We had such a good time on our Texas to California road trip! We’ve done the trip between these two states many times (my husband being from Texas and me being from California). We’ve done it fast, and we’ve done it slow. Today I am sharing the itinerary from our most recent road trip from Texas to California and back, which was efficient while also including lots of fun, kid-friendly stops and roadside attractions. If you want to try an alternate route between California and Texas, you should also check out our Route 66 road trip itinerary (ESPECIALLY if you’ve got Disney/Pixar Cars lovers in your family, since I featured a lot of the spots that inspired the Cars movie in that post).
Today’s post is focused on the itinerary and the kid-friendly stops and sight-seeing excursions from this most recent road trip from Texas to California. If your family is new to road tripping, you’ll definitely want to check out my tips for having the best, low-stress family road trip (including lots of car activities for toddlers and young kids). As I share in that post, we try to keep it under a max of 8 hours of driving per day, as that is what seems to work best with our young kids. The Texas to California road trip itinerary that I’m sharing today includes driving days of that amount or less, spaced out over 7 total days on the road. While the itinerary focuses on driving days specifically, I recommend adding a few extra days to your total trip so that you can spend some extra time in places like Los Angeles and the Grand Canyon.
Things to do on a road trip from Texas to California
Our Texas to California road trip itinerary includes where to stay, what to do, and where to eat along your journey. We include many kid-friendly stops and budget-friendly activities, like Roswell, New Mexico, White Sands National Monument, the Cabazon Dinosaurs, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona, Arizona, as well as other fun roadside attractions (we love quirky roadside attractions when we road trip! I always recommend checking out Roadside America’s website for fun roadside attractions before you plan a road trip).
Texas to California road trip itinerary
First, we will start with the drive to California from East Texas. This Texas to California driving route starts in Longview, TX, going through Dallas, TX all the way to Los Angeles, CA.
Day 1
- Departed East Texas (we were there for Christmas with my husband’s family).
- Drive through Dallas, Texas.
- Dinner in Abilene, Texas.
- Spend the night in Hobbs, New Mexico.
Day 2
- Breakfast at the hotel (we try to seek hotels with a free hot breakfast to save time and money).
- Visit Roswell, New Mexico (including a visit to the UFO Museum).
- Drive through Ruidoso, New Mexico.
- Lunch in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
- Visit White Sands National Monument.
- Spend the night in Tucson, Arizona.
Day 3
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Drive through Phoenix, Arizona.
- Lunch in Indio, California (get your first In N’ Out Burger on the journey).
- Drive through Palm Springs, California.
- See the Cabazon Dinosaurs (just west of Palm Springs).
- Arrive at our first destination in Murrieta, California (to spend time with family). You can either explore this area, or spend some time in San Diego before the next steps in the Texas to California road trip itinerary.
Day 4
Note: We stayed in Murrieta for a few days with family, so day 4 is actually “Travel Day 4” and not the 4th day of our trip. We stayed a few days in Los Angeles as well, but we will stick with the road trip/travel days here.
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Drive to Los Angeles, California.
- Lunch at Sugarfish on La Brea (the best sushi you have ever had).
- Visit Hollywood Blvd (Walk of Fame, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the view of the Hollywood sign from the Hollywood and Highland Mall).
- Dinner at your choice of a number of fabulous restaurants in LA (click here for my list of favorite LA restaurants).
California to Texas road trip itinerary
Our return journey took us from Los Angeles back to Austin, where we live. To see some different sights along the way, we took a different driving route from California to Texas.
Day 5
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Drive through Barstow, California, grabbing lunch somewhere in the vicinity. Try not to stop much so you can make it to Grand Canyon South Rim by sunset.
- Sunset at the Grand Canyon.
- Dinner in Grand Canyon Village.
- Spend the night in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Day 6
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Drive to Sedona, Arizona, hike (check out this article on an easy, family-friendly hike in Sedona), and have lunch at Olde Sedona Bar and Grill.
- Drive through Phoenix, Arizona, pick up an early take-out dinner for later. We are big fans of Chino Bandido, and like to eat there whenever we’re going through Phoenix.
- Spend the night in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Day 7
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Souvenir shopping at Saddleblanket in El Paso, Texas.
- Lunch in Fort Stockton, Texas. Don’t forget to visit the “world’s former largest roadrunner statue,” Paisano Pete.
- Arrive home in Central Texas, pick up a take-out dinner close to home.
More family road trip resources and itineraries
Interested in planning more family road trip itineraries? Check out these resources.
- Big Sur Coastal Drive Stops
- Family Route 66 Road Trip Itinerary
- Road Trip from Austin to New Orleans
- Southern U.S. Road Trip Driving Playlist
- Southern U.S. Family Road Trip Route and Recommendations
- Route and Recommendations for a Road Trip Through the U.S. Southwest
- Itinerary and Recommendations for a Family Road Trip from Texas to Washington, DC
- Route and recommendations for planning the ultimate Midwest baseball road trip
- Connecting with my family and personal history in the U.K. with Kia
- One-Day Road Trip Through Wales – Seeking Ancient Ruins, Dragons, and Castles
- The Ultimate UK Road Trip Itinerary – Driving Around England, Scotland, and Wales with the Family
- Family Road Trip Packing List
- Tips for having the best, low-stress family road trip (including lots of car activities for toddlers and young kids)
- DIY road trip activities folder for toddlers and young kids
- Super Easy DIY Hanging Organizer for Your Next Family Road Trip
Papi Cruz says
Wow! What an amazing trip you had. Amazing as well were the experiences you gave to your children.
Laura V says
Looks like fun!! What hotels do you recommend? Our summer vacation is going to be similar to yours. However, I don't have any idea where to stay.
thanks
Laura
ramonaruby says
@Laura that will be a fun trip! I am a Hilton gal, so I tend to seek out hotels in the Hilton family (Hampton Inns are great because they have free breakfast), either to collect more Hilton points, or using free nights with my points. The good thing is there are Hilton family hotels almost everywhere, so I just search on the Hilton website or app for the cities we want to stay in along the way.
Carlos Silva says
That was a nice road trip.
Me and my family will do the same next year. From Los Angeles to Austin.
After 4 years living in California it is 120% clear that this states is not for us, not for our values as family. So we bought a house in Austin and next year we will move permanently to Texas 🙂
Ramona Cruz-Peters says
Best of luck with your move! I bet you’ll love Austin. Next time you do the drive, Route 66 is another fun route to try. Here are some suggestions for that drive: https://fabeveryday.com/2014/04/travel-tuesday-family-route-66-road-trip.html