Amarillo to El Paso road trip: Drive time, distance & best stops
The distance from Amarillo to El Paso by car is 418 miles, with a 6h44m driving time. The best road trip stops to add to an Amarillo to El Paso road trip itinerary are Clovis NM, Roswell NM and White Sands National Park.
Planning an Amarillo to El Paso road trip itinerary
The Amarillo to El Paso drive connects two of the biggest cities in Texas, although most of the journey is through New Mexico.
Amarillo is a classic stop on Route 66. Highlights include Cadillac Ranch, an art installation featuring 10 brightly-painted Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground. You’ll also find the Texas Air and Space Museum here, and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. For the great outdoors, Palo Duro Canyon State Park is just to the south-east of the city.
Interesting Amarillo activities include Route 66 walking tours and scavenger hunts.
For high quality Amarillo accommodation, try the historic Barfield or the spacious Embassy Suites Amarillo Downtown.
El Paso has plenty of stories behind it, some of which are covered on the Ghosts, Haunted Cowboys and Outlaws tour. You can also explore the surrounding landscape on a UTV adventure tour, or going biking, hiking and rock-climbing in Franklin Mountains State Park.
As for other El Paso attractions, the National Border Patrol Museum looks at the work of those who monitor the US’ borders, with a little bit too much emphasis on weaponry. The El Paso Museum of Archaeology, meanwhile, looks at the prehistory of the South West.
To track down the best El Paso hotel deals, head here.
Amarillo to El Paso distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Amarillo to El Paso is 418 miles. You can expect a driving time of around six hours and 44 minutes. The quickest route is via the US-60, US-70 and US-54.
The best stops to add to an Amarillo to El Paso road trip itinerary are Clovis NM, Roswell NM and White Sands National Park.
Best stops between Amarillo and El Paso: Clovis NM
Clovis NM is on the Llano Estacado, and doesn’t exactly have the dramatic scenery you’ll find elsewhere in the state. Nevertheless, you can still pass a couple of hours at the Hillcrest Park Zoo.
Perhaps more interesting, however, is the Norman Petty Recording Studios, where the likes of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison recorded. The Norman and Vi Petty Rock N Roll Museum goes into to more detail about Clovis’ musical legacy.
If you need a bed for the night, compare prices on Clovis hotel deals.
Amarillo to El Paso road trip attractions: Roswell NM
Roswell NM is not the most attractive of towns, but it has gained global fame after the supposed UFO crash in 1947. This has led to a series of attractions delving into the mystery, with the International UFO Museum most prominent.
There’s also the Roswell UFO Spacewalk, a slightly odd blacklight art adventure.
If you want to stay overnight to see if the truth really is out there, look for hotel deals here.
Amarillo to El Paso drive: White Sands National Park
You go to White Sands National Park in New Mexico to be thoroughly dazzled. Part of the Chihuahuan Desert, this national park shows off the world’s largest gypsum dunefield. Waves and waves of startlingly white sand stretch across the horizon, creating an almost wintery landscape when the sun’s rays hit the sand.
The park is to the southwest of Alamogordo NM.
More Amarillo road trips
Abilene to Amarillo | Amarillo to Albuquerque | Amarillo to Austin | Amarillo to Colorado Springs | Dallas to Amarillo | Amarillo to Denver | Amarillo to Flagstaff | Fort Worth to Amarillo | Houston to Amarillo | Lubbock to Amarillo | Amarillo to Oklahoma City | Amarillo to San Antonio | Amarillo to Santa Fe | Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo | Tucumcari to Amarillo | Tulsa to Amarillo.
More El Paso road trips
Abilene to El Paso | El Paso to Albuquerque | Austin to El Paso | El Paso to Colorado Springs | Dallas to El Paso | Denver to El Paso | Fort Worth to El Paso | El Paso to Galveston | Houston to El Paso | El Paso to Phoenix | San Antonio to El Paso | El Paso to Santa Fe | El Paso to Tucson.