Driving from Santa Fe to Austin through route 66 - stops on the way
Replies: 7 - Last Post: Feb 26, 2013 5:39 AM Last Post By: trekker502
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Driving from Santa Fe to Austin through route 66 - stops on the way
Hi,We are on the process of planning our SF - NYC road trip.
Already posted a question here and got some great suggestions!
We are a couple (29) and we are interested in food, local culture (bars, ghost towns, diners etc) and local music.
We are planning on driving from Santa Fe to Austin, in 3 days.
There are of course a few possible routes, but we think we're gonna go on with route 66 (I-40) until Shamrock and then take the 83
down south till Abilene, and from there bee - line to Austin.
One of the reasons we came up with this route is it combines 2 routes from "Road Trip USA" book, and according to Google Maps it's only
about an hour longer than the quickest route, which is nothing across 3 days.
We are looking for places to stop for the nights on the way (couch surfing, not motels). What do you say about Amarillo and Abilene? they seem to divide the route logically.
One thing is, we are planning to get to Santa Fe in the evening (Coming from Grand Canyon on that day. doable, right?) so we want to spend the morning
in Santa Fe before hitting the road. Is it doable to get to Amarillo in say half a day?
Any other suggestions regarding this route are more than welcome.
Thanks,
Michal and Yochay
1
I would save a day here... Use it in Santa Fe... Next, AM drive the initial alignment of 66... In part, I-25 frontage roads to the 84 & South to the I-40. With a early start, one can also make a quick stop at Cadillac Ranch & do lunch in Amarillo...Driving South in the 83... I suggest you drive the 283 from Childress... into Ft.Worth for the overnight... Then on to Austin, on the 35W, after the commuter traffic abates a bit... happy trails ... carracar2
Or, you could take Highway #285 south from Interstate-25 through Eldorado to Clines Corners, the west on Interstate-40. It takes about 6 hours to drive from Santa Fe to Amarillo. If you do not find a place for couch-surfing, there are 4 Motel 6s along Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe. People also car-camp or RV overnight park in the Walmart Supercenter, near the Cerrillos offramp from Interstate-25. There is also a Pilot Travel Center along Interstate-25, before arriving in Santa Fe.4
I agree with spending more time in Santa Fe. Also I would consider changing the route from Santa Fe to Austin to go through Carlsbad, NM to Ft Stockton, TX where you can catch I-10. According to Google Maps this would increase your drive time from 11hr 43min to 12hr 14min. The Texas panhandle is not very scenic. There are a number of potentially interesting sites with my suggested route. Roswell has a fun alien museum and there are the Carlsbad Caverns. The scenery from Carlsbad to Ft Stockton is desolate. But you have the option of a side trip to Terlingua (a ghost town) and the Big Bend National Park. You will also pass through Fredricksburg and the Texas wine country on your way to Austin. The LBJ ranch is also located on that route. If you do a Spring trip you could have good wildflower viewing. You don't specify when you are planning to do this. It will be very hot in Southwest Texas in the summer. Actually will be very hot almost everywhere in Texas then but more so in the southwest. Most people prefer to visit that area in the winter months.5
Take Hwy 16 to Llano and go to Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que. Some of the best BBQ in Texas. Then head SE on Hwy 71 and stop off at Balcones Canyonlands Nat'l Wildlife Refuge. You can also visit Luck, Texas an Old West town on singer Willie Nelson's ranch which is near Spicewood just off 71.7
Keep an eye out for the weather patterns. Currently, Interstate-40 between Albuquerque to the Texas border has been closed for more than 24 hours, and probably won't open until afternoon today. More than 1.5 feet of snowfall and 77 mph blizzard conditions in Amarillo last night. Extremely icy roads. No place for travelers to stop in the Texas panhandle, so traffic was stopped in Albuquerque, where there are options for lodging and restaurants. Commercial trucks were all parked at the fairgrounds overnight.More snowfall is expected in New Mexico today and Thursday.
