There is a moment, somewhere past the last Los Angeles exit, when the city finally lets go and I-10 and I-20 opens up ahead of you. That is the start of one of the most driven routes in America: roughly 1,435 miles and 21 hours of wheel time to Dallas. Done right, it is not a slog. It is a string of good towns, better food stops and a couple of sights worth the detour.
Open this route in XCRSNLeaving Los Angeles
Aim to clear Los Angeles before the morning rush, or after it, never in it. Fill the tank on the edge of town where prices usually drop, set the playlist, and settle in for the first 494 miles to Tucson.
The headline stop on this route is Saguaro National Park. Leave real time for it; it sets the tone for the whole trip.
Tucson
Tucson sits about 494 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Nearby, Franklin Mountains in El Paso is worth the short detour if the day is going well.
El Paso, the last stretch
El Paso sits about 792 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Rolling into Dallas
The final 642 miles always go faster than you expect. Save a little energy for West Texas big-sky stretches; it is a fitting finish.
By the end you will have seen Saguaro National Park, Franklin Mountains in El Paso and West Texas big-sky stretches, and you will understand why this corridor is a classic.
When to go and how to pace it
Split the drive near the halfway mark. Most travelers sleep in Tucson, AZ and El Paso, TX, which keeps each day under eight hours and leaves time for the stops that make the trip.
Check live gas prices along I-10 and I-20 before you go; they can swing a lot from one state or county to the next. XCRSN prices every leg for your exact car.
