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Amboy, California

Ghost town
In Amboy, California
0.1 mi from Route 66

Directions OpenStreetMap

Amboy is a tiny community in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, CA, sitting right on the old road between Needles and Ludlow. Its small business district once held its post office, a historic motel with a restaurant, and a Route 66 gift shop. The population has since dwindled to nearly nobody, which makes the town a stark picture of how quiet the old road has become.

What is Amboy?

Amboy is an unincorporated desert town on historic Route 66, about 60 miles northeast of Twentynine Palms. In 2020 it had just four residents running its few businesses. By 2024 the population was reported as zero, with only the gas station still operating.

Visiting Amboy: tips

The town is right on the road. Roy's Motel and Cafe is about 0.2 miles away, and fuel is listed at Roy's Gasoline. Amboy Crater is about 2.8 miles off, and Bagdad about 7.6 miles. Allow half an hour for photos.

Practical info

Address: California 92304
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

On the map

Amboy with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near Amboy

All of California

Roy's Motel and Cafe in Amboy, CA

Roy's Motel and Cafe

Amboy, California · 0.1 mi from Route 66

The 1959 boomerang sign and Googie lobby of Amboy, a Mojave gas stop on Route 66 first opened in 1938.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

0.2 mi from Amboy

Amboy Crater, California

Amboy Crater

Amboy, California · 1.4 mi from Route 66

A dormant cinder cone rising from a dark lava field, a short detour south of Route 66.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

2.8 mi from Amboy

Bagdad, California

Bagdad

Bagdad, California · on Route 66

A vanished Mojave railroad town on Route 66 that holds the U.S. record for the longest dry spell.

Ghost townPhoto credit

7.6 mi from Amboy

Marble Mountains near Amboy, CA

Marble Mountains

Amboy, California · 3.7 mi from Route 66

A desert range right beside the old road near Chambless, part of Mojave Trails National Monument.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

11.2 mi from Amboy

Chambless, California

Chambless

Chambless, California · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A Mojave ghost town on historic Route 66, just north of the old railroad stop of Cadiz.

Ghost townPhoto credit

11.4 mi from Amboy

Siberia

Siberia, California · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A former rail siding and Route 66 stop in the Mojave, now wiped almost completely from the desert floor.

14.5 mi from Amboy

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