Palm Springs to Flagstaff

[timdalefan]

Hello all, I used this forum last year to plan a trip from Palm Springs to San Diego and had a few drives from suggestions I received on here. CA-74 was my personal favourite. Beaching the rental car at a vista point off CA-78 at the Imperial Sand Dunes was a low point at the time, but amusing looking back at it.

This year we are coming back in September for just under 3 weeks and staying with family again in Palm Springs, but this time I want to explore more. The tentative plan is a 2 night stay in or around Flagstaff and use that as a base to see the Grand Canyon and possibly Meteor Crater.

Google maps gives directions using I-10 then I-17, 405 miles. Anybody out there with local knowledge know a better route that avoids the interstates for parts of the way or the whole journey? Interstate route is stated as 6 and a half hours so any alternate route would be nice to do in a day but I'd be willing to stop over en route if needs be.

Cheers

Tim

[shirohniichan]

Have you considered staying in Williams instead?

Another route would be to take I-10 to CA-177 N to CA-62 N to US-95 N. This will take you up to I-40 and east to Williams. Google maps pegs this at about 6 hours of driving. It will keep you away from the traffic of the greater Phoenix area, but be sure to check road conditions in case there's work on this alternate route. I like seeing the creosote bushes give way to junipers and pinyons as we gain in elevation from the Needles area on the way to Grand Canyon.

[timdalefan]

Thanks for the reply, I will have a look at motels in Williams. I have driven part-way along CA-62 but only got as far as 29 Palms and then went through Joshua Tree NP down to I-10 so it would be nice to drive another leg of that highway.

[glc]

I would drive some sections of Old Route 66. From I-10 just west of Palm Springs, take CA-62 to 29 Palms. From there, take Amboy Rd to Amboy, and turn right on Old 66. This will take you to I-40 west of Needles.

(Optional) At Topock, take Old 66 through Oatman over Sitgreaves Pass, and back to I-40.

At Kingman, take Old 66 through Peach Springs and rejoin I-40 in Seligman.