Best Route Heading West From FL to NM & Beyond

2gypsies wrote:
I don't know where exactly in Florida you're starting so I just picked Tampa. If you take this route to Santa Fe it's 1798 miles and if you travel 300 miles per day you'd have 5 nights of stays. This is a combination of interstates and good highways:

I-10 with stops at Tallahassee and Gulfport, MS.

Then take I-12/I-10 on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, LA to I-49 north at Lafayette, LA

Stop around Alexandria, LA

I-20 at Shreveport, LA

You can go through hectic Dallas via 635North or we prefer to pick up US69 at Tyler, TX (which adds only 7 miles) and get on 380W at Greenville, TX.

Stop around Denton, TX

Continue on 380 to Decatur, TX and then US81/287 NW to Amarillo, TX and stop for night.

Pick up I-40W out of Amarillo to 285 at Clines Corner, New Mexico.

Take 285 north into Santa Fe, NM (stay at Santa Fe Skies RV)

Leaving Santa Fe take I-25 south to I-40 west to Flagstaff, AZ. The 89 north to Page, AZ and continue west on 89 to Kanab, UT

It's 6 miles shorter to take 89A before getting to Page, AZ but you'd have a steep, curvy climb up to Jacob Lake, AZ. Many RVers do it but if you're not comfortable with this take 89 instead. By going to Page you'll see Glen Canyon Rec Area (it has a nice F/H/U RV park) and perhaps tour the dam.

Once at Kanab, UT (Kanab RV Corral is o.k. or Pink Sands State Park is nice) you could easily visit the North Rim of Grand Canyon and also take a tour of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary which is awesome in a beautiful setting. It's a huge no-kill facility.

Naturally, you could make a lot of detours as there are many things to see.

Looks like we will be pretty much following this route.

Are the steep grades on 89 between Flagstaff & Kaneb any problem for our gas 34 ft Class A pulling a toad?

Thanks,
Cass & Lyn

As you are going to Santa Fe, not southern NM, I have a Florida route I've been using regularly since the 1990s.

I-10 to Mobile. US-98 to Hattiesburg. US-49 to Yazoo City, where I take 49W to Indianola (this is part of the Mississippi Blues Trail). US-82 across to Lake City, Arkansas, then US-65/I-530 across Arkansas Delta Country to Little Rock.

From Little Rock, I-40 all the way west to New Mexico. From El Reno to Tucumcari you are basically following the final routing of Route 66, many historic sites, including revitalized 1940s and 50s tourist traps.

From Tucumcari there are several options. You could break away from I-40 early and try following the original Route 66 through Las Vegas (it is on state highways until it reaches LV, then you are dumped onto I-25). You could take US-64 to I-25, west of Santa Rosa, which is a later era Route 66 visitor site. The best driving is probably I-40 to US-285. While you won't see Las Vegas, you also won't get into as much mountain driving. Some of that is necessary, though, as your destination is in the Rocky Mountains.

To get around in New Mexico you'll likely be using numbered US highways and some state highways. A lot of the most interesting places in the West are not served by the superhighways that connect major cities.

You don't need to go near any of Texas' major cities, or through Louisiana at all, for a northern New Mexico destination. Biggest city in Texas on I-40 is Amarillo. New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas/Ft Worth need only be approached if your plan is to visit them.

Padredw: Thanks for the suggestion of continuing on 69 to 82 north of Dallas. It does seem much better! One has to keep moving another step farther out of those big cities. :)

Cass Sumrall wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Westbound I-10 in Louisiana is the absolute worst road we've been on. Don't go through Houston during rush hour.

Have you been on the route recently? I just had a response on another forum from someone who just drove it & said I-10 has been re-paved in LA & is fine except for a short stretch near Lafayette.

This is correct as of Feb. The rough road starts just east of Breaux Bridge and lasts until the I-49 interchange.Short section of thump-thump concrete in Baton Rouge and the Mississippi River crossing was being worked on.

The first 5 miles of Texas was rough because of construction on the east bound side.

Other than that, the section I drove - Crestview FL to Beaumont TX - was fine. Be sure to gas up before going west of Baton Rouge. The road west of there is 2-lane raise road above the bayou with not services an a narrow break-down lane.

Good advice from 2Gypsies, except:

You can go through hectic Dallas via 635North or we prefer to pick up US69 at Tyler, TX (which adds only 7 miles) and get on 380W at Greenville, TX.

Stop around Denton, TX

Continue on 380 to Decatur, TX

380 W from McKinney on to Decatur has become more and more congested with more and more traffic signals. We have learned to alter our route to avoid this stretch.

Continue on US 69 to Sherman, TX and join US 82 W to junction with US 287 on to Amarillo.

Try it. You will like it.

From where we live in East Texas, we go up US 271 to Paris, TX to join US 82 W. It is a pleasant drive.

I don't know where exactly in Florida you're starting so I just picked Tampa. If you take this route to Santa Fe it's 1798 miles and if you travel 300 miles per day you'd have 5 nights of stays. This is a combination of interstates and good highways:

I-10 with stops at Tallahassee and Gulfport, MS.

Then take I-12/I-10 on the north side of Lake Pontchartrain, LA to I-49 north at Lafayette, LA

Stop around Alexandria, LA

I-20 at Shreveport, LA

You can go through hectic Dallas via 635North or we prefer to pick up US69 at Tyler, TX (which adds only 7 miles) and get on 380W at Greenville, TX.

Stop around Denton, TX

Continue on 380 to Decatur, TX and then US81/287 NW to Amarillo, TX and stop for night.

Pick up I-40W out of Amarillo to 285 at Clines Corner, New Mexico.

Take 285 north into Santa Fe, NM (stay at Santa Fe Skies RV)

Leaving Santa Fe take I-25 south to I-40 west to Flagstaff, AZ. The 89 north to Page, AZ and continue west on 89 to Kanab, UT

It's 6 miles shorter to take 89A before getting to Page, AZ but you'd have a steep, curvy climb up to Jacob Lake, AZ. Many RVers do it but if you're not comfortable with this take 89 instead. By going to Page you'll see Glen Canyon Rec Area (it has a nice F/H/U RV park) and perhaps tour the dam.

Once at Kanab, UT (Kanab RV Corral is o.k. or Pink Sands State Park is nice) you could easily visit the North Rim of Grand Canyon and also take a tour of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary which is awesome in a beautiful setting. It's a huge no-kill facility.

Naturally, you could make a lot of detours as there are many things to see.

Cass Sumrall wrote:
We will want to stop in the Santa Fe area before heading to Kaneb, UT.

I think it depends on how much time you have and what you might be interested in seeing along the way. Santa Fe is North of I-40 so either I-10 to I-25 or I-40 will get you there.

The I-10 to I-25 route takes you through Las Cruces, Truth or Consequences and Albuquerque which have a number of things to see and do.

I-40 in Texas and New Mexico follows the old Route 66. Towns like Tucumcari and Santa Rosa still have some of the old dinners and other Route 66 attractions. I-40 intersects I-25 in Albuquerque, but you can bypass the city by heading North on NM-14(the Turquoise Trail) or US-285 if you choose.

Once you pick a route, folks will be able to give you a lot of information about potential stops and things to see and do.

Do

2gypsies wrote:
It would help us if you'd tell where in New Mexico you're heading. That depends on what route to take. Also, where will you continue heading?

We will want to stop in the Santa Fe area before heading to Kaneb, UT.

It would help us if you'd tell where in New Mexico you're heading. That depends on what route to take. Also, where will you continue heading?

azdryheat wrote:
Westbound I-10 in Louisiana is the absolute worst road we've been on. Don't go through Houston during rush hour.

Have you been on the route recently? I just had a response on another forum from someone who just drove it & said I-10 has been re-paved in LA & is fine except for a short stretch near Lafayette.