In its heyday Bellemont was a bustling little community on Route 66 with gas stations, a motel Flagstaff’s first bowling alley (2 lanes with hand set pins) and the ice house. These are located west of the interchange, you can follow the old roadway until it intersects I-40 however there is no access to I-40 and you will return on the same road.
The town site is now gone and replaced by a truck repair business and water supply company and some manufacturing businesses. Navajo Ordnance Depot constructed in 1942 to store ammunition for the Pacific Theater in World War II was a big boon for the area though the majority of the workers lived on the base or in Flagstaff. Today it is known as Camp Navajo under the direction of the Arizona Army National Guard.
Jack Rittenhouse in his1946 book “A Guide Book to Highway 66” cited Bellemont correctly as the highest town along all of US Highway 66 (7130 feet in elevation) and as having two gasoline stations and a store.
The Pine Breeze Inn here on the east end is the only remaining structure with its Richfield gas station and a few remaining cabins. Today there is a private residence in the back so please respect the area and take only pictures from the old roadway.
This cache is part of the Historic Route 66 Geocaching Project, a series created by the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona and designated as an official Arizona Centennial Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission.
www.az66geocaching.com
NOTE: Stop in the Roadhouse on your way in or out, they have a large display of Route 66 memorabilia.