Its pretty simple. I-10 if you want to get there quick. I-40 if you want better scenery. I recommend staying a night in Flagstaff Arizona. The city is in a higher elevation so it is not desert. It is actually woodsy and has a certain charm to it.
Moes sums it up. You could go through west Texas and go through Carlsbad, Roswell on your way to Albuquerque. It's a bit of a detour but Stopping at fort sumner is fun ( billy the kid museum). If you come back via Phoenix Sedona is a must. It's worth spending a little time there for a day hike if there is time.
Flights to las vegas with less of a drive might be your better move. I say this since they are coming at $150 and lower per person roundtrip
I did this. The drive out there from Vegas is 4.5 hours, but seems like maybe two. It's like a whole different planet if you've never done desert-type driving. We did Vegas to Grand Canyon, back, and Hoover dam in a day. If I were to do it again, I'd spend two or three days at the Canyon. I didn't have enough time. Never thought I'd be as awestruck by it as I was. It's simply amazing. Doesn't matter how many times people say it, or how often it's on TV - to see it in person is amazing.
Flying is obviously faster, but driving allows your experiencing all points in between. I'd drive both I-10 and I-40, one going there and the other coming back. 40 is more mountainous, but less developed.
this is what i would do. if you are carrying contraband i would take the northern route there and dump your stash before heading back on I-10. southern route has white sands, carlsbad caverns and city of rocks, which is a really cool state park in sw new mexico. northern route - you could also check out chaco canyon in nw new mexico. ancient anasazi indian city. its creepy out there...you feel like you are being watched the whole time. santa fe is worth checking out just to go see meow wolf. i went last year and it was pretty mind blowing.
My favorite stop on the way is Balmorhea in west Texas right off I-10. Excellent state park with cool natural spring fed swimming holes. A beautiful oasis in the desert. Great for camping and hiking as well. Definitely worth spending the day there relaxing and then a quick overnight stay as well.
If you want to have the trip of a lifetime and see the most cool / beautiful parts of the southwestern US, I can give you a custom google map that will lead you through the best parts of the area. It would require an extra 1000 miles most likely, and would take probably a week, but I would do as follows: Houston I-10 to Fort Stockton TX. Boring start to the trip after you pass San Antonio there is nothing much. You can stay the night in Fort Stockton. The Days Inn has an indoor pool and jacuzzi. Veer off 1-10 in Fort Stockton and hit 285 through New Mexico. This drive is ugly to begin with as you are going to pass a lot of refineries, but soon you are in Carlsbad and I'm sure you know what that meand. Roswell is only a little further up after that, and they are not subtle about the Area 51 ****. From here you can veer toward I-40 and stay the night in comfort in Albuquerque if you wish. You will hit 550 north of Albuquerque and make your way up through Farmington which is a decent sized town with some amenities. I recommend a Burger joint called "Lotta Burger". From here head up through Colorado for just a minute and buy yourself a couple blunts if that is your thing. Then get out on 191 into Utah. This will take you up through Moab which has some cool rock formations. Then hit I-70 and burn rubber for a few hours. Then take 89 toward Bryce Canyon. This place will blow your mind. You may want to stay for hours. From here, Mt Zion is a wonderful national park where you can camp if thats your thing. There is lodging nearby but not much. After this I recommend back-tracking to I-15 and heading for Vegas. Even if Vegas isn't your kind of place, you can book a 4 star hotel for pocket change. Recharge in Vegas and in the morning head to the Canyon.
Why is that? Are there checkpoints or something on I-10? Say you're leaving Colorado and heading back to Houston and take 285 to I-10 through New Mexico or something similar. I guess they are trying to catch people bringing stuff back from CO?
Stop. Think about what you have to live for. The Rockets are going to get George and Paul. The Astros are about to win the world series. The Texans have a quarterback. You don't need to take a driving leap anymore.
Permanent checkpoints on I-10 are TX exit ~98 (eastbound) just west of Sierra Blanca and in NM exit ~130 (westbound) just west of Las Cruces. There are other non-10 stations, but I forget exactly where. There is one west of White Sands Park (NM). Just remember if you get within 50 miles of Mexico on any major highway, there will be a station at some point. If you're on a small highway without a checkpoint, it will be routed to a bigger highway with a checkpoint. I've always wondered why the hell Louisiana has Border Patrol. Houston doesn't have them, but The Boot, yep.
Yes stay off i -10 near el paso. That 285north after ft stockton off i-10 is perfect. Take that north. You can get that up to i40 and bypass all the checkpoints.
checkpoints on I-10, but if you take 285 to ft stockton you will not hit them. however, if you are going to houston from colorado it seems like I-10 would add a few hours to your drive compared to going thru wichita falls/dfw. and ill second southern utah...all of it. bryce canyon, zion, arches, canyonlands, goblin valley. its all awesome. mesa verde cliff dwellings in sw colorado. or if you have more time, pagosa springs in s central colorado. sulfur springs, some as hot as 115 degrees.
I've made the trip to Grand Canyon AZ National Park a couple times, and to California three times, all going different routes all the times. The last trip made us go up to the GC because the I-10 bridge at the AZ-CA border was down. There will be NOTHING much to see via I-10 from San Antonio to New Mexico, aside from a few things in El Paso and then a couple towns in NM. If you have time to make a couple attractions, see some museums and weird stuff in Roswell, NM by veering off the regular path through Pecos (north at Fort Stockton). There will be a couple one-lane long trucks-only roads there, but straight enough to be flat once you get to NM. Then, it's all mountainous, and you will be using lots of your tires up the mountains past Cibola or Sevilleta parks and those smaller towns through NM to get to 40 and to Flagstaff. There are lots of things on Route 66... like Wynona and the Crater near Winslow. If you don't have intentions on making stops, I-10 to Phoenix and then up north to Flagstaff on 17 is nice, too. The South Rim is the way to see it just like Clark and his Griswold family saw it in Vacation (@CometsWin's post).
Scenic route. It was an experience seeing the landscapes change as you go from state to state. Did a stop at yosemite national park as well.
My family had the same experience. We planned to "stop by" canyon on way home from Cali. Plan was to spend maybe 3 or 4 hours. We ended up staying for almost 9 hours and not wanting to leave. Bonus for us, it snowed the night before so the area and canyon were full of colors of reds, oranges, and bright white, it was awe inspiring. also, i agree south rim from Flagstaff is a best experience and views!
