RT-66 San Bernadino County CA

[Bilgerat]

Has anyone recently drove RT-66 Eastbound from Barstow to Neddles CA.
My primary concerns are; bridge conditions (weight restriction or damaged), dead end sections that may not be marked properly. I went to a number of sites, Caltrans just states "No Notices". The San Bernadino County Road (Link Below) notes a short section "is now open" near Cadiz Rd. I am assuming the rest of the road is passable, I would feel better to hear from someone on here. We leave tomorrow morning.

National Trails Highway / Route 66

[Bob_C]

Why not I-40?....

[Dan McMartin]

We drove a very short section near Amboy last spring. Can't speak to the entire route but that section wasn't bad. It's old pavement but sees very little traffic...like take a nap in the middle of the road traffic If Cal Trans shows no restrictions, you should be good to go. Google maps shows the road being complete from Barstow to Needles. It is not abandoned in that section like it has been in others, likely due to it's distance from the interstate.

I think the closure on that reopened section was due to flooding but I'm not 100% sure.

[Bilgerat]

Thanks Dan, I concur that the section re-opened was from flooding. Thanks I will take 66 through Barstow, need grocerys.
That section you mentioned is where we will spend the night tonight. The only regular traffic through that valley is Freight Trains. I Love Trains. They should be hitting at least 70. The next overnight should be near Oatman.
Thanks so much for the info.

[Dan McMartin]

Originally Posted by Bilgerat

Thanks Dan, I concur that the section re-opened was from flooding. Thanks I will take 66 through Barstow, need grocerys.
That section you mentioned is where we will spend the night tonight. The only regular traffic through that valley is Freight Trains. I Love Trains. They should be hitting at least 70. The next overnight should be near Oatman.
Thanks so much for the info.

If you're not sure where you're overnighting, it looks like the Amboy Crater day use parking overflow has been used for overnight stays successfully. There are two old rest areas...one is called Essex...that look like good places to stay too. Beyond that, I'd say anywhere you can get off the highway and find a level spot ought to be good. It's mostly BLM land. They might even let you park at Roy's in Amboy if you ask.

Just south of Barstow near Helendale is Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch. Worth a detour if you can swing it. We met Elmer and and his wife while we were there. Great people and his bottle art is pretty cool.

If you don't mind, PM me about your experience. We'll be in the area come March or April to see our son at Twentynine Palms and would like to drive that section while were there.

[Bilgerat]

Thanks Again Dan, I will definitely PM You. On the road to Barstow now. Ciao.

[Bilgerat]

Hi Dan, sorry we have had a connectivity problem. Heads up for anyone who may be interested. The section of RT-66 between Ludwig and Essex is closed at Amboy CA. From Amboy South to Essex there are approximately 4 bridges damaged due to Flash Floods. Since this section of road is maintained by San Bernardino County, I doubt they will be repaired any time soon.
But the road from Ludwig to approximately 7 miles South of Amboy is open and the road is new pavement except the first 5 or so miles out of Ludwig, which is bad wash board, I kept speed to 35. We had a great time, dark sky so great star viewing, 4 trains per hour (12 hours = 48 trains). So if you Hate Trains this may not be your cup of tea.
Gas at Amboy is $5.00 per gallon, so no shock there. Roys is a Cafe/Gas Station, the Cafe is open but the only food is premade sandwiches, snacks and such. Still worth a stop, no kitchen but a whole lot of photos and memorabilia. The Nickel Snatcher Goober Stuff is priced reasonable compared to other stops on RT-66.
RT-66 has a Passport Book, which I didn't know about until we stopped at the Route 66 Museum in Kingman Arizona, which I highly recommend visiting.
After Amboy we detoured back to I-40 heading East took exit for Essex, went left and continued on RT-66 to 93 and into Needles CA. As we approached 93 there was a stream of RVers heading South.
For Folks who want to Boondock, there are many places, most next to or near RR Tracks. Overall the sections of 66 we drove were in good condition.

[Dan McMartin]

Originally Posted by Bilgerat

Hi Dan, sorry we have had a connectivity problem. Heads up for anyone who may be interested. The section of RT-66 between Ludwig and Essex is closed at Amboy CA. From Amboy South to Essex there are approximately 4 bridges damaged due to Flash Floods. Since this section of road is maintained by San Bernardino County, I doubt they will be repaired any time soon.
But the road from Ludwig to approximately 7 miles South of Amboy is open and the road is new pavement except the first 5 or so miles out of Ludwig, which is bad wash board, I kept speed to 35. We had a great time, dark sky so great star viewing, 4 trains per hour (12 hours = 48 trains). So if you Hate Trains this may not be your cup of tea.
Gas at Amboy is $5.00 per gallon, so no shock there. Roys is a Cafe/Gas Station, the Cafe is open but the only food is premade sandwiches, snacks and such. Still worth a stop, no kitchen but a whole lot of photos and memorabilia. The Nickel Snatcher Goober Stuff is priced reasonable compared to other stops on RT-66.
RT-66 has a Passport Book, which I didn't know about until we stopped at the Route 66 Museum in Kingman Arizona, which I highly recommend visiting.
After Amboy we detoured back to I-40 heading East took exit for Essex, went left and continued on RT-66 to 93 and into Needles CA. As we approached 93 there was a stream of RVers heading South.
For Folks who want to Boondock, there are many places, most next to or near RR Tracks. Overall the sections of 66 we drove were in good condition.

Too bad about the closed section. Hopefully it will be fixed at some point but I doubt it's a priority Thanks for the report.

We're headed to Kingman after the new year. Looking forward to exploring Oatman, Seligman, Hackberry, etc. I have seen the Passport Book. Neat idea.

We're going to be in Twentynine Stumps in March so we might check out Amboy again and maybe the section from San Bernadino to Ludlow. One of these years we're going drive the whole thing, in our toad anyway. Not keen on taking the MH into L.A. or Chicago

[Bilgerat]

LA & Chicago are absolute NOs for me. But if you want to see the Western end at the Iconic Santa Monica Pier, I have GPS Coordinates that will take you to a beach that has 1 hour parking at a Buck an hour, I would do it in the Toad only. It's where I Took my Brother & DW. I lived out there for close to 30 years. I would stay somewhere like the Fairgrounds at Palmdale $20 per night. It makes a good staging area.

[Dan McMartin]

Originally Posted by Bilgerat

LA & Chicago are absolute NOs for me. But if you want to see the Western end at the Iconic Santa Monica Pier, I have GPS Coordinates that will take you to a beach that has 1 hour parking at a Buck an hour, I would do it in the Toad only. It's where I Took my Brother & DW. I lived out there for close to 30 years. I would stay somewhere like the Fairgrounds at Palmdale $20 per night. It makes a good staging area.

We found some pretty good parking near the pier as well. Can't remember the cost but it wasn't bad at all. I might take the MH into parts of those cities but downtown areas or in many of those beach areas, no way!

[TXTiger]

Check out a book titled Route 66 Still Kicks by Rick Antonson He and a buddy from LA flew to Chicago and rented a convertible Ford Mustang and drove the entire old Rt 66 and wrote the book about it describing the route in detail. Great read for anyone thinking of driving this old highway.

[Dan McMartin]

Originally Posted by TXTiger

Check out a book titled Route 66 Still Kicks by Rick Antonson He and a buddy from LA flew to Chicago and rented a convertible Ford Mustang and drove the entire old Rt 66 and wrote the book about it describing the route in detail. Great read for anyone thinking of driving this old highway.

If you've got the time or prefer video, look up Justin Scarred on YouTube. He drove from Santa Monica to Chicago and back, documenting the 6 week trip on his You Tube channel. It was well researched and full of little known bits of knowledge.

Here's an ugly link to the first video in the playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84XY..._CXPZ33JVZt2R-