Southwest Road Trip Ideas

I did visit Arizona in 2015 but the fun was limited by uncharacteristically bad rainy weather, so I really could not do it justice. I only spent about 30-45 minutes at the Grand Canyon and could not do any hiking in Sedona at all though I did enjoy the Phoenix area.  I think the best way to do this might be 2 separate smaller trips rather than one epic week-long trip. In fact, the full trip would take 9-10 days so it’s definitely a 2-trip proposition.  I would want to do Northern Arizona in early summer and Southern Arizona in mid-late Fall   In terms of racing, I’ve already got Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado so this will be on the back burner until at least 2021.  There is a downhill race in Tucson that looks interesting, but it will not count towards the 50 states. 

Northern Trip

Day 1- Land in Albuquerque.  Head west on I-40 towards Flagstaff with an option to stop at Petrified Forest NP.  Supposedly, this is the most scenic interstate road in America but it will be hard to top I-70 west of Denver in Colorado.   I’ll drive as long as I feel comfortable.  If I don’t make it all the way to Flagstaff, it’s okay.

Day 2- Hike in Sedona. Drive to Grand Canyon.  Arrive by sunset.  I’ll have to pay a premium to get a hotel anywhere near the Grand Canyon but it will be worth it to avoid backtracking.  It’s about 2:15 from Sedona to the South Rim and less than 1 hour from Flagstaff to Sedona.  If I can get to the Grand Canyon at sunset, it could really be awesome.  

Day 3- Fully explore the Grand Canyon.  Drive northeast towards Monument Valley.  Target town is Kayenta

Day 4-  If I make it to Kayenta, it’s only a 3 hour drive to Durango, Colorado.  Stops along the way would include Monument Valley, 4 corners and Mesa Verde.  From Durango, I would definitely want to go up and down the Million Dollar Hwy.

Day 5- Durango back to Albuquerque via 550 for a flight home. 

Southern Trip:

Day 1- Fly into Tucson and hopefully check out Tucson Mountain Park.

Day 2- Drive up and down Mt. Lemmon then cross the border at Nogales (Sonora).  It’s only 1 hour from Tucson to Nogales.  I’ll get a beer and a steak at a bargain price but don’t anticipate staying too long.  From there, I’ll head east on I-10 towards New Mexico.

Day 3- Stop at Guadalupe Mountains NP then cut back to the West Texas town of El Paso.  Scenic Drive and Franklin Mountain State Park are must dos in El Paso.

Day 4- Brief tour of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez (Chihuahua).  Kentucky Bar, birthplace of the margarita is a must see in Juarez.  2 different states in Mexico add 2 more to my Century club tally.

Day 5- Back to Tucson for the flight home.