From Vegas to Texas, and EVERYTHING in between, we had the most epic road trip touring the Great American South West! Road trips are sometimes dreaded… but this was a trip for the books! We never got tired of being on the road and found infinite adventures along the way. V and I took 3 weeks for our road trip, and we know not everyone has that amount of time, but you could cut out a couple things if absolutely necessary. While doing so though, we had one of our favorite vacations ever, and I want to share with you just how we made this happen. I have written blogs about each place individually, so below is just a recap of each place, and I attached our vlogs. Be sure to click home at the top and go to each blog for further details on each place.
First Stop: Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS. I mean you can’t do the American South West and NOT go to Vegas. As you probably know, we are from Houston, (H TOWN baby) and so we flew in to Vegas from there. We spent three days exploring Vegas and doing everything we could, from walking the strip, seeing the Bellagio fountains, going to the wildlife habitat at the Flamingo, eating at Bruxies, having the most fun on Fremont Street, and everything in between. There is no place like Vegas and so we highly suggest you make this a stop on your trip. We liked starting here, because everything got a little calmer afterwards, but only a little. For more on what we did while in Vegas, be sure to check out our VLOG here. From Vegas we actually took a day trip so this is kind of our next stop, but we do come back for the night. Even though we are still in Vegas, it deserves it’s own block so here it is…
The Grand Canyon: West Rim
We took a day trip from Vegas to the Grand Canyon West Rim and to the Hoover Dam and it was an amazing experience! The Grand Canyon is something you HAVE to experience in your life time. In my blog I go into the details about how we got there, what all is included, and the length, but now I am just here to tell you to GO! You will love it and leave mesmerized by it’s views. Taking this day trip is easy as they have companies who pick you up near your hotel and take care of everything, so you can just enjoy. After we finished seeing this amazing gift from mother nature, we headed back to Vegas for our final evening. To see more about our trip to the Grand Canyon, check out our VLOG here. After this, we rented a car from ALAMO and started driving to our next destination…
PAGE, AZ
What in the world is there to do in Page, AZ?! If you are asking this…. you must check out our vlog, like NOW! Don’t even keep reading until you see the beauties that Page has to offer. Ever heard of Horse Shoe Bend? How about Antelope Canyon? Oh you know, just two of God’s great gifts to Earth and they are both located in this majestic city. Page is also home to Lake Powell, making this city a MUST VISIT for everyone! I promise you will not regret staying in this city. Be sure to add this to your road trip bucket list, and we suggest while there, you stay in a Hogan. To watch the VLOG on this one, click here. Next we hit the road again, but before we make it to our next destination, we make a pit stop at…
Four Corners
We have all heard about Four Corners growing up, right?! I remember thinking how cool it would be to go there one day and to be in FOUR places at ONCE! Well, I went… and IT WAS! It was so cool! It’s fun to be able to say that you’ve done it. It goes pretty quickly and you are limited to three pictures, as people are lined up, but if you are road tripping from one of the four states to another (Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico) then you should go. They have local tribes selling jewelry and other items, as well as food. It is a quick and fun stop, that makes any road trip in the South West a little better. Check out our VLOG on Four Corners here.
Taos, NM
It’s hard to say this because we had so much fun on all the stops we made along the way, but this city has to be the most unique and exciting stop we had! Taos is an incredible city filled with so much history, culture, art, Pueblos, Pow Wows, nature and straight up fun. You cannot grasp the wonderment of Taos in just this small blurb, so you got to check out my blog on the home page. Also, to really get a feel for the Taos experience, please check out the VLOG here. Taos is a city you cannot cut out on your upcoming South West road trip! You would definitely be missing out. Next we make a few more stops on our way to the next destination…
Chimayo
So we had been on the road for quite a few days now and needed to stop and reconnect, and Chimayo was the perfect place for this. We made a stop here while driving from Taos to our next destination, Santa Fe, and I am so glad we did. As I talk about in my blog, Chimayo has a cathedral, statues, and prayer walls/books to pay tribute to and connect spiritually. Whether you are religious or not, it is a great stop on your road trip that will truly humble you and give you that home away from home feeling you need while on the road for days or weeks at a time. To see for yourself what to expect when you stop at Chimayo, check out our VLOG here.
Nambe Falls
This gem is so worth the stop when en route to Santa Fe form Taos as well. We spent maybe an hour here, and it was my favorite hour of the entire trip. It is so beautiful and relaxing, I want to go back already. We pulled in, parked, and went for a 10 minute hike to see Nambe Falls. When there, a park ranger will guide you and tell you which route to take, so no need to worry. This is a great spot to come, cook out, hike, swim, and even camp. You could make a whole stop out of it, but we were anxious to get to Santa Fe so we just got in for a bit and headed out. To capture the true essence of this place, be sure to check out our VLOG here.
Santa Fe
We spent a day and a half and Santa Fe and went non stop the entire time. This city had so much to offer, and we didn’t want to miss a thing. We highly suggest when there you go to Meow Wolf and then pretty much spend the rest of the day in the down town plaza area. There is SO MUCH to see in that one area. From the Cathedral, to the Loretto Staircase, to roof top bars, the galleries, markets, down town square and the street food, you will be busy for hours. Santa Fe is a big city with a small town vibe, and has lots of heart. This is another MUST do on your South West Road Trip, or even a trip you should make on it’s own. For more on our Santa Fe day, check out our VLOG here.
Turquoise Trail
So this is the route you MUST take when traveling from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, the Turquoise Trail. We had no idea about this, and luckily someone told us about it when we were in Santa Fe, the night before we left. We originally would have taken the highway and missed out on this epic adventure. Along the way there were a few different art galleries that are just outside for you to walk up and explore, and they are truly one of a kind. One was made of giant origami and another one looks like it could be the set of a scary movie. We then went to Madrid (no not Spain… Madrid, NM) which is pronounced MAD-rid. This city was amazing! It is pretty much set up to be a great drive through city. It’s the old mining city so it has a lot of history. MY favorite part was the Connie’s Photo Park, which had multiple cut outs for you to go and take a picture. There are so many things to do along the way of the Turquoise Trail, check them out at our VLOG here. So if you plan to travel from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, this is the route you NEED to take.
Albuquerque
We were only here for one day, so we know we missed out on a lot of it’s greatness, but Albuquerque is a great stop along the way on your road trip. If you are a Breaking Bad fan, this is a must for you! We saw the grave of Walter White here, and they have lot’s of tours. While here, we drove down the world famous Route 66 and heard the Musical Highway, as well as ate at a diner and I definitely got my kicks. 😉 We also did a ghost tour after exploring the plaza area, which was equally creepy and fun! We do not have a VLOG on just Albuquerque, but check out the VLOG at the bottom of this page to see more.
Hatch, NM
If you love green chili peppers in/with your food as much as we do, you have to make a stop in Hatch New Mexico. It is only about an hour and a half outside of our final destination, El Paso, and it was so worth it. We stopped at Sparky’s and had our favorite meal yet and the ambiance here was one of a kind. They have statues of different pop culture icons you know and love such as Uncle Sam, a KFC bucket, Yogi Bear and more. IT makes for great picture opportunities and even more fun times! Go in and get the hatch green chili burger, and fall in love with it. I can’t wait to go back here. Note that they are only open Thursday-Sunday, so plan accordingly. To see more about our adventures in Hatch, NM check out our VLOG here.
El Paso, TX
V and I spent a week and a half in El Paso alone and not once did we run out of things to do! El Paso is truly a gem that every one needs to go and experience. I mean, it has it all! You can hike mountains, follow mission trails, enjoy a nice down town plaza, party it up, experience the river, eat the best food, and even cross a bridge into another country! I mean this is just a few of the options you have while here. V is from here so we travel to El Paso at least twice a year, and every time we go we find something new to do! I have so much love for this city and I highly suggest you make it a part of your Road Trip. To see more on what to do when in El Paso, check out our VLOG here.
Final Stop: Mission Trail
The Mission Trail is something you must do in El Paso, and yes it deserves it’s own blog mention/vlog. It took us half a day to explore the Mission Trail and it was an incredible experience. You will travel through three Missions, the Ysleta, then Socorro, and finally the San Elizario Mission. It will provide you with more history on how El Paso came to be and the true Wild West. In the Saneli mission, you can see the jail best known for being the only jail Billy the Kidd broke IN to. You need to go and experience this place when in El Paso. For more on the Mission Trail itself, check out our VLOG here.
From El Paso we returned our rental car and hopped on a plane back home and back to reality. We truly had an amazing experience traveling the Great American South West, and I hope you get the chance to experience the same. It was 3 weeks of non stop adventure and I can’t wait to do something like it again. If you would like more details on each place, again please check out our blogs/vlogs. I had to much fun sharing this journey through these blogs the past 6 weeks, and it feels like summer has truly ended now that I am done with them.
As always feel free to comment below or message us with any questions you may have or tips of your own for our fellow travelers. We would love to help you have the best trip imaginable. 🙂
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Until next time…. XOXO ❤
KASVENTURES 