Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo drive: Distance, time & best stops
The best road trip stops on the Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo drive are Tucumcari NM, Adrian TX and Vega TX. The distance from Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo TX by car is 172 miles, with a 2h29m driving time.
Planning a Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo TX road trip itinerary
The Santa Rosa to Amarillo drive takes you from New Mexico to northern Texas.
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.
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.
Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo is 172 miles. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 29 minutes. The quickest route is along the I-40.
The best stops to add to a Santa Rosa to Amarillo road trip itinerary are Tucumcari NM, Adrian TX and Vega TX.
Best stops between Santa Rosa NM and Amarillo TX: Tucumcari NM
Tucumcari NM makes a big play of its location on Route 66, and the Route 66 Monument here makes for a classic photo.
For more information and stories about the Mother Road, you can visit the New Mexico Route 66 Museum. The other Tucumcari attraction worth considering is the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum, which showcases the wealth of dino fossils discovered nearby.
Tucumcari accommodation is mainly motel-style, with the Roadrunner Lodge Motel generally getting the best reviews.
Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo drive: Adrian TX
The Texas town of Adrian is fairly non-descript in most respects, but it does have the honor of being exactly halfway between Chicago and Los Angeles. This makes it the halfway point on Route 66. Unsurprisingly, there are signs pointing this out, which make it a popular photo stop for roadtrippers making their way across the States.
Santa Rosa NM to Amarillo road trip attractions: Vega TX
Vega TX is largely seen as a gas stop. However, if you go into the town itself there’s a pretty cool antelope mural on the traditional Route 66 road. Otherwise, the main attraction is the Milburn-Price Culture Museum, which does the usual take on local history. This local history museum is, at least, relatively kid-friendly in its approach.
- For more attractions, see the guide to the Tucumcari to Amarillo drive.
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