Interstate 40 Road Trip Ideas

fjcvisual

Hi Everyone. I will be traveling from Memphis TN, to Los Angeles next week. I have done this trip before, but not taken as much time as this trip. I will be driving over a 4 day period.

I wanted to know if anyone has any specific suggestions not too far off the freeway for taking pictures. Would be very interested in anything Americana related.

Thanks in advance.

Jim

David_S85

There's tons of old Rte. 66 opportunities along the way out west. There's a junkyard with some old cars and trucks right at the border between Arizona and New Mexico. The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest entrances are at I-40. Stop in Winslow for the famous intersection. Meteor Crater is a short drive off the highway. Visit Tucumcari for the 60-some building size murals, but the town is about dead so don't think about staying or eating there. My SM site > Vacations > Sedona has some pics in it of some locations along 40. I always use Google Earth and toggle pics and parks on to find stuff along a route beforehand.

fjcvisual

Now that's what I'm talking about! Thanks David for the information. I am going to be making a list of places along the way and look forward to posting the journey here.

I like the idea of using Google Earth and use the user pics. Great tip.

Thanks again, Jim

kdog

In addition to what David said, you might consider getting off I40 at Seligman, AZ and picking up Rt66 and following that to Kingman. It's only maybe 20 minutes extra on your trip, but you pass through some really cool areas. Lot of old hotel and gas station ruins along the way. Seligman is a cool little town too so check that out.

You can pick up I40 again in Kingman. Or if you want to kill an hour or two, continue on Rt66 to the quirky old mining town of Oatman where abandoned burros roam the streets and bum carrots off of tourists.

"Where's my carrot?"

KingdomSeeker

In Oklahoma City is the memorial to the bombing there. The Cherokee Trading post is just west of OKC. In Clinton, Ok is the Route 66 Museum. Off I-40 west of Amarillo is The Cadillac Ranch. New Mexico and Arizona have tons of Native American related stops. Also the sunsets in NM and Arizona can be spectacular. If you're running ahead of schedule you can stop in Williams, Az and take a train to the Grand Canyon.(If it's running this time of year) I hope these suggestions are helpful to you.

waywardfool

KingdomSeeker wrote: »

In Oklahoma City is the memorial to the bombing there. The Cherokee Trading post is just west of OKC. In Clinton, Ok is the Route 66 Museum.

Cherokee Trading Post. Breakfast. Strawberry waffles. /endthread