Route 66 in Arizona: Ryan Chiaverini Visits Oatman’s Switchbacks, Wild Burros and Gold-Mining History
KINGMAN, Ariz. () — Ryan Chiaverini has reached Kingman, Arizona, putting him about 350 miles from the ceremonial endpoint of Route 66 at Santa Monica Pier. The city is home to one of the longest preserved stretches of the original “Mother Road.”
“I’m especially fond of this section in western Arizona,” said Jim Hinckley, author of Route 66: 100 Years. “It represents our prehistory and our history. Every chapter of the American story can be found along this road.”
Hinckley’s influence on Route 66 history is commemorated with a statue of him at Kingman’s Locomotive Park. He considers the next leg of Chiaverini’s Arizona journey, through the Black Mountains, the most scenic portion of the entire route.
“Stevie Wonder would have trouble taking a bad picture out there,” Hinckley said with a laugh. “It’s simply breathtaking.”
On the way to the historic mining town of Oatman, Chiaverini tackled “The Sidewinder,” an eight-mile section marked by sharp switchbacks, tight hairpin turns and dramatic drop-offs along the mountain cliffs. In Oatman, wild yet remarkably approachable burros wandered along the road—descendants of the animals left behind after local gold mines closed during World War II.
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“The burros worked in the mines,” said Carol Blake, president of the Oatman Chamber of Commerce. “When the mines closed, the workers left—and the burros were left behind.”
Thousands of burros continue to roam Arizona’s Black Mountains, with a few making daily trips into Oatman in search of treats from Route 66 visitors. The town’s Wild West atmosphere, mining heritage and charity gunfight performances help attract thousands of tourists each year.
As Chiaverini departed Oatman in his 2026 Hyundai Palisade, a group of burros and their foals brought the trip to a 10-minute standstill while waiting for handouts. It was a memorable final Arizona encounter before he began the home stretch of his Route 66 adventure through California.
DISCLAIMER: Pier To Pier: Celebrating 100 Years of Route 66 is sponsored by Hyundai
