This is our first time heading west. What is the best route to take from Jacksonville, FL to Phoenix, AZ. Also what attractons would you suggest seeing on the way out. And, give me an alternate route coming home along with attractions. Thanks!!!
Options are too numerous to list all, since you don't indicate a priority of time, road preference, or sight seeing.
One option is to go out using the following:
I-10 to Mobile
US98 to Hattiesburg, MS
US49 to Jackson, MS
I-20 to Ft Worth, TX
I-35W north for about five miles to US287
US287 to Amarillo, TX
I-40 to Flagstaff, AZ
I-17 to PHX.
If you want to by pass the Dallas/FTW area then:
take US69 from I-20 at Lindale, TX thru Greenville, TX up to Bells, TX
At Bells, take US82 across to Wichita Falls, TX then US287 to AMA,
thence I-40 as above.
Coming back you can take the alternate route of:
I-10 to Baton Rouge, La,
I-12 back to I-10 (unless you want to stop in New Orleans)
I-10 to JAC.
OR - you can take I-10 to I-20 at Kent, TX to Jackson, TN then the reverse of above.
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Take I-12 around New Orleans. We like to stay around Lafayette- Breaux Bridge, Poches Fish and Camp. New Iberia has the Tabasco factory tour and Shadows on the Teche, a pre civil war plantation-mansion.
Try to hit Houston on a weekend, terrible traffic. Get off I-10 in Texas west of San Antonio and divert south to Alpine, visit Big Bend National Park. Go back up US90 to I-10. Lots to see and do all the way out. Airplane Boneyard, Saguaro National Park, Scottsdale.
Well if you come thru San Antonio you might want to visit the Alamo, which will surprise you. Riverwalk is quite nice for a place to stretch your legs and get something to eat. Both are in the same area which is downtown.
Amarillo is near Palo Duro State Park. We liked it, the road in is on the steep side. They have evening outdoor plays:
New Mexico is packed with places to stop, especially if you come back on I-40. All sorts of National Parks, Carlsbad is a must-see off I-10, White Sands isn't too far away.
Saguaro NM in Arizona is interesting but not when the sun is high. There is a zoo in Tucson, the Desert Museum or something like that. Nogalas isn't too far away if you want to visit Mexico. I would not feel safe leaving my RV in a border parking lot tho.
As mentioned Big Bend can be nice but it is mighty warm in the summer. I would classify it as a visit in the winter park.
I would head east on I-10, stop at San Antonio, catch US285 to Carlsbad in Ft Stockton (you may want to visit the fort there too). The up to Atesia and US82 west to White Sands and Las Cruces. El Paso is best avoided anyway.
If you like indian ruins type parks then you can divert up to Silver City (nice KOA) and go up to Gila Cliffs. The main road has a length limit on it however--ask locally.
Then back on I-10 to Arizona. I'd come back on I-40, there are all sorts of parks, to Amarillo. You can spend a night at Palo Duro and then head south to catch I-20.
We have traveled this route often and frankly don't regard much of anything east of San Antonio as very interesting. That Louisiana tip sounds interesting tho.
Take I-10, route around Sn Antonio and see Johnson's ranch and Fredricksburg. East of Tucson is Benson where you can tour Karchner caverns, Tombstone and Bisbee.
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