Route 66 in California

Updated March 10, 2014.

The Ghost Towns

Latest Needles, Old Route 66 diverges from I-40 and is parallel to the path. Some call this the "ghost town", and rightly so. Little Goffs, Essex, Danby and Summit. If you see what's left, off I-40 to US Hwy 95 North, then go west Goffs Road. It is on I-40 near Fenner, where you reach and follow to connect to the National Trails Highway near the town of Essex. I-40

National Trails Highway through Amboy

If you skipped the section of the ghost town off I-40 at Mountain Springs Rd. West of needles. It is soon to change its name to the National Trails Highway, named for the side of the road by the side of Route 66 and before and after the remains of the Mother Road. A rarity in the desert that has little to do with the Route 66 is unusual on the side of the dirt on the north side of the street graffiti. Made of stone, some of which appear to have done was also here that stretches for miles.

In the 1930s, Roy and Velma Crowl include the entire city of Amboy. Today namesake motel sign Roy also points out cheerfully to the old motel, is the middle of a remodel. After nearly steals, the city has a new owner who was able to open the store next door. Just down the road is the Amboy Crater, once a tourist attraction on Route 66. It was 10,000 years since the start, but the desert floor is still full of his black lava.

Other cities were once west of Baghdad Amboy, Siberia and Klondike, but no more. Old Trails Road crosses I-40 near Ludlow and not much to lose if you get there.

Photo Credit: © 2011 Betsy Malloy Photography. Used with permission.