Kingman & Lake Havasu: A Long Route 66 Day Trip From Flagstaff

Why Drive 150 Miles West From Flagstaff

Kingman bills itself as the Heart of Historic Route 66, and the claim holds up: the stretch of the Mother Road running west from Kingman through Oatman toward the Colorado River is generally considered the longest remaining uninterrupted section of the original highway anywhere in the country. For a Flagstaff-based traveler who's already covered the shorter Route 66 stop at Williams, Kingman is the logical next piece of the corridor — a genuinely different, more complete Route 66 experience, not a repeat of the same downtown-diner-and-neon-sign formula.

The honest complication is distance. At 150 miles and roughly 2.5 hours each way, Kingman is one of the longest day trips this network covers from Flagstaff. This page exists to help you decide whether that drive is worth it, and whether to stop at Kingman alone or push on to Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge.

Getting There: I-40 West Through Williams and Seligman

Interstate 40 west is the only realistic route, and it's also the fastest one — there's no meaningfully shorter back road. The drive passes Williams at about 32 miles out, then continues through Ash Fork and Seligman before reaching Kingman. Williams sits roughly 108 miles east of Kingman on this route, meaning the bulk of the drive happens after you leave it — it's a worthwhile 20–30 minute stop, not a substitute for the destination.

The old Route 66 alignment runs parallel to the interstate in stretches, particularly the famous section between Seligman and Kingman that predates I-40 entirely. Driving that stretch instead of the interstate adds time rather than saving it, but it's the more authentic Route 66 experience if that's what you're after — budget an extra hour or more if you take it.

Kingman: The Route 66 Anchor Town

Kingman's downtown core still follows the old Mother Road alignment, lined with mid-century motor courts, neon signage, and Route 66-era storefronts anchored by the Arizona Route 66 Museum. It's also the I-40/US-93 junction, making it a genuine logistics waypoint for Las Vegas-bound traffic as well as Route 66 travelers. This page keeps Kingman's coverage brief on purpose — for the full profile, including the museum, downtown walking route, and the town's history beyond Route 66, see this network's dedicated Kingman guide.

Adding Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge

From Kingman, Lake Havasu City is a further 60 miles and about an hour southwest on SR-95 — home to the relocated London Bridge, the Colorado River waterfront, and Arizona's most popular boating destination. It's a natural extension of a Route 66 trip in concept, but the driving math is the thing to look at honestly before committing to it as a single day. See our sister guides on Lake Havasu City and the Kingman-to-Havasu Route 66 day trip (written from the Havasu side) for what's actually there once you arrive.

Is This Really a Day Trip? The Honest Math

A Kingman-only round trip from Flagstaff runs about 300 miles and 5 hours of driving — long, but genuinely doable in a single day if you leave by 7 or 8 AM and keep your time in Kingman focused on the museum and downtown rather than trying to see everything.

Adding Lake Havasu City changes the math substantially. A full loop — Flagstaff to Kingman to Havasu and back through Kingman to Flagstaff — runs roughly 420 miles of driving in one day. That's not a day trip in any meaningful sense; it's a driving marathon that leaves an hour or two, at best, in each town. If the London Bridge and the lake are genuinely on your list, an overnight in Kingman or Lake Havasu City turns this into two comfortable days instead of one exhausting one, and it's the option we'd actually recommend.

A Long Day (or Overnight) Itinerary

• 7:00 AM: Depart Flagstaff westbound on I-40
• 7:30 AM: Pass Williams — optional quick stop for coffee and a look at the historic downtown
• 9:30 AM: Arrive Kingman — Arizona Route 66 Museum and historic downtown
• 12:00 PM: Lunch in Kingman
• Option A — Kingman only: Afternoon exploring Kingman, depart by 2:30 PM, arrive back in Flagstaff by 5:00 PM
• Option B — continuing to Lake Havasu (overnight recommended): Depart Kingman by 1:00 PM, arrive Lake Havasu City by 2:00 PM, spend the afternoon and evening at the London Bridge and waterfront, stay overnight, then return to Flagstaff the following day via Kingman

Lowdown Verdict: Kingman alone is a legitimate, if long, single-day trip from Flagstaff for Route 66 completists. Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge are worth seeing, but not worth cramming into the same day — treat the combination as a one-night trip rather than a marathon drive, and you'll actually enjoy both stops.