Route 66Trip Guide
Route 66 town guide · Arizona

Route 66 in Oatman, Arizona

Oatman is a former gold camp in the Black Mountains of western Arizona, about 2,095 miles from Chicago and 26 miles west of Kingman. It is one of the most famous stretches of the whole road, because Route 66 climbs to it over a steep, twisting mountain pass that the later interstate avoided. The stops we group here run from the desert east of the pass to the foothills west of town.

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Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop. Open Oatman on the full map to filter by kind or add stops to your trip.

Coming from Kingman, Cool Springs Station is a rebuilt stone gas station at the foot of the mountains, and from there the road snakes up to Sitgreaves Pass, the summit, with wide views and sharp curves with no guardrails. The rock spire of Elephants Tooth rises above the road as it drops into town.

Oatman itself is one main street of wooden storefronts, where wild burros, descendants of the miners' pack animals, wander among the visitors. The Durlin Hotel, a two-story adobe from 1924, is the town's best-known building, and the Oatman Drug Company Building is another survivor from the mining years, both listed on the National Register.

West of town the land opens out toward the Colorado River. Boundary Cone is the sharp peak you see from the road, and the wild country of Black Mesa and the Mount Nutt Wilderness lies to the south.

Practical note: the pass road is narrow and slow, with no fuel between Kingman and Oatman, so fill up first and allow about an hour for the drive. Long trailers and big motorhomes should take Interstate 40 instead. Needles, California is about 33 miles on.

Top 9 Route 66 attractions in and around Oatman

  1. OatmanA former gold camp in the Black Mountains that Route 66 still runs straight through.
  2. Cool Springs StationA 1920s stone gas station on the Oatman mountain road, blown up for a movie and rebuilt from old photos.
  3. Durlin HotelA 1924 adobe hotel from Oatman's gold era, the county's only two-story adobe building.
  4. Sitgreaves PassThe steep, twisting Black Mountains summit on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman.
  5. Boundary ConeA distinctive peak in the Black Mountain foothills, easy to spot on the road near Oatman.
  6. Elephants ToothA tall rock pillar at the edge of Oatman, AZ, rising beside the last miles of Route 66 into town.
  7. Black MesaA ten-mile mesa at the southern tip of the Black Mountains, wrapped in a wilderness area.
  8. Mount Nutt WildernessA rugged desert wilderness in the Black Mountains near Oatman, with springs, canyons and bighorn sheep.
  9. Oatman Drug Company BuildingA 1915 false-front building from Oatman's mining boom, one of the few that survived the town's 1921 fire.

Ghost towns (1)

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Oatman, Arizona

Oatman

Oatman, Arizona · on Route 66

A former gold camp in the Black Mountains that Route 66 still runs straight through.

Ghost townPhoto credit

Retro roadside (1)

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Cool Springs Station in Golden Valley, AZ

Cool Springs Station

Golden Valley, Arizona · on Route 66

A 1920s stone gas station on the Oatman mountain road, blown up for a movie and rebuilt from old photos.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

Historic hotels (1)

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Durlin Hotel in Oatman, AZ

Durlin Hotel

Oatman, Arizona · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A 1924 adobe hotel from Oatman's gold era, the county's only two-story adobe building.

Historic hotelPhoto credit

Nature & parks (5)

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Mount Nutt Wilderness near Oatman, AZ

Mount Nutt Wilderness

Oatman, Arizona · 4.0 mi from Route 66

A rugged desert wilderness in the Black Mountains near Oatman, with springs, canyons and bighorn sheep.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Sitgreaves Pass in Oatman, AZ

Sitgreaves Pass

Oatman, Arizona · on Route 66

The steep, twisting Black Mountains summit on Route 66 between Kingman and Oatman.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Elephants Tooth in Oatman, AZ

Elephants Tooth

Oatman, Arizona · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A tall rock pillar at the edge of Oatman, AZ, rising beside the last miles of Route 66 into town.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

Black Mesa

Oatman, Arizona · 4.7 mi from Route 66

A ten-mile mesa at the southern tip of the Black Mountains, wrapped in a wilderness area.

Nature & parks
Boundary Cone near Oatman, AZ

Boundary Cone

Oatman, Arizona · 0.4 mi from Route 66

A distinctive peak in the Black Mountain foothills, easy to spot on the road near Oatman.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

Historic buildings (1)

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Oatman Drug Company Building, Arizona

Oatman Drug Company Building

Oatman, Arizona · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A 1915 false-front building from Oatman's mining boom, one of the few that survived the town's 1921 fire.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

Next towns on Route 66

Smaller towns on the way to Barstow

Route 66 in Oatman: questions

Did Route 66 go through Oatman?
Yes. The pre-1953 alignment of Route 66 runs straight through Oatman as its main street, after crossing the Black Mountains at Sitgreaves Pass. The later highway and Interstate 40 bypassed the town to the south.
What is there to see on Route 66 in Oatman?
We list 9 stops in and around Oatman, mostly parks and nature areas, ghost towns and historic buildings. The ones our trip planner rates highest are Oatman, Cool Springs Station and Durlin Hotel. Every stop is on the map above with a photo where one exists, and the distance from the old road.
How far is Oatman from the next towns on Route 66?
Oatman sits at about mile 2,095 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Kingman, AZ, about 26 miles back. Heading west, Barstow, CA is about 196 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.
Is Oatman a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?
Our trip planner does not end days here; the nearest bigger towns make better overnight stops.