Oregon to New Mexico?

[Nyph]

This site is just cool.. Anyways, me and some friends are planning a trip from oregon to new mexico, anyone know how long approximately it would take to get there, or good places to see?

You don't give starting or destination points; Oregon and NM are both large states, so that can have a 4 or 5 hour impact on the travel times (on each end), depending where you are starting and where you will end. I used Portland and Albuquerque for these estimates.

The fastest ways would be interstate, probably, either I-5 down to I-40, or I-84 and I-80 to Cheyenne, then I-25 south through Denver to NM. These routes are both about 1700 miles. I'm guessing nearly 30 hours of driving time (could be 26 to 32, depending).

If you can spend some extra time on the road (at least an extra day, just for the driving), I'd suggest using state or federal highways, and follow the crow's route -- down to Winnemucca, NV, St George, UT, and Flagstaff, AZ by way of Lake Powell and Page, then I-40 or other routes to NM, whether Albuquerque or elsewhere.

You'd see the stark beauty of the eastern Oregon desert and Nevada (fill your gas tank every opportunity you get), and once into south Utah, the many National Parks there are a sightseer's or outdoorsman's paradise. The Grand Canyon is along the way, either North or South Rim or both, plus lots of other attractions -- Sedona, or Chaco Canyon, perhaps, or maybe Petrified Forest. An alternative route could be out of Utah into SW Colorado and see the Durango, Telluride, and Pagosa Springs areas, before cutting southward into NM (there's nothing like a summer snowshower on Wolf Creek Pass to add some excitement to your day). What do you think?