An abandoned roadside complex marked by crumbling buildings and two large weathered arrow sculptures that reflect the decline of historic highway travel.
No official operating hours as the site is abandoned
How to Get There
From Flagstaff (18 mi): Take I‑40 E from Flagstaff for about 18 miles, then take Exit 219 and follow the access road toward the visible twin arrow structures near the abandoned site.
Overview
The Twin Arrows Trading Post ruins stand as a quiet relic of a once-thriving roadside stop that catered to travelers during the golden era of cross-country highway journeys. Established along Route 66, the trading post originally served as a refueling station, restaurant, and gift shop, offering a place of rest and curiosity for those making their way across the desert. Its most recognizable feature—the pair of towering arrow sculptures—was installed to attract passing motorists, becoming both a landmark and a symbol of the playful marketing that defined mid-20th-century roadside culture.
Over time, as interstate highways replaced the slower rhythms of Route 66, traffic dwindled and the complex was abandoned, leaving behind skeletal buildings and faded signage. Today, the site evokes a sense of nostalgia and transience, where the weathered arrows rise above a landscape of decay and open plains. Visitors encounter not just a photo opportunity, but a tangible reminder of how travel, commerce, and community once intersected along the historic highway, now preserved in silence and sun-bleached ruins.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for the Twin Arrows Trading Post, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
