The Best of Route 66 | Winslow to Williams, AZ
Originally posted Feb 2023. Updated 7/15/25.
You know that scene in a movie where the couple drives straight into a snow globe and laughs the whole way? That was us. Only the laughter was occasionally mixed with, “Did we pack enough socks?” and, “Is this wind going to carry off the Jeep?” Welcome to our Northern Arizona road trip: part romance, part Route 66 retro, and all kinds of epic.
Steve and I packed up Honey Bee (our Jeep and trusted road warrior) and headed north from Surprise, AZ to cross off some serious bucket-list magic. Valentine’s Day on the South Rim? Check. Renting out our house for the Super Bowl and running for the hills? Also check. What followed was an 8-day, 7-night road trip full of snowy surprises, red rock revelations, and some of the best eats in Arizona.
Planning Tip: We swear by the Roadtrippers App. With the free version, we never miss a roadside oddity (hello, World’s Largest Kokopelli in a Starbucks parking lot). For hotels, I cross-check Hotel Tonight, Booking.com, and HotelsCombined to snag the best deals.
Day 1-2: Surprise to Winslow, AZ | 194 miles, 3h 6m
Sightseeing
World’s Largest Kokopelli
Stay
La Posada Hotel, – Historic, hauntingly beautiful, and a storybook from the Fred Harvey era. Book direct for best rates ($139/night).
Eats
- Brown Mug Café: Navajo tacos & carne asada burritos that deserve their own fan club. The fresh-made tortilla chips and spicy hot sauce were the best I’ve had.
- Flatbed Ford Café: We had an incredible breakfast at this darling restaurant just off the main street. Huevos Rancheros and spicy skillets for the win.
- Relic Road Brewery: Great local restaurant with amazing burgers.
- The Turquoise Room (at La Posada): La Posada’s onsite restaurant and it tops all the Must Eat Arizona lists. The Fred Harvey restaurant menu is SW Fusion. We ate at The Turquoise Room for lunch and had the signature soup and caesar salad. Their soup is a smooth black bean and cream of corn with chili cream. We also had the delicious Crispy Pork Carnitas Platter. Everything was exceptional. The dining room is beautiful and full of history.
Reservations are recommended.
To Do
- Little Painted Hills
- Stand on the Corner (obviously!)
Day 3: Winslow to Strawberry, AZ | 72 miles, 1h 27m
Stay
The Strawberry Inn | Booked the Airstream directly through their website
The Strawberry Inn is a small boutique hotel, cabins and Airstreams, located in Strawberry, Arizona. We rented the Airstream and I did not want to check out. It was so cozy, spotless clean and the bedding is so wonderful that I want to order it off their website. If you go, check out their blog as they have tons of ideas of places to go and restaurant suggestions.
Pro Tip: The bedding here is so dreamy I wanted to smuggle it home.
Eats
Warm Up: Sportsman Chalet—free WiFi, cozy fire, cold beer. Everyone was so friendly. Beers were cheap and we felt right at home.
Date Night: The Old Country Inn in Pine (about 3 miles away): live music, laughter, and unforgettable eats (Nicky the bartender = MVP).
Pro Tip: Dine in the Taproom, a beautiful tiny bar with about 6 tables. The Billys were playing live music in the corner and everyone was laughing and smiling.
Day 4: Strawberry to Sedona, AZ | 71 miles, 1h 25m
Stay: Sky Rock Inn of Sedona | Booked directly through Marriott. Lovely. Stunning views.
Why We Love It: You can’t not be moved by those red rocks.
Eats
Super Bowl Sunday: Watched the Super Bowl at the Stagecoach Bar—gorgeous remodel, amazing apps, and new friends.
Day 5: Sedona to Williams, AZ | 62 miles, 1h 24m
Snowstorm Alert: We hit a winter storm hard. Temps dropped to 4°F, and winds howled at 40 mph. Before we left Sedona, we had to stop at Goodwill and buy warmer clothes as a Winter Storm Warning was threatening our trip to the Grand Canyon.
The drive from Sedona to Williams was stunning. Oak Creek Canyon is absolutely beautiful and we were grateful to get up the windy highway before the storm hit. We stopped in Flagstaff for a car picnic at Freddy’s, a delicious fast food burger joint in Arizona. It hit the spot.
To Do
Roadside Gold: Bearizona. Yes, it sounds cheesy, but it was actually phenomenal. You drive through the park at your own pace. Bears were licking snow pops, otters doing tricks—it felt like we were in a private zoo. The enclosures were lovely and we saw bears, reindeer, buffalo, big horned sheep, wolves…
After you drive through the park, you arrive at the parking lot where you get out and walk through zoo like grounds. It’s huge. The animals were so excited to see us. The otters jumped in the water and did all their best tricks. The park was practically empty, since a Winter Storm was about to hit. We absolutely loved it and can’t wait to go back.
Stay
The Grand Canyon Railway is both a train adventure and a hotel. Their website is very user friendly and has a ton of information but when it came to reservations I couldn’t get the online system to do what I wanted. I called and received amazing help. I booked the package deal that included:
- Hotel room at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel
- Dinner at the Fred Harvey restaurant at the hotel
- Breakfast at the hotel before the train leaves
- Our train tickets. The ride is 2 1/2 hours each way. I booked the Luxury Dome for the ride to the GC and coach home.
- 90-minute bus tour at the GC
- Hotel at the Maswik Lodge, Grand Canyon
The hotel was lovely. The dinner and breakfast buffet wasn’t our favorite of the trip but it served a purpose and made things very simple.
Day 6: Williams to Grand Canyon via The Grand Canyon Railway
To Do
- 8:00AM Breakfast at Fred Harvey Restaurant
- 9:00AM Cowboy Shootout in Williams, it was too cold and windy to make it to the shootout but some brave souls did say it was great.
- 9:30AM Board The Grand Canyon Railway Train | We purchased the luxury dome tickets for the trip up to the canyon and then coach tickets for the way back.
- 12:00PM Arrive at the Grand Canyon, 90 minute bus tour (included in our package)
- 2:00PM Explore
We left the following day at 3:30PM so we had lots of extra time for making our own adventure.
Surreal Moment: Watching snow swirl over the Grand Canyon—it felt like nature’s cathedral.
Stay
Day 7: Grand Canyon Railway back To Williams & Home to Surprise
Slow Start: Snow delays gave us more time for hot coffee and canyon views.
Final Ride: The 3:30pm train back included a history lesson and a cowboy robbery re-enactment that kids (and inner kids) will love.
Drive Home: Icy at first, but Honey Bee was a champ. Two and a half hours later, we rolled into Surprise with full hearts and thawing fingers.
Thanks for following us! If you take the Northern Arizona Road trip along Route 66 and discover some gems send them my way.
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