Ghost towns on Route 66
Ghost towns are the Route 66 stops people ask about most after the old motels, and there are 56 of them in our data, spread over all 8 states. By state: Illinois 3, Missouri 22, Kansas 1, Oklahoma 7, Texas 2, New Mexico 1, Arizona 9, California 11.
The best-known ones are in the desert West: Oatman, Arizona, where the road climbs through the mountains between Kingman and the Colorado River, and the string of near-empty Mojave stops in California — Amboy, Bagdad, Essex, Chambless, Ludlow and Siberia — plus the old mining town of Calico near Barstow. Missouri has the most entries, but many of those are little more than a name on an old map. Oklahoma's Picher, Cardin and Douthat are former mining towns that emptied out, and Times Beach in Missouri was evacuated and is now parkland.
A typical ghost town sits about 2.4 mi off the road, often down a gravel lane. Practical hint: many of the remaining buildings are on private land, so look from the road, stay out of ruins, and carry water — in the Mojave there is no shade and little fuel between Needles and Barstow.
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Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop. Open this kind on the full map to filter by state or add a stop to your trip.
Ghost towns in Illinois (3)
All of Illinois →Ghost towns in Missouri (22)
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Ghost towns in Kansas (1)
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Ghost towns in Oklahoma (7)
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More ghost towns in Oklahoma 1
- IndianapolisIndianapolis
Ghost towns in Texas (2)
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Ghost towns in New Mexico (1)
All of New Mexico →Ghost towns in Arizona (9)
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Ghost towns in California (11)
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.jpg/500px-Ludlow_Cafe_-_California_Ghost_Town_(8327475273).jpg)
More ghost towns in California 5
- ChamblessChambless
- RagtownRagtown
- Lane's CrossingLane's Crossing
- PolitanaPolitana
- La PlacitaLa Placita