Williams

Take I-40 for 18 miles from Ash Fork to Exit 161.

 At Exit 161, join the one-way Route 66 to enter Williams from the west.

You'll pass the Sultana Theater.

On the next block is Cruiser's Cafe 66. 

A mural explains that Williams was the last Route 66 town bypassed, on Oct. 13, 1984

The Grand Canyon Hotel

The Canyon Vista Center Mall with a mural declaring "Freedom is Not Free."

The Teepee Turquoise Store

Pete's Gas Station Museum with Route 66 memorabilia.

1950 Ford belonging to Pete's dad is outside the museum.

Across the street is a Native American store

with carved figurines supporting it

Rod's Steak House reportedly has good food.

Wild West Junction at the eastern edge of town is a false-front frontier town.

There is a prison on display.

When you reach the El Rancho motel, turn left and take Railroad Avenue back into town.

Near the RR track is the Historic Route 66 Zipline.

Sit in the seats and take a short ride.

Near the Zipline is the Red Garter Bed & Bakery.

Zoom in on the upper left window, which pays homage to its bordello beginning.

Williams Visitor Center.

The rail station is behind the Visitor's Center. The Grand Canyon Railway starts from Williams and ends in the Grand Canyon National Park, earning Williams the title of Gateway to the Grand Canyon.  Visitors can ride vintage cars for a day trip to the Grand Canyon.

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Ash Fork

The next town you'll reach after Seligman is Ash Fork.

Ash Fork claims to be the flagstone capital of the world and has basically 2 one-way streets.

From the west, enter on Park. You'll find the Oasis Lounge/Route 66 Cafe.

At the eastern edge of town, you'll find Ranch House Cafe.

After the Ranch House Cafe, take the connector on the left and return on Lewis. You'll find Zettler's Store, which opened in 1929.

Further down the street is an old gas station with a 1958 DeSoto perched on top.

At the end of the road, there is a small park.

A plaque proclaims that the state south of the 35th parallel would not have been settled without the existence of Ash Fork.

You'll find flagstones everywhere.

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Crookton Crossing

En route from Seligman to Ash Fork, you'll find stretches of old Route 66 next to the current Route 66.

Current Route 66 is the paved road on the right.

The old Route 66 is the dirt road. You can pull off to take a picture but you really can't drive on it.

Ten miles from Seligman, you'll find Crookton Crossing, an abandoned RR overpass.

You can walk across the Crossing to see the railroad tracks underneath.

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Seligman KOA

We spent the night in the Seligman KOA on the eastern end of town. You'll find RV sites, campsites and cabins. The cabins have no bathrooms.

The KOA is located near train tracks and you'll hear trains all day and all night.

The office has a store, which is open from 8am-6pm and laundry facilities.

All sites are pull through. There aren't many tress. Some sites are full hookup. Others have just water & electricity. There is a dump site if you end up with one of these sites. 

There's a teepee on site but I wasn't sure if you can rent it.

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Seligman

It was 25 miles and 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon Caverns to Seligman. Seligman started as a railroad town and became well known in the heyday of Route 66. When Seligman was bypassed by I-40 in 1978, it suffered a tremendous economic blow until its residents petitioned the state of Arizona to make Route 66 a historic highway. This brought renewed interest in Seligman as old-town Americana. It gained even more fame when it was known as the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the Pixar movie "Cars."

Entering Seligman, you'll start to see references to "Cars."

The Roadkill Cafe is located on the western entrance into town. The sign says "You Kill It, We Grill It."

The Route 66 Motel is located next door to the Roadkill Cafe.

More murals featuring "Cars."

The Copper Cart is now a motoporium and gift shop.

You'll find Tow Mater out front

along with other cars

including old cars

with wooden spokes.

They really know how to capitalize on the "Cars" movie.

Turn left on Main Street and drive 1 block to find the Seligman Grocery store. I love this mural with the rusted car in front.

Back on Route 66, you'll find Delgadillo's Sno-Cap Drive-In.

This is iconic Route 66 but unfortunately, it was closed when we visited.

Go around to the back of the Drive-In to see all the quirky things that Juan Delgadillo collected,

including a car fit for a parade.

More "Cars" references

and old-time gas pumps.

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