For spring break this year, the Fab Fam took a Southwest camping road trip across the US Southwest (from Austin to Big Bend Ranch State Park in West Texas, Page, Arizona for Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, and Zion and Arches National Parks in Utah). Click the links above for specific details on each destination, but today I am sharing our entire Southwest road trip itinerary, route, and recommendations. If you’re looking for a guide for a Southwest national parks road trip, you’ll definitely want to save this post!
Overall we covered five states, about 3,000 miles, and 48 hours of drive time over the course of nine days on our road trip through the Southwest USA. The road trip itinerary I’m sharing today is organized as a round trip from Austin, TX. If you start somewhere other than Texas (from the west coast or any other point along this route) just adjust the schedule to start and end accordingly.
Planning a Southwest road trip with kids
Our family has been road tripping since both our boys were babies, so we’ve come up with a lot of tried-and-true tips along the way. Check out my tips for having the best, low-stress family road trip (including lots of car activities for toddlers and young kids) to help you plan your trip. For our Southwest road trip with the kids, we especially loved breaking up the driving days with fun roadside attractions, like the world’s largest chile pepper, Billy the Kid’s grave, and other cool sights (you’ll see these all detailed in our Southwest road trip itinerary below). We find things like this by checking the Roadside America website after we determine our trip route to learn about all sorts of quirky sights to see along the way. Finally, make sure to print my Family Road Trip Packing List before you go.
Southwest road trip itinerary
The car is loaded up, and the Fab Fam is on the road!
Pit stop in London, TX
I love the quirky things you can find in small towns on the road
The world’s former largest roadrunner statue in Ft. Stockton, TX
BEND RANCH AGUA ADENTRO BACKCOUNTRY ZONE, YEDRA 1-PRIMITIVE WALK IN)
My Junior Rangers with their borrowed gear from the State Park
Sunset in Big Bend – the view from our campsite
G overlooking the flat irons of El Solitario in Big Bend State Park
One of the hidden pools, part of Cinco Tinajas
Photo opp at the Prada Marfa art installation in West Texas
Out in the West Texas town of El Paso…
o Dave’s Pawn Shop (Pancho Villa’s trigger finger, conjoined twin skeleton): 216 S. El Paso St., El Paso, TX
World’s largest chile pepper
The Continental Divide in New Mexico
S. Coppermine Rd., Page, AZ 86040)
2464, Page, AZ 86040
The incredible Antelope Canyon
The iconic horseshoe bend in the Colorado River
The boys loved the dinosaur information at the Grand Staircase-Escalante visitor center
This museum in Kanab, UT had old western movie sets to explore
Hurricane, UT
George, UT. $6 entrance fee (adults).
Hollow Rd, Hurricane, UT 84737)
Lodge, Springdale, UT 84767)
Zion was huge and majestic!
The boys were troopers hiking and exploring
One of Zion’s Emerald Pools
Parowan Gap had a short, easy hike to some dinosaur tracks
Petroglyphs visible from the roadside
The boys were excited to see snow on the side of the road, so we stopped to play
Snowball fight!
A baby snowman!
Blvd, Green River, UT 84525)
to Arches National Park (45 min.)
Delicate Arch
Balanced Rock in Arches National Park
Double Arch
The bean and me in the Window Arch
Click here for more details, photos, and recommendations for Arches National Park.
Rt 66, Santa Rosa, NM 88435)
We read to the boys about Billy the Kid during the trip, so they were excited to visit the museum and see the real grave of William Bonney
That’s it for this year’s spring break road trip! Remember to pin this one for planning your own family Southwest road trip.
Related posts for this Southwest road trip itinerary
- Family Camping Trip in Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas
- Visiting Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ
- One Day in Zion National Park
- Family Trip to Arches National Park
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
- Road Trip from Austin to New Orleans
- Family Road Trip from Texas to California
- Southern USA Road Trip Driving Playlist
- Southern US Family Road Trip Route and Recommendations
- 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)
- Super Easy DIY Hanging Organizer for Your Next Family Road Trip
- DIY road trip activities folder for toddlers and young kids
Anita | Fearless Captivations says
What an awesome trip! Those National Parks are beautiful! It's great how you all broke down the sights and driving. Thank you for sharing!