Why this ride
207 km from Gallup to Winslow, about 2 h 51 of riding. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 2,200 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Historic Route 66: Gallup to Winslow
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 207 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 51
- Journey
- One way; return travel is separate
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: planning record, not independently verified geometry.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distances and riding times are planning figures. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Gallup
Gallup is a long, thin town squeezed between red sandstone cliffs and the railroad tracks, on the old line of Route 66 in northwestern New Mexico. It sits at about 2,000 metres, with a dry, high-desert climate and a landscape of mesas and pale grassland, and it is known as the Indian Capital of the World, since it serves as a trading centre for the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi nations. Galleries and trading posts in town sell turquoise jewellery, woven rugs and pottery, and the quality of the work is high, though prices reflect that.
Read the complete Gallup write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gallup is where the day begins. Next is Holbrook.
2. Holbrook
Holbrook is a small town on Interstate 40 in northern Arizona, a place that still looks like the postcard for old Route 66. About five thousand people live here, among sunbaked streets, neon signs and dusty sidewalks. The Wigwam Motel, a ring of concrete teepees with vintage cars parked outside, opened in the 1950s and is a favourite photo stop. Across the street, curio shops sell turquoise jewellery and rubber tomahawks, and the diners offer big breakfasts and tall milkshakes.
Read the complete Holbrook write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Holbrook comes up about 154 km into the recorded legs. Next is Winslow.
3. Winslow
Winslow, Arizona, is famous for a song. In 1972, the Eagles released Take It Easy, with the line about standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and today a small park on the main street has a statue and a mural, and tourists line up to take their picture on the corner. The town sits on the old Route 66, on the high plateau of northern Arizona, beside the Little Colorado River, with a population of about nine and a half thousand, and a long railway history that shaped it.
Read the complete Winslow write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 207 km.
Leg by leg
Gallup to Holbrook
Gallup → Holbrook is 154 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Holbrook to Winslow
Holbrook → Winslow is 53 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.