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The sun beats down on a stretch of weathered asphalt near Oatman, Arizona, where a narrow ribbon of pavement clings precariously to the side of the Black Mountains. Tire marks have long faded, and desert plants push through cracks in the aging surface. This decaying segment of roadway—now bypassed by modern highways—represents one of Arizona’s most significant transportation ghosts: the National Old Trails Road, a pioneering cross-country highway that helped transform Arizona from an isolated territory into a connected state.
The story of the National Old Trails Road transcends engineering and geography—it’s fundamentally about the people who built, maintained, traveled, and lived along this pioneering highway. Their experiences, preserved in diaries, photographs, and oral histories, reveal the human dimension of this transportation corridor.
Road builders faced enormous challenges, particularly in Arizona’s diverse terrain. Work crews—often consisting of local Native Americans, Mexican laborers, and Anglo supervisors—used primitive equipment like mule-drawn scrapers, pick axes, and shovels to carve the roadway across deserts, mountains, and canyons. These workers lived in temporary camps that moved along with construction progress, enduring harsh conditions for wages of approximately $2-$5 per day.
Early travelers documented their journeys in ways that capture the adventure and hardship of cross-country automotive travel. Emily Williamson, who traversed Arizona on the National Old Trails Road in 1920, wrote: “We arose before dawn to cross the desert before the full heat of day. Our poor Studebaker boiled continuously, and we wrapped wet towels around the radiator. Between Kingman and Oatman, we counted seventeen abandoned vehicles—victims of the merciless grade and heat.”
Roadside businesses developed distinctive characteristics that would define Arizona’s highway culture for generations. Trading posts operated by Navajo and Hopi entrepreneurs offered authentic Native crafts alongside necessary supplies. Motor courts evolved from simple cabin camps to increasingly elaborate motel complexes with Southwestern architectural themes. Restaurants specialized in regional cuisine that introduced travelers to Sonoran Mexican food, Navajo fry bread, and Western steakhouse traditions.
For the Hopi, Navajo, Hualapai, and other Indigenous nations whose territories the highway crossed, the National Old Trails Road represented a complex intrusion. While bringing economic opportunities through tourism and craft sales, the route also accelerated cultural changes and brought thousands of outsiders through traditional lands. Trading posts like Two Guns and Cameron became cultural contact zones where different worldviews interacted daily with mixed consequences for Native communities.
Local folklore and roadside attractions flourished along the highway, many leaving lasting imprints on Arizona’s cultural landscape. The Painted Desert Trading Post near Holbrook developed elaborate stories about local geological features. Jack Rabbit Trading Post near Joseph City created one of the Southwest’s most recognized billboard campaigns. And the Navajo County Historical Society traces its origins to roadside museums that introduced travelers to Arizona’s multicultural heritage.
These human stories transform the National Old Trails Road from a mere transportation route into a complex cultural corridor where millions of individual journeys contributed to Arizona’s evolving identity.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | Pima County, southwestern Arizona, approximately 43 miles from the Mexican border |
| Founded | 1847 as mining camp; developed significantly in early 1900s |
| Status | Semi-ghost town/small unincorporated community (not fully abandoned) |
| Population | Approximately 3,000 residents (down from peak of 7,000+) |
| Etymology | Named after the Spanish word for “garlic” (possibly referring to wild garlic growing in the area) |
| Economic History | Home to one of Arizona’s largest copper mines (New Cornelia Mine) |
| Mining Operation | Run by Phelps Dodge Corporation until 1985 closure |
| Architecture | Features Spanish Colonial Revival style in town center |
| Notable Structures | Curley School (repurposed as artist residences), Plaza and Historic District |
| Town Design | Planned community designed by architects John Greenway and William Kenyon |
| Plaza | Distinctive central plaza with arcaded buildings |
| Current Economy | Tourism, retirement community, border patrol operations |
| Nearby Attractions | Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (33 miles away), Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge |
| Cultural Significance | Rich mining history, Native American heritage, proximity to Mexico |
| Climate | Hot desert climate with mild winters and very hot summers |
| Elevation | 1,759 feet (536 m) |
| Annual Events | Sonoran Shindig, seasonal festivals |
| Museum | Ajo Historical Society Museum showcasing mining and local history |
| Outdoor Recreation | Desert hiking, wildlife viewing, photography |
| Modern Relevance | Becoming known for affordable living for retirees and artists |
Unlike many Arizona ghost towns that were completely abandoned, Ajo represents a “living ghost town” – a community that experienced significant decline after its main industry collapsed but continues to exist with a smaller population. The town’s well-preserved Spanish Colonial center and mining history make it a unique example of Arizona’s industrial past.
The National Old Trails Road emerged during America’s transition from railroads to automobiles as the dominant form of transportation. In the early 1900s, as automobiles began to proliferate, the nation’s road system remained woefully inadequate—a patchwork of local dirt roads, many impassable during bad weather and almost none designed for long-distance motor travel. The concept of a transcontinental highway existed only in the dreams of early automobile enthusiasts and visionary planners.
In 1912, the National Old Trails Road Association formed with a bold mission: to establish an improved automobile route across America that would follow historic pioneer paths wherever possible. The association’s president, future U.S. President Harry S. Truman, championed the highway as both a practical transportation corridor and a patriotic connection to America’s westward expansion.
The highway’s planners deliberately incorporated segments of historically significant trails, including the National Road in the east and the Santa Fe Trail across the Plains. In Arizona Territory, the route primarily followed the path of the old Beale Wagon Road, which had been surveyed and partially constructed by Edward Fitzgerald Beale in 1857-1858 during his famous camel expedition.
By 1914, the full route was established on paper if not yet fully improved on the ground: 3,096 miles stretching from Baltimore, Maryland to Los Angeles, California. The Arizona portion entered from New Mexico near Lupton, passing through Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams, Ash Fork, Seligman, Peach Springs, Kingman, and Oatman before crossing the Colorado River into California.
Early travelers on the National Old Trails Road faced daunting challenges, particularly in Arizona where the route traversed some of the state’s most dramatic—and difficult—terrain. Unlike today’s precisely engineered highways, the Old Trails Road followed the path of least resistance, winding along natural contours, climbing steep grades, and following dry washes that could transform into raging torrents during seasonal rains.
“The slant-eyed scourge of the desert,” as one early motorist described the road, tested both vehicles and drivers to their limits. Emily Post, the famous etiquette expert who traveled the route in 1915, described the Arizona segment as “appalling… a mixture of sand and rock that defied any vehicle not built like a mountain goat.”
Road conditions varied dramatically along the route. In eastern Arizona, travelers contended with deep sand that could trap cars for hours. The climb up to the Mogollon Rim challenged early automobiles with limited horsepower and primitive cooling systems. But the most infamous section lay west of Kingman, where the road ascended the Black Mountains via Sitgreaves Pass near Oatman.
This treacherous stretch featured hairpin turns, steep dropoffs without guardrails, and grades so severe that cars often had to be driven in reverse up the hills (early vehicles had stronger reverse gears than forward ones). Local entrepreneurs stationed teams of horses at the base of the mountains, charging $5-$10 to pull automobiles to the summit. Signs warned drivers to sound their horns at blind curves, and wrecked vehicles littered the canyon below—grim reminders of the consequences of misjudgment.
Despite these challenges, traffic increased steadily as automobile ownership expanded and Americans discovered the possibility of long-distance motor travel. The rudimentary roadside services that emerged to serve these intrepid travelers formed the embryonic infrastructure for Arizona’s future tourism industry.
The National Old Trails Road directly contributed to the birth, growth, and eventual decline of numerous Arizona communities. The relationship between the highway and these settlements illustrates the profound impact that transportation routes have on human geography—creating opportunities for some locations while bypassing others.
Oatman epitomizes the boom-and-bust cycle common along the highway. Originally a gold mining camp established in 1915, Oatman thrived as both a mining center and a crucial stop on the National Old Trails Road. When motorists conquered the harrowing Sitgreaves Pass, Oatman offered their first opportunity for refreshment, repairs, and recovery from the nerve-wracking drive. The town’s Oatman Hotel (still standing today) provided lodging for notable travelers including Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, who reportedly stayed there on their honeymoon in 1939.
The town’s fortunes changed dramatically in 1952 when the last major mining operation closed, coinciding with the highway’s realignment to a less treacherous route through Yucca. Almost overnight, Oatman lost both its economic anchors and began a steep decline. Today, it exists as a tourist attraction where descendants of the miners’ burros roam freely through streets once bustling with transcontinental traffic.
Peach Springs developed as an important stop along both the Santa Fe Railway and the National Old Trails Road, which ran parallel to each other across northern Arizona. Located in a valley on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, Peach Springs offered natural water sources that had made it valuable to travelers since prehistoric times. The community served as an important resupply point and housed maintenance crews for both transportation systems.
When Route 66 was designated in 1926, incorporating this segment of the National Old Trails Road, Peach Springs enjoyed a brief golden era. Service stations, motor courts, and diners opened to serve the increasing flow of tourists and commercial traffic. However, Interstate 40’s construction in the 1970s bypassed Peach Springs by several miles, cutting off its lifeblood. Today, the Hualapai Tribe has revitalized portions of the community through cultural tourism, but many buildings from the highway era stand abandoned.
Two Guns represents one of the most colorful ghost towns along the route. This trading post began as a simple stagecoach stop called Canyon Lodge, but transformed dramatically when the National Old Trails Road brought motorists past its door. In the 1920s, entrepreneur Harry E. Miller leased land from the Navajo and renamed the settlement “Two Guns.” Miller created a tourist trap featuring a zoo of desert animals, a restaurant, and a bizarre attraction called the “Apache Death Cave”—a natural cave where, according to local lore, 42 Apache warriors had been killed by Navajo in 1878.
Two Guns thrived until fire destroyed much of the settlement in 1971. Today, its ruins stand as a haunting reminder of roadside Americana, with crumbling stone buildings, empty lion cages, and the deteriorating entrance to the Death Cave still visible to explorers who venture off Interstate 40.
These communities share a common trajectory: birth or growth tied to the National Old Trails Road, prosperity during its heyday, and decline when newer transportation routes diverted traffic elsewhere. Their stories demonstrate how even seemingly permanent settlements can fade when the flow of movement that sustains them shifts to other channels.
The National Old Trails Road underwent a significant transition in 1926 when the federal government implemented a standardized highway numbering system. Most of the Arizona portion became part of the legendary U.S. Route 66, while eastern segments were designated as U.S. 40 and western portions as U.S. 60 and U.S. 80.
This administrative change brought practical improvements. Federal and state funding increased for road maintenance and upgrades. Standard signage replaced the inconsistent markings that had previously guided travelers. Most significantly, the route began to see substantial engineering improvements—dangerous curves were smoothed, steep grades reduced, bridges constructed over washes, and sections progressively paved with concrete or asphalt.
By the 1930s, the primitive track that had challenged Emily Post had evolved into a modern highway carrying increasing volumes of commercial and tourist traffic. The Great Depression and Dust Bowl migration brought thousands of desperate families along the route seeking new opportunities in California. John Steinbeck immortalized this human drama in “The Grapes of Wrath,” referring to Route 66 (the successor to the National Old Trails Road) as “the mother road, the road of flight.”
World War II brought strategic importance to the highway as military convoys and equipment moved to California ports and training facilities. The route’s capacity was stretched to its limits, highlighting the need for broader, safer highways to serve national defense purposes—a realization that would eventually lead to the Interstate Highway System and the old road’s obsolescence.
Throughout these transitions, the route’s path remained largely faithful to the original National Old Trails Road alignment, preserving its connection to the historic trails and wagon roads that had guided earlier generations of American pioneers.
The National Old Trails Road now exists as a ghost highway—sections abandoned, rerouted, or absorbed into other roads, yet still traceable across the Arizona landscape. The route’s physical remnants vary dramatically, from well-preserved segments to faint traces visible only to trained eyes or from aerial perspectives.
Some of the best-preserved segments can be found west of Kingman, where the challenging topography that once tormented motorists ironically protected the road from development. The famous Sitgreaves Pass route through the Black Mountains remains navigable, its narrow pavement clinging to steep hillsides much as it did a century ago. The hairpin turns and precipitous dropoffs that terrified early motorists now attract adventure seekers and history enthusiasts.
Near Winslow and Holbrook, abandoned segments parallel the railroad tracks, their crumbling asphalt occasionally visible from passing trains. In the Flagstaff area, portions have been incorporated into local road systems or Forest Service roads, their historical significance often unrecognized by daily users.
The most thoroughly erased sections lie beneath Interstate 40, which follows approximately 85% of the National Old Trails Road corridor across Arizona. During the interstate’s construction in the 1960s and 1970s, engineers frequently built directly atop the older highway, obliterating its physical presence while inadvertently preserving its legacy as a transportation corridor.
Archaeological studies have documented how the road changed over time. Early iterations featured 15-foot widths, minimal engineering, and surfaces ranging from native soil to gravel. Later versions show widening to 18 or 20 feet, more substantial drainage structures, and eventually concrete or asphalt paving. These layers of improvement, visible in cutbanks where erosion has exposed the road’s structure, tell the story of America’s transportation evolution.
For those seeking to experience this ghost highway firsthand, several accessible segments offer authentic connections to early automotive travel. The Oatman Highway (Mohave County Road 10) preserves the white-knuckle drive over Sitgreaves Pass. In Peach Springs, the original alignment serves as the main street through town. And numerous unpaved segments can be found by adventurous explorers willing to consult historic maps and venture onto back roads.
The National Old Trails Road’s decline began with the very success it helped create. As automobile travel became increasingly common and commercial trucking expanded, the road’s limitations became more apparent. Its narrow width, steep grades, sharp curves, and vulnerability to weather events made it inadequate for the growing volume and speed of mid-century traffic.
The Interstate Highway Act of 1956 effectively signed the death warrant for the old highway as a major transportation corridor. This massive federal program called for limited-access, divided highways built to uniform engineering standards that would prioritize safety and efficiency over scenic value or historical connections.
Across Arizona, Interstate 40 progressively replaced the National Old Trails Road/Route 66 corridor between 1957 and 1984. Construction often proceeded in parallel, with the interstate being built alongside the older highway before traffic shifted to the new roadway. This process created the “twin roads” phenomenon still visible in many locations—the broad, engineered interstate running beside the narrower, more intimately scaled old highway.
The impact on communities along the route varied dramatically based on their proximity to interstate exits. Towns like Flagstaff and Kingman, which secured multiple interchanges, adapted successfully to the new transportation pattern. Communities bypassed by several miles, like Peach Springs and Oatman, experienced severe economic contractions as traffic—and the businesses it supported—disappeared almost overnight.
The formal decommissioning of Route 66 in 1985 (which included most of the National Old Trails Road through Arizona) represented the final administrative step in the transition. Highway markers were removed, and maintenance responsibilities shifted to state, county, or local governments with varying resources and commitment to preserving the historic route.
This technological obsolescence—the replacement of a road not because it failed but because standards and expectations changed—follows a pattern common throughout transportation history. Just as the National Old Trails Road had superseded wagon trails and stagecoach routes, so too was it superseded by engineered interstates designed for higher speeds and traffic volumes.
While portions of the National Old Trails Road were lost to interstate construction or reclaimed by the desert, growing recognition of its historical significance has spurred preservation efforts since the 1990s. These initiatives focus on documenting, protecting, and interpreting the remaining segments of this pioneer highway.
The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, founded in 1987, has played a crucial role in preserving portions of the National Old Trails Road that later became part of Route 66. Their advocacy led to Arizona designating the old route as a Historic Highway in 1987—the first state to take such action. The Association maintains an extensive archive of photographs, maps, and oral histories documenting the road’s history and works with property owners to preserve significant structures.
Archaeological studies have systematically documented surviving segments, creating a comprehensive inventory of the road’s physical remains. The most significant sections have received National Register of Historic Places designation, providing some protection from development or destruction. Notable listed segments include the Sitgreaves Pass section near Oatman and several bridges between Flagstaff and Winslow.
Museums along the route preserve the material culture and stories of the National Old Trails era. The Powerhouse Route 66 Museum in Kingman contains extensive exhibits on early automotive travel, including vehicles, road-building equipment, and personal accounts from travelers. The Navajo County Historical Museum in Holbrook maintains a collection of roadside business artifacts and promotional materials that document how local entrepreneurs marketed their services to early motorists.
Preservation challenges remain significant. The road’s extensive length makes comprehensive protection impractical. Development pressures threaten some segments, particularly those near expanding communities like Flagstaff and Kingman. And the natural desert environment continues its slow reclamation of abandoned sections through erosion, flash flooding, and vegetation growth.
The most successful preservation approach has been adaptive reuse—finding new purposes for the old roadway that maintain its historical integrity while serving contemporary needs. In Kingman, portions serve as local business routes. Near Flagstaff, segments have become popular recreational trails. And throughout the route, historical tourism has created economic incentives for preserving the road’s distinctive character and associated structures.
The National Old Trails Road exists today as much in memory and influence as in physical form. Its ghost stretches across Arizona, visibly and invisibly shaping the state’s development patterns, cultural identity, and relationship with the broader nation.
Modern transportation corridors—from Interstate 40 to the BNSF Railway to proposed high-speed rail lines—follow essentially the path pioneered by this early highway, which itself followed older wagon roads, which followed indigenous trading paths. This palimpsest of transportation layers demonstrates how geography creates natural corridors of movement that persist across technological transitions.
Arizona’s tourism industry has deep roots in the highway era that the National Old Trails Road inaugurated. The roadside hospitality traditions, Southwestern architectural motifs, curio shops, and trading posts that first emerged along this pioneer highway established patterns that continue to define how Arizona presents itself to visitors.
Communities along the route grapple with complex questions of identity and economic development, balancing nostalgia for the road’s heyday with the need for sustainable futures. Some, like Oatman, have fully embraced heritage tourism, recreating the look and feel of early highway travel. Others, like Peach Springs, have developed cultural tourism models that incorporate indigenous perspectives on the highway’s legacy. And metropolitan areas like Flagstaff carefully navigate the tension between historic preservation and modern development needs.
For the Indigenous nations whose territories the highway crossed, its legacy includes both opportunity and disruption. Trading posts and border town economies created economic niches, while increased accessibility brought more intensive resource extraction and cultural tourism with mixed benefits. Contemporary tribal museums and cultural centers along the old route increasingly present these nuanced perspectives on the highway’s impact.
Perhaps most significantly, the National Old Trails Road represents a crucial transition in how Americans experience their country. Before this pioneering highway, cross-country travel remained the province of the wealthy or determined. The development of this route—and the national highway system it helped inspire—democratized long-distance travel, allowing ordinary citizens to experience the nation’s geographic and cultural diversity firsthand.
As you drive Interstate 40 across Arizona today, the ghost of the National Old Trails Road travels with you—visible in abandoned segments paralleling the freeway, in the location of communities large and small, and in the cultural landscapes that developed around this pioneering transportation corridor. Though largely forgotten in name, its legacy continues to shape movement across Arizona to this day.
For modern explorers interested in experiencing the National Old Trails Road firsthand, several accessible segments and associated sites offer authentic connections to this pioneering highway. While comprehensive travel of the entire historic route would require significant research and off-road capabilities, these highlights provide meaningful glimpses into early automotive travel across Arizona:
This 26-mile segment between Kingman and Topock preserves the most dramatic portion of the original route, including the infamous Sitgreaves Pass. The narrow, winding road offers the most authentic early motoring experience available, complete with hairpin turns and precipitous dropoffs. The historic mining town of Oatman, with its wandering burros and preserved early 20th-century architecture, makes a natural stopping point.
Located on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the town’s main street follows the original highway alignment. The Hualapai Lodge provides accommodations, and the tribal cultural center offers interpretation of both transportation history and indigenous perspectives on the highway era. From here, travelers can access Diamond Creek Road—the only road access to the Colorado River within Grand Canyon.
This atmospheric ruin near Interstate 40 exit 230 offers glimpses into the roadside attraction culture that developed along the highway. Stone buildings, the Apache Death Cave entrance, and abandoned animal cages can be explored carefully (though structures are unstable and unsafe to enter). The site provides tangible connections to the entrepreneurial spirit that characterized early highway commerce.
Though currently closed, the distinctive dome-shaped building and ruins of this once-popular roadside attraction near Winslow represent the evolution of Arizona’s highway commerce. The site features a large “world’s largest dream catcher” that has become a popular photography stop for route enthusiasts.
The city’s historic district preserves numerous buildings from the National Old Trails/Route 66 era, including the distinctive Hotel Monte Vista and the restored train station. The Pioneer Museum on Fort Valley Road includes exhibits on early automotive travel through northern Arizona.
For those interested in a more comprehensive exploration, the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona publishes detailed guides to surviving segments of the old highway, many of which originated as parts of the National Old Trails Road. Their visitor centers in Kingman and Flagstaff provide maps, suggested itineraries, and historical context for self-guided tours.
When traveling these historic segments, visitors should practice appropriate preservation ethics: stay on established roads and paths, leave artifacts in place for others to appreciate, and respect the private property rights of landowners along the route. These simple practices help ensure that what remains of this pioneering highway will survive for future generations to experience.