Kingman is at the Heart of Route 66 and the longest continuous ribbon (158 miles, 254km) of America's Mother Road!
21. The Historic Downtown Kingman self-guided walking tour covers more than 40 sights and buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places. For a behind the scenes look at the history of this Northwestern Arizona community, pick up a walking tour map at any of the Kingman Museums or in Certified Folder Distribution racks at the local motels/hotels.
22. The Historic Powerhouse in Kingman is home to the Arizona Route 66 Museum, and the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum. The main building was completed in 1909 with the back additions (currently occupied by the museum) added in 1911. Construction progress was followed in news papers as far away as the Arizona Republican in Phoenix and the Los Angeles Times. The Powerhouse supplied power to Kingman and area mines until Hoover Dam began producing power in the late 1930’s. Sixty years later, the building was restored as a historical monument and Visitor Information Center, opening in 1997. The Arizona Route 66 Museum, which opened in 2001, was dubbed “Impressive new Route 66 Museum” in the article An Asphalt Odyssey by Reed Johnson, August 19, 2001 in the Los Angeles Times.
23. Locomotive Park is home to famed Sante Fe Steam Engine #3759. Built in 1928, this locomotive weighs nearly half a million pounds, has 80” diameter driving wheels and could travel at a full 100 mph. Today visitors can climb up on the old steam engine for an engineer’s view while modern trains roll by on nearby tracks.
24. The Bonelli House, constructed in 1915, was the second home of the Bonelli Family built on the same site after the original 1894 wooden-frame house burned down. Tour guides are at the House on weekdays between 11am and 3pm to conduct personal tours, provide historic background, share stories, and answer questions about pioneer life and activities of the day. Admission is included with admission to the Mohave Museum of History & Arts and the Arizona Route 66 Museum.
25.. Mohave Museum of History & Arts includes exhibits on the local indigenous people, settlers, mining and ranching in Northwestern Arizona. Renowned Southwestern artist Roy Purcell was the first director in the new building and he developed many of the displays still in use today.
26. White Cliffs Wagon Trail, located just a mile from Downtown Kingman, has wagon tracks dating back to the late 1800’s that are still visible today. The trail was used to bring ore from Stockton Hill mine to the railroad. There are very few places like it still in existence where you can see historic wagon tracks etched into stone.
27. Camp Beale ruins are located along Beale’s Trail, which was surveyed by Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale in 1857 and laid the foundation for what became Route 66. Camp Beale was founded in 1871 to protect settlers traveling by wagon along Beale’s Trail and the Fort Mohave & Prescott Toll Road. The spring at Camp Beale provided water for the early town of Kingman and for steam locomotives traveling through.
28. Famous Route 66 murals in Kingman are located at the Mohave Museum of History & Arts, Kingman Water Tanks, TNT Auto and the Ramada Inn.
29. The Kingman Railroad Museum is located in Kingman’s railroad depot built in 1907. From inside the Museum, you can safely watch the real thing just feet away outside the large glass windows and enjoy three different gauge model railroads.
30. Hiking or Mountain Biking - Cerbat Foothills Recreation Area is an interconnected hiking/biking trail system on the west side of Kingman. The nearest trailhead to Route 66, Monolith Gardens Trail, is just 1.3 miles away. This trail system ties into Beale Loop Trail and follows portions of Beale’s Trail, which is the pathway that much of Route 66 eventually followed through Arizona. This system is one of the most scenic trail systems in Arizona with rock monoliths, a variety of desert vegetation and fantastic mountain views.
31. Cerbat Cliffs Golf Course, just one and a half miles from Route 66, dates back to 1917. It was an oiled course until the early 1970’s and became a full 18 hole championship golf course in 1995. The course is known for challenging greens, scenic fairways, good year-round weather and low rates.