1-week Southwest Road Trip
WHO
Our family of four took this 10-day road trip over spring break when Averhy was 17 and Eden was 14 years old. It was a LOT of driving to do in just over one week, but we had fun!
WHAT
This trip included several days with family in Arizona, so we were able to do laundry during the week. A few new items that I brought and loved included these hiking pants and this camera holster.
One thing that is nice about road trips is the ability to bring more stuff… but we still tried to limit ourselves to one Motherlode backpack each, with one extra Camelbak bag for hikes. We did have a cooler packed with drinks and snacks in the van, and the girls each brought activities for the long hours in the van. Oh - and we brought our own saucer sled to use at White Sands National Park!
WHEN
We took this trip in March 2021 during the girls’ spring break. This was a great time to visit the southwest because the temperatures were mild and the parks were not crowded - except for Carlsbad Caverns National Park!
WHERE
We drove through the night from Illinois to Arizona, stopping at Cadillac Ranch on the way. Then we stayed with family in Arizona before heading on to our other National Park stops. In New Mexico, we stayed at Hotel Artesia which was a nice spot. In Texas, we stayed at this AirBnB which was the closest lodging to the entrance of Big Bend National Park and had a cool vintage vibe. In Arkansas, we stayed at the Hotel Hot Springs, which was in walking distance to the Hot Springs National Park area. Our road trip route is shown on the map (without the uneventful portions of the drive to/from Illinois). Overall, we put 4,580 miles on our van for this trip!
WHY
After a long year of COVID-19 restrictions, we were ready to visit family out west but were not quite ready to fly. We had also visited a lot of National Parks over the past year, and wanted to squeeze in a few more before our annual pass expired at the end of March. Sounds like the ideal formula for a road trip!
HOW
Day 1: Driving + Cadillac Ranch
To start the trip, we got on the road at 6pm & drove all night. In the morning, our first fun stop was at Cadillac Ranch just outside Amarillo, TX. This art installation was a fun way to break up the long drive, & we brought spray paint to leave our mark! After encountering a 2-hour traffic backup in Albuquerque and snow in Flagstaff, we arrived in Phoenix at 7pm.
Day 2 + 3 : Coachwhip Trail Hike & family time
We spent the next two days with Allyson’s parents in Phoenix. On one day, we hiked the Coachwhip & Ridgeline trail loop, which is located in Fountain Hills, AZ. This was an easy trail with nice views of the north side of Phoenix.
Day 4 + 5: Saguaro National Park & family time
Next we visited Sky’s family, who all live on the south side of Phoenix! One day, we spent a few hours hiking the Gould Mine loop at Saguaro National Park Tucson Mountain Region. The easy 4.3 mile hike took about 2 hours. Then we had a picnic lunch before enjoying the touristy but fun Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch near Picacho AZ.
Day 6: White Sands National Park
Our next destination was White Sands National Park, which is a 6 hour drive away from Florence AZ. We also had to consider the time difference between AZ and NM, so we got on the road at 9am and arrived at 4pm, in time for several hours of fun climbing up - and sledding down - the white sand dunes!
We tried sledding at the Interdune Boardwalk Trail, and after a few tries we got the hang of it. The sand is not as slick as snow, so it’s best to used a waxed sled and lean back as you slide down the dunes.
We brought a sled with us, but you can also purchase a sled at the shop by the Visitor Center when it’s open.
Next we drove to the end of the road, which is the start of the Alkalai Flats trail. We only had about an hour to hike until sunset, so we put on our flipflops and walked to the highest dune we could see… then clambered up to the top!
The sunset was lovely, but as soon as the sun dropped below the horizon, the sand felt more like SNOW! We ran back to the van and cranked up the heat… brrrr!
We had another 2 hours to drive through the Lincoln National Forest to get to our hotel in Artestia, NM. We would like to come back to this area again during the day. We could tell the views would be gorgeous! We saw several herds of elk grazing right next to the road, so be careful doing this drive!
Day 7: Carlsbad Caverns + Guadalupe Mountains NP
Unfortunately, after an hour drive to Carlsbad Caverns the next morning, all the entry times were already full for the day. Due to COVID, the park service instituted a first-come first-served system at this park to limit attendance. We heard that people had been waiting in line before 7am (the visitor center opens at 8am). We walked to the cave entrance and enjoyed the visitor center, then got back on the road.
On a positive note, this change of plans gave us time to do two hikes at Guadalupe Mountains National Park! First we hiked McKinnick Trail, a 4.8 mile out-and-back which ends at Pratt Lodge - an old stone house that’s a great place for a picnic lunch.
The hike was fairly easy, with a few stream crossings. It took us just under 3 hours.
Our next hike was Devil’s Hall, another out-and-back trail that took us about 1.5 hours. The 4.2 mile trail is rated as moderate, with some large boulders to climb at the end.
Back on the road at 4:30pm, we had a 4 hour drive to our AirBnB in Terlingua TX. We learned that there is basically NOTHING in west Texas! Don’t run out of gas because you may not see another car for hours!
Day 8: Big Bend National Park
We only had one day to enjoy Big Bend National Park, so it was a full day! Thankfully our AirBnB was just 2 minutes away from the park entrance. We started with the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, with a stop at Sotol Viewpoint. In the distance, we could see Santa Elena Canyon.
Another 30 minutes of driving got us to the trailhead and the Rio Grande. It was an easy 1.7 mile round-trip hike into Santa Elena canyon. We were impressed with the sheer walls, and the interesting layers visible in the rock.
After the hike we cooled our feet in the water and walked across to Mexico for a few minutes!
Next we stopped at the Mule Ears viewpoint before continuing all the way to the Rio Grande Village. Several trails were closed here, due to COVID, but it was a pretty drive.
We drove up to Chisos Basin next, hoping to do the Lost Mine Trail, but the parking area there was very small, and full for the day.
We decided to hike the Basin Loop trail instead. It was an easy 1.8 mile hike with some nice views of the Window, and we took our time. Hiking counter-clockwise is easier and will give you the best views.
Note: Terlingua is a small town with limited options for eating out, so keep that in mind at the end of the day!
Day 9 + 10 : Driving + Hot Springs National Park
On day 9, we drove for 13 hours to get to Hot Springs, AR… and 12 of those hours were in Texas! That state is BIG!
On day 10, we walked from our hotel to Hot Springs National Park, and strolled around for an hour or so.
The Grand Promenade is nice paved path above Fountain Street, and an easy way to view a few of the hot springs that feed the buildings. There are a lot of other trails in the woods throughout the park, but we needed to get back on the road.
We had another 8 hours to drive until we got home. Total mileage for the week: 4,580 miles! Whew!
Final Tips
This was a long week with a lot of driving, but all of the long-drive days are mostly flat, straight roads so it’s easy to do.
If you’re doing this full trip (starting and ending in Illinois) you could easily add on two more national parks: Gateway Arch in St. Louis MO, and Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. We had already visited those parks in the past, and wanted to spend time with our extended family instead.
Most of these parks are in the desert, so be sure to bring plenty of water when you’re hiking. Spring is a great time to visit because the temperatures are much more comfortable.
