Writing to you all from Dallas, Texas! It’s been a whirlwind of a month, but Akash & I have officially made the move back to our hometown in Texas. I don’t think I announced it anywhere, but the decision to move back to Dallas happened super quickly. Last time we were in Texas, it came up in conversation, and voila! a month later, we’re back. More about the move some other time, but today I wanted to share about our cross-country trip driving from LA to Dallas.
The last month has actually been packed with road trip staycations, so expect to see some more travel recaps coming very soon! This one was obviously our biggest trip, so I figured it deserved its own post. Even though the trip’s mission was to move our lives back to Texas, we took advantage of the time and saw a ton of spots along the way. I’ll be sharing everything we did on our road trip, including where we stayed and what we ate!
From Los Angeles to Dallas, there are two main routes you can take – one that’s through the northern way, and then one southern. We decided to take the southern route, because the places I wanted to stop by were along that route. Even if you’re not moving, this road trip is a fun one to take!
Los Angeles to Palm Desert & Palm Springs
We’ve done this trip so many times (I’ve got a few posts on Palm Springs here!), so we figured we’d start with something familiar as the first leg of our trip! Head east from Los Angeles for two hours to reach Palm Springs. This is a great time to take advantage of the Cabazon Outlets, if you’re in the mood for some shopping! It’s the most amazing outlet mall, with all the designer outlets you could dream of. Gucci, Prada, Fendi, a new Louboutin store, Reformation, Rag & Bone.. the list goes on. Oh, and a Lululemon outlet too!
Then, you can decide to make a stop in Palm Springs, or keep heading over on the I-10 through Coachella Valley.
Palm Desert to Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree’s only a short 45 minute drive from Palm Springs, and it’s a great national park to check off your list if you haven’t visited! We actually didn’t swing by on this specific trip, since we did a dedicated JT trip just a few weeks before. If y’all are interested in more info on what to do in the area, I’ll write a post on that too.
Joshua Tree to Phoenix & Scottsdale
From the outlet, we headed straight for 4 hours all the way to Phoenix for a lunch stop. There’s quite a bit of stuff you can do in the Phoenix area, so if you’re planning this as a vacation, I’d recommend staying a day either in Phoenix or Scottsdale. Since we’d been driving all day, we decided to stop over at a cute hotel in Scottsdale and chill by the pool for a couple hours.
Scottsdale to Tucson
Head back on the highway and head to Tucson, Arizona! It’s only about an hour and a half to Tucson, where you can stop by Saguaro National Park to see all the cacti. It’s a great place to stop for lunch and get some gas too, before heading on your way.
Tucson to the Arizona/New Mexico Border
A couple hours east of Tucson, you’ll make it to the Arizona/New Mexico border. There’s not anything to do there that I know of, but you can stop for a quick picture at the “Welcome to New Mexico” sign!
Through New Mexico to White Sands National Park
The most exciting stop of the trip! The White Sands are incredibly stunning, let me tell you. One minute, you’re driving through the desert, and all of a sudden you look out the window, and it looks like you’re in a snowstorm. It truly takes your breath away!
I timed our trip to arrive right before sunset, so we could see it while the sun is setting and get to enjoy the beautiful pastels directly after. It was so worth it, and I highly recommend stopping by at sunset, for sure. I mean, just look at these photos if you need convincing?!
One note though – the gift shop has specific hours, so if you’re wanting to grab a souvenir, that’s something to note! We collect magnets from everywhere we visit, and were bummed out that we didn’t get the chance to snag one.
White Sands National Park to El Paso
This may or may not sound stupid, but we were both shocked by the fact that El Paso is actually way more developed than we thought! Even though we both grew up in Texas, Akash & I had the impression that El Paso was a little town in the middle of nowhere. Boy, were we wrong! We stayed at Hotel Indigo in Downtown El Paso, and thoroughly enjoyed our time in the city. The hotel was decent (and really well priced) but we happened to stop by on a Saturday night, and the music from the lounge downstairs was a bit of a nuisance. We were surprised by how many people were at the bar, especially during COVID times… but that’s a story for another day.
Stop by Salt & Honey for an avocado toast that’s out of this world, and if you’re feeling something sweet, pick up their baklava pancakes while you’re at it.
El Paso to Prada Marfa
Prada Marfa is a spot I’ve been wanting to stop by for YEARS! In case you’ve never heard of it before, I’m sure you’ve seen it. It’s the stand alone Prada shop in the middle of nowhere, Texas that’s actually an art exhibit. You can’t actually purchase anything there, ha. It actually added about an hour to our drive, and the Type A efficiency queen inside me had a really hard time deciding whether or not to make the trip, but I’m glad we did. I mean, how often do you find yourself driving through west Texas? We only stopped by for maybe 10 minutes, but it was cool to see. A Texas bucket list item for sure!
Prada Marfa to Odessa/Midland
We stopped here for lunch and gas! To be honest there’s not a whole lot to look at here, but after hours of just Texas plains, it’s nice to see some civilization. If you’re down to add a couple hours to your trip, it might be worth it to stop by Lubbock. Lubbock’s home to Texas Tech University, and there are some things to do there, but I’ve never been personally.
Midland to Dallas/Fort Worth
You made it! I won’t even start on all the things to do in Dallas, because there are just way too many to name. If y’all are interested in a Dallas or Fort Worth guide leave a comment and let me know!
Have any of you made this road trip on the I-10? Let me know where else you stopped by or any of your favorite stops!