Oatman Mining Camp & Burros: Historic Route 66 Tour from Laughlin
Description
Discover Route 66’s history on this scenic Laughlin tour. Explore the Powerhouse Visitors Center with its Route 66 and Electric Vehicle Museums, vintage cars, and early 1900s Sears catalog home. Visit the Route 66 Rock Shop and step back in time at Cool Springs Station. Enjoy panoramic views from Sitgreaves Pass, stroll Oatman’s historic wooden sidewalks, and meet the famous wild burros—including “mayor” Walter—for a taste of Old West adventure
Tour Options
Itinerary
First stop, Powerhouse Visitors Center/Arizona Route 66 Museum. Thousands of visitors from around the world travel on Route 66 for adventure and education and enjoy the charming and imaginative displays. Modern day explorers will discover a variety of information, including vehicles, photographs, and artifacts gathered over the history of “The Mother Road.”
From the very earliest days, Cool Springs camp and service station was an important stop for motorists traveling Arizona's Route 66. Cool Springs was built in the mid-1920s and has been connected with Route 66 from the very start. The legacy of Cool Springs reflects the larger story of Route 66. The Mother Road gave it life. The hey-day of Route 66 was the hey-day of Cool Springs. Here you'll receive your Route 66 Sidewinder or Cool Springs shirt.
As we continue, you'll experience an exciting drive through winding roads in the Black Mountains to arrive at Historic Mining Town of Oatman in time for their "High Noon" shoot out and lunch (Not Included). Spend a fascinating afternoon in antique shops and interacting with roaming burros. Periodic Gunfights in the street will top your adventure so be sure to have your camera!
Beautiful scenic views. Sitgreaves’ Pass was first mapped out by Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves in 1851 while on an expedition to see if the Colorado and other rivers could be navigated by steam boat. From the top of the pass at an elevation of 3,550ft (1,082 m), you can see the across the Black Mountains into California and Nevada to the West and across the scenic switchbacks to the Hualapai Mountains in Arizona to the East.
We'll stop at Route 66 Rock Shop. Treasures that are mined from the Black Hills mountain: Fire agate, dinosaur bone rock, and more. We continue up Scenic Historic Route 66 on the section of road named the "Sidewinder". Breathtaking views abound in this section of 66.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Minimum required for tour 2 guests. Private & small group tours. This tour is not from Las Vegas. Please notify us of the pickup location at the time of booking. Hotel pickup is in valet or South Tower Entrance. We confirm tours 1-2 days before the event. Times may vary. Subject to availability
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(113)
Excellent tour would like it to bee longer
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5‑star review. We’re thrilled you enjoyed your time in Oatman. Just to share a little more for future guests: our Oatman tour is flexible, and the length is shaped largely by what each guest prefers. Some visitors like to stay for lunch, explore all the shops, interact with the burros, and catch the gunfight, while others prefer a shorter visit. Because of that flexibility, the tour is generally scheduled as a half‑day experience with lunch offered as an optional add‑on. We’re grateful you joined us and appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
Our tour guide Ed was on time, courteous and very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna of the region. He also had great knowledge about the local history! We greatly enjoyed the tour of the Rt 66 museum. He gave great advice regarding the safety around the donkeys and we promptly witnessed what happens when you don’t pay attention. A donkey decided he wanted a person’s shopping bag and he was very serious about getting it. Oatman was definitely an experience! We enjoyed ourselves.
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that Ed made your tour such a great experience. His knowledge of the local history, flora, and fauna really brings the Route 66 area to life, and he’ll appreciate your kind words. We’re also glad his safety tips were helpful — the burros can be adorable but very determined when they spot a shopping bag. Oatman is always an unforgettable stop, and we’re happy you enjoyed your time there. We appreciate you joining us for the adventure!
If you live in a city you would enjoy this trip! It’s not like the wilderness but brings you into a country town filled with nature surrounding you. It was relaxing and fun!
Thank you for the lovely review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the Oatman tour. It really is a refreshing change of pace — a small country town surrounded by beautiful nature and friendly burros. We’re happy to hear it felt relaxing and fun for you. We appreciate you joining us for the adventure!
Great day trip, many sites to see that may otherwise be missed. Will our guide was great and full of knowledge about the sites we seen and stood we made.
Thank you for the great review! We’re glad to hear you enjoyed this day trip and all the sights along the way. Will is an excellent guide, and it’s wonderful to know his knowledge and commentary added so much to your experience. We appreciate you choosing to explore Route 66 with us!
First and foremost our tour guide, Brandon, was great. He was informative, personable, and truly took pride in his job. Will request him on future tours. Next comes the scenery. The mountains are beautiful, the stops were nice, and the locals are all very friendly. Can’t wait to book another trip.
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear that Brandon helped make your tour such a great experience — he truly takes pride in what he does, and he’ll appreciate your kind words. The mountain scenery, friendly locals, and unique stops along the way really do make this route special, and we’re glad you enjoyed it all. We can’t wait to welcome you back for another adventure.
Great trip start to finish. Very likely to use them again in future visits may e even same tour or . The description is right on!!
Thank you for the great review! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the Oatman Mining Camp & Burros tour from start to finish. It’s wonderful to know you’re already considering joining us again on a future visit — even for the same tour. We also appreciate you noting that the tour description was spot‑on. Thanks for choosing to explore Route 66 with us!
It was absolutely amazing!! Very informational, and playing with the donkeys was just magical! Our tour guide was great!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you had an amazing time on the Oatman Mining Camp & Burros tour. The history along Route 66 and the chance to interact with the burros really do make it a special experience. We’re glad you enjoyed the information shared along the way and that your tour guide helped make the day memorable. We appreciate you choosing to explore with us!
Ed was a wonderful driver and had a lot of knowledge of the area.very personable there was only 2 of us but we had a lot of fun we even had Ed laughing
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We’re so glad to hear that Ed made your tour both informative and fun. Small groups often make for the best memories, and it sounds like you all had a great time together. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you on another adventure soon.
In early October, my husband and I were escorted by Brandon on a tour of absolute enjoyment, just the 3 of us. We motored to Kingman and visited the Route 66 and Electric Vehicle Museum, eventually moving on to Oatman while enjoying what the historic Routh 66 had to offer along the way. We listened to his incredible knowledge about the mining camps, Route 66, the Black Mountains and untold amounts of information Brandon had stored in his mind. Such a remarkable man that has experienced so much of this beautiful area and was willing to share things we never would've known. Brandon is a very knowledgeable environmentalist and made this day one we will never forget. We especially enjoyed Oatman with the fabled free-roaming burros, which Brandon knew each individual burro and called them by their name. The historical hotel we dined at in Oatman at lunchtime was incredible! Clark Gable and Carol Lombard loved to hang out here and play poker, away from the publicity. You mustn't miss this place...the food was terrific, however the interior of this hotel/museum was a sight to behold! There's over a half million dollar bills attached to every available inch of space on the walls, ceilings, steps, absolutely everywhere...signed by visitors that have also left their own signed dollar bill behind! There's a story here about this tradition, concerning how it started with the early miners that begs to tell. You should call Brandon to take you there to learn the story! Call Desert Wonder Adventures, LLC if you want to enjoy a wonderful experience. Bob Walton is the owner, and he is a dream to work with in planning your tours. He has superb employees working for him that give it their all to make your tour the best experience possible. In fact, we made a return trip in early November to experience another fantastic tour with employee Eddie. We certainly enjoyed the west rim of the Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree Forest with Eddie this time! A big THANK YOU to Desert Wonder Adventures. We'll be back again...looking forward to it!
Thank you for sharing such an outstanding review. We’re thrilled to hear that both of your tours were unforgettable experiences. Brandon and Eddie will be delighted to know their knowledge, passion, and hospitality made such a strong impression. Exploring Route 66, Oatman, the burros, and the historic hotel is always special, and we’re glad the stories and scenery brought the day to life. It’s wonderful to hear that your return visit to the Grand Canyon West and Joshua Tree Forest was just as memorable. We truly appreciate your kind words about our team and the care we put into every tour. Thank you again for choosing Desert Wonder Adventures — we look forward to welcoming you back for your next adventure.
Go here, enjoy and have a great time in an old town with burros and lots of people enjoying the atmosphere. The drive from Laughlin was fun and scenic.
