From Austin to LA

[Tomer9]

Hey guys, i just got to austin and ill be here for a few days. Looking for ideas on how to continue my roadtrip all the way to LA, in about 3 weeks. Myabe including san diago. Tips on where to drive through and stop in texas, new mexico, and arizona (though i got some stuff planned for arizona) in that time span, would be greatly appreciated. Im traveling alone and i enjoy nature as well as big cities. Thanks a lot!

[Southwest Dave]

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

With 3 weeks you have plenty of time to wander and see a number of attractions out of the thousands of possibilities, so many in fact it's hard to narrow them down without you first getting some ideas jotted down. Have you anything in mind ? Personally speaking I would look at heading north through New Mexico and into Colorado through to Southern Utah and then drop down into Arizona. Just a few of the highlights that come to mind could include Carlsbad caverns, Santa Fe, Taos Pueblo, Great sand dunes NP, Black canyon of the Gunnison, the 'Million dollar Highway through Ouray and Silverton, Mesa Verde NP, and in Utah, Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion NP's. Monument valley and the Grand canyon would be top of most lists in AZ and some old route 66 towns and Hoover dam would be popular. The Mojave preserve and Joshua tree NP might appeal or you could look at Las Vegas and Death valley NP. You would even have the option of then going through Yosemite NP and then drive down the spectacular coast road through Big Sur to LA. I am not suggesting you try and see everything and there is a lot more besides, but take a look at your options and when you have an outlined plan we can help to 'Fine tune' it and make suggestions along your route.

[Tomer9]

Thank you for that great answer! I should have said, after california i plan to drive back east all the way to new york through mostly the north part of the counrty, and im planning to spend about 6 week on that, so the route now needs to make sense keeping that in mind. But right now just looking for advice on this part of the roadtrip. Af far as narrowing it down, i definitely want to spand some time in Colorado, and all the great NP in Utah, and of course the grand canyon. This is my first time really traveling America.
Thanks alot again, all that information is awesome!

[Tomer9]

Still happy for some help :)

[Southwest Dave]

Have you any specific questions, or points you want help with ? As I mentioned previously there are many options and you really need to give at least a clue as to which route/routes you might take and what attractions appeal to you so that we can then offer meaningful advice and help 'fine tune' what you have. Have you done a little research and looked at maps and if so what appealed to you ?

[howard]

OK, well, if you’re still in San Antonio, then New Mexico is up next. With the hot weather we’ve been having, I’d say head to mountains where it’s a little cooler. So, from San Antonio, that gives you two basic choices:

a) A southerly route through Carlsbad Caverns and then on to the Cloudcroft/Ruidoso/White Sands area before heading farther north OR

b) Head for northern New Mexico right away, going through Lubbock > Clovis > on to Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Once you get to ABQ / Santa Fe, you have a lot of options to choose from. For instance:

The Sandia Mountains just east of Albuquerque.

The Jemez Mountains northwest of Albuquerque. Very scenic and interesting.

Santa Fe Recreation

Tons of stuff around Taos, including the Wild Rivers Recreation Area and the Carson National Forest.

And that’s a real short list. Have fun!

[howard]

OK, well, if you’re still in San Antonio...

L0L oops, sorry. AUSTIN, not San Antonio.

[jm98]

If you are still in SA. Try Carlsbad Caverns National Park on the way to EL Paso. It's underground and should be comfortable visiting NP this time of year.

I would also visit two new sink holes opened up just for tourists in West Texas near Wink and neighboring Kermit. Something unusual to see...

[Tomer9]

Hey everyone, thanks for the great answers. Was actually pretty sick so had to stay put for a week. Im gonna hit albuquerque and santa fe this week, and after that i wanna go up to colorado with taos on the way, cross over to utah for arches and canyon lands and the rest of the NP, go down to the grand canyon, visit las vegas and from there to LA.
Was looking for specific route planning help from santa fa to utah, so pretty much the colorado part. Id love to see some great mountains views and do some whitewater rafting. Thanks for any help!

[Lifemagician]

Although there is no end of scenic and mountain routes in CO, here's my tuppence worth.

Head straight north out of Taos and cross the border to San Luis. Here you will find a magnificent pathway up a hill, interpreting the Stations of the Cross in life size bronze statues. The cross at the end of which dominates the town. It is truly magnificent.

Up to Alamosa from there to the Great Sand Dunes NP. Allow some time to get to the top of the highest dune, which of course changes with the wind.

You could pick up US-160 west over Wolf Pass, through Pagosa - great hot springs - and onto Durango. From there head up to US-550 to Ridgecrest. There are several national parks in the area. You could take CO-145 back down to Cortez.

Or you could pick up US-50 and head west on it. Just so many options.

You can take any of the other scenic routes. Be sure to pick up a Colorado issued State map at a visitor or Welcome centre, and you will see all these marked on it.... and ever so many more.

Then again, you may want to head to Rocky Mountains NP and drive the Trail Ridge Road (if it is open).

The choice is yours.

Lifey