Welcome to Bellemont, Arizona, by Kathy Alexander.
Though Bellemont is pretty much a ghost town, it has seen a small revival over the last several years as a “Biker Friendly Town.” Ironically, part of the movie “Easy Rider” was filmed in Bellemont, when outlaw bikers played by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper stopped in front of the Pine Breeze Motel. Trying to rent a room, they find the door cracked, but when the proprietor spies their motorcycles, the glowing “NO VACANCY” sign begins to blink. The riders end up continuing down Route 66 and sleeping in the woods.
The old Pine Breeze Inn in Bellemont, Arizona, courtesy of Google Maps.
Not so today. Bellemont is home to the Grand Canyon Harley-Davidson dealership, the Route 66 Roadhouse Bar & Grill, and a Camping World dealership, all of which welcome bikers with enthusiasm. The Pine Breeze Motel still sits idle along old Route 66 South of Bellemont, with peeling white paint and grass creeping at its sides. The original “NO VACANCY” sign of the Pine Breeze Motel hangs proudly above the pool tables at the Bar & Grill.
Bellemont began as a stop along the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad in 1882, where natural springs provided water to thirsty steam engines. Named for Belle Smith, the railroad superintendent’s daughter, Bellemont soon became a lumbering center, complete with a sawmill. In 1887, they established a post office.
Harley-Davidson at Bellemont, Arizona, by Kathy Alexander.
When Route 66 originally came through, it was first built North of where I-40 is today. Later, in 1931, it was changed to a more southern course.
Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the government built the Navajo Army Depot at Bellemont, where ammunition and explosives were stored and shipped when needed. Still a tiny community, the town had little more than a store and a couple of gas stations. Later, the Whiting Brothers established a gas station and motel in East Bellemont, of which little is left today but a pile of rubble.
In 1982, the Arizona National Guard took over Camp Navajo, which is still used as a training facility.
The old Pine Breeze Inn and the remains of the Whiting Brothers Service Station and motel sit on the South frontage road one mile East of the Harley-Davidson dealership, on a cracked, overgrown stretch of pavement.
Beyond Bellemont are two old alignments of Route 66. One is almost completely gone, but the other can still be traveled during good conditions. Use caution: the road is narrow and winding, and most of the western portion is dirt and gravel. To access this old road, take the north frontage road of I-40, which runs through Brannigan Park, the highest point of Route 66, at almost 7,500 feet above sea level. This route once presented many hazards to early travelers as they tried to climb over the pass. When the road was moved South in 1941, all businesses along this stretch closed, but the area today is a beautiful drive with grassy meadows, historic homes, and tall stands of pine and aspen.
Navajo Army Camp at Bellemont, Arizona, by Kathy Alexander.
The easiest route to the Park is to travel I-40 west for 6.6 miles, take Exit #178 to Spring Valley Road, then turn West for about one mile.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated September 2026.
Also See:
Arizona Ghost Towns & Mining Camps
Arizona Route 66 Photo Gallery
See Sources.
