Route stops between Albuquerque & Flagstaff?

RVcrazy wrote:
If we wait a year to do Camp Verde area, is the weather decent coming up from Phoenix the first part of April on 17?

April in Camp Verde is perfect weather! If you're a birder there a great birding festival out of Dead Horse Ranch State Park - the Verde Valley Festival.

Dead Horse Ranch is a great place to stay to see the area, including Sedona.

Although you didn't mention it, you may already be planning to include Taos in your visit. You could make a day trip to Taos while staying in Santa Fe. If so, be sure to take the old "high road to Taos" and visit the little villages and especially the churches such as the one at Trampas.

We always stay at Santa Fe Skies RV park.

Clearly, we didn't allow enough time. I think we will focus on the Albuquerque & Santa Fe/Los Alamos area this time and do the Camp Verde,Sedona & Scottsdale tour another trip. Thanks!

Hank85713 wrote:
There are more areas such as the vast array down a little further out of soccoro, there is Pie Town along the same route and then you can go north to the Malapais lava flow...The painted desert with just a cursory view will take several hours and then you will either back track or take 2 lane roads back to I40 to get on trac again...

New Mexico has many interesting places to visit. We have spent over 8 months over the course of several years traveling throughout the state. Ten days will only let you see a very small part of what is available.

The Very Large Array(VLA) is worth visiting. It has a nice visitor center and self-guided walking tour. However, it is 126 miles from Albuquerque. Pie Town does have an annual festival, but when we have gone through it really wasn't much different than many of the other semi ghost towns in rural New Mexico except for the focus on pie. A loop to include the VLA, Pie Town and El Malpais National Monument and rejoin I-40 at Grants is 262 miles versus 72 miles from Albuquerque to Grants via I-40. From Grants you can visit the El Malpais Lava Flows, Inscription Rock at El Moro National Monument, and the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano in a one day loop. We found the mining museum in Grants, which has a replica of a uranium mine, to be interesting. Some of the campgrounds in Grants have lava flows all around them.

Going Westbound on I-40, if you take exit 311, you will be at the Painted Desert Visitor Center of Petrified Forest National Park. If you follow Petrified Forest Road, it will take you through the Park to the South Entrance on US-180. US-180 West will take you back to I-40 West at Exit 285 in Holbrook.

You said you have 10 DAYS to do all this. Does it include everything or is this the free time. If travel is included you have a much more limited amount to see and much will be based on what you ant to see. Most mentioned above are the typical tourist areas IMO. There are more areas such as the vast array down a little further out of soccoro, there is Pie Town along the same route and then you can go north to the Malapais lava flow. ALso there are a couple of casinos along the stretch if that interest you. But for every side trip remember you are loosing time on your 10 days. The painted desert with just a cursory view will take several hours and then you will either back track or take 2 lane roads back to I40 to get on trac again.

Also dont say what type rig you are in, TT, 5er, rv? Each will require its own consideration for side trips. Once in AZ stay at KOA in Flagstaff and you can day trip out from there. although each will be a day of varying length, montezuma castle, sedona (oak creek canyon), the indian ruins at sunset crater etc. just a drive thru on the south rim is a full day trip from Flag and that is without any other side trips. there is a AF museaum in williams if interested in such, the train ride to the GC from williams etc.

Anyhow enjoy what you can but be selective on how much you think you can do in 10 days.

How much driving do you want to do? Albuquerque to Flagstaff is 323 miles. The route described through Chama, Durango, Cortez and Page is 755 miles.

There is more to see along this route than was mentioned. The drive from Abiquiu to the Christ in the Desert Monastery is very scenic. Tent Rocks National Monument and the drive up to the Veterens Memorial Overlook is worth visiting in my opinion. Bandelier National Monument is West of Santa Fe. The Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe takes you through the old mining towns of Madrid (where the movie "Wild Hogs" was filmed) and Cerrilos. The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is in Chama.

Just to the North of this route from Cortez to Page is the Monument Valley and Bluff area with the
Monument Valley Tribal Park, UT-261 the Moki Dugway Scenic Backway, Goosenecks State Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Bluff Fort, South Fork of Mule Canyon and House on Fire, and The Valley of The Gods.

We have spent a lot more than ten days in these areas and still not seen it all.

If we wait a year to do Camp Verde area, is the weather decent coming up from Phoenix the first part of April on 17?

Hi from AZ. . . I like NMDrivers trip idea. Not knowing your interests, there a lot of possibilities between ABQ & Flag, but he had a variety of places. Were I going, I would probably go to the North Rim of GCNP from from Page,(it's higher, cooler, a lot less crowded & beautiful) then South on 89A to Flag. Flag is a cool college town with some good restaurants too. Enjoy, Craig

Cool temperature route. The end of June can be 100 plus degrees in desert areas.

North to Chama, NM and Pagosa Springs, CO via I-25/ US 84 then catch US160 to Durango, and Cortez, CO, then 191/160/98 to Page,AZ then 89 south to the Grand Canyon and Flagstaff.

1/2 day to Abiquiu Dam COE campground and fish the rest of the day.
1 day to drive through O'Keefe's inspirational country around Abiquiu instead of seeing the picture on a wall. Beautiful mountain scenery and cool temperatures from Abiquiu to Cortez, CO
1/2 day to ride the Durango/Silverton train
1 day to see Mesa Verde near Cortez.
1 day to drive to Page
1 day at Glen Canyon
1/2 day to Grand Canyon
1 day at Grand Canyon
1/2 day to Flagstaff.

One day left to spend fishing enroute at lake of your choice.

IF you want to see Indian culture and Mesa Verde is not enough then stop at a Casino near Santa Fe.

I think you will definitely have to make some choices as there are lots of them. In Albuquerque there is Petroglyph National Monument, the Pueblo Cultural Center, and the Turquoise Trail. In and near Grants are the Mining Museum, El Malpais National Monument, El Moro National Monument, and the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano. Acoma Sky City is between Grants and Gallup.

Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest National Park are not far over the Arizona border. Homolovi Ruins State Park is near Winslow where you can stand on the corner. In the Flagstaff area are Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument and Walnut Canyon National Monument. In the Sedona/Cottonwood/Camp Verde area are Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well National Monuments, Tuzigoot National Monument, Palatki and Honaki Ruins, the V-Bar-V Heritage Site, the Verde Canyon Railroad, Fort Verde State Park, Cathedral Rock, the Gold King Mine, Jerome State Historic Park and the town of Jerome.