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Essex, California

Ghost town
In Essex, California
0.1 mi from Route 66

Directions OpenStreetMap

Essex is a tiny desert settlement in San Bernardino County, near Amboy, CA. The old Route 66 alignment runs through it as National Old Trails Road, signed as county road CR 66, and Interstate 40 passes just to the north. The settlement is one of the few named places on the long desert stretch west of Needles, and a quiet reminder of the road's heyday.

What is Essex?

Essex is a tiny desert settlement listed today as a ghost town. It lies along the county road that carries the old Route 66 alignment, close to the interstate that replaced it.

Visiting Essex: tips

Drive the old alignment through town for a short photo stop, and respect any private property. There are no services listed. The Piute Mountains are about 10.6 miles away and the Little Piute Mountains about 12.7 miles off. Fill up before this stretch and carry water.

Practical info

Address: California 92332

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated.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

On the map

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

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Stops near Essex

All of California

Piute Mountains

Needles, California · 2.7 mi from Route 66

An eastern Mojave range inside Mojave Trails National Monument, on the drive toward Essex.

10.6 mi from Essex

Little Piute Mountains

Needles, California · 11.6 mi from Route 66

A small, remote Mojave range tucked between larger mountains in Mojave Trails National Monument.

12.7 mi from Essex

Goffs Schoolhouse, California

Goffs Schoolhouse

Goffs, California · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A restored 1914 desert schoolhouse on the pre-1931 Route 66, now a Mojave Desert history museum.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

16.4 mi from Essex

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

19.8 mi from Essex

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

20.8 mi from Essex

Eagle Peak

Needles, California · 6.8 mi from Route 66

The highest summit of the Sacramento Mountains, rising west of Needles.

27.9 mi from Essex

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