Route 66 followed its circuitous path through Santa Fe from 1926 until 1937. Once federal funding allowed the entire route to be paved, Route 66 officials adopted a realignment that followed the more direct east- west route between Albuquerque and Santa Rosa, cutting off about 100 miles from the original route. The shorter alignment was gradually replaced by Interstate 40 from the 1970s until U. S. Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985.
We are grateful to Eric Scott Jeffries for providing historical insights about“ Hannett’ s Joke” in his Spring 2000 article in New Mexico Bar Journal.
OATMAN HIGHWAY Arizona’ s Oatman Highway, which winds its way through the Black Mountains between Kingman and the California border, is one of the best- known lost alignments of Route 66.
This original part of Route 66 was renowned as the most treacherous section of the entire 2,448- mile highway. In particular, the 8- mile stretch from Cool Springs to the former mining town of Oatman had a reputation for danger and hardship. Known today at the“ Arizona Sidewinder,” this section of old Route 66 slithers through 191 curves, including numerous switchbacks, on a narrow roadbed with precipitous drop- offs and no guard rails. The road climbs up to 3,550- foot Sitgreaves Pass and then plunges down the other side. Steep grades taxed the radiators, tires, and brakes of early cars and trucks, as well as the nerves of many drivers, leading some travelers to pay experienced locals to drive their vehicles over to Oatman.
In John Steinbeck’ s novel The Grapes of Wrath, Oatman Highway was the final challenge before the weary Joad family reached California:“ They drove all night, and came to the mountains in the night. And they crawled the jagged ramparts in the night, and their dim lights flickered on the pale stone walls of the road. They passed the summit in the dark and came slowly down in the late night, through the shattered stone debris of Oatman; and when the daylight came they saw the Colorado river below them.”
Oatman Highway remained an obstacle to overcome on Route 66 from 1926 until 1952, when a new alignment followed a straighter, flatter path from Kingman to Yucca and on to the state line, the route now followed by Interstate 40.
Today, Oatman Highway is a bucket- list destination for motorcyclists traveling on Route 66. Cool Springs Station and Oatman, famous for its burros, are popular stops for riders and other tourists passing through western Arizona. The road’ s rough pavement, tight curves, and steep grades will challenge any rider, and from late spring through fall, daytime temperatures can easily top 100 degrees, so it pays to stay alert and be prepared.
The Oatman Highway twists and turns through the arid desert of Arizona. If riding this stretch of road, be cautious of the sand and gravel in many of the corners.
RIDERMAGAZINE. COM / AUGUST 2026 / 41