I-40 Through New Mexico and Arizona - Things To See

[TECMike]

On an I-40 route through New Mexico, Albuquerque, and on to Flagstaff, Arizona, are there any nice stops or things to see and do on the way? We would be towing our travel trailer and will want to stay on I-40 all the way. Thanks in advance.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Just a short distance from I-40 and well worth your time is the Mining Museum in Grants New Mexico.

I would say most folks probably miss this great stop!!! To their loss.

Mining Museum

[Drbolasky]

Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest/Painted Desert.

[fireman93514]

Another side trip from the I-40 is Chaco Canyon.

[trailertraveler]

New Mexico along I-40:
Petroglyph National Monument, El Malpais National Monument, El Moro National Monument, Acoma Sky City, Pueblo Cultural Center, Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano, Tucumcari, The Blue Hole, Mining Museum, , Turquoise Trail

East of Flagstaff:
Petrified Forest National Park, Meteor Crater

Flagstaff/Sedona Area:
Sunset Crater National Monument, Wupatki National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, 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, the town of Jerome and the town of Sedona, Schnebly Hill Road

[caver]

Blue Hole at Santa Rosa is a cool little spot. A good place to take a break from driving.

Sunset Crater near Flagstaff if it hasn't been mentioned.

[Kit_Carson]

Cline's Corners is a tourist trap but probably a "must see".

[darsben]

TECMike wrote:
On an I-40 route through New Mexico, Albuquerque, and on to Flagstaff, Arizona, are there any nice stops or things to see and do on the way? We would be towing our travel trailer and will want to stay on I-40 all the way. Thanks in advance.

If you do not want to get off I40 and travel then there is not much to see.
Time of year is also helpful so people can tell you of events along your route

[n7bsn]

Homolovi State Park near Winslow AZ

[Lauren]

Or you can go to Grand Falls east of Flagstaff. If you can find it. Also known as the Chocolate Falls. On the Navajo Rez. Cascades down and is higher than Niagara Falls in total. Also wider. Oh, the only only time there is water over it is after a rain or snow melt.

[DesertHawk]

Near Santa Rosa just Off I-40, Santa Rosa Lake State Park would be a nice place to overnight. Never been there myself.

NM State Parks are a good bargain. $10 without electric, $4 more for electric. Most have nice showers (no extra cost) & no entry fee or day fee on top of camping fee as in TX & CO.

There is much to see & do in the Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't area of New Mexico -A Trip Report 2012.

Easy to get to Santa Fe by taking US 298 at Cline's Corner ( Exit 218) to I-25 then South on 25 to Santa Fe & on to ABQ & I-40. At I-25, this is the Glorieta Pass & Pecos Area: Civil War Battlefield and Pecos Nat'l Historic Park, the remains of an Indian pueblo.

Los Alamos is a very neat small city in itself. Free bus system with very neat buses. Very pretty setting up in the high country. Somewhat of a gated community as well. We only drove through & stopped at a SuperMarket. A nice town. http://www.visit.losalamos.com/
http://www.losalamosnm.us/transit/Pages/default.aspx

More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded & ABQ.

Just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, exit 242) in Bernalillo, is Coronado State Monument where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 300 soldiers and 800 Indian allies from New Spain—entered the valley while looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Next to it: There is a Bernalillo city campground (used to be a state park) at the entrance to the State Monument. Wasn't a bad site some years ago, haven't been there in some time. Coronado Campground

The ABQ Aquarium is really neat, small but excellent.

Over by Grants (I-40 W from ABQ): El Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.

[TexasShadow]

Gallup NM is an old tourist stop on 66, lots of indian crafts.
Just into AZ is the Petrified National Forest park which you can loop down through and circle back to Holbrook AZ. Further west is Homolove State Park, fairly new, good ancient indian ruins.
Further west, past Meteor Crater, just before you get to Flagstaff, is Walnut Canyon park with a nice walking tour of cave dwellings.
After Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon, is Seligman, AZ where you can get off the interstate and take old 66 as far as Kingman AZ. The last "town" on that route is Hackberry. Be sure you stop awhile there. It's only a store, but it's full of old 66 memorabilia.

[sigbowman]

On a trip in September 2012, we enjoyed the drive through the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. In New Mexico, a special treat was a stop at the KOA in Tucumcari: pleasant scenery and a homecooked dinner at a reasonable price, delivered to our RV.

[Dave_s_Wife]

When are you planning on traveling? Albuquerque has some interesting places to visit. What are your interests? The Old Town area is quaint, the Sandia Peak Tram, National Hispanic Cultural Center, The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Petroglyph National Park all within 5 Miles of I-40, Santa Fe is about 60 miles north. Several nice RV Parks west of town off I-40, 5 Casinos in the Albuquerque area, a couple just west of Albuquerque one, Sky City even has an RV Park.

[MAC-a-roni]

Stand on a corner in Winslow, Arizona!