Off the Beaten Track on Route 66 in Oklahoma
For most enthusiastic road-trippers, driving the 400-mile stretch of Route 66 in Oklahoma is a reassuringly easy experience on modern, well-maintained roadways. Real Mother Road enthusiasts, though, like nothing better than to get off the beaten track and discover a few of the Route’s surviving old segments – a special thrill!
In the early days of Route 66, some of the Mother Road’s sections (or ‘alignments’ as they’re called) were narrow roads that had already seen many years’ service. For Route 66 aficionados, locating and driving these alignments can be both challenging and especially satisfying – a genuine experience of daily road travel in the earlier 1900s.
The historic Pony Bridge near Geary, OK (pictured above) featured in the 1939 film ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and has only recently reopened following a major restoration project.
Photo Credit: Lori Duckworth/Oklahoma Tourism
Prospective Route 66 road-trippers can plan to enjoy a taste of the ‘off the beaten track’ experience by building one or more of these better-known alignments into a Route 66 itinerary:
Sidewalk Highway
This rural 6.5-mile roadway between Miami OK and Afton OK was built in 1922 – four years before it was designated U.S. 66. The Sidewalk Highway is so named because it’s only nine feet wide. Now pitted or covered with gravel, its surface and white concrete edges often peek through. It makes for a leisurely drive through the region’s ranch lands
Old Chelsea Alignment
This old section of road in Chelsea OK carried less than a mile of Route 66 from 1926 to 1932, and its claim to Mother Road fame is the Pryor Creek Bridge – a steel-truss structure that dates back to the very beginning of the Route and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Ozark Trail
This concrete ribbon, part of the original Ozark Trail west of Sapulpa OK, carried 3.3 miles of Route 66 right through to the early 1950s. Today it’s a largely secluded drive through wooded areas, dotted with a few dwellings. Curiosities not to be missed on this alignment include the steel-truss Rock Creek Bridge – a 1925 railroad trestle – and the ruins of a drive-in theatre
Tank Farm Loop
This 1.7-mile stretch of original Route 66 from Kellyville OK to Bristow OK gained its name because several oil storage tanks stand along its path. This is a curved alignment – with no shoulders (kerbs) – and it was part of the Route from 1926 to 1938. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Keen to know more? Be sure to view more details of these – and other – alignments, including important guidance on locations and restrictions. Click here