Charlotte to Tempe RoadTrip

Hello,

I am planning to move to Tempe, AZ for school in late May, 2019. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions about what route would be the most scenic/ interesting? I’m fine with off beat attractions, and I’m not very high maintenance. This is my first big RoadTrip, and I don’t necessarily have a time limit... I want to make it fun. My plan is to drive down to New Orleans from Charlotte, then drive along the coast of LA towards Austin, TX. From Austin I will go to El Paso, and then Tempe. In all my route will be less than 300 miles more than the most direct route given by google. Does this sound like it is worth it? Is there a shorter scenic route? Also does anyone have any restaurant/bar suggestions for the trip? I plan to stay two nights in each city.

Hello and welcome to the RTA forums !

It's certainly "worth it" if you can turn any journey into a Road trip adventure ! You have obviously done some research and if your general route appeals to you, then that's the one to go for. A few suggestions to consider west of Austin/ San Antonio would be a detour to Big Bend, Carlsbad caverns, Guadalupe mountains and White sands NP's. You could take the Transmountain drive (TX375) north of El Paso to Franklin mountains SP. Next up would be options such as Chiricahua NM, Tombstone, Saguaro NP and Mt Lemmon around Tucson. That's just a few of the options available, so I would keep doing some research and get some sort of idea how much time you are comfortable using and start working out a day to day itinerary. As you move forward with planning and questions crop up, don't hesitate to ask.

Enjoy the planning !

My first question is "how long do you think you'll need for that trip and are you able to swing that?" You said you didn't necessarily have a time limit. At 2230 miles approximately, it would take you about 4-1/2 days to drive that at 500 miles per day. Then add time for sightseeing.

As far as restaurants/bars in your stopping places, my husband and I usually do one of two things. Our first choice is to ask at the check-in desk where we're staying for the night. (We are just looking for restaurant recommendations, though, and not the local bar scene.) We may ask something like, "where's a great local place to go for dinner?" Or "where's the nearest hole-in the-wall eating place that's got great food?" Another thing we use is TripAdvisor app or website. We've been known to use that more when we're driving and want a lunch place that isn't McD's or similar.


Donna

Are you willing ot camp in you vehicle will need hotel? There are many stops along I20/I10 that may be good two/three hours from nearest chain hotels like Big Band NP, Ft. Davis mountains and couple places in southern AZ.

I have no idea what jm98 is trying to say, but I can tell you that there is no place along any interstate - including I-10 or I-20 - where you are ever 2-3 hours from the nearest hotel. Its extremely rare to go more than an hour between hotels on the interstate, even in the most remote parts of the country.

And the same is true for National Parks, even remote parks like Big Bend have lodging both inside the park and numerous hotel options nearby.

And there is certainly no place where you would ever need to "camp in your vehicle." In fact, since most cars make lousy beds, that's generally not something we'd ever recommend.

Along I-10 in west Texas, there aren't a lot of lodging choices, so perhaps that was what jm98 was trying to point out. There's nothing really between Fort Stockton and Van Horn, and not a whole lot between Van Horn and El Paso. But those 3 towns each have a wide variety of lodgings to offer, from mom-and-pops to the chain hotels and maybe even a bed-n-breakfast or two.

As far as Big Bend is concerned, there's plenty -- try this website for a big list of the area towns and what they offer. True, they're not "chain hotels", but there are some worthwhile mom-and-pop motels that won't break the bank, either.


Donna

In my mind I was thinking 8 or 9 days would be plenty of time. I could spend a day driving and a day where ever I stop. I appreciate your tips. I will definitely try TripAdvisor. Usually I just use Yelp.

I appreciate the information and recommendations for sightseeing in the southwest as well. A lot of the locations you mentioned seem doable Southwest Dave, but I do have a couple more questions now. It sounds like it’s pretty rural past Austin, is it scenic though? Also Is El Paso a good destination or is there another destination west of Austin I should consider that may provide a more scenic, populous, route?

The expression 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' comes to mind. By researching places I am travelling through, I almost always find some hidden gems and some history that will keep me interested, but when I have a certain distance to cover in a certain amount of time it's easier to choose the travel days where you get some miles covered and those where you spend longer and that's where your own research and input is most important. For example, after a quick look at the map, I personally would be looking at heading through Nashville and St Louis to Denver at a quicker pace and then slow down through Colorado and possibly Utah, where for my taste, it doesn't get much better for scenic beauty. (Sorry for the Curve ball !)

You ask for other options to stay overnight between Austin and El Paso but it's impossible to say until you have worked out some detail. You could get between the two in a full day of driving using I-10, but if you decide to visit Big Bend and/or some of the others mentioned you could easily take 3 or 4 days. It's now about you looking at the finer details of the trip you want and then we can help you put it together. One more thought. Your plan to drive along the coast may not be as straightforward as you think as it can often be time consuming and difficult to follow a coast road, but I can't help you with that.