9 Truly Creepy Places You Could Stumble Upon Along Arizona’s Route 66

This oddly named street sits a distance from the highway on the south side of town but still deserves a place on this list. Following an 1886 gunfight inside a saloon that sat on the street, the accompanying bloodshed led to renaming the street and saloon to Bucket of Blood.

These days, the saloon sits abandoned on the dirt street but you can still walk up to it and imagine the number of illicit activities that took place there. You can read more about the history of the street name in this article.

Not much is left of this Old West town but at one time it was larger than Flagstaff in the late 1800s. It had a reputation for being a wild and violent place with saloons, brothels, and gambling houses operating 24 hours per day on its main street, Hell Street. The six law officers it received in its short life were killed within weeks of accepting the job, the first within five hours of starting the job. This was not a place you wanted to wander into.

These days, you won’t find many remains of the town. A few building foundations are still visible and you might be able to make out where the cemetery lies but most of the town’s remains have been reclaimed by nature. Still, a visit to one of Arizona’s most violent towns will send a chill down your spine.

This unique hotel sits right along the highway at the edge of a forest, making this area peaceful and a bit secluded. However, there’s a rumor that one of the train cabooses remodeled into a hotel room is haunted, which can make for a spooky overnight stay. You can read more about the hotel in this article.

Established in 1927, this trading post operated under several different owners until it was eventually abandoned in 1984. While the trading post isn’t haunted, the dilapidated building sitting alone on the highway certainly looks creepy with rickety, weathered walls and skeleton-like trees sitting outside.

Another trading post abandoned and derelict, Meteor City was once a thriving pit stop for travelers on the road between Flagstaff and Holbrook. The trading post operated from 1938 to 2012, with brief closings in the years between. The buildings have fallen into disrepair and the once proud largest map of Route 66 eventually collapsed. A visit here would be creepy and perhaps dangerous due to the area’s crumbling state.

This hotel was built in 1927 right in the middle of Flagstaff’s historic downtown area and has seen many famous faces over the years. While you might not run into the beautiful faces of Clark Gable and Esther Williams these days, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter an apparition. There are at least 11 individual ghosts you may spot around the hotel, including a bell hop, a dancing couple, and a prostitute from the old red light district that once sat nearby.

A little more than three miles down the road from the Hotel Monte Vista is the Museum Club, a roadhouse that hosts live music and plenty of dancing to get you through the night. While here, you may also spot a few spirits, including Pappy and his wife, the former owners from the 1960s and 1970s. This place doesn’t sound particularly creepy with all the music and dancing...unless you’re someone who doesn’t like spotting beer bottles moving on their own.

Oatman is a ghost town these days but at one time it was a thriving mining town sitting at the edge of Arizona. The Oatman Hotel has been around since 1902, so you can bet plenty of people have walked in and out of the doors of the hotel and its restaurant. Its most famous haunting is Oatie, the ghost of a miner who died behind the hotel and still lingers in the restaurant area.

Abandoned places are always a bit creepy since you never know what you might encounter and this place is no different. Also written as 2 Guns, this abandoned trading post was once a mighty popular spot along Route 66. Sitting just off the highway between Winslow and Flagstaff, the area once hosted a trading post, gas station, KOA camping, and even a tiny zoo. The attraction was eventually abandoned and has been sitting alone ever since. You’ll still find the buildings standing, although they exist in ruins and may not be safe to enter. You can read more about Two Guns in this article.