Victorville, CA To San Antonio, TX

[phaders]

We are headed to San Antonio, TX from Victorville, CA. Any ideas how to break up the trip into three nights so we don't have to drive too many hours each day of travel?

[wolfe10]

First question is which route?

I 10 is a little shorter.

I 40 is a lot cooler this time of year?

When are you going-- that may help with this question?

[dkreuzen]

I-40 may be cooler but it is in bad shape between Kingman and Flagstaff. I suggest I-10 this time.

[manholt]

El Paso to San Antonio, TX. is a 2 day run at 70+! 

[hermanmullins]

phader,

Have you made the trip yet?

Victorville, CA to San Antonio, TX 1,349 miles, 551 miles in Texas alone.

FYI it is further from El Paso Texas to Texarkana, Texas then it is from Victorville, California to El Paso. 788 vs 814.

Chicago to Texarkana  797 miles vs 814 miles Texarkana to El Paso. 

Just a bit of Texas trivia. 

Herman

[obedb]

Today, reporting points along I-40 to Kingman Az and I-10 to Tuscon Az indicate that  the southern route is a shade cooler. Granted/ spending the night in Flagstaff would be pleasant, but about a 400 mile day to get there from Victorville.  I would take I-10 . It is a shorter drive and if memory serves, fewer pulls.

[wildebill308]

2 hours ago, phaders said:

We are headed to San Antonio, TX from Victorville, CA. Any ideas how to break up the trip into three nights so we don't have to drive too many hours each day of travel?

I think 3 days is already to many hours a day on the road. You can't make the time that you can with a car. If you need to make time I would just go on I-10. Though like Brett said I-40 would be cooler this time of year.

Bill

[BillAdams]

I 10 is shorter but a very boring drive and it will be hot this time of year.  There are many things to see and do along I 40 but will add several 100 miles to the drive depending upon how long you stay on 40.  If you really need to make the trip in 4 driving days (3 over nights) then I 10 is likely the quickest but you could at least go I-40 to Flagstaff about 400 miles and enjoy a cool over night, a trip to the Lowell Observatory (likely some event that night) and then head W or S to I 10 from there.

[tbutler]

Your trip figures to be 1339 miles via I-10.  My numbers below won't add up exactly due to manipulations necessary to get segment mileage with my planner.  Three nights, four days travel means about 300 to 350 miles per day.  Below are four segments that will give you an idea of where each puts you.  From there, you can add or subtract to fine tune your trip.  I could name parks along the way, each of these locations has some parks available and they also have Walmart stores.  In addition there are rest areas if you are inclined to stop at those.  You haven't specified your specific interest as to stopping accommodations so I'll leave that to you.  We use RV Park Reviews (computer based) and AllStays Camp and RV (the mobile phone/ipad app) to find places to stop as we travel.  In cases like this trip we usually set a mileage per day goal and then see how we feel.  If we're slow getting away the first day we'll make it up on a later day.  If the weather is good and we have plenty of daylight we might extend another 50 or 100 miles to find a better stopping spot.  I like to avoid rush hours when navigating cities like Phoenix, Tucson and El Paso.  Tucson is the easiest of these three.  Phoenix is very busy most of the time but becomes near impossible during rush hour times.  El Paso has a kind of N bypass that might be worth it if you don't mind a little mountain driving coming in Woodrow Bean TransMountain Road (near Canutillo, NM) over to the 375 Loop in Texas.  I dislike traveling through El Paso but when on I-10 I'll do it if I can avoid rush hours.  We frequently will try to drive through a large city in the evening just before sunset so that we are leaving the city as the morning rush hour traffic is coming into the city.  The other alternative is to pull up an hour or two short of the city and then plan to get through after 10:00 a.m. the next morning.

Day 1 Victorville to Phoenix, AZ =  356 miles

Day 2 Phoenix to Las Cruces, NM =  391 miles

Day 3 Las Cruces to Fort Stockton, TX = 284 miles

Day 4 Fort Stockton to San Antonio, TX = 312 miles

[tbutler]

The Howell Observatory is operated by Mississippi State University.  In Flagstaff, the Lowell Observatory is the location where Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh in 1930.  They have a great program there including telescope tours, astronomer talks and evening observing for guests if the weather permits.  The view of Flagstaff at night from the Observatory is quite beautiful.  

We do much of the above I-10 drive each fall as we return from northern California or Oregon.  It is boring if you drive it many times as we have but if it is your first time, it lets you see a variety of landscapes.  It is the shortest route and it is as Byron said, there are no challenging grades along that route.  If you need some entertainment driving west Texas, you can count the dead deer along the highway.  Doing that will convince you not to travel in twilight on that stretch of I-10. 

[wildebill308]

We did the 375 loop going to Chandler this spring and it was a good way to miss most of the traffic. 

Bill

[wolfe10]

Better option on El Paso bypass.

From the I 10 east so you don't have to climb that 8% up and then 8% down grade over Trans mountain:

375 north

U.S. 54 north.

Left/north on MLK/3255 which turns into NM 213.

At first intersection, left/west on 404 back to I10.

Very little traffic and no steep grades.  That is the route we took to Chandler.

[BillAdams]

Thanks for the correction Tom.  I knew I should have double checked that name.  I corrected it to Lowell.  Great stop day or night and they also do some solar telescope observation around noon on some days.