Route 66. When is the best time?

[emiller]

You should just come down during the Route 66 Fun Run and join us first weekend in May. Always cold in the mountains like Williams and even Seligman. Usually we start the weekend could have ice at night but once down in Kingman could be pretty hot. Any later tends to be too hot in the lower elevations. http://www.azrt66.com/funrun.htm http://azroundup.net/video/2010_route_66_video.html
http://azroundup.net/photos/2010_fun_run/index.html

[Rhino Ray]

You should just come down during the Route 66 Fun Run and join us first weekend in May. Always cold in the mountains like Williams and even Seligman. Usually we start the weekend could have ice at night but once down in Kingman could be pretty hot. Any later tends to be too hot in the lower elevations. http://www.azrt66.com/funrun.htm http://azroundup.net/video/2010_route_66_video.html
http://azroundup.net/photos/2010_fun_run/index.html

As I noted earlier in the post, I am going to the Dam Gathering the first weekend. If it were the following weekend we would be all over it. There are a lot of folks heading north that weekend. I bet if you did it the week after the Dam Gathering, you would have a higher attendance.

[Rhino Ray]

What condition is the road between Kingman and Oatman? Is it really as bad as some say? It has a few twists and turns which shouldn't be too bad but what is the condition of the pavement? One of our party is a bit worried about that section

[ssrjim]

What condition is the road between Kingman and Oatman? Is it really as bad as some say? It has a few twists and turns which shouldn't be too bad but what is the condition of the pavement? One of our party is a bit worried about that section

I've pulled my tear over that stretch.

[mdvaden]

If you were in the redwoods, would be cool to photograph that car and trailer in your signature.

Nice photography

OK, I changed it below, how does it look?

Yes ... that's a good fit.

[Rhino Ray]

I've pulled my tear over that stretch.

Is that stretch paved? Is it full of potholes? We have some nice classic cars and don't want gravel nicks on them if we can help it.

[ssrjim]

I've pulled my tear over that stretch.

Is that stretch paved? Is it full of potholes? We have some nice classic cars and don't want gravel nicks on them if we can help it.

Paved, that is where they run the fun run. Lots of classic cars make that trip. It been a few years so I couldn't tell you about pot holes.

[eggsalad]

Where I sit right now is about 12 miles from Oatman. The road is swell from Fort Mojave to Oatman.

However, if you continue east from Oatman to Kingman, the road gets pretty hairy. It's actually an old old OLD piece of Route 66, a section that was bypassed in the 1940's. The hills are steep, the turns are tight, most of them are posted at 15-20 mph, and you better take that seriously.

According to some historical signage along the route, Model T's had to go up the hill in reverse, because their gravity-fed fuel systems would starve going up the grades forward.

If you have the time, make Oatman a side trip instead. Take US-95 south out of Las Vegas and across the Colorado River. Continue south on 95 about 15 miles after that, then take the turn to Oatman - it's another 15 miles after you turn off 95.

Once you've seen Oatman (and it's well worth seeing) double back to US-95, and head back north towards the bridge. Instead of going back over the bridge, go straight on to AZ-68 to Kingman. But be aware that the first 15 miles of AZ-68 are STEEP uphill. Google "Davis Dam Truck Test" and you will learn that this specific stretch of road is where truck manufacturers go to test their tow ratings. In fact, the new SAE towing standard (J-xxxx) *requires* manufacturers to tow a load up this specific hill in order to give the legitimate tow rating.

It'll test your rig, that's for sure. If you're warm, turn off the a/c anyhow, or you'll overheat before you reach the summit. Even in May.

[mkitchen]

Hi Ray
I don't think that going over Sitgrieves Pass will be that big of a problem. I go over it with my tear, my motorcycle, my truck, etc. It's not too steep. The corners are tight but doable, just follow the speed limit signs as stated earlier. On another note, Grand Canyon Caverns, just east of Peach Springs on rt 66 has a nice camp ground and the caverns are very much worth the tour. It sounds like you have a great tour planned. I envy you.
Mikey

[Rhino Ray]

Hi Ray
I don't think that going over Sitgrieves Pass will be that big of a problem. I go over it with my tear, my motorcycle, my truck, etc. It's not too steep. The corners are tight but doable, just follow the speed limit signs as stated earlier. On another note, Grand Canyon Caverns, just east of Peach Springs on rt 66 has a nice camp ground and the caverns are very much worth the tour. It sounds like you have a great tour planned. I envy you.
Mikey

We thought about staying there but since we are staying at the Grand Canyon we figured we would take the day to travel from there to Kingman. We plan to stop at the Caverns to take the tour then finish the rest of the loop. The next day we will make it as far as Lake Havasue and London Bridge then spend the night in Needles before heading west. Eggsalad, steep hills don't bother us, we will drop it in low and go slow. We want to stay off of the freeways as much as we can. Oatman is one of the main reasons we want to take this route as well as timing. As long as the roads are paved we are good!