As Route 66 turns 100, Arizona’s stretch keeps the ‘Mother Road’ alive

PHOENIX — As America’s most famous highway turns 100 this year, Route 66 is once again drawing travelers eager to slow down and reconnect with the road that helped define the American road trip.

Running from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 has long been known as the “Mother Road,” a ribbon of pavement that stitched together towns, cultures and ambitions across the country. In Arizona, its legacy was nearly lost. 

12News journalist Kyle Simchuk sat down with Arizona author and travel writer Roger Naylor about why Route 66 still resonates and why its centennial is sparking renewed interest.

Neon signs buzzing, two-lane highways stretching to the horizon, and towns that feel frozen in time. Naylor said Route 66 is more than a road.

“The spirit of adventure that we all like to imagine ourselves,” he said.

Naylor’s fascination with the highway began more than two decades ago during an unplanned stop in Seligman.

“And only because I was hungry. I turned off the interstate in a little town called Seligman, Arizona… And there were four tour buses parked on Main Street… tour groups from Japan, from Germany… motorcycle riders from Belgium. And I’m thinking, how good is this barber?” Naylor said.

That barber was Angel Delgadillo, widely credited with helping save Route 66 after the town was bypassed by the interstate.

“When Seligman was bypassed, it was Angel Delgadillo, the town barber, who really organized a group of people in 1987… and they succeeded. That provided the blueprint for every other state to follow,” Naylor said.

Route 66 was established in 1926, spanning more than 2,400 miles and linking existing roadways to create an east-west corridor.

“They stitched together a lot of existing roadways. It was meant to increase the flow of commerce from east to west, and it was also meant to be an economic engine for those small towns,” Naylor said.

After World War II, the highway entered its golden age, reshaping communities and laying the foundation for the modern road trip.

“Route 66 reconfigured towns. You needed new places to stay, motels, motor courts. You needed places to eat, cafes and diners. And you needed a big old neon sign to get people to stop,” he said.

The rise of the interstate highway system eventually diverted traffic away from Route 66, bypassing many main streets in the name of speed and efficiency.

“The interstates are built for speed and efficiency… you don’t really see much of the country. You miss the quirky things, the roadside attractions, the mom-and-pop diners,” Naylor said.

As Route 66 marks its 100th anniversary, travelers are once again seeking those experiences.

“We want the tactile. We want the real experience… stopping in a little café, taking a photo that touches your heart. Those road trip memories last forever,” Naylor said.

His book, “Arizona Route 66 Road Trip,” serves as both a guide for travelers and a boost for small businesses along the route. It highlights more than 110 restaurants, 90 attractions and 40 places to stay across Arizona, which boasts the longest preserved stretch of the original highway — nearly 400 miles from Lupton to Oatman.

“I’ve been interviewing people and talking to Route 66 travelers for quarter of a century now. And I always ask, you’ve gone from Chicago to Los Angeles, what’s one of your favorite memories? What place do you remember? 60 to 70% will say Oatman. They’ll remember that because of the burros. This is the town kind of run by wild burros,” Naylor said.

Whether its the burros, a good burger or the glow of a neon sign, travelers can still find traces of Route 66 in Arizona 100 years later. 

“It makes you feel younger. It connects you. It gives you that sense that, you know, there’s still hope, there’s still optimism, and more than anything, it reminds you that life really doesn’t have to be so complicated,” Naylor said.