Phoenix to Big Bend Nat Paak route and sites?

Without going too far out of the way while avoiding the reentry to 10 detour you could take 62 east and 54 south. That goes by Hueco Tanks State Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park giving you the option of a couple interesting spots to stop compensating for the added miles.

You might encounter some Spring Break campers. Reservations might be helpful. We love Rio Grande Village campground - no hookups but showers, water fill and dump station.

Oldmattb is right about the construction here. Alternate route is to get off at Anthony exit in NM 2 miles before the TX line. Take NM 404 7 miles east to the roundabout and go south until it turns into MLK and intersects 54. Follow US 54 down to spur 601 and go east till you hit the loop. You can follow it down to I 10 again. You have to get off the loop at Pellicano to make the connection. The ramp for going east on I 10 should be ready in about 18 months or so.

ditto to going down through Ft. Davis. Do check out the McDonald Observatory Star party nights if you like looking at the cosmos, and the Ft. is interesting, too.

Pick up this month's edition of Trailer Life magazine. There is a very comprehensive article on Big Bend NP.

If you take 118 off I10 you can check out the McDonald Observatory and Fort Davis on the way down to Big Bend.

We stayed on I-10 until we got to SR 118 in TX then followed it into Big Bend. With an over nite at Ft Davis SP in TX. The Ft Davis NM is a nice hour or two stop. You could also pick up 170 in TX along the border.

We found that the Marfa Lights was a good stopping spot for us. I was not impressed with the lights, but we spent the night in the parking lot.

It was kind of neat to drive through Alpine,Texas. It is easy to forget parts of Texas are as "tall" as Denver.

There is a lot of nothing along that road!

If you like ghost towns, Sierra Blanca has some nice abandoned buildings.

Be careful in El Paso! They have a zillion of those concrete construction billets along the lanes. Many have steel brackets protruding. We lost a tire and wheel to one.

Matt B