Amarillo to Flagstaff road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Amarillo to Flagstaff drive are Santa Rosa NM, Albuquerque NM and Petrified Forest National Park. The distance from Amarillo TX to Flagstaff NM by car is 608 miles, with an 8h47m driving time.
Planning an Amarillo to Flagstaff road trip itinerary
The Amarillo to Flagstaff drive takes you from Texas to Arizona on Route 66.
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.
Flagstaff AZ is largely known as a gateway to the Grand Canyon. You can take a Grand Canyon day tour from here, but you can also do a day trip to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
Other Flagstaff experiences include haunted pub crawls, e-bike tours and an adventure course of wobbly bridges, ropes and ziplines. Stargazing enthusiasts can also take a tour of the Lowell Observatory and the Walnut Canyon National Monument is just to the east of the city. The latter is home to several ancient cliff dwellings.
Good Flagstaff accommodation options include the utterly charming Little America, and the great value Elev8.
Amarillo to Flagstaff distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Amarillo TX to Flagstaff AZ is 608 miles. You can expect a driving time of around eight hours and 47 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40.
The best stops to add to an Amarillo to Flagstaff road trip itinerary are Santa Rosa NM, Albuquerque NM and Petrified Forest National Park.
For more suggestions, check out the guides to the individual sections of the journey.
Amarillo to Flagstaff road trip attractions: Santa Rosa NM
Santa Rosa NM bills itself as the Scuba diving capital of the Southwest, largely thanks to the Blue Hole. This 81ft deep pool, fed by an artesian spring, is naturally heated to 62 degrees year-round. Divers need a permit, swimmers don’t.
Another alternative for swimming is Park Lake, which is patrolled by lifeguards in summer and has an inflatable obstacle course that’s very popular with children.
Car-lovers, meanwhile, can enjoy the Route 66 Auto Museum.
If stopping for the night, accommodation in Santa Rosa is all motel chains.
Best stops between Amarillo TX and Flagstaff AZ: Albuquerque NM
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.
Amarillo to Flagstaff drive: 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.
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 El Paso | 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 Flagstaff road trips
Albuquerque to Flagstaff | Denver to Flagstaff | Gallup to Flagstaff | Flagstaff to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Flagstaff to Kingman | Mesa to Flagstaff | Phoenix to Flagstaff | Prescott to Flagstaff | Flagstaff to Santa Fe | Scottsdale to Flagstaff | Tucson to Flagstaff | Flagstaff to Williams.