Two Guns Is One of the Strangest Stops on Route 66

Two Guns is not a polished attraction. There are no tickets, no rangers, no gift shop. What you get instead is a crumbling stretch of Route 66 history – a gas station, a ruined pool, graffiti on every surface, and a cave with a name that will stick with you. The backstory is equal parts legend, con artistry, and genuine tragedy, and deciding how much of it to believe is part of the experience.

The Short Version of a Very Strange History

Two Guns sits a few miles west of Winslow, and its layered history is best described as a series of disasters with a showman at the center. Before any of that, the site carries a darker story: Navajo warriors, tracking Apache raiders who had slaughtered members of their tribe, reportedly found the Apache hiding with their horses in an underground cave here. They lit fires at the mouth of the cave. The Apache inside did not survive. That cave is still on the property.

Decades later, a man named Harry Miller arrived. Miller claimed to be full-blooded Apache and went by Chief Crazy Thunder. He was almost certainly not Apache. He turned the site into a roadside attraction, charging travelers to see the cave and, at various points, keeping live mountain lions on the property. Two of those mountain lions attacked people. Miller was also involved in a gunpoint murder on the property. He was bitten by a Gila monster. A fire destroyed what remained of his operation. He died broke.

Maurice Kildare, a storyteller who wrote about Two Guns extensively, is the primary source for much of the legend. Researchers have since questioned how much of his account can be trusted. You are welcome to draw your own conclusions.

What Is Actually There Now

What remains at Two Guns today is a set of crumbling stone ruins: the old gas station, a collapsed structure that was once a pool, and the rock walls of a few other buildings. Graffiti covers nearly every surface. The condition of the site suggests it sees regular use by people who are not day-trippers, and the atmosphere reflects that. It is not maintained, not staffed, and not secured.

The Apache Death Cave is accessible. Descending into it is a choice readers will need to make for themselves, but it is worth noting that the site is considered a place of death for the people who died there. Whether you treat it as sacred ground or not is up to you.

For most visitors, walking the perimeter of the ruins and looking into the cave entrance from above is enough to absorb the history. The site is compact. Thirty minutes covers it comfortably.

Know Before You Go

Two Guns is a legitimate stop, but it requires realistic expectations. The ground is uneven, there are no paved paths, and no shade to speak of. Summer visits should be early morning or skipped entirely. Fall and spring mornings are the right call.

The ruins are not fenced or controlled, but the area has a reputation for attracting squatters and overnight users. Visit during daylight hours. Do not leave valuables in your vehicle. This is not alarmism – it is practical advice for a roadside site with no on-site presence.

There is no fee to stop. Parking is rough gravel pull-off style. The whole stop can be done in under an hour. It pairs well with a visit to Winslow, which is about ten minutes east.

Add Winslow While You Are Here

If you are already making the drive, Winslow deserves thirty minutes of its own. Standin’ on the Corner Park at Kinsley Avenue and Route 66 references the Eagles song and draws visitors who understand exactly what they are doing. It is cheerful and quick and earns a photo. La Posada Hotel, a restored 1930 Fred Harvey property, is worth a look even if you are not staying – the grounds are open, the architecture is serious, and the restaurant inside (The Turquoise Room) is one of the better meals available in this part of the state.

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