Here is my simple road trip itinerary stopping along 3 iconic Route 66 cities and visiting 3 of the most popular national parks in the United States. Don’t forget to put these Best Road Trip Destinations in the USA Southwest on your list for your next trip!
Road-tripping is probably one of my favorite ways of traveling. You get to do what you want, when you want, where you want – and at most only have to worry about parking.
On the other hand, while so freeing, road-tripping can also be pretty stressful. The worst part is not knowing where you’re going and just driving around wasting time when you could be seeing so many cool things!
With that being said, I think road-tripping through the South West is a MUST! Flying into a city simply won’t do it justice since there are so many locations close to each other, but far enough to where a car is needed. That’s why I’ve created a 6-stop road trip from Amarillo, Texas to California!
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First stop on the road trip!
Amarillo, TX
Starting somewhere in the middle of Route 66, the first stop of this road trip begins in Amarillo, Texas! Amarillo is located in the Texas Panhandle and is known for its Cadillac Ranch, State Park, and its Route 66 Historic District.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park, or the Grand Canyon of Texas, is only 30 minutes south from the city. It is the second largest canyon in the United States! Visitors are able to hike, bike, ride a horse, or ride in a car through the many trails. The views are amazing and it is definitely worth a day trip!
The entrance fee is $8 for adults and for kids 12 and under – free. Check out their website for more info on maps, fees, facilities, and history!
On your way out of Amarillo be sure to make your way to the Cadillac Ranch. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s definitely a site to see – a few Cadillacs standing up, halfway buried, full of spray paint. Sounds interesting enough.
Travel Tip: Don’t worry about bringing spray paint, there’s tons of cans laying on the ground that are half full. Also, be weary of new shoes… it can sometimes be very muddy after a rain from all the foot traffic.
Lastly, in the Route 66 Historic District you’ll find art galleries, antique and collectible stores, restaurants, and bars. Located on 6th Avenue between Georgia & Western Streets there are many original buildings with their traditional signs.
Heading West on Route 66 to...
Albuquerque, NM
From Amarillo, Albuquerque is about a 4 hours drive – pretty short for your next road trip destination. Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico and is also home to the worlds largest hot airballoon festival in October if you want to plan your trip accordingly.
While in Albuquerque head to the Sandia Peak Tramway to ride to the top of the Sandia Mountains for amazing views of the city. I visited in summer and there was still spots on the top that had snow piles.
Round-trip tickets on the tram cost $25, $20, and $15 for adults, young adults, and children respectively. Read more about what they offer at their website. If you are looking for a free option, you are able drive to the top and explore, you might have to pay for parking though.
Fun fact! It is the longest aerial tram in the Americas and 3rd longest in the world!
Don't forget your road trip essentials!
Road trips are one of my favorite ways of traveling! But, without being properly prepared it can be a little stressful. Read this Road Trip Essentials Guide to make sure you have everything you need PLUS a checklist before you hit the road!
Continuing West on Route 66 to...
Flagstaff, AZ
The drive to Flagstaff is about 4.5 hours. The city is surrounded by mountains and deserts and is home to Arizona’s tallest mountain, Humphreys Peak, and is the first thing you see when getting closer to Flagstaff.
There are a lot of nature things to do in and around Flagstaff like the Sunset Crater, an extinct volcano with a modest hike, or Walnut Canyon National Monument, or for a short drive south the Coconino National Forest. But, we just used Flagstaff to rest for the night to take a mini-detour to our next stop…
The Grand Canyon!
About 1 to 1.5 hours north of Flagstaff is the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon has always been top of the bucket list experience for me. It did not disappoint and was a perfect fit on this Southwest road trip itinerary.
Travel Tip: A vehicle pass to enter each National Park is $35. This itinerary includes 3 National Parks which would be $105 just to enter the parks. To save money, purchase a U.S. Park Pass. The pass is good for a year and will get you into more than 2,000 federal recreational sites including all National Parks listed on this post. Check it out here.
Some things to do at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon include walking to all of the view points, doing a helicopter tour, planning a hike throughout the canyon, or riding a mule through the canyon. There are so many things to do while visiting the Grand Canyon. Check out their website so you can plan accordingly to what’s best for your trip!
Next stop...
Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park – probably if not my #1, one of my favorites parks I’ve been to. You’ll need a whole day dedicated just to driving here from Flagstaff. This will be your longest drive yet at almost 11 hours – long drive, but doable.
Sequoia is home to some of the biggest trees in the world! There are so many activities you can do within this national park like day hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, and even skiing depending on the time of your visit. Check out their website for everything they offer.
When visiting I took a trail leading to the General Sherman tree – the world’s largest tree (by volume) – it’s 17.5 feet in diameter! This is a very simple and easy, but worth it “hike”. Parking for the Main Trail is off Wolverton Road. Learn more here.
Finally, our last stop of this Southwest Road Trip is...
Yosemite National Park
The oldest National Park in the U.S. – Yosemite National Park. From Sequoia National Park it’ll take about 3 hours to get to. Yosemite is also known for it’s giant sequoia trees, meadows, its granite cliffs, and waterfalls.
Just like the other parks, there are so many things to do in Yosemite. Check out their site here. The most iconic and simplest site to see in Yosemite is the Yosemite Falls. There is a one mile loop to the lower falls (and it’s wheelchair assessible!) There are also plenty of trails to walk or hike.
Fun Fact! The Yosemite Falls is one of the world’s largest waterfalls and is actually made up of 3 separate falls: an upper, middle, and lower waterfall.
This Southwest road trip route was one of the first road trips I’ve ever done and it was absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend visiting each of these locations when road tripping through the U.S. Southwest. What spot do you think would be your favorite place to visit? Leave it in the comments below!
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Interested in the camera gear I use while traveling to capture my pictures?
- Camera: Canon EOS M50 with EF-M 15-45mm lense
- Small tripod: Fotopro Flexible Tripod
- Large tripod: Phopik 77”
- Memory cards: SanDisk 128GB
- Extra batteries: BM Premium batteries
- Camera bag: Bagsmart backpack
A USA road trip is on my wish list before I get too fussy about my holiday comforts. Thanks for keeping it simple and helping me narrow down on the areas I might visit.
It’s funny, I’ve been to Texas a lot but always stick in Houston / Dallas / Austin. Will definitely need to explore Amarillo and some of these other places next time!
We have done many road trips in the US on our travels. But the route you took would give us a new spot to start. It has been ages since we visited Texas. But some awesome stops along the way. Most I would love to see again.
This looks amazing! Can you take with you on your next trip? My problem in the US is that I’m not driving and public buses are not going to those amazing spots. Also, organized trips are super-expensive. So – I need a driver!
Wow this road trip looks awesome. I’m dying to visit the sequoia national park and yosemite. Great pictures too
I love Southwest. This is one of the USA’s most beautiful regions, where I have traveled many times, and I am still coming back during my road trips. It’s an interesting article and useful travel tips.
Spectacular! People forget how diverse the US Southwest can be. Exploring the wide open spaces sounds like a dream trip.
One of my biggest dream is to do a road trip to each of the US state, visiting every single national park and state park! How amazing that some of these parks are located close by!
We love heading out for road trips and this journey along Route 66 highlighted in your post sounds like a great adventure. Would love to make our way to Sandia Peak Tramway during this trip- that view from the top of Sandia Mountains is amazing. Thanks for the tip regarding purchasing the US Park Pass to save some money.
Just beautiful. It seems we don’t need to travel far at all to find amazing places. I haven’t been to Sequoia Park yet, I was hoping it would open last year but not while I was home. That’s definitely on my itinerary for the next road trip