{"id":3017,"date":"2026-07-03T17:04:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3017"},"modified":"2026-07-03T17:04:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T17:04:35","slug":"route-66-centennial-arizona-families-have-iconic-road-trip-stops-in-their-backyard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3017","title":{"rendered":"Route 66 centennial: Arizona families have iconic road trip stops in their backyard"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – As Route 66 marks its 100th anniversary, a travel expert says some of the best stops along the Mother Road are just a short drive from home for Arizona families.<\/p>\n

Read more Armory Park reopens after $1.7M renovation<\/a><\/p>\n

Julie Thompson with Western National Parks said travelers from around the world make the Route 66 trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but Arizonans have access to the same destinations with far less planning and expense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of travelers who come here to Arizona, they\u2019re coming for these places,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cSo like, live it like a local, but live it well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flagstaff as a home base<\/h2>\n

Thompson recommends making Flagstaff the starting point for a weekend trip. From there, three national monuments are within an hour\u2019s drive of each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cSunset Crater, Walnut Canyon, and Wupatki \u2014 they\u2019re all National Monuments,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cThey\u2019re within an hour\u2019s drive of each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said the goal is not simply to check parks off a list, but to slow down and take in places that cannot be found anywhere else.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if that\u2019s just like a picnic lunch at the base of a dormant volcano \u2014 which can you get a better picnic spot, you know,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

Junior Ranger program<\/h2>\n

For families with children, Thompson said the free Junior Ranger program at national park sites is a highlight of any visit.<\/p>\n

Read more Hot Fourth of July: More clouds, rain later<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe joy that you see in a young child when they get sworn in as a Junior Ranger, you would think it was made up,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cYou would think somebody was staging it. That\u2019s how absolutely joyous it is, and they will take their role as a Junior Ranger so seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heading east or west on Route 66<\/h2>\n

Thompson said low-cost stops are available in both directions from Flagstaff. Heading east, travelers can visit the corner in Winslow, Arizona, Meteor Crater, and Petrified National Forest. Heading west, she pointed to Mojave National Preserve.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is one of the unsung heroes of the National Park Service,\u201d Thompson said of Mojave National Preserve. \u201cAbsolutely beautiful, but it has everything for everybody. It\u2019s got dunes, history, historic railroad station, wildlife, caves, hiking, night sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson said whether the trip is a single weekend based in Flagstaff or a longer drive across northern Arizona, some of the country\u2019s most iconic road trip stops are just a couple tanks of gas away.<\/p>\n

===================================================<\/p>\n

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Read more Over 400K signatures submitted to put Protect Education Act on Arizona ballots<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Travelers from around the world make the Route 66 trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nRoute 66 centennial: Arizona families have iconic road trip stops in their backyard - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3017\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Route 66 centennial: Arizona families have iconic road trip stops in their backyard - Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Travelers from around the world make the Route 66 trip a once-in-a-lifetime experience.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=3017\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-03T17:04:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3017#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3017\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71841c7d449e6ab1ace6bce2f5277255\"},\"headline\":\"Route 66 centennial: Arizona families have iconic road trip stops in their backyard\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-03T17:04:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3017\"},\"wordCount\":505,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3017#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/b59c1de382159217fc4a1a01c1ddf8d0.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3017#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3017\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=3017\",\"name\":\"Route 66 centennial: Arizona families have iconic road trip stops in their backyard - 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