Albuquerque to Phoenix drive: Best stops, distance & time
The distance from Albuquerque to Phoenix by car is 419 miles, with a 6h32m driving time. The best road trip stops on the Albuquerque to Phoenix drive are El Malpais National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and the Mogollon Rim.
Planning an Albuquerque to Phoenix road trip itinerary
The Albuquerque to Phoenix drive connects the biggest cities in New Mexico and Arizona.
Fabulous Albuquerque experiences include a sunrise hot air balloon flight, old town ghost walks, nature tours by bike and guided hops between craft breweries . You can also pay a visit to the castle-like Turquoise Museum and old town food tours focusing on New Mexican flavours.
Great Albuquerque accommodation choices include the historic, adobe-style Casas de Suenos and the old town’s art-filled Hotel Chaco.
A stay in Phoenix is at its best when you explore the surrounding Sonoran Desert. That might be in a hot air balloon flight, on an ATV tour or on a guided sunset hiking adventure. You can also do day tours along the Apache Trail.
For other Phoenix experiences, try a downtown food tour, a street art tour or a spooky nighttime ghost walk.
Attractions that you might wish to buy advance include cell phone-friendly tickets for include Phoenix Zoo, the Sea Life aquarium or a drunk Shakespeare performance.
For Phoenix accommodation options with a bit of character, try the art-splashed Foundre or the resort-like Raintree at Phoenix South Mountain Preserve.
Albuquerque to Phoenix distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Albuquerque to Phoenix is 419 miles. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and 32 minutes.
The best stops to add to an Albuquerque to Phoenix road trip itinerary are El Malpais National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park and the Mogollon Rim.
Albuquerque to Phoenix road trip attractions: El Malpais National Monument
A short diversion to the south from San Rafael, El Malpais National Monument covers a landscape formed by volcanoes. Get a special permit, and you can go caving in the lava tubes. Otherwise, there are several satisfying hiking trails. The 4.8 mile return hike to the top of cinder cone El Calderon is arguably the highlight.
The most popular sight is the Ice Cave by the Bandera Volcano. This is privately owned, and there’s a small charge to enter.
Best stops between Albuquerque and Phoenix: Petrified Forest National Park
Petrified Forest National Park in eastern Arizona gets its name from the vast fossil deposits of petrified wood. Most come from the Late Triassic period, and the short walk to the Giant Logs is arguably the best place to see what it’s all about.
But this national park has much more to it than the petrified wood. It is part of the Painted Desert, and several walking trails show off the multi-coloured Badlands. Try the one mile Blue Mesa Loop or 1.2-mile Tawa Trail from Tawa Point to the Painted Desert Visitor Center for particularly impressive, yet accessible, scenery.
Albuquerque to Phoenix drive: The Mogollon Rim
The Mogollon Rim is an enormous escarpment, dropping dramatically from the Colorado Plateau. It stretches for around 200 miles in northern Arizona.
The Mogollon Rim Visitor Center, explaining the geology and environment, is on the AZ-260 near Hunter Creek. A short branch-off will take you to the Rim Lakes Vista Overlook. A paved, accessible walking trail here brings superb views over Woods Canyon Lake and the surrounding landscape.
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