Nine States in Nine Days

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The Grand Canyon—you could see it by Day 2.

Fifty years ago, Jack Kerouac took us On the Road. Although he was living out the hippie dream of the Beats, the freedom of just driving off is as appealing now as it was in 1957. And in an age of air travel, it’s easy to forget that getting to a destination can be just as enjoyable as the destination itself. We deal with costly flights, security checks and delayed planes to maximize our time away. But what if you could have all the pleasure and variety of a road trip across the United States in just a week and a half? Here’s the 417 plan for hitting nine states—Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Kansas—in just nine days.

Day 1

Springfield to Santa Fe, New Mexico: 830 miles

If you get your coffee and leave by 6 a.m., you can be feasting on guacamole in Santa Fe by 7 p.m. The day comes to life just before you reach the toll roads past Tulsa. Some of these are manned, but you’ll need exact change for those that aren’t (so bring a big bag of quarters). You can also save time and money by stopping at the service stations located off left exits in the center of the highway rather than paying to get off and back on the road. Wild “Bill” Hoback’s, about an hour outside of Oklahoma City, is one such stop which has both eateries and gas.

You’ll pass by many Indian reservations (up for a pre-Vegas gamble?) in Oklahoma, as well as Garth Brooks’ hometown of Yukon and an intriguing sign for miniature donkeys just before exit 95. The green is big and beautiful as you pass farms and hills, becoming lighter as you edge toward Texas.

You’ll only hop through the top portion of the Lone Star State, but you’ll see ranches and Amarillo as you go. The Gray County Rest Area is a good place to pause for a view; it garners a huge lone star edifice, as well as pristine (and even stylish) amenities. There’s also a small wind turbine museum, which is informative and a useful bartering device if you’re having trouble with the kids… as in: “Keep it down, or it’ll be turbine facts all afternoon.”

The land gets drier as you enter New Mexico, and the sky gets bluer. When you head north to Santa Fe, mountains and stucco houses spring up all around. The hills symmetrically fade back, making each vista an earthy hall of mirrors. As you reach the city, roads become curvy and wide, and you can easily find some traditional Mexican music on the radio to put you in the mood before you find your hotel.

For a luxurious and very Southwestern abode, try the Inn of the Anasazi ($349, 113 Washington Ave., 505-988-3030) right off the city square. For an equally well-located and slightly cheaper stay, try Garrett’s Desert Inn ($99, 311 Old Santa Fe Trail, 505-982-1851).

Santa Fe is full of art, art, art and food. There’s not much nightlife, so the evening is best wiled away in a nice restaurant. El Farol (808 Canyon Road, 505-983-9912), which bills itself as the oldest restaurant in Santa Fe, is a cozy and fashionable tapas eatery. It often has live music (as do restaurants around the city center) and always has tangy, smooth margaritas. And if you’re somehow not exhausted after the dinner and the drive, a small strip of bars (try Cowgirl, 505-982-2565) keeps going well into the night on downtown Guadalupe Street.

Day 2

Santa Fe to the Grand Canyon: 460 miles

From sprawling rugs to modern pottery, the works of artisans fill the shops and often the streets of Santa Fe. Many line Canyon Road and the Plaza, where you can view or buy all day without any chance of exhausting the local artists. There are also hoards of museums, the highlight of which is perhaps that dedicated to the work of Georgia O’Keeffe. The desert icon’s abstract flowers and sculptures have become a source of pride and fame for New Mexico, and you can view the medium-sized gallery in just a few hours (Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, open daily 10 .am.–5 p.m., 217 Johnson St, 505-946-1000, $8 admission).

If art doesn’t particularly ring your bell, you can always catch a flamenco show or an operatic matinee before you head out of town. But you’ll want to be packed up by 5 p.m. The drive into Arizona takes about six hours.

The entrance booths to the Grand Canyon National Park will be open late, and you can purchase a National Parks & Federal Recreation Lands Pass when you arrive. Entrance for a vehicle into the Grand Canyon costs $25, and the pass (which allows unlimited access for an entire year to all parks) is only $80. If you buy the pass, you save more than $100 in entrance fees just for the parks recommended in this story.

Book a campsite online before you go at recreation.gov. Mather Campground is the largest and most equipped on the South Rim, where each spot runs $18 per night.

Day 3

Grand Canyon to Vegas: 270 miles

One of the most particular splendors of the Canyon is that it creeps up on you. After a night on flat ground, surrounded by trees, the enormous vista at Yavapai Observation Point appears suddenly as you walk up to the rim, and it stretches on indefinitely; the layers of rock have stripes betraying their massive age and also making the different reds and browns seem to move in waves. After you soak this up (as best you can), you’ll have to move on to another point to start a hike.

Hermit Trail provides a variety of views and walks. A bus runs from a car park along the west end of the southern rim, stopping at various observation points. You can walk between them on a very flat trail when you like, and at the end there is a steep trail which winds you down into the canyon itself.
You can grab an early dinner at Market Plaza or in one of the towns just outside the Canyon. Then it’s off to Vegas. You’ll want to leave the canyon in light and get to Vegas at night for three reasons: 1) The sunset drive is pinch-me-I’m-dreaming beautiful. 2) The Hoover Dam will have almost no traffic and looks very 007-evildoer-complex in the dark. 3) You will dramatically surmount a hill and see the neon circus of the Las Vegas Strip in all its glory.

You’ll also gain an hour when you get into Nevada, so you’ll likely get to your hotel around 8 or 9 p.m. However, the casinos (and their free-drink bringing waitresses) do not sleep, so you can take your time freshening up.