I’m absolutely smitten with the Southwest part of the United States. I find it to be so magical, dreamy, inspiring and otherwordly. The landscape is like anything else I’ve ever experienced anywhere else. It’s painted in a rainbow of desert hues and covered with stone structures that look like they belong on another planet altogether. I’ll never forget visiting for the first time when I was 9 1/2 years old. Even all those years ago I was captivated by the beauty and inspired by the magic. And now all these years later, I’ve never forgotten that feeling and that magic still hasn’t worn off. In fact, one of the reasons I was so excited to move to the west coast is because of the proximity of the Southwest to Los Angeles, and how much easier it would be to explore the area more.

For this most recent road trip, it was actually our first time going back to the Southwest since we drove through it on our move/cross-country drive from NYC to LA. Dave’s Dad and his wife were going to be flying into Santa Fe, and while we could have flown straight there to meet them, if you know us, you know we can never pass up the opportunity for a road trip. Especially when it takes us through an area as stunning as the Southwest. So we decided to make it a full adventure and add in a few of our own stops on either side of our time in Santa Fe.

I think that’s truly the best part of road trips, that you can really customize them and make them your own. You can stop as little or as many times as you want, you can spontaneously pull over to check out something catching your eye, you can visit so many more places than if you were just flying over. I mean, what’s not to love? And while I think a road trip is a great way to explore a place regardless of where you are, I think it’s an especially incredible way to explore an area with such an incredible landscape and so many noteworthy places that you’d otherwise miss if you were flying.

And even better, for those of us based in Los Angeles, our proximity to so many great destinations in the Southwest means there really are endless options, directions you could take, itineraries you could create, stops you could make, places you could visit and amount of time you spend at each. This specific trip, for example, we were gone a mere 8 days, but we could have easily turned this into a 2-3 week trip, and still barely scratched the surface of places to go. However, since I got some questions and requests on Instagram when I initially posted about our trip, I wanted to share our exact Southwest US roadtrip itinerary. Keep reading for all the details.

Southwest US Roadtrip Itinerary

What to Know Before You Go

LENGTH OF THE TRIP

Our exact trip and itinerary is a total of 8 days long.

NUMBER OF STOPS

We had a total of 4 overnight stops, the longest period being in Santa Fe, with all the other stops being just 1 night each.

SUGGESTED AMOUNT OF TIME

While our trip was perfect as is, I definitely would have loved to spend more time at each of our stops, as well as have more time for a few additional stops in-between destinations or to make it to a few other places (a few on my bucket list include Taos, the White Sands National Park, Slot Canyons, Arches National Park to see the Delicate Arch, Canyonlands National Park, Zion National Park and Salt Lake City). If you’ve never done a Southwest road trip before, I’d highly suggest making your trip at least 2 weeks long.

IF YOU’RE SHORT ON TIME

You can easily shorten the trip by 2 days by flying in and out of Arizona (Scottsdale/Phoenix), then rent a car upon arrival and use Scottsdale as your start and end points.

BEST TIME OF YEAR TO DO THIS TRIP

Summer is the busiest time of year for road trips, especially throughout the southwest. It’s also incredibly hot making it harder to do some of the hikes and activities so my suggestion would be to do this in the spring or the fall (We did late spring this time, I’ve done fall before and summer with my family and let me just tell you, fall is by far the best of all three!).

A NOTE ON FOOD + GAS

Places to get food and gas stations are few and far between so be sure to get gas when you have the option to and I suggest packing and bringing as much food with you as you, replenishing at grocery stores in the larger cities of the overnight stops.

ABOUT CELL SERVICE

Service is relatively good and reliable for most of this trip, however, there are a few spots where it goes in and out, and towards the end of the trip, for a stretch of the drive into Scottsdale we were without service for a bit. Just be sure to download your directions/map beforehand, and always have a hard copy of a map on hand as a worst case scenario back-up as there aren’t really places to stop and ask for directions along the way.

DON’T FORGET TO PACK

Layers and a jacket; no matter what time of year you go, you’re traveling through a desert climate, which means it cools down in the evening and, depending on where you are, can get quite chilly! For more road trip packing tips, you can check out my post 10 Things to Always Pack for a Road Trip.

Southwest US Roadtrip Itinerary

We kicked off the trip with the biggest chunk of driving (about 8 hours). We didn’t make many stops, other than to get gas, or snap a quick picture, as we wanted to make sure we got to the Grand Canyon with plenty of daylight. However, we also stopped at the Grand Canyon a few years ago, so we knew we wouldn’t be completely torn up if we didn’t make it into the park. But we still wanted to fully experience the place we were staying, which brings me to…

DRIVING ROUTE //

Take I-10 E to CA-60 exit toward Pomona
Keep left at the fork, follow signs for CA-60 E/Pomona
Take exit 12 for I-605 N
From I-605 N, take exit 27A for I-210 toward Foothill Fwy/San Bernardino
From I-210 take exit 64A toward I-15 North/Barstow
From I-15 N, follow signs and keep right to I-40 E
Stay on I-40 E for 320 miles
Take exit 165 from I-40 E to AZ-64 N/Historic Route 66
Turn left onto Mustang Way and follow the road to Under Canvas Grand Canyon

WHERE TO STAY // UNDER CANVAS

When we stopped in this area of Arizona last time, this Under Canvas location wasn’t even finished, so I was really excited to check it out this trip (and avoid the low budget motel vibes from last time). This wasn’t our first time glamping, but it was our first time staying at an Under Canvas property. And it was my first time glamping with a bathroom INSIDE the tent (game changer and 1000% worth the additional fee!). Here’s a few things to note-

BEST TIME TO GO

It was pretty hot during the day and we were only there mid-May, so, if you don’t want to totally roast, I’d say spring and fall are the best times to visit.

TEMPERATURE

Like I mentioned it was pretty hot during the day, but at night it was absolutely freezing! There aren’t fire places in the tents for no reason, let’s just say that.

FOOD

We weren’t really sure what to expect with food, and it was a bit tough to sort out what exactly was available at each location (they aren’t very clear on their site), so we packed everything to make a cheeseboard dinner. While we were both more than happy with that choice, I must say their on-site restaurant was great. They had quite an extensive variety of options as well as all sorts of beverages (wine, beers, ciders, etc.). You could either dine in the main tent, the outdoor patio area or take it back to your tent. They also had lots of grab and go options for breakfast and picnic lunches (for those heading into the park early/for the full day). They also offered complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate, and, in the evening, there were complimentary s’mores kits.

ON-SITE ENTERTAINMENT

You know, just in case the Grand Canyon isn’t quite grand enough ;) They have some board games, fire pits, a few different outdoor sitting areas and even live music at night. Each tent also has a little porch, which makes a great place to chill with a book, paint or draw, or play one of the board games they have available.

BE SURE TO PACK

A wide range of clothing…light pieces for during the day and lots of layers (think winter jacket, hat, gloves, thermal layers, sweaters, etc.) for the evening and sleeping. I learned the hard way that I did not pack enough for the night time and woke up shivering throughout the night. Also, any additional entertainment you might want (deck of cards, drawing pad and pencils, etc.). And all the moisturizing things for your skin. Like it is so dry you literally cannot have enough lotion and oils for your body and face! (Also, FYI, they did have basic toiletries, like shampoo and conditioner.)

IDEAL AMOUNT OF TIME TO SPEND HERE

For the Grand Canyon, if you have never been, I’d say you want to spend at minimum 2 nights, that way you have at least one full day to explore the park and see the major points (like the south rim or Horseshoe Bend, which is the horseshoe-shaped bend in the Colorado River in the area dubbed the east rim of the Grand Canyon). Depending on when you go, there is usually quite a bit of traffic so it takes a while to get into the park, find parking, make your way through crowds, etc. so it really does take a full day just to see a few things.

If you want to just check out this Under Canvas location, 1 night is more than enough here. And, while this version of glamping has quite a few nice amenities, at the end of the day it is still glamping (even if you do have your own shower), so, unless you’re a big camper and you really don’t mind the elements, I’d say you don’t want to stay here more than 2-3 nights. It’s also pretty pricey given that it is glamping, so personally I’d rather spend that money on a proper room in another stop of the trip than on another night of glamping.

NEXT TIME

I’d be sure to book one of the stargazing tents. There are only a few and they go fast so my recommendation is to book your trip as as far in advance as possible!

We had originally planned to get up before the sun and head into the park, which is what I would recommend doing. However, we decided at the last minute to just enjoy Under Canvas and that we would make another trip back to see the Grand Canyon again soon. So we sipped coffee on our porch, took a walk around the property, ate some breakfast and checked out around 11am to hit the road to Albuquerque. Plus, the property we stayed at in Albuquerque was one that had been on my list for years, so I wanted to get there as soon as possible to enjoy it for as long as possible.

DRIVING ROUTE //

From Under Canvas, get to AZ-64 S
From AZ-64 S, turn left and merge onto I-40 E towards Flagstaff
Stay on I-40 E for 347 miles
From I-40 E, take exit 155 for Coors Blvd (Albuquerque, NM)
Merge onto Coors Blvd NW
Turn right onto Montano Rd NW
From Montano Rd NW, turn left onto Tierra Viva Pl and follow until Los Poblanos Inn

WHERE TO STAY // LOS POBLANOS INN

This property…I mean, there are just no words. It’s so stunning and so unique. Think farm meets flower gardens meets delicious food meets beautiful Southwestern-style architecture. They have a massive lavender field (it, sadly, wasn’t in bloom while we were there so I’m dying to go back when it is), so you’ll see lavender used throughout the property in various products in the rooms, in their store and on the menu of their on-site restaurant. They also have a huge garden, the produce of which is featured in many of the restaurant’s dishes. There’s also a pond, a rose garden, a pool, a gym, some adorable farm animals and a variety of accommodations, depending on where you stay on the property.

CAMPO,

their on-site restaurant, is open for brunch/lunch and dinner (note- you don’t have to stay at the property to eat here). We ate here for dinner, and the meal was beyond incredible.

They also have a bakery/provisions shop on site (again, you don’t need to be staying at the inn to go here), where we grabbed things for brunch in our room. They have tons of pastries (Don’t sleep on the cinnamon roll!), fresh bread, specialty coffee drinks, prepared salads and sandwiches (they go quickly) for lunch, and lots of great grab and go options (like things to make a charcuterie picnic) plus pantry items (like locally made items and sauces and honey made on their farm), jewelry, home goods, garden-ware and a variety of other items (it’s a great place to get souvenirs and/or gifts!).

At approximately one hour drive apart between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, this was our shortest drive of the whole trip. Like I mentioned up above, we were meeting Dave’s dad and his wife in Santa Fe, so we tried to time our drive to arrive around the time they got in. We had brunch at Los Poblanos, checked out and a short hop, skip and jump later we were in Santa Fe.

DRIVING ROUTE //

From Albuquerque, take I-25 N to Santa Fe
Take exit 284 for NM-466N/Old Pecos Trail
Depending on destination, follow signs for Santa Fe

WHERE WE STAYED //AN AIRBNB

If you’re going with a group, renting a house is definitely the way to go. And if this is your first time visiting Santa Fe, this particular AIRBNB is a great option, especially if you won’t have a car, as it’s just a few minutes walk to the downtown area (aka where many attractions and restaurants are), but still set back in a quiet neighborhood if you want something peaceful and relaxing. I will note the master bedroom and bathroom are significantly larger and better (there’s a fireplace, private deck, a tub in the bathroom, etc) than the downstairs second bathroom (which is quite small, has carpet, no tub). Nothing is wrong with the bedroom, but I will say I don’t think they advertise the second bed/bath properly, so I just want to give a heads up.

WHERE WE ATE //

35 North Coffee

My favorite coffee shop in Santa Fe; be sure to get a beverage with one of their house-made syrups (I love the lavender and salted caramel ones)

The Shed

A Sante Fe classic; expect a bit of a wait as it’s always busy (for lunch, I suggest putting your name on the list about an hour before you actually want to eat); I always love getting one of their burritos, smothered, Christmas-style (which basically just means it’s covered in both red and green chili sauce)

Estevan

This was probably my fvaorite dinner (and meal) of this trip to Santa Fe; highly recommend if you’re looking for something a little fancier with plenty of local flavors, meats and produce

Chez Mamou

If you’re craving French food, this is a good spot to check out. Nothing fancy, but still yummy

Vanessie

The food here is nothing to write home about (imo)…it wasn’t terrible, it was good, but also nothing special. However, service was great and the real reason I’m including this place on my list is because of the live entertainment and music that they have, which was great and definitely worth it. The place does get packed due to that so I would recommend making a reservation if you’re planning to go (side note- they also have a bar, so my advice would be to skip the food, just grab drinks and enjoy the entertainment over a beverage instead!).

Dolina

Another very popular place that had such a long wait time, we decided to just order take-out instead; they’re especially known for having great breakfast, delicious pastries and one of the best breakfast burritos in Santa Fe (again, get it smother, Christmas style, and thank me later!)

Kakawa Chocolate

Another Santa Fe classic, you literally can’t go wrong with anything here; I love the chocolates and truffles (especially some of the ones made with local flavors, like prickly pear), their ice cream and milkshakes are amazing, and, on cooler days, I love their drinking chocolate elixirs (basically like an upgraded version of hot chocolate).

Bread Shop

A pop-up of sorts, tucked away in a more artsy/industrial area, it’s 1000% worth going to; the green olive + preserved lemon focaccia is to-die for and don’t forget to order The Cookie (in fact, order two while you’re at it!) and be sure to order ahead for pick-up as they run out of things quickly

WHAT WE DID //

The Turquoise Trail

A perfect day trip adventure. It’s basically a scenic drive between Santa Fe and Albuquerque so ideally I would recommend doing it on a day when you’re going between your next stops (from Albuquerque to stay in Santa Fe or from Santa Fe to stay in Albuquerque), but it’s also a great if you want to just do it as a day trip then hop on the highway and head back to your destination.

The drive itself is quite pretty and you’ll definitely want to plan to pull over to snap photos along the way. There are also various small town stops you can make along the way, depending on what you want to see and do, from art galleries to shops to food. We stopped at a few thrift stores that were right alongside the road as well as these two towns-

Cerrillos

We stopped at the Casa Grande Trading Post, which was great for picking up souvenirs and local-type knick knacks. They also had a cute little petting zoo.

Madrid

Definitely the town with more things in it; there were several restaurants, a coffee shop, a spot to get ice cream, a unique chocolate store and some art galleries; we went to the The Mine Shaft Tavern for lunch, and I’m telling you, do not be fooled by the dive vibe of this place..they had one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time. It was the Green Chili burger (you can select the type of meat…we chose the locally farmed bison meat), and the prickly pear margarita was one of the best I’ve had, as well!

Cross of the Martyrs Trail

Don’t be fooled by the name, this trail takes all of 10 minutes to get to the top (or you can skip the stairs and park at the parking lot at the top), but it’s a great spot to take in sunset over the city.

I love visiting thrift shops in Santa Fe (this time we checked out The Raven Fine Consignment + Congeries) as there always so many great hidden gems and fun things to look at (and maybe even buy!).

Stroll the through the art galleries on Canyon Road (we walked around on our own, but if you prefer there are guided tour options available)

IF WE HAD MORE TIME //

Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs (they have a hotel on-site, but you can also go just to visit the springs and they also have a location in Taos, which is the one I really want to go to)

Georgia O’Keefe’s Home + Studio + Ghost Ranch (would especially love to do one of the trail rides here and even stay overnight)

Visit the Farmer’s Market

More hiking (some trail suggestions here and here)

A tequila tasting at Sazón

Check out the Chaco Canyon Ancient Ruins

Spend time at Bandelier National Monument

Eat at Sazón, Cafe Pasquel (sadly, they were still closed due to pandemic restrictions when we were there, but I know they have since re-opened), La Fonda on the Plaza for rooftop happy hour drinks, Geronimo, Modern General Feed + Seed (looks like a good breakfast/lunch spot), Radish & Rye (another one that had been closed due to the pandemic…they were re-opening the week we were there, but they were completely booked up)

Head to TAOS for a few nights- I’m dying to go here and it’s a perfect stop to add on to a trip to Santa Fe as it’s less than 2 hours away.

IDEAL AMOUNT OF TIME TO SPEND HERE //

I love it here so to me there really is never enough time, but in reality you can squeeze quite a bit in a weekend/long weekend trip. I’d say if you’ve never been before, try to go for at least 3 days.

A QUICK NOTE //

This was the only stop on this trip that felt significantly impacted by the current times. Several restaurants were temporarily closed, things book very far in advance and have limited capacity (such as with the Georgia O’Keeffe museum), certain activities were temporally unavailable, reservations were hard to get, etc. Of course, as time goes on regulations and rules are always shifting and changing so I’d just recommend doing research for each activity, restaurant, etc. you want to do beforehand and book activities and make reservations as far in advance as possible.

This day was another long drive, but it was nice because we took a different, more scenic drive so we got to see some new things. For example, I had no idea some of the different (and beautiful) landscapes that we would be driving through in Arizona. We also, unintentionally, timed our drive so that as we made our way into Scottsdale the sun was setting, which made for a beautifully vibrant drive through the Saguaros. While it wasn’t planned, I would suggest making sure you do actually plan it into your own itinerary because it was just so stunning!

DRIVING ROUTE //

From Santa Fe, take I-25 S towards Albuquerque.
From I-25 S, take exit 232 toward NM-423/Paseo Del Norte
Take the State Route 448
Turn left onto Coors Blvd, make your next right onto Western Trail NW, and then make your next right to reach the Petroglyph National Monument
On I-25 S from Albuquerque, take exit 226B for I-40 W toward Gallup
Stay on I-40 W for 231 miles
Take exit 286 for I-40BL/AZ-77 S towards Scottsdale
Get onto AZ-377 S and stay on for 34 miles
Turn right onto AZ-277 S and stay on for 6.8 miles
Turn right onto AZ-260 W and stay on for 53 miles, and follow signs for AZ-87
Stay on AZ-87 for 71 miles and follow signs for Scottsdale

*Skip steps 2-4 if not stopping to see the petroglyphs.

STOPS WE MADE //

We started off by picking up a few things to eat in the car (from Dolina and Bread Shop, both of which I mentioned up above) before leaving Santa fe since we weren’t sure there would be many other food options between Santa Fe and Scottsdale.

Close to Albuquerque, we decided to stop at the Petroglyph National Monument. I’ve always been fascinated by petroglyphs so I found this place to be especially cool. There are a few different areas you can go within the monument, including a visitor center and several hiking trails. Since we didn’t have too long to stop, we opted for the shorter trail, Boca Negra, where you can see over 100 petroglyphs.

While the hike is short, it is steep, but there are still some petroglyphs you can see without having to really hike up or go far from the parking area, so if you’re short on time, or unable to do a hike, it’s still a good place to check out. Just note- we went around midday (in May) and it was blazing hot and there isn’t much in the way of shade, so I wouldn’t do this hike if you don’t have plenty of water and sunscreen (we were dying and we had tons of water). There are also bathrooms and a few picnic areas (if you’re so inclined to eat out in the heat). This specific area is open 8:30-4:30pm, daily, with last entrance at 4pm. The parking fee is $2.

Some additional things to see or stop along this route are the Petrified National Forest in New Mexico, the Apache Sitgreaves and Tonto National Forest(s). Also, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the wild horses in New Mexico and stop and see any of the vast amounts of Saguaro cacti in Arizona.

WHERE WE STAYED // THE SCOTT

This spot has been on my list to stay for a while so I was excited that we were able to work it into our itinerary. The property is huge and so beautifully decorated. There are two pools, a hot tub, a restaurant, a bar and basically everything you could need right on site, so it was a great place to just relax and hang by the pool, making it perfect for our last stop (Anyone else basically exhausted and not wanting to do anything by the end of a trip?!). One note- I will say there is definitely a party vibe, especially around the pools during the day (and this was when we were there on a Monday so I can’t imagine how it must be on a weekend). Nothing against that at all, more just a heads up in case you’re looking for something more quiet and calm (because this ain’t it ha!).

Since we knew the drive back home to LA wasn’t too long, we decided on our last morning of the trip to take advantage of The Scott’s pools (and the beautiful weather) and relax for a few hours before grabbing lunch and then hitting the road around 3pm, just in time to avoid any rush hour traffic (both in Scottsdale and when we would be arriving back in LA).

DRIVING ROUTE //

From Scottsdale, merge onto AZ-202 Loop W
Follow signs for I-10 W towards Los Angeles
Take the I-10 W exit towards Los Angeles
Stay on I-10 W for 371 miles

IF WE HAD MORE TIME //

I would have loved to do a few local hikes as there are some beautiful hiking trails in the area, such as Camelback Mountain.
Stop by Saguaro National Park for a night or two
Stop in Joshua Tree for a night or two on the way back to LA