The best American road trip across the Southwest includes national parks, scenic hikes, and views galore. Here's where to stop.
Joey Hadden
I think a road trip across the Southwest offers some of the most spectacular views of America.Google Maps, Joey Hadden/Insider
- I love the Southwest, and I planned a road trip through all my favorite destinations.
- The trip starts in Texas and ends in Colorado, covering 3,000 miles of forests, deserts, and mountains.
- My years of road-tripping through the American West inspired this perfect itinerary.
There's something about the American Southwest that I just can't seem to get enough of.
Me on different road trips across the American Southwest.
Joey Hadden/Insider
I've taken at least 10 road trips around western America. I've visited eight states, seven national parks, and several state parks and national forests.
A sign somewhere in New Mexico.
Joey Hadden/Insider
From Texas to Colorado, I made a dream itinerary for the most epic southwestern road trip adventure.
Big Bend National Park in Texas and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
Joey Hadden/Insider
Every time I traveled west, I was on a tight budget. I used freecampsites.net to find campsites like this one each night, and I highly recommend it.
A campsite at Locust Point in Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Free Campsites
These are some of the most beautiful campsites I've ever seen. Using this site will decrease the cost of your trip without compromising your experience.
Me in a tent at a campsite at Gila National Forest in western New Mexico.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Free Campsites
The trip would include five states and cover approximately 3,000 miles of incredibly diverse terrain, including forests, deserts, red rocks, mountains, and valleys.
Google Maps/Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Start in Austin, the easternmost point on the trip. I think it's the best city in Texas. Austin has a great sense of community and plenty of outdoor activities that are cheap or free.
Me in Hope Outdoor Gallery in Austin, Texas.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Some of my favorite free hiking spots are Spicewood Springs and the cliffs next to the Pennybacker Bridge in West Austin.
Spicewood Springs on the left and cliffs on the right.
Joey Hadden/Insider
Cool off from a hike at Barton Springs Pool, a gigantic 3-acre pool fed by natural springs that's typically 68-70° Fahrenheit, according to the City of Austin.
Barton Springs Pool at night.
Joey Hadden/Insider
Source: City of Austin
It takes about seven hours to get from Austin to the first stop: Big Bend National Park.
Big Bend is on the border of Texas and Mexico.
Google Maps
According to Texas Monthly, Big Bend is one of the least-visited national parks in the US, so it's quiet and peaceful. While many parks are overcrowding, Big Bend looks mostly empty in recent photos posted on Instagram.
Big Bend is quieter than more popular national parks.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Texas Monthly, Instagram, Insider
The last time I went to Big Bend, I started off the trip with a sunset hike on the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail.
A landscape on the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
This half-mile hike with almost no elevation made it really easy to relax and enjoy the sunset ...
My travel mates hiking on the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... and to take some beautiful golden-hour landscapes, of course.
A landscape on the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
For a more adventurous hike, check out the Lost Mine Trail. It's 4.8 miles in total, but many people turn around after the one-mile mark, where there are stunning views of Juniper Canyon.
A landscape on the Lost Mine Trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Planet Ware
But if you have the whole day, I highly recommend making the trek all the way to the top.
A view from the end of the trial.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Planet Ware
When I made it up there, I spent about an hour reflecting on this peaceful summit, and I was proud that I didn't turn around earlier. It felt good to work hard for this view.
Cheerful me at the top of the trek.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The last time I was in Big Bend, I ended the trip at the Santa Elena Canyon Trail. This hike features some of the grandest sites I've seen at Big Bend.
A landscape at Santa Elena Canyon Trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Featured in the 2014 film "Boyhood," this trail is absolutely gorgeous. There are stunning 360-degree views throughout the entire hike.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
After Big Bend, I would drive into New Mexico for a handful of epic sites - the first of which is Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Google Maps
This drive will take about five hours, but the route is scenic. Be sure to make a reservation at the caverns before heading there.
My friend driving us from Texas into New Mexico.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: National Park Service
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is comprised of more than 119 limestone caves found underground below the Chihuahuan Desert. You can take an elevator down to the caverns.
A ladder I found in the caves.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: National Parks Service
It's cool and humid inside the caves. Although mostly dark, there are lights placed around the caves, so patrons can see the different shapes, colors, and textures.
Inside the caves.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The caves are inherently ominous and spooky thanks to the shapes found in the limestone and overall darkness down there.
Inside the caves.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The best way to experience this surreal site is to have no agenda.
Inside the caves.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Just get down there with your pals and get lost.
Inside the caves.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
About three hours west of the caverns, you'll find yourself in a place that is the complete opposite of these dark caves: White Sands National Monument. Some areas of the park are currently closed, according to the National Park Service.
White Sands National Monument.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: National Park Service
This area is very bright, and the sand feels like no other. It is soft and silky to the touch, and even on a warm day, the sand was cool.
Laying in the sand was so refreshing.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
After an afternoon in the sand, it's only a 90-minute drive to the next destination.
My friend sitting shotgun on a road trip.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Lincoln National Forest is a great place to set up camp.
A campsite with my friends at Lincoln National Forest.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
This forest has views that overlook south-central New Mexico ...
A viewpoint off the road in Lincoln National Forest.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... and there are some lush trails around the campsites to explore.
My travel mates stopping for a break while hiking in Lincoln National Forest.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
After camping in Lincoln, there's only one more stop in New Mexico, and it's a pretty long drive to get there.
A Bulbasaur plush guides my friends and me through New Mexico.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The next stop of the trip is approximately six hours from Lincoln in another New Mexican forest called Gila National Forest.
Gila National Forest is right on the edge of New Mexico and Arizona.
Google Maps
While it's pretty during the day...
A view from my campsite at Gila National Forest in July 2018.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... the awe of this place doesn't come until nightfall. Inside Gila, there is an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, according to the USDA Forest Service. This means it's one of the best places to view the night sky.
A long exposure shot of the night sky over Gila.
Alan Dyer/Stocktrek Images/Getty Images
Source: USDA Forest Service
In the morning, head to Sedona, Arizona.
A road in Arizona between Gila and Sedona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
It's seven hours northwest of Gila.
Sedona is in central Arizona.
Google Maps
Once you get close to Sedona, you'll start to see houses surrounded by cliffs and trees.
The road to Sedona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Sedona is a beautiful town embedded in red rocks.
A bridge in Sedona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
It almost feels like being on another planet ...
Rock formations surrounding Sedona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... until you get to the town, which has a downtown area full of shops and restaurants.
A street in Sedona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Just a few minutes from town, there are areas to camp.
A free campsite in Sedona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The next stop after Sedona is the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
It's four and a half hours from Sedona.
Northern Arizona.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The drive is this long because you have to drive north of the rim and then down to it.
The route to the rim requires you to backtrack.
Google Maps
But it will be worth it when you see this.
The North Rim viewed from Rainbow Trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
There is plenty to love about the North Rim, and the best views don't even require you to go inside the park ...
A landscape I took from outside of the park.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... but you'll want to pitch a tent.
Me pitching a tent at Locust Point.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Kaibab National Forest, which surrounds the North Rim, is home to my favorite free campsites.
A campsite at Locust Point.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Free Campsites
The fire pits are so close to the edge that you can feel the heat from a campfire while your feet hang over the side of the canyon.
My travel mate at a campsite at Locust point.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Free Campsites
There are trees all around this area - perfect for setting up a hammock.
A hammock in Kaibab.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The campsite is on Rainbow Trail, which is an ideal hike for finding spots to sit down and enjoy the view.
A campsite at Locust Point.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Free Campsites
Sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon makes me feel small. While staring into such a vast, epic site, it's easy to live in the moment and forget about pretty much everything else.
Me enjoying the view from Rainbow Trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Leaving this campsite is the hardest part of every trip ...
My tent from inside of the car.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... but it gets easier once you're back on the road headed towards Zion National Park. It only takes about two hours to get to Zion, which is a national park in southwestern Utah.
On the road.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The free campsites just outside of the park offer starry nights.
A campsite outside of Zion on a hot July night.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Unlike other national parks on this trip, Zion has public transportation that goes through the park. Because of this, a day in Zion requires a little more planning.
A view from the Narrows.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
If I had only one day in Zion, I would hike the Narrows trail.
A view from the Narrows trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The Narrows is a trail that leads you into the river. The river gets deeper and deeper as you go ...
The Narrows in July 2018.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... and the canyons come closing in ...
Looking up from the Narrows.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... and that's why it's called the Narrows!
Me hiking the Narrows in July 2018.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
After a day in Zion, another national park in Utah is certainly worth the stop. Bryce Canyon National Park is about 90 minutes northwest of Zion, and it's one of the most other-worldly destinations on this entire trip.
A viewpoint at Bryce Canyon.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Hike the one-mile Bristlecone Loop for spectacular views like this one, as Trip Advisor suggests ...
The view at the end of the trail.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: Trip Advisor
... or just drive around and catch the viewpoints.
Me smiling at a viewpoint.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Just like Zion, the campsites outside of Bryce Canyon offer a gorgeous view of the night sky.
A starry night at a campsite just outside of Bryce Canyon in July 2018.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
After spending some time in awe of Bryce Canyon, it's time for the final leg of the trip, which just happens to be the longest.
Making sandwiches for myself and my travel mate on the road in 2016.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
The final stop of the trip is Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, where you'll need to make a reservation through October 11, according to the National Park Service.
Rocky Mountain National Park is about 8.5 hours from Bryce Canyon by car.
Google Maps
Source: National Park Service
The coolest thing about this park is that it includes four different ecosystems.
Rocky Mountain tundra.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: National Park Service
That means there are four different groups of animals, plants, geological components, and naturally occurring cycles that work together to sustain their respective systems all in one park.
Rocky Mountain views.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
Source: National Park Service
Seeing this herd of elk grazing the tundra in the Rocky Mountains was an unforgettable experience ...
The tundra in July 2018.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
... and it would be a great way to end your epic road trip through America's Southwest.
A view from the Colorado tundra.
Joey Hadden/Business Insider
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Advertisement