Houston to Sedona, Az

1,966 Views | 8 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by Caladan
Gator79
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AG
Taking the family to Sedona (our kids are 7 years old). Looking for suggestions on which route to go and what to do when we get there. Our plan would be to make the trip in 2 days as our kids are really good in the car, but trying to figure out best route and places to stop. Thanks in advance
BSD
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AG
We drove back from the Grand Canyon over two days when COVID hit in March. Since you're asking about going the other way, I'll post this backwards...Memento style. I will say this first because it holds true to this day, it was ass long drive. We split up the drive into two days and stayed in Amarillo.

Day 2: We woke up and went to Cadillac Ranch. It was meh but we checked it off the list. The 9 hour drive to Houston absolutely sucked. We had just seen the Grand Canyon so I didn't have the desire to go to Palo Duro. After such a long day one, I just wanted to get home.

Day 1: But the first day was cool...long...but cool. We drove from Grand Canyon down to the meteor crater by Winslow. That is a definite stop. We also went thru Petrified Forest, which is a cool stop. After that it was a pretty long haul to Amarillo. If I had more time, and if things had been open, I would have wanted go stop at some of the sites in New Mexico. But I got fireworks, a pancho, and a whip at some roadside Dairy Queen, so I was happy.

As far as Sedona itself, I can't help. But I see pics and it looks beautiful.

Caladan
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For best route, I would suggest google maps. For places to stop, if you are going in on I40, I would recommend getting as far as you can on the first day, so you have time to stop at Petrified Forest National Park on the second day. The north entrance is essentially on the highway, which more or less cuts across the middle of the park. The main road through the park goes north, then loops back south to eventually dump you out at the south entrance. From there, it is a short drive back to Holbrook and the highway. The first part of the drive is mainly viewpoints, but once you cross under the highway you get to places where you can hike. I would definitely recommend the trail at Blue Mesa. The landscape there is otherworldly. There are visitor centers at both entrances. You can see quite a lot in just a few hours.

From PFNP, it is a short drive to Meteor Crater, and then another short drive to Flagstaff, then another short drive to Sedona. The drive from Flag. to Sedona is only about 41 miles, but it takes more than an hour as the road drops into a canyon and gets pretty curvy. Right before the road descends into the canyon, you will pass a place on the left side that is like a roadside park/rest stop. The city allows local Native Americans to set up a table to sell their handmade jewelry and other items. Well worth a stop for a few minutes, as the jewelry is quite nice, and priced extremely well. They are quite friendly too. There are restrooms there too, but they have been closed for the entirety of the pandemic, so not likely to be open when you get there.

There are a lot of places to hike around Sedona, so do your research before you go. You will need to find out where you can buy permits and the like. If the weather is clear, you can go up to the small mesa above the city and where the airport is situated and watch the sunset. IIRC there is a restaurant and a bar up there, along with a hotel.

One restaurant we really liked is on the other side of the main road where it intersects with Airport Drive. I think it is called Judy's Restaurant. It is a small restaurant with a cozy interior, good food, and good service.

If you decide to get away from Sedona, you could go SE to Jerome, which is a revitalized mining town in the mountains. I wouldn't go there just to see Jerome, but it is definitely worth a stop for an hour or two if you happen to be driving by.

North of Sedona is of course Flag and the Grand Canyon. If you decide to do GCNP, you have to go through the main (south) entrance. The road to the east entrance is on Navajo land, and is therefore closed due to Covid precautions. If you want to just see the canyon, you could do it fairly easily as a one-day trip from Sedona.

Flagstaff has a nice little downtown area. Unfortunately, the sites of interest around Flagstaff such as Lowell Observatory and the Museum of Northern AZ are closed. If you decide to stay the night in downtown Flag, do NOT stay at the Roadway Inn, even though it has a very convenient location. For outdoor equipment/clothes, we liked Peace Surplus on Bus. 40/Hwy 66 on the edge of the downtown area, and Babbit's right next to the square. Both have very friendly staff.

One place I would *highly* recommend for a meal on I40 is the train station/hotel in Winslow, just one block from the main part of downtown (if you could call it that given Winslow's size). This is one of the historic Harvey House hotels, built in the late 20's. The restaurant there, called The Turquoise Room, is fantastic. It is hard to believe while you are driving through Winslow that there could be a restaurant that nice in the vicinity. And the food is reasonably priced too. And too, even if you aren't hungry, the place is still worth a stop if just to explore and stretch your legs. The place is easy to find - Winslow is pretty small. You could do PFNP in the morning, then get a late lunch at the Turquoise Room, and then drive in to Sedona. Of course that depends on where you spend the night in New Mexico.

C

CanyonAg77
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AG
I'm always a big booster of Palo Duro Canyon, but I can understand it might be underwhelming after the Grand Canyon. At least you can drive through PD.

I'll assume you're taking 287 to I-40. A lot depends on whether you're a drive-straight-through type, or stop and smell the roses. I'll throw out several stops, some off the beaten path a little.

Caprock Canyons if you want to diverge a bit.
Goodnight home, Goodnight, Texas, if you're a Lonesome Dove fan
Palo Duro Canyon
Panhandle Plains Museum, Canyon

Here's the best way to see the Cadillac Ranch: Out the window of your car as you continue down I-40 without stopping.

Adrian, Texas, is the mid-point of Route 66. Not really a stop, unless you're a Route 66 freak, just trivia.
Just across the NM border is Russel's Truck Stop. They have a really cool free car museum inside.
Tucumcari, again for the Route 66 guys, has the best preserved Route 66 hotels and restaurants
Santa Rosa Route 66 segment is interesting, too. The Blue Hole is a neat 10 minute stop.
Moriarity has a great old car museum/wrecking yard

Lots to do in ABQ. Just avoid west ABQ at night. Natural History Museum is good, Nuclear Museum is world class, things you won't see anywhere else. Outdoor display of planes and missiles. Tram or drive up Sandia Peak is cool. A bunch of Route 66 remnants.

ABQ is as far west as I'm familiar with.

An alternate route is TX36 to I-20 to US 84 through Lubbock. Pretty good road, the way I usually go to College Station, because I don't like going through Ft. Worth. The worst stretch is the I-20 portion. 84 to Lubbock is very good.

If you go through Abilene, diverting to Buffalo Gap and doing Perini Ranch is a bucket list item.
In Lubbock, the Ranching Heritage Center (old ranch structures in an outdoor museum) is very good.

On that route, you run through some long stretches with limited services, such as Snyder to Post, or Clovis to Santa Rosa. Some nice western scenery if you've never been that way, just not much fuel food or bathrooms

Didn't mention restaurants, can try to do so if you know where you want to stop.
Caladan
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CanyonAg77 said:


Just across the NM border is Russel's Truck Stop. They have a really cool free car museum inside.

Lots to do in ABQ. Just avoid west ABQ at night. Natural History Museum is good, Nuclear Museum is world class, things you won't see anywhere else.


On that route, you run through some long stretches with limited services, such as Snyder to Post, or Clovis to Santa Rosa. Some nice western scenery if you've never been that way, just not much fuel food or bathrooms

Can 2nd Russell's truck stop. Well worth your time if you need to stretch the legs a bit.

Most of the museums in NM are closed, but a few are open w/strict limits on the number of visitors at any one time. Check before you go.

Services between Lubbock and Clovis are indeed limited, but they are there. Clovis to Santa Rosa is pretty desolate, but there is a gas station between Clovis and Taiban, and several in Ft. Sumner, which is where you would catch Hwy 84 north to link up w/I40 west. NM Highway Patrol really like to patrol the Clovis to Ft. Sumner corridor.

A small part of I40 runs through the Navajo Reservation. At the time of this writing, any gas station on the Reservation will be closed from 8pm Friday to 6am Monday. Plan your gas stops accordingly. Also, and contrary to popular belief, the roads through the Reservation are not closed to the outside world. You can still traverse the Reservation - just be mindful of when and where you can get gas/groceries.

C
Ol_Ag_02
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AG
Was in Sedona a week ago. Such a great place to hike and be outside. Have fun!
gggmann
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AG
If your kids like animals, stop at Bearizona in Williams. As someone mentioned Jerome is pretty neat. It's sort of right on the side of a mountain. Montezuma's Castle is worth visiting too.

As far as on the way, ABQ is good for some green chile infused New Mexican food. I lived there almost 20 years ago. El Pinto and Sadie's were the hot spots at that time. I haven't been back in forever though, so I have no idea where to go now.
CanyonAg77
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AG
Yep El Pinto and Sadies still good. Owl Cafe, lots of others. For breakfast, Weck's.
Ol_Ag_02
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AG
Mile High Grill and Inn eating in Jerome. Best food we had in Arizona.
Caladan
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Ol_Ag_02 said:

Mile High Grill and Inn eating in Jerome. Best food we had in Arizona.
We will make it a point to try it out the next time we are in the area. We have a place about three hours from Flagstaff, so it wouldn't be too far out of the way.
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