California’s stretch of Route 66 holds some of America’s most fascinating roadside relics from a bygone era. These weathered landmarks tell stories of bustling diners, busy gas stations, and the golden age of American road trips. Many stand abandoned now, slowly fading under the desert sun, but they remain powerful reminders of our nation’s automotive heritage. Pack your camera and sense of adventure – these forgotten treasures are calling your name.
1. Roy’s Motel & Café (Amboy, CA)
Standing like a monument to mid-century optimism, Roy’s once welcomed thousands of weary travelers crossing the Mojave Desert. The iconic neon sign still reaches toward the sky, though the motel rooms and café have been silent for decades.
Hollywood discovered this photogenic relic, featuring it in films like The Hitcher and Kill Bill Vol. 2. The cracked asphalt and empty parking lot create an almost post-apocalyptic atmosphere that photographers absolutely love.
Walking through Roy’s feels like stepping onto a movie set where time stopped in 1966.
2. Bagdad Café (Newberry Springs, CA)
Fame arrived unexpectedly for this humble desert café when German director Percy Adlon chose it for his 1987 cult classic film. Originally called the Sidewinder Café, it adopted the movie’s name and still serves customers today, though the surrounding town feels frozen in time.
The faded paint and weathered exterior tell stories of countless desert crossings and Hollywood dreams. Inside, movie memorabilia mixes with genuine Route 66 artifacts, creating an authentic museum-like atmosphere.
Newberry Springs itself resembles a ghost town, making the café feel like an island of life in an ocean of memories.
3. Goffs Schoolhouse (Goffs, CA)
Built in 1914, this one-room schoolhouse educated children of railroad workers and Route 66 entrepreneurs for decades. The wooden structure now serves as a museum, preserving artifacts from the area’s boom years when trains and automobiles brought prosperity to the Mojave.
Desert winds whistle through the old building, creating sounds that visitors swear resemble children’s laughter echoing from the past. Original desks and chalkboards remain exactly as students left them.
The surrounding emptiness amplifies the schoolhouse’s haunting beauty, making it feel like a portal to simpler times when education happened in single rooms.
4. The Ruins of Ludlow, CA
Ludlow once thrived as a mining town and crucial Route 66 stop, but today only crumbling foundations and a skeletal gas station remain. The desert is steadily reclaiming this forgotten settlement, with sand slowly burying what civilization once built.
Walking through Ludlow’s ruins feels like exploring an archaeological site from America’s recent past. Concrete slabs mark where businesses once stood, and rusted metal hints at the town’s former vitality.
Nature’s patient demolition work continues daily, making each visit a unique snapshot of decay and the desert’s unstoppable march toward reclaiming its territory.
5. Calico Ghost Town
Step back into the Wild West at Calico Ghost Town, where the spirit of the old mining days lives on. Founded in 1881, Calico was once a bustling silver mining town, home to prospectors and dreamers alike. Today, it stands as a preserved slice of history, offering visitors a chance to wander its dusty streets and explore its well-preserved buildings.
The town’s allure lies in its authenticity, with original structures and engaging reenactments that bring history to life. As you stroll through Calico, you can almost hear the whispers of the past echoing through the canyons.
A visit to Calico is not just a trip to a ghost town but a journey into the heart of California’s mining heritage.
6. The Bottle Tree Ranch (Oro Grande, CA)
Elmer Long transformed his property into a magical forest of metal trees decorated with thousands of colorful glass bottles. After his passing, the installation remains untouched, creating an increasingly mysterious folk art experience in the high desert.
Wind passing through the bottles creates hauntingly beautiful melodies that change with weather conditions. Each tree tells a different story through its unique collection of bottles, jars, and glassware from decades past.
The ranch feels like stepping into an outdoor cathedral where art, nature, and memory combine to create something truly extraordinary and uniquely American.
7. The Death Valley Junction Theatre (Near Death Valley)
This 1920s opera house sits in splendid isolation, once hosting vaudeville acts and traveling performers for the tiny railroad town. The theatre still stands remarkably intact, though dust now covers the stage where entertainers once dazzled audiences.
Original seats face a proscenium arch that framed countless performances during the area’s mining heyday. The building’s excellent acoustics still work perfectly, amplifying every footstep and whisper with theatrical drama.
Visiting feels like interrupting a rehearsal where ghostly performers might resume their acts at any moment, making it one of Route 66’s most atmospheric stops.
8. The Cadiz Summit Station (Near Amboy)
Vintage gas pumps stand sentinel beside the collapsed remains of what was once a vital desert service station. The roof has surrendered to time and weather, but original signage and equipment create a fascinating automotive graveyard.
This station served as a lifeline for travelers crossing one of Route 66’s most challenging stretches. The skeletal building frame and scattered debris tell stories of countless fill-ups and emergency repairs.
Photographers love the dramatic contrast between the station’s decay and the pristine desert landscape, creating images that perfectly capture Route 66’s fading glory and enduring mystique.
9. The Hackberry General Store (Hackberry, AZ – Near CA Border)
Just across California’s border, this lovingly restored general store preserves Route 66 history like a three-dimensional museum. Classic cars, vintage gas pumps, and authentic memorabilia create an incredible time capsule from the highway’s golden age.
The store operates more as a shrine than a business, with every corner displaying artifacts from America’s automotive past. Rusted Corvettes and perfectly preserved Coca-Cola signs transport visitors back to the 1950s.
Despite the careful restoration, an underlying emptiness reminds visitors that this represents a vanished world where such stores anchored small communities along America’s favorite highway.
10. The Mojave Phone Booth (Formerly Near Baker, CA)
Though removed in 2000, the legend of this isolated payphone continues to fascinate Route 66 enthusiasts. Standing alone in the vast Mojave Desert, it became an internet sensation when people discovered they could call and sometimes reach random desert visitors.
The booth’s cult following grew as strangers would answer calls from around the world, creating surreal conversations between urban callers and desert wanderers. Its removal sparked protests from fans who saw it as authentic Americana.
The empty concrete pad still marks where this communication oddity once stood, proving that sometimes the most mundane objects become the most memorable roadside attractions.
