Dallas to Tucson road trip: Best stops, drive time & distance
The best road trip stops on the Dallas to Tucson drive are Odessa TX, El Paso TX and Tombstone AZ. The distance from Dallas to Tucson by car is 954 miles, with a 13h47m driving time.
Planning a Dallas to Tucson road trip itinerary
The Dallas to Tucson drive takes you from north Texas to southern Arizona.
Dallas has plenty of high quality cultural attractions. These include the Nasher Scupture Center, Pioneer Square and the Perot Museum of Science and Nature.
But for many visitors, the main reason to visit Dallas is the JFK assassination. Yes, you can go up to the Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald supposedly took his shot from.
Top Dallas experiences include a JFK Assassination and Museum tour, the GeO-Deck at Reunion Tower and a self-guided scavenger hunt.
Good places to stay in Dallas with a pool include the sassy Kimpton Pittman downtown and the historic Warwick Melrose near Turtle Creek.
How to do the JFK sites in Dallas
The best way to combine the JFK sites in Dallas is a special themed tour. This takes in the JFK Memorial, Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll before heading to Lee Harvey Oswald’s rooming house. It finishes in the Sixth Floor Museum of the Texas Book Depository. On the way, expert guides take you through the assassination facts and theories. Find out more here.
Tucson is often used as a base for exploring the Sonoran Desert. But it’s a proper city with an arty streak, a Spanish-tinged history and excellent Mexican food.
Top Tucson experiences include exploring the city’s many murals, taking a self-guided audio tour through Saguaro National Park and canyoneering at Mt Lemmon.
There are also several good bike tours you can do in and around Tucson. Choose from a history-focused ride through the city, e-biking in Saguaro National Park and taco-tasting on two wheels.
For resort-style accommodation in Tucson, take a look at the impressive Casino Del Sol Resort. To stay downtown, within walking distance of several restaurants, try the Leo Kent Hotel.
Dallas to Tucson distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Dallas to Tucson is 954 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 13 hours and 47 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-20 and I-10.
The best stops to add to a Dallas to Tucson road trip itinerary are Odessa TX, El Paso TX and Tombstone AZ. For more suggestions, check out the guides to the individual legs of the journey:
Dallas to Tucson road trip attractions: Odessa TX
Odessa TX plays host to an ancient meteor crater, which has shifted in shape and size over the centuries. It’s currently about 15ft deep and 550ft wide, with a museum about the history of the crater next to it.
Otherwise, the top attraction is on the University of Texas of the Permian Basin campus, where there is a replica of Stonehenge.
Most Odessa hotels are unexciting, but good value. Find the best deals here.
Best stops between Dallas and Tucson: El Paso
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.
Dallas to Tucson drive: Tombstone AZ
Tombstone, Arizona, is a fabulously silly place that buys whole-heartedly into Wild West mythology. The Boot Hill graveyard has comic epitaphs, and the streets look as they would back in the days of the Earp Brothers. Costumed actors stage a gunfight at the OK Corral, blacksmiths work the forge and there’s a bizarre collection of mini-museums and attractions
It’s also possible to do a series of themed walking tours that bring Tombstone even further to life. Choose from ghosts and gunslingers or bullets and bordellos.
More Dallas road trips
Abilene TX to Dallas | Dallas to Albuquerque | Dallas to Amarillo | Dallas to Aspen | Dallas to Austin | Dallas to Atlanta | Dallas to Baltimore | Dallas to Baton Rouge | Dallas to Beaumont TX | Dallas to Buffalo | Cincinnati to Dallas | Dallas to Cleveland | Dallas to Colorado Springs | Dallas to Columbus | Conroe TX to Dallas | Dallas to Denver | Dallas to Detroit | Dallas to El Paso | Dallas to Fort Lauderdale | Dallas to Fredericksburg | Dallas to Galveston | Dallas to Hot Springs | Dallas to Houston | Huntsville TX to Dallas | Dallas to Jackson MS | Katy TX to Dallas | Dallas to Knoxville.
Dallas to Lafayette LA | Dallas to Lake Charles | Little Rock to Dallas | Louisville to Dallas | Dallas to Lubbock TX | Dallas to Memphis | Midland to Dallas | Minneapolis to Dallas | Dallas to Nashville | Dallas to New Braunfels | Dallas to New Orleans | Dallas to New York City | Odessa TX to Dallas | Oklahoma City to Dallas | Dallas to Omaha.
Dallas to Philadelphia | Dallas to Phoenix | Dallas to Pittsburgh | Dallas to Salt Lake City | San Angelo to Dallas | Dallas to San Antonio | Dallas to San Marcos | Dallas to Santa Fe | Shreveport to Dallas | Dallas to St Louis | Dallas to Tampa | Texarkana to Dallas | Dallas to Washington DC | Weatherford TX to Dallas | Wichita to Dallas.
More Tucson road trips
Albuquerque to Tucson | Bisbee to Tucson | Casa Grande to Tucson | Chandler to Tucson | Tucson to Colorado Springs | Deming NM to Tucson | Tucson to Denver | El Paso to Tucson | Tucson to Flagstaff | Tucson to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Houston to Tucson | Las Cruces to Tucson | Tucson to Mesa AZ | Phoenix to Tucson | Tucson to Prescott | Santa Fe to Tucson | Tucson to Scottsdale | Tucson to Sedona | Tempe to Tucson | Tucson to Tombstone | Yuma to Tucson.