tondood

Hi

My husband, 19 year old daughter and I are planning to drive from Las Vegas to Anaheim in June. We are after reccommendations as to the best route to travel. We can allow 1 night for the trip. Is it worth the trip to Kingman and join Route 66 and take a night somewhere along the way or to take the shorter distance and travel the I15 to Barstow and drive directly to Anaheim?

Also if planning to stay overnight where would the best Overnight stop be?

thanks for your help

janisj

Don't stay over night - LV to Anaheim is only 4 to 4.5 hours (except on a Sunday afternoon when it can take twice as long)

happytrailstoyou

I agree that it would be better to drive directly to Anaheim than to piddle around on Route 66 and spend the night in Kingman or some such place.

HTtY

boom_boom

If you want to make a overnight and don't mind some heat, consider going via Pahrump and Death Valley. The Furnace Creek Ranch Motel will be open and then leave the park via SR 127 to Baker where you pick up I-15. But the Route 66/ Kingman isn't worth the effort and time.

janisj

All well and good - but the drive from Death Valley to Anaheim takes a little longer than just driving from Vegas to Anaheim.

Mainly depends on your objective(s) - if you mainly want to get to Anaheim, drive straight there.

If you want to see Death Valley, detour that way . . . it will cost you an extra 3 to 4 hours drive time and one night.

But June isn't the best time to be touring around the desert IMO.

tomfuller

How about Old National Trail Highway (old 66) from exit 115 of I-40 west to Amboy (Radiator Springs) then south through 29 Palms to get to Palm Springs or Palm Desert?
I hope you like the Mojave Desert.

Tomsd

Why detour to Death Valley - in the heat of the summer - just to see some burned rock? It's fine if you are driving from say Yosemite - out the Tioga Pass - down 395 - and on to Vegas - and pass through - but otherwise - to me - no reason to go back.

Some people do like it though.

tondood

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INFO

dbdurand

Hi, tondood.

Your post caught my eye because I drove Rt.66 in its entirety 4 times in the mid 50s before construction even started on the Interstate system. It was a national icon then and strangely, is even more so now. Disclaimer: I've forgotten most of what I ever knew about the road, and besides, it wasn't historic; it was contemporary! And there weren't any Rt.66 museums that I was aware of, although there could have been, since the route had been in existence since about 1926.

The highway from LA to Las Vegas, on the other hand, has no historical interest whatever. The "world's tallest thermometer" in Baker doesn't work and hasn't in years. And that's about it.

You said you could allow one overnight.

Your choices appear to be:

1. Las Vegas to Anaheim in about half a day on the Gambler's Expressway (I-15 to I-10 to CA-57). Overnight in Anaheim. Next day explore Anaheim.

2. Las Vegas to Kingman, AZ, as you proposed, then historic Rt. 66 through Needles to Barstow. Time estimate uncertain, because of sightseeing along the way, and maybe getting lost once or more. Overnight in Barstow. Next day, finish up in Barstow. Example: the Route 66 Museum closes at 4, and you might not have made it back in time. Then on to Anaheim.

Of those two, the latter seems like a slam dunk to me. (And I get the vibration that you really, down deep, want to do it. Why else would you even have mentioned Kingman and Rt. 66?)

So,"Just Do It" (Nike Slogan). Plan your trip using this series of maps, for Arizona and California.

http://www.historic66.com/description/

And for more info:

http://www.legendsofamerica.com/66-main.html

Now before you even leave home, rent and watch the movie "Bagdad Cafe". That's right, no "h". The Bagdad Cafe will be your last stop on your way back to Barstow. See:

http://www.independent.com/news/2010...6-bagdad-cafe/

And for amusement, read the reviews of the Cafe on Tripadvisor. Hint. The movie won a major French Film award.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...alifornia.html


It's a good idea to go through the "turn-by-turn" maps that I referenced and download the web page for each of the points of interest along the route.

Amboy is on your route, but it was not the model for Radiator Springs in the movie "Cars". Rather, the model was Peach Springs, further back east from Kingman.

tomfuller

From Kingman to Exit 115 of I-40 the old Rt. 66 is under I-40.
You might as well take US 95 south from Henderson and skip Kingman unless you want to stop by the Hoover Dam.
There is also a Rt. 66 museum in one corner of the old Barstow railroad station. Before Amtrak the station was also a Harvey House where meals were served to train passengers.
The Old National Trails Highway runs through Barstow and all the way to Victorville.