southwest us road trip
 

Last year we did a 10 day road trip from Vancouver to San Francisco and enjoyed it so much we plan to do a similar trip starting in New Mexico and ending up somewhere in California. Any suggestions on must see sights or most interesting routes? Big cities don't interest us as much as awesome naural sights and small town/Mom and Pop hotels. We are in our 50's and have no mobility issues. Walking trails or light hiking would be fine.

There's some nice possibilities but I'd need to know a bit more about your plans. What time of year are you going? Some routes would be too hot in summer and/or too cold in winter. Where would you be starting in New Mexico? Also, how much time would you have for this trip? The Southwest is a very large area.

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Winter route:

Santa Fe - Taos - Albuquerque - White Sands/Alamogordo/Las Cruces - Tombstone (AZ) - Nogales - Tumacacori - Tucson - Phoenix - Sedona - Grand Canyon South Rim - Las Vegas - Death Valley - Joshua Tree (CA) - Anza Borrego - San Diego

Summer route:

Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Taos - Mesa Verde (CO) - Monument Valley (UT/AZ) - Canyon de Chelly (AZ) - Lake Powell (AZ) - Grand Canyon North Rim - Zion - Bryce Canyon - Valley of Fire (NV) - Las Vegas - Mono Lake - Yosemite Natl. Park (CA) - San Francisco

Both routes have lots of options for variations.

If you are flying in to start you trip, Albuquerque has the majority of flights/airlines options. There are few flights into Santa Fe from selected cities and in the past, air service has been know to be discontinued for lack of passengers. I would suggest flying into ABQ and going from there, no matter what time of year. Santa Fe is only an hour north of ABQ, Taos is a bit less than 3 hours north of ABQ.

Time of year is a big factor for activities in NM. When is your trip? I would also suggest, if at all possible a swing uup towards Durango area to include Mesa Verde National Park. It is amazing, unique and a must see. It is about 3+ hours from ABQ.

Sorry, Durango is in SW Colorado.

http://www.nps.gov/meve/index.htm

I am local, with homes in both Durango and ABQ area and can offer you lots of local insight, ask away!

Sorry folks, please forgive a newbie for lack of detail! We live an hour north of Toronto in the lake district and like to get away in the spring during what is black fly season here. So we would prefer to go in May, unless that is undesirable in the southwest for some reason. We would fly in, rent a car and fly out of a different city. 10 days is long enough for us. I know the southwest is huge, and don't care to spend 8hrs. driving every day, so is it reasonable to think we can get from NM to maybe San Diego at a leisurely pace in that time? If not, we can choose a different city to fly home from.

Straight drive time from ABQ to San Diego is about 11 or 12 hours, so you should be able to end up there without a long drive on last leg.

May is VERY windy with lots of dust and sand flying about; it is my least favorite time here in SW. [Sept and Oct are the best.]

Here's a possible route. It doesn't matter when you go. My wife and I have done much of it in the peak heat of summer. So you break a sweat once in a while. Big deal.

Albuquerque-White Sands NM/Alamogordo-Carlsbad Caverns (through Lincoln National Forest)-El Paso-Las Cruces-Tucson (Saguaro NP, Sonoran Desert NP)-Grand Canyon NP (via Phoenix, Sedona, and Flagstaff)-Las Vegas-Death Valley NP-Los Angeles.

Death Valley? Surely you jest. No, I don't.

El Paso?? Why? I would skip it for sure and maybe even Las Cruces.

It and Las Cruces just happen to be on the route to Tucson. When we took that route a few years ago, we wandered around "Historical" Las Cruces for awhile and then went on to El Paso where we had lunch at a Denny's type place. That's all.

That makes sense [about seeing "Historical Las Cruces], but El Paso is east of Las Cruces and Tucson is west so I see no need to go there.

El Paso is 40 minutes south of Las Cruces.

Not that anyone should go there but please get your geography correct.

Also, no one should ever lunch at a Denny's or "Denny's type place".

Old town Mesilla has far better choices as does El Paso and virtually every city.

You're right. I got my El Paso/Las Cruces sequence backwards. We were coming from Carlsbad Caverns, heading west to get to Tucson, which is my suggested route. My map shows that you pretty much have to go through El Paso, and then Las Cruces.

Sorry, I promise to get my geography correct to the best of my ability, and not each lunch at Denny's ever again. Go easy on me. I'm elderly and on a fixed income.

I have no idea where Mesilla is but I'll google it.

Oh shoot! I wrote each instead of eat. Now I'll get gigged again.

Mesilla is the old town area of Las Cruces. It is small but has excellent restaurants.

With only ten days, why don't you fly in and out of Albuquerque? You could visit your choice of the following: Santa Fe, Taos, Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon.

OK, I stand corrected - El Paso is south of Las Cruces [and a bit east].

I too would fly into and out of ABQ and leave CA for another trip. There is plenty to see and do in our little corner of heaven.