Route 66's Hidden Gems

If you are driving along the route 66 road, then you will most likely pass up a hidden gem in Arizona. The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert are two national parks that are connected to each other on a single road. You could easily drive through and see the landscape change in front of your eyes. These parks add color to a sand and brown landscape of Arizona.

The park does have several hikes that you can take. Due to the heat index in Arizona it is important to bring plenty of water with you on your hikes. We went there in early July and the temperature went up to a high of 116 degrees. Be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen with you as well. If you are running low on time, you can easily just drive through the park. The drive itself is just as amazing.

Pictures won't do this park justice. It is truly an amazing place to visit. Another hidden gem along Route 66 is a small town called Oatman, Arizona. This town itself is an old gold mining town with wild donkeys that roam around. They are wild so do NOT try to approach them, unless authorized to do so. There are certain donkeys that you can feed as well as a gun fight show down in the middle of town at noon. The town is also home to one of the oldest cacti in the world. The cacti is over 200 years old and is centered in the middle of a shop in town.

If you get a chance you will also have a chance to see Petrified Forest National Park. In sandy Arizona there are large pieces of wood from millions of years ago that have become petrified and can be found inside this park.