In the summer of 2024, I hit the road for a grand tour of the American West—miles of highway, towering mountains, endless deserts, and, of course, the occasional gas station burrito. From iconic national parks to quirky small towns, the trip was equal parts breathtaking and chaotic (because what’s a road trip without a few wrong turns?).
If you’re plotting your own Western adventure for 2025, consider this your blueprint—complete with highlights, must-see stops, and a few hard-earned lessons from life on the road.
Article by Ty Christopher Olsen
Road-Tripping the West: Inspiration for Your 2025 Adventure
8/13: Goliad to Marathon, TX
8/14: Marathon, TX to Santa Fe, NM
8/15: Santa Fe, NM to Sedona, AZ
8/17: Sedona, AZ to Grand Canyon
8/18: Grand Canyon to Zion National Park, UT
8/19: Zion National Park, UT to Las Vegas, NV
8/20: Las Vegas, NV to Santa Barbara, CA
8/25: Santa Barbara, CA to Pasadena, CA
8/26: Pasadena, CA to Tucson, AZ
8/27: Tucson, AZ to Marfa, TX
8/28: Marfa, TX to Goliad
A couple of months ago Elizabeth and I decided that after enduring one summer in South Texas, there was no way that my body could survive another – scorching temperatures, high humidity, mosquitos, snakes, thunderstorms, and did I mention, more mosquitos? So, we made a spontaneous decision: a road trip was in order. No set date, just whenever we had some free time. That moment came in early August.
With only a couple of days to prepare, knowing only that we were heading west with a few vague ideas of stops along the way—and no hotel reservations—we packed our bags. We loaded the car, made sure there was plenty of dog food (because, of course, bringing along two dogs seemed like the smart thing to do), and hit the road.
I mentioned the trip to a few people; most of whom wondered why I thought it was a good idea. I told them I needed a break from the heat. Little did I realize, thanks to my challenged geographical mind, that we were headed to some of the only places in the US even hotter than Texas!
Well, here is a brief recap of how things went…..
8/13: Goliad, TX to Marathon, TX:
First off, I don’t like driving. Having lived most of my life in Southern California, you might know why – it takes 2 hours to go 10 miles! Well, in Texas, you can drive for nearly 2 days and still be in the same damn state! The first leg of our trip began in Goliad, TX. For those of you unfamiliar with it, good luck finding it on a map! It’s about 100 miles south of Austin, nestled next to… well, not much of anything.
I should have also mentioned that one of the dogs is a 9-month-old puppy who has gotten violently car sick since the day we got her. After a few visits to the vet about the motion sickness and taking in some training ideas from numerous untrained people, we figured she would be okay, with the help of some sedatives. I am happy to announce that we made it almost 45 minutes before she drooled about 10oz of saliva and finally spit up her breakfast. That was the point that I realized that I forgot all the medications that the vet recommended.
After some quick house cleaning, it was back on the road for what might possibly have been the most uneventful, mind-numbing drive ever endured. Imagine yourself sitting in the car staring into space without anything moving, not even a curve in the road for 7 hours! It never dawned on me as to how many turns and curves there are everywhere in the world, except for middle America. I can just imagine the briefing of the Highway Commission when they were designing the road…… “Go that way until you run out of asphalt and we can figure it out from there.”
I was told that a good first stop would be The Gage Hotel in Marathon, TX. Thank goodness for the GPS, because if I had blinked, we would have missed it entirely. It turns out The Gage Hotel has quite a bit of history and attracts visitors from all over the U.S, especially those headed to Big Bend National Park which is about 30 minutes away. As it happens, The Gage is pretty much all there is to Marathon—they own the market, the coffee shop, the souvenir shop, the wine shop, and the gallery. They may even own the bank, which conveniently operates Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
We spent the night in a charming casita next to the Gage Gardens, a stunning 27-acre park where the dogs could finally burn off some energy after being cooped up in the car, with only a bathroom break every two hours. Unsurprisingly, they were not big fans of leaving the A/C for the 100°+ heat outside. After walking around for as long as I could tolerate the heat and letting the dogs run free, we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the White Buffalo restaurant at the hotel. If I ever find myself in the area again, I’d definitely stop by for another meal.
8/14: Marathon, TX to Santa Fe, NM:
After a fantastic night sleep, we had a quick walk the next morning, and best chai tea latte ever at the V6 Coffee Bar. Then it was back on the road.
Over dinner, we decided that our next stop would be Santa Fe. I’d love to give you all the details of the drive, but to save you some time, just refer to the earlier description and tack on another 481 miles! One thing I have to mention, though, is the bit of culture shock I experienced passing through Roswell, NM. I couldn’t help but feel for the locals who live in a place where everything—from stores and restaurants to tire shops and museums—is alien-themed. Even the McDonald’s arches were Martian green!
We had heard from several people that Santa Fe was a “must-see” destination. While the adobe-style architecture, with its earthy tones and flat roofs, is certainly iconic, it seemed like there was a uniformity to the look throughout the city. It gave the town a distinct and cohesive charm, though I did wonder if there might be just one architect and contractor for the whole area!
If you’re into turquoise jewelry and Native American art, this place is your dream come true. Galleries and shops are everywhere, offering silver-and-turquoise everything, along with pottery and paintings. Fair warning, though: a lot of it looks pretty similar, so finding the real hidden gems means wading through some touristy clutter.
We spent the night at a lackluster “upscale Marriott” that, predictably, was designed by the sole architect in the state. We dined at The Shed, where they served the usual Southwestern fare and and hit us with the classic “red or green?” question.
After a restful sleep and a stroll through the old town with the dogs, followed by a light meal, we were weighing whether to stay or move on. Our decision was quickly influenced when we heard that the town was ramping up for the worlds largest Native American Arts and Crafts Show. We hit the road well before lunch.
8/15: Santa Fe, NM to Sedona, AZ:
A very impromptu decision was made to hit the road for Sedona, AZ. Now keep in mind, I’ve lived my entire life in the US. I have traveled through, Europe, Mexico, Scandinavia, and Thailand, but realized I hadn’t truly explored America and didn’t know what to expect—anywhere! The drive should’ve taken around six hours, but with doggie potty breaks and a few unplanned stops at touristy spots, it stretched out.
Elizabeth was searching the internet for some fun places to stop along the way to break up the time and came across some winners. First was an area in the middle of nowhere that praised the only location in North America with black lava rock from old volcanos. We didn’t make it out of the parking lot, but Elizabeth did seem to sneak off to steal a lava rock. The next stop was miles off an already barren road—the Petrified Forest. After speaking with a ranger, we found out it would be another 45-minute drive to actually see the forest, so we decided to skip it as well. Thinking the 3rd stop would be a charm, Elizabeth’s google search took us way off into the sunset to again another far off the path on a destination to a massive asteroid crater. After seeing the pictures, it looked a bit interesting, but once we arrived, the area was all gated off. In order to see the massive hole in the ground, we would have to put the dogs in an outdoor kennel at 103° and $50, then purchase $90 in admission tickets to walk into the area. We opted to enjoy the pictures of the crater on her computer with Google Earth and continued.
But it does not stop there! In all her infinite wisdom, she found the “world famous” town of Winslow, AZ! Many of you have heard of the town from the Eagles song, “Take it Easy”. Well, this is certainly the motto for this town of nearly 8,000 residents. The entire town, all 4 blocks of it, are dedicated to the song and how the Eagles stopped there in 1972. Besides the 7 people stopped taking pictures of the wall where the Eagles stood, there was nothing else to see.
I am happy to report, about 5 hours into the drive, the scenery finally changed! It was like I went into another world, all the sudden we were driving through steep mountain roads with huge Pedrosa Pine Trees, flowing creeks, and beautiful homes, I felt like I was going to the ski resort. Once we came out of the wooded areas, we were smack in the middle of the most amazing colorful rock formations that extended an eternity – it was fantastic! I think I finally found my place – Sedona!
We tried to make reservations at L’Auberge, but unfortunately, they were full. We did find a great place just a bit up the street called Sky Rock Resort – it was amazing! The resort was backed up against the mountains with fabulous views from the room and huge patio/deck. We took the dogs for a quick walk to get the lay of the area and got cleaned up. We grabbed some snacks and sat on the deck and watched the sunset.
This was the road trip I was looking for: amazing views, cooler temperatures, relaxing, not a worry for the time being. We walked to the hotel restaurant and had dinner on the patio, listened to some live music. I have to add the music was nice, just as long as you did not listen to the lyrics. It was quite apparent that the young lady singing had a grudge against men, between the original music she wrote and her short commentary between songs. Before turning in for the night, we sat by the fire on our patio and made the unanimous decision that we were staying another day in Sedona.
Elizabeth was up early the next morning to join a group for a yoga class, and I took the pups to do some exploring. After breakfast, we headed out to find some of the hiking areas and streams that were recommended by a few locals at the hotel. They did not disappoint, as it was summertime and many vacationers were in the area, but the places we hit were virtually empty. We did hit a couple of tourist places, like the Chapel of The Holy Cross, no words for this place, amazing! About midafternoon the temperature got a bit high, so we stopped at a great little restaurant for some lunch and headed back to the resort to cool off in the pool. We decided to head to L’Auberge for dinner and to check out the property. In all honesty, I am so happy that we stayed at the Sky Rock Resort. In my opinion, it was such a better property for many reasons. Just to mention a few, the food was subpar, the views were nothing to compare to Sky Rock and the property was more of a commercial hotel feel. After heading back to our place, we sat on the patio enjoying the evening views and decided it was time to move on – next stop Grand Canyon!
8/17: Sedona, AZ to Grand Canyon:
Another routine morning of me tending to the pups while Elizabeth joined the yoga class. We headed out early for a quick 2-hour drive to the Grand Canyon. Again, I have missed seeing all middle America growing up, so naturally I have never seen the Grand Canyon in person. I do have to admit, the pictures do not do it justice – this place is unreal!
During our drive to the Grand Canyon, Elizabeth, being a travel agent, had recently booked a client to stay at a glamping spot. She found the same company had a location at the Grand Canyon and thought it would be good to try it out. We stopped off at Under Canvas, which was just outside of the park to have a look at the property. Trying to keep an open mind, since I had only been camping once in my life as a young teenager, I thought this might be fun. When arriving, to my surprise they had a large tent that was the “lobby area”, restaurant and sitting area, along with numerous tents. The tents were not at all what I expected, fireplaces, patios, hot/cold showers, and toilets, all within your private tent.
After checking the place out, we headed to the park. It was absolutely packed with sightseers, not unexpectedly. We walked along some of the rim with the dogs then headed up to a different lookout point where we walked more along the rim for a few miles. The views were fantastic! Later in the evening we headed back to our “campground” and walked out to the campfire areas to join the other guests for a dinner with s’mores (my first experience) and talking with other visitors.
Even with it raining most of the night, and with the dogs hearing every sound in the wilderness and having to investigate, I slept relatively well. Because of the poor weather, we decided to head out that morning and make our way towards Zion National Park via the Grand Canyon Park.
8/18: Grand Canyon to Zion National Park, UT:
With another short day of driving, only about 2 hours, we started making our way towards Zion National Park. Again, with Elizabeth doing the navigation, mostly by Googling what is near us, we made a suggested stop at Horseshoe Bend. Reiterating again, my ignorance for anything in middle America, I had no idea what Horseshoe Bend was, but once I saw it, it was an unbelievable sight! Our timing to the area was perfect, seeing as though it was a windy and sprinkling, it cut down immensely on the amount of people. Taking the short hike to the viewing area was awesome with the razor like red stones and the sheer cliffs dropping down into Horseshoe Bend. I can see why it is one of the most photographed places for Instagram, so all of you out there that have a thing for the “gram”, you should put this place on your list.
There were a few other places we would have liked to stop, one being The Wave, but you must purchase tickets way in advance for that and having the dogs also limited some of the areas that we could go. Plus, with the weather being pretty crappy, we decided just to continue towards Zion. As we continued, Elizabeth was searching for a place to stay for the night and decided on Zion Mountain Ranch. As we arrived, I swear that we were greeted by 2 polar bears, but happily they were 2 Great Pyrenees dogs that were pets of the ranch owners. Apparently, they are kept around to protect the livestock. Hard to picture that as they were so friendly, and when they were laying down, you could easily mistake them for a bearskin rug. Shortly after that encounter, an off looking chicken walked up to say hello. I kid you not, thing had wings for feet, and eyelashes longer than any fake ones I have ever seen around the city streets.
After an uneventful relaxing night in our cabin, and an early morning wake up by the dogs anxious to get out and explore, Elizabeth took a walk to the lodge for some coffee. When she returned, she graphically confirmed that indeed the Pyrenees dogs were there to protect the livestock and had done a good job during the night!
After moving past that episode, Elizabeth had booked some adventures for us. First up was to go canyoning at some of the slot canyons. When we met our instructor, we learned that yesterday’s heavy rains had turned the path to the canyons into a waist-to-chest-high wade through water. Completely unprepared for that kind of adventure, we decided to pivot and took a guided offroad tour instead, exploring some incredible slot canyons along a different route. Not as much of an adventure of canyoning, but the views were amazing – they did not disappoint! After a quick stop at a local diner for lunch—where everything was proudly advertised as “Ho’ Made” (long story… but rumor has it, the original owner’s wife had a rather colorful past)—we headed back to check on the dogs for a bit.
Next up was a sunset horseback ride. We drove up to another huge ranch and met up with 2 wranglers and a couple other people. We were waiting to be assigned our horses, and I realized no one had asked what our experience level was – fun fact, I’ve never ridden a horse in my life. After hinting about the level of difficulty of the ride to one of the wranglers, they assured me it was a piece of cake. As my name was called out to “Mount Bourbon” (so many things wrong with that statement!), I was motioned over to the horse and told to put my foot in the stirrup. Granted, I get the idea of how to get on a horse and seen it in the movies many times, but the damn stirrup was at about eye level! As I eloquently told the wrangler that that feat was not humanly possible, and I was not a contortionist, she snickered and lowered the stirrup down to a workable level.
Again, without any instruction except to follow the horse in front of you, we headed out. The first 30 minutes, I am not going to lie, I have never felt so unsure of myself in a long time. All I knew is that we were walking along narrow, steep trails, pee, poop and dust flying everywhere and being told about different sights we were looking at. Not sure what they were seeing, but all I saw was my horse’s feet to make sure he didn’t trip and the horse’s ass in front of me -not Elizabeth’s ass, but her horses’!! By the time we wrapped up what I’m told was a two-hour sunset ride—I’ll take their word for it since I never actually looked up—we made it back to the stable. As we walked to the car, Elizabeth asked if I had a good time, and honestly, I did. The only problem? My wrist was ridiculously sore. Turns out, I had been gripping what I thought was a handle on the saddle with a death grip the entire time. Fun fact: it’s not a handle. It’s called a “horn,” and apparently, you’re not supposed to hold onto it. Lesson learned—after the fact.
After a day full of fun and adventure, we headed to the cabin to clean up for dinner. I have often been chastised, since leaving California, that flip flops are not meant for every occasion. I, of course put them on to walk the dark trail down to the lodge for dinner. As we walked looking at the Blue Full Moon, we heard a rustle in the bushes and then rattling. We both stopped, realized it was a rattlesnake – I HATE SNAKES!! But I was glad to be in the company of the brave Elizabeth, who yelled “SNAKE!!!” and ran down the trail, leaving me there. After, I quickly retreated the other way, we met back up at the lodge and had a long discussion over dinner about her survival skills.
8/19: Zion National Park, UT to Las Vegas, NV:
We needed to start moving a bit quicker toward Santa Barbara to make is to a family function in California, so we decided our next stop would be in Las Vegas for a night. Elizabeth was quick to get on the internet on the way there, as there was absolutely nothing to see during the 3 ½ hour, 180-mile drive. Elizabeth had never been to Las Vegas and was shocked that she could get a travel agent rate at one of the more popular hotels for $82.00! We decided to stay at the Vdara because it was a non-smoking and casino free hotel. Nothing against gambling, just nice to not have to walk through it all day. We decided it would probably be best if we boarded the dogs for the night so they would not need to stay in the room. After we got checked in, she decided to pull the trigger on something that she had never done before on her bucket list – she booked a charter flight on a helicopter that flew us over the Hoover Dam, to the Grand Canyon where we landed in the bottom and had the opportunity to see the Canyon from a different perspective, and back to Vegas for a fly over the strip at night. Never thought about doing this but was well worth the time!
We got back to the hotel cleaned up and headed out to see Vegas. We caught the fountain show at the Bellagio, watched some street performers—there may have been some unexpected involvement on our part—made a quick stop at Hell’s Kitchen for a drink, and then headed off to dinner. At dinner, she decided she was going to allow herself $5.00 to gamble! Since she does not know any of the table games, she opted for the slot machines -specifically one you had to pull the lever. After a long search for a machine that still had a 1970’s handle, we found one. She excitedly placed her $5.00 bill into the machine, pulled the handle and won “one credit”. Neither of us knew how much this was, but I told her she definitely won. Then she asked how to cash out! I said you can’t quit after one try; she told me her Dad always said to quit while you’re ahead. After a short discussion, we printed out her voucher and cashed her out. She was the happy winner of $4.00, nearly doubling her winnings, well at least for a short time, as the bug finally caught her and she gave it all plus her $5.00 back to Las Vegas!
My gambling time was nothing short of confusing. I have played blackjack several times in the past, so I allowed myself $100.00 to play with. I never claimed to be a high roller, so I searched for the $10.00 tables, but the lowest one I could find was a $15.00 table. I confidently took a seat, cashed in my $100.00 for chips and laid down my $15.00 bet. Within seconds, I was the most confused person in Vegas. The dealer told me I put the chips out wrong, other players were trying to help me, all I know is that between the dealer putting cards in front of me, the other telling me where to put chips, I have never been so confused in my life. How could the game of blackjack have evolved so much since the last time I played?? To add to my confusion, my $15.00 bet turned into a $65.00 winning hand! How is that possible when I had a 13 showing? My cheerleader, Elizabeth standing faithfully behind me, whispered in my ear, look at the sign on the table you idiot……to say the least, I was surprised to see it read “Vegas Style Texas Hold ‘Em”! In all my infinite wisdom, I had sat at the wrong table, never played poker in my life, and increased my bank by over 50% in one hand – accidently! After tipping the dealer, I did the only intelligent thing so far that night and listened to the other players who said take your money and go home! In true Vegas fashion, we made it back to the hotel well after 1:00am, dessert in hand and went to bed.
8/20: Las Vegas, NV to Santa Barbara, CA:
With a long drive ahead of us, and excited to finally get to Santa Barbara, we hit the road early. After a stop to get the dogs, they had a great time away from us, and some gas, we were on the way to California. Elizabeth was quick to dive into her computer to get some work done, knowing that she was not going to miss ANYTHING on the nearly 6 hour, 350 mile drive. Who could have ever thought of a more uneventful drive as the one between Nevada and California?!?!
After that drive, I thought I would never be so happy to see Santa Barbara! Finally cool temperatures, sun, ocean, beaches and family! The plan was to stay in Santa Barbara for 5 days and just visit with Mom and some family, relax, let the dogs play and run. It was a relief to finally stay put for more than a night or two and not have to wonder where the next stop would be.
8/25: Santa Barbara, CA to Pasadena, CA:
We were up early to make the short 1-hour drive to Pasadena for a family function. But had to find a spot to board the dogs again for the night. The timing was unexpected for the get together, and I certainly did not pack a suit and tie for a cross-country trip, but luckily, I have a brother that was flying in from Ft. Worth that had some items in his closet that I could pull off for the afternoon. Was so great to see my family and extended family for the afternoon and a fun dinner that night.
8/26: Pasadena, CA to Tucson, AZ
8/27: Tucson, AZ to Marfa, TX
8/28: Marfa, TX to Goliad
We made our way out of Los Angeles as early as possible to avoid the infamous commuter traffic. The plan earlier on, was to hit Joshua Tree on the return trip to Texas, but we had already taken longer than planned with all the stops, so we decided next time we will make time for a visit.
We made the trip back to Texas in 3 days, only stopping for gas, dogs and overnight stays. I do have to say, it was easy to tell as we got closer to Texas as the prices went from $5.89 to $2.32! This was my first real road trip and my first time seeing Middle America, and I can definitely say there was a lot I’d been missing. Not sure I need to see all of it again, but I’m happy to have checked plenty off the list.
I also had a revelation: I don’t actually hate driving—I just hate driving in Southern California! After spending my entire adult life in SoCal, where it takes an hour to go absolutely nowhere, it was a refreshing change to drive on roads that actually lead somewhere. No 10,000-car gridlocks, no constant honking, no erratic stop-and-go nonsense, and far fewer, uh… expressive hand gestures.
I can say one thing for certain, the next trip will include more airports, and less gas stations!
