Las Vegas Road Trips

Taking the south route on I-93 toward Boulder City within half an hour you’ll reach the Nevada–Arizona state line at the Colorado River, home to the iconic Hoover Dam. It’s worth a stop. Keep rolling into the desert as the Strip fades and the wild Southwest begins. Crossing into Arizona, follow US 93 through the Mount Wilson Wilderness Area to Kingman, the self-proclaimed “Heart of Historic Route 66.” Once a key pit stop for travellers chasing the Californian dream, Kingman is now a relaxed waypoint between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon, with easy detours to the Wild West town of Oatman or Lake Havasu City, home to the transplanted London Bridge. From here, continue east along one of the longest surviving stretches of Historic Route 66, looping over Interstate 40 toward Ash Fork and the open road ahead.

Seligman’s main street feels frozen in time from the golden age of Route 66, when passing traffic kept the town alive. Today it’s a living shrine to roadside Americana, filled with neon signs, dusty Cadillacs, and souvenir shops stacked with memorabilia. Thanks to local legend Angel Delgadillo, the “guardian angel of Route 66,” Seligman has preserved its charm instead of fading into ghost-town obscurity. Curious road-trippers and tour buses keep it buzzing. Stop at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In for a root beer or burger, admire the vintage Chevrolets out back, and drop by the Route 66 Gift Shop to meet Angel himself.

Shortly after Seligman, Route 66 merges with Interstate 40. Head east towards Flagstaff and after forty minutes take exit 161 for the mountainside town of Williams, hunched at the base of Bill Williams Mountain and surrounded by forests of Ponderosa pine.

Another well-preserved section of Route 66 runs through the centre of town here – in fact, Williams was the final Route 66 community to be by-passed by the new interstate in 1984 – but the town is perhaps best known as the home of the Grand Canyon Railway, with daily trips to the canyon’s South Rim.

After the long, open-road stretch of Route 66, Flagstaff feels almost cosmopolitan. This vibrant college town is the ideal base for exploring Northern Arizona, with a historic downtown packed with indie shops, bars, restaurants, and street art that gives it real character. Wander the old brick buildings along Leroux, Birch, and Aspen Streets to browse Native American crafts and galleries, then grab a drink at the landmark Hotel Monte Vista, once a hangout for Hollywood legends like John Wayne and Jane Russell.

Flagstaff’s biggest draw is its setting beneath the San Francisco Peaks, home to the Arizona Snowbowl, where you can ski in winter and hike all summer. The town also sits within easy reach of three National Monuments — Walnut Canyon, Sunset Crater Volcano, and Wupatki Pueblo — making it the perfect mix of culture, history, and high-altitude adventure.