & MAP: Kaibab National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/kaibab/recarea/?recid=32315