Seven days from Albuquerque to Las Vegas on the Arizona stretch of Route 66, with a night in a concrete wigwam, two nights at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the burros of Oatman.
From$2,890per person, double room
Overview
Arizona holds the longest unbroken piece of Route 66 left anywhere, and the Grand Canyon sits about 60 miles off it. This trip puts the two together. You start in Albuquerque, cross into Arizona through Gallup and the Painted Desert, and sleep in a 1950 concrete wigwam in Holbrook. Two nights at the South Rim give you a full day at the canyon, sunrise included for anyone who wants it, before the run west through Seligman, Kingman and Oatman to Las Vegas.
Joe Begay leads it. He grew up near Gallup on the Navajo Nation and knows the trading posts, the land and the families along this stretch better than any guidebook. A professional driver handles the coach, which seats 24 for at most 14 guests. Drives run from about 95 to 190 miles, and the pace is moderate. Departures fall in spring and fall, plus one in early November, when the rim is quiet and the nights are cold.
Photos
Itinerary
Meals: B breakfast, L lunch, D dinner. Day 1 is arrival day; flights to the start are optional.
The hotel shuttle runs from the Sunport, about 15 minutes. Joe Begay meets the group in the lobby at 6 pm and walks through the week over the welcome dinner. Albuquerque has a Route 66 oddity he likes to point out: at Fourth Street and Central Avenue, the 1926 north and south road and the 1937 east and west road met, so this is the one place where Route 66 crosses itself. Early arrivals can ride the Sandia Peak Tramway or walk the plaza in Old Town.
About 140 miles. Out of the Rio Grande valley over Nine Mile Hill, then a stop at Laguna Pueblo to see the white San Jose mission church of 1699 from the road. Lunch in Grants, a uranium boomtown of the 1950s, and a short visit to its mining museum, which has a walk-through mine shaft under the building. Over the Continental Divide to Gallup in time for Richardson's Trading Company, the murals downtown and a night at El Rancho, where the lobby walls hold signed photos of film stars.
Into Arizona and Petrified Forest National Park, about 70 miles. The Painted Desert Inn holds murals by the Hopi artist Fred Kabotie, painted in 1948. Down the park road, a rusting 1932 Studebaker marks where Route 66 crossed, then the short trail through Blue Mesa's striped badlands and the quartz-filled logs at Crystal Forest. Evening in Holbrook at the Wigwam Motel, fifteen concrete teepees built in 1950, with old cars parked outside. You sleep in one. About 120 miles.
Standin' on the Corner in Winslow, with its mural and statue for the Eagles song, then lunch at the Turquoise Room in La Posada, the 1930 Harvey hotel restored by its owners. West to Meteor Crater, nearly a mile wide and about 550 feet deep. From Flagstaff, US 180 climbs past the San Francisco Peaks, topped by 12,633-foot Humphreys Peak, and crosses pine and grassland to the South Rim. Sunset from Hopi Point, reached by the park shuttle. About 180 miles.
For early risers, sunrise at Mather Point, a ten-minute walk from most lodges. After breakfast Joe walks the Rim Trail with the group toward Yavapai Point and its geology museum. Anyone fit can go a little way down the Bright Angel Trail, to the first tunnel or further, remembering that the climb back takes twice as long. In the afternoon the coach drives 25 miles east to Desert View and its stone watchtower, designed by Mary Colter and finished in 1932. Evening free.
Down from the rim through the pines to Williams, whose main street was the last stretch of Route 66 bypassed by I-40, in 1984. Lunch in Seligman, at the start of the longest stretch of the old road, with time at Angel Delgadillo's barbershop and the Snow Cap Drive-In. Then open grassland past Peach Springs, Truxton and Valentine to the Hackberry General Store, crowded with signs and old cars. Kingman for the night, with its Route 66 museum inside the 1907 Powerhouse. About 190 miles.
An early start to beat the heat and the tour buses on the Oatman Highway. The road climbs from Cool Springs in hairpins to Sitgreaves Pass, about 3,550 feet, with views across three states, then drops into Oatman. Its wild burros come down from the hills each morning to beg for carrots, and the old Oatman Hotel has dollar bills pinned all over its walls. Down to Bullhead City and north on US 95 to Las Vegas, arriving about 2 pm. About 140 miles.
Pace: ModerateFour to six hours of driving on some days, with short walks of up to a mile at parks and viewpoints. Every stop is optional; you can always stay with the vehicle.
Route map
Map tiles © Esri, HERE, Garmin, map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Straight lines join the stops; the trip follows the old Route 66 alignments between them.
Route at a glance
Road miles are rounded and include the detours to the stops named in the itinerary.
| Day | From and to | Miles | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Albuquerque Sunport to Albuquerque | 10 | Airport transfer |
| Day 2 | Albuquerque to Gallup | 140 | Laguna, the Continental Divide |
| Day 3 | Gallup to Holbrook | 120 | Petrified Forest, Painted Desert |
| Day 4 | Holbrook to Grand Canyon | 180 | Winslow, Meteor Crater, Flagstaff |
| Day 5 | Grand Canyon | 50 | Rim drive to Desert View and back |
| Day 6 | Grand Canyon to Kingman | 190 | Williams, Seligman, Hackberry |
| Day 7 | Kingman to Las Vegas | 140 | Oatman, Sitgreaves Pass |
| Total | 7 days | 830 | New Mexico, Arizona |
Where you stay
Rooms by town and style. The exact motels and hotels for your date, these or similar ones, are confirmed in your travel documents.
1 night
Hotel near Old Town, or similar
1 night
El Rancho Hotel, the 1937 film-crew hotel, or similar
1 night
Wigwam Motel, 1950, one wigwam per couple, or similar
2 nights
Lodge in Grand Canyon Village or in Tusayan by the park gate, or similar
1 night
Motor hotel on Andy Devine Avenue, or similar
Already included
6 nights, 6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 1 dinner, 3 entries and guided visits
Straight talk
Dates and prices 2026-27
Per person in US dollars, sharing a double room. Group up to 14 guests.
| Dates | Status | Double roomPer person | Single roomPer person |
|---|---|---|---|
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableLast minute: save $250 | $2,640 | $3,400 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,890 | $3,650 |
| to Sunday arrival | GuaranteedEarly booking: save $150 | $2,890 | $3,650 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,890 | $3,650 |
| to Sunday arrival | Few seatsEarly booking: save $150 | $2,890 | $3,650 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,890 | $3,650 |
Guaranteed means enough guests have booked and the departure will run. Seats change every week. Email [email protected] and we hold a seat for 72 hours. All departures on one page.
Optional add-on
Economy on scheduled airlines into Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) and home from Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas (LAS), per person including taxes. Add them when you book, or fly on your own and meet us on day 1.
Fares are held for 72 hours with your seat and confirmed when you pay the deposit. Extra nights before or after the trip on request.
Practical
Weather in New Mexico
High desert: sunny and dry most days, windy spring, summer afternoon storms in July and August, cold clear nights from October
Weather in Arizona
Cool plateau with winter snow from Holbrook to Williams; hot low desert from Kingman west; summer storms July to September; dry, mild spring and fall
Time zones
Mountain Time, one hour behind Texas, with daylight saving time from March to November Mountain Standard Time all year: Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, so in summer it matches California, but the Navajo Nation does observe it
Where it starts and ends
Start: Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ). End: Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas (LAS).
What to eat
Green and red chile (order Christmas for both), sopaipillas with honey, green chile cheeseburgers, posole and breakfast burritos
Luggage
One medium suitcase and a small bag per person. Vintage motel rooms are compact and some have no elevator.
Your road captain
New Mexico and Arizona
Joe is Navajo and grew up near Gallup. He leads the New Mexico and Arizona sections and brings the history of the Navajo and Pueblo lands the road crosses to every trip.
Road captains rotate on some dates; the name for your departure is in your documents. Meet all the road captains
FAQ
Booking, motels, flights and insurance questions are answered on the main FAQ page.
At a lodge in Grand Canyon Village on the rim, or in Tusayan, about 7 miles south at the park gate, depending on what the park concessions release for our dates. Either way the shuttle buses run to the rim viewpoints all day.
A short way, yes. On day 5 you can walk down the Bright Angel Trail as far as you feel comfortable, while others stay on the flat Rim Trail. Hiking to the river and back in a day is not safe, and the park advises against it.
It is simple. Each concrete wigwam has a bed or two, a small bathroom with a shower, heat and air conditioning. It is one night, and most guests remember it longer than the lodges.
Cold. The rim sits near 7,000 feet, so nights fall below freezing and snow is possible. Days are often clear and in the 40s or 50s. Bring a warm coat, gloves and a hat for sunrise.
Las Vegas is about 100 miles from Oatman and has far more flights than Kingman or Flagstaff. If you want to keep going west, our California trip starts from Las Vegas airport and drives through Needles to the Pacific.
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