NJ to Vegas, Best route to take?

THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL!

SweetWaterSurprise wrote:
BTW any sights to see along these?

There a lot to see along I-40. In Amarillo, there is Palo Duro Canyon State Park and the Big Texan on Old Route 66. In New Mexico, Tucumcari still has dinners along Historic Route 66 and numerous murals painted on buildings plus other attractions. Santa Rosa is another Route 66 town and has the The Blue Hole and Santa Rosa Lake State Park which has a nice campground. In Albuquerque, the Pueblo Cultural Center and Petroglyph National Monument, the Turquoise Trail and the Sandia Crest Highway are worth visiting in my opinion. In Grants, there is the Mining Museum. Just South of I-40 going West from Grants are El Malpais National Monument, El Moro National Monument and the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano. Acoma Sky City is said to be the longest occuppied location in the U.S. They give tours of the pueblo and there is an RV park next to the casino.

Homolovi Ruins State Park is near Winslow where you can stand on the corner. Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest National Park are not far from the Arizona/New Mexico border.

In the Flagstaff area are Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, and Walnut Canyon National Monument. Sedona/Camp Verde/Cottonwood are about an hour South of Flagstaff with Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well National Monuments, Tuzigoot National Monument, Palatki and Honaki Ruins, V-Bar-V Heritage Site, Verde Canyon Railroad, Fort Verde State Park, Cathedral Rock, Gold King Mine, Jerome State Historic Park in the area.

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is not far North of I-40.

Once you get to I-40 there is Cadillac Ranch on the West side of Amarillo (although you'll need to u-turn at the next exit to get back to it), Meteor Crater, Williams AZ (stay in Grand Canyon RV park, walking distance to downtown), A lot of old Rt 66 including the alignment West from Seligman where you will encounter Grand Canyon Caverns that is a time capsule from the 50's tourist trap era (also has an RV park). As you go West on 40, keep an eye out for the Rt 66 signs at the exits. Interesting towns to see. Holbrook has an old Wigwam Motel, in Winslow you can stand on the corner, East of Williams on I-40 there is a Deer Ranch. Just West of Albuquerque there is the Rt 66 Casino that has a great RV park behind it. You'll see more trains than you can imagine. Sadly you will also see many once thriving tourist traps that are no longer open. Avoid the temptation to take old Rt. 66 into Oatman AZ (burros walking freely in the town) from the East....VERY STEEP, TWISTY DOWNGRADE...can be dangerous in a car, let alone an RV. You'll have a great trip!

Thanks for all the options. BTW any sights to see along these? This will be my first cross country trip.

Agree with above. Have at least two or three options and check the weather forecast carefully before leaving. Often winter storm tracks leave ice/snow in bands across the US leaving clear areas both north and south of it. It is not uncommon for TX to get a snow band across the middle of the state south of DFW area but none north of it. Next time it might be across the north part of the state but none south. But the TX panhandle (I-40) area is always one to watch carefully.

Route 66.

What you have is probably the best option. Just keep an eye on the weather before you leave. Ultimately 40 is your goal. The weather in the east may dictate how you get to it. If there is a storm coming up from the south Rt 70 may be a better option until you can head south to 40.

Feb-early March, 81 can be bad. Check just before you leave, if 81 through PA and Va looks rough take 95-85-40.