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Need help, headed to Grand Canyon

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Pookieray

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from DeSoto County. We have 3 days before we NEED to be in Phoenix. What to see on the way? I'm willing to go the I-40 route or I-30/20 route and will detour off those routes also.

I have been all out through each tx and ok from one end to the next on hunting trips but, never been into NM or beyond except by plane and I've seen mostly what I wanted to see but my wife won't want to see what I've seen.

Just tell me what you like or have seen and I'll go from there.
 
GloryDawg

GloryDawg

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If you go 40 you can go, see the big meteor impact crater. It's pretty neat but it is private own and expensive, it has a great gift shop.
If you go I-10/20/30 you will go by Tombstone. It is a tourist trap but a lot to see there. You will also go through Tunson and be able to see the cliff dwellings. They have walkway around it. Pretty cool. Also, on you way to Phoenix you will drive by the Airplane graveyard. You might be able to intter it.

If possible, drive through Navajo Nation. Very beautiful scenery.
 
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Pookieray

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GloryDawg said:
If you go 40 you can go, see the big meteor impact crater. It's pretty neat but it is private own and expensive, it has a great gift shop.
If you go I-10/20/30 you will go by Tombstone. It is a tourist trap but a lot to see there.

If possible, drive through Navajo Nation. Very beautiful scenery.
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We started watching "Dark Winds" this week and I was wondering if we would pass through some Navajo land. Thank you!
 
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Dawgzilla2

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I 20 through NM is the single most boring drive imaginable. Plan a route that takes you through Albequerque.

Would you rather see Roswell, NM, or the Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo (not to be confused with the Chicken Ranch).
 
GloryDawg

GloryDawg

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Pookieray said:
We started watching "Dark Winds" this week and I was wondering if we would pass through some Navajo land. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Navaho Nation is about a three-hour drive. If you want to spend time seeing interesting things. Take I-40 then take191 all the way to Moab. You will drive through Navajo Nation and be able to see the National Parks in Moab. There is a lot to do in Moab. Then leave there to go to Grand Cayon before heading to Phoenix.
 
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Pookieray

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GloryDawg said:
Navaho Nation is about a three-hour drive. If you want to spend time seeing interesting things. Take I-40 then take191 all the way to Moab. You will drive through Navajo Nation and be able to see the National Parks in Moab. There is a lot to do in Moab. Then leave there to go to Grand Cayon before heading to Phoenix.
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I should have stated we are going to Phx, as we have to be there first, then the GC. Kids and other family are flying in week of Thanksgiving and we are heading to GC .
 
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Pookieray

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Dawgzilla2 said:
I 20 through NM is the single most boring drive imaginable. Plan a route that takes you through Albequerque.

Would you rather see Roswell, NM, or the Cadillac Ranch outside Amarillo (not to be confused with the Chicken Ranch).
Click to expand...
"I 20 through NM is the single most boring drive imaginable. Plan a route that takes you through Albequerque." I could only imagine, I-40 from OKC to Amarillo is bad also.
 
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horshack.sixpack

horshack.sixpack

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Pookieray said:
from DeSoto County. We have 3 days before we NEED to be in Phoenix. What to see on the way? I'm willing to go the I-40 route or I-30/20 route and will detour off those routes also.

I have been all out through each tx and ok from one end to the next on hunting trips but, never been into NM or beyond except by plane and I've seen mostly what I wanted to see but my wife won't want to see what I've seen.

Just tell me what you like or have seen and I'll go from there.
Click to expand...
I stumbled across Capulin Volcano on a trip through one time. It was worth stopping. Capulin Volcano National Monument (U.S. National Park Service)
 
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Pilgrimdawg

Pilgrimdawg

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Pookieray said:
from DeSoto County. We have 3 days before we NEED to be in Phoenix. What to see on the way? I'm willing to go the I-40 route or I-30/20 route and will detour off those routes also.

I have been all out through each tx and ok from one end to the next on hunting trips but, never been into NM or beyond except by plane and I've seen mostly what I wanted to see but my wife won't want to see what I've seen.

Just tell me what you like or have seen and I'll go from there.
Click to expand...
We e made a trip out that way a few months ago. Drove to Vegas and then went to a bunch of National Parks in Arizona and Utah. We have been out West many times and try different routes so we can see different places. We started out this time on I20 which is in terrible shape. From Dallas we headed north and met up with I40 in Amarillo. Mostly 2 lanes, small towns, and zero traffic once away from Dallas. We stayed on I40 until we were close to Vegas. It was in pretty good shape. We had a good trip but once was enough outside of going to Vegas. Next time we will fly to Vegas. That Southwest barren county is interesting to see but it doesn’t flip my switch like the more Northern Rockies. Colorado has some beautiful countryside but way too many people. Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are magnificent and we try to go to that area almost every year.
 
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Pookieray

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Pilgrimdawg said:
We e made a trip out that way a few months ago. Drove to Vegas and then went to a bunch of National Parks in Arizona and Utah. We have been out West many times and try different routes so we can see different places. We started out this time on I20 which is in terrible shape. From Dallas we headed north and met up with I40 in Amarillo. Mostly 2 lanes, small towns, and zero traffic once away from Dallas. We stayed on I40 until we were close to Vegas. It was in pretty good shape. We had a good trip but once was enough outside of going to Vegas. Next time we will fly to Vegas. That Southwest barren county is interesting to see but it doesn’t flip my switch like the more Northern Rockies. Colorado has some beautiful countryside but way too many people. Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho are magnificent and we try to go to that area almost every year.
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We like the 2 lane highways so that is option. Was looking at going through the mountains just north of sante fe. doesn't look easy though but scenery would be nice. probably check the weather before we head out, it'll be week of thanksgiving (little earlier for us) when we are there. We've flown into SLC and driven all over UT MT WY and have skied MT several times. Love that area.
 
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GloryDawg

GloryDawg

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The cave dwellings we visited was when we stayed in Flag Staff. We go out there so much and do different things I made a mistake.
 
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dawgman42

dawgman42

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Meteor Crater was great on the I-40 trek. If going the I-20/I-10 route, it is worth stopping at Carlsbad Caverns (we went October of last year) and maybe go to the White Sands Missle Base Museum. You have to make reservations and undergo a background check at the base when you get there, but it was so worth the trip.
 
DawgInThe256

DawgInThe256

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It was a long time ago, but we did a truck tour in Canyon de Chelly in the heart of the Navajo Nation. We really enjoyed it.
 
RotorHead

RotorHead

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Bisbee, AZ is pretty cool. Old copper mining town. Crater in Odessa, TX was kind of a let down for me, just wasn’t impressed. Pima Air and Space museum is pretty cool. Ft. Huachuca has a buffalo soldier museum. Be careful though, Arizona is deceptively large.
are you going to the south rim of GC?
 
IBleedMaroonDawg

IBleedMaroonDawg

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We took a trip to the Grand Canyon when we were in Sedona, Arizona, for a memorial. Both places are fantastic, and we took some great pictures. The Grand Canyon is definitely something to visit.
 
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Pookieray

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RotorHead said:
Bisbee, AZ is pretty cool. Old copper mining town. Crater in Odessa, TX was kind of a let down for me, just wasn’t impressed. Pima Air and Space museum is pretty cool. Ft. Huachuca has a buffalo soldier museum. Be careful though, Arizona is deceptively large.
are you going to the south rim of GC?
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Yes, south rim
 
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Pookieray

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IBleedMaroonDawg said:
We took a trip to the Grand Canyon when we were in Sedona, Arizona, for a memorial. Both places are fantastic, and we took some great pictures. The Grand Canyon is definitely something to visit.
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we have things planned for Sedona already and are looking forward to it. Just trying to find something to see between here and there.
 
IBleedMaroonDawg

IBleedMaroonDawg

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Pookieray said:
we have things planned for Sedona already and are looking forward to it. Just trying to find something to see between here and there.
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We spent much time in Sedona, where my uncle and aunt live. They helped us find several spots to visit. I spent one afternoon walking around downtown and had a great time. It's been over several years, so I can't remember exactly what to visit, but everything in Sedona was fun, and there was some great food. I imagine anything that you planned there will be fun.
 
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thekimmer

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From where you are starting you will want to go the I-40 route through Arkansas, OKC, Texas panhandle, NM. We didn't do much site seeing and you won't either with just 3 days to get there. The panhandle area to me was cool just to see an area that flat and treeless from horizon to horizon. I-40 through NM was fairly scenic. I thought Gallup was kind of cool. They have red rock park there and it is an old Route 66 town. If you continue on 1-40 Flagstaff is a very interesting kind of hipster town. Recommend eating at Fat Olive. You will not regret it. If you do go that way then down to Phoenix you will be retracing your steps when you go back up to GC. Sedona is absolutely a must stop. Fantastic scenery although the town is kinda touristy for my tastes. Dress warmly for GC because it can get cold on the rim. Awesome place though.
 
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woozman

woozman

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Pookieray said:
we have things planned for Sedona already and are looking forward to it. Just trying to find something to see between here and there.
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My son and I did a trip and hit 10 National Parks from SD to AZ including the Grand Canyon in '22 (we were in Yellowstone 5-days before the flooding that year). We stayed in Sedona when we went to the Grand Canyon and it was a great town. Not sure if Slide Rock State Park is on your list, but it was pretty sweet and a favorite of my son (we went in the summer, though). Also Petrified Forest National Park is just east of Sedona on I-40. It paled in comparison to the other National Parks we visted, but is worth a trip if you have a couple hours to spare to ride through and want to grab another "I was there" NP sticker or fridge magnet...
 
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