Road Trip Across Arizona

There's just something about a good road trip that brings a little excitement into life. You never know exactly what you're going to see. The scenery, weather, plant life, traffic, roadside attractions... they're always changing. The same drive can be completely different the next time you do it. The explorer inside of me jumps for joy every time there's an opportunity for a good road trip in our life!

we spotted this beautiful ranch entrance gate outside of Wickenburg, Arizona

Just recently my husband had a work trip in Las Vegas, so naturally I decided to tag along with our one year old. We survived a cross country move with a 7 month old, so we can pretty much do anything now, right? The drive from Phoenix to Las Vegas really isn't that long, and it was so incredibly picturesque. It's worth experiencing at least once.

we even drove through an area with some Joshua trees... so neat

Once we drove northwest of Phoenix, I couldn't help but realize there's so much of Arizona we really need to see! The landscape is so varied within this state. It's incredible that you can go from desert to Ponderosa pine forest in a few hours time. I know we had this image of endless desert in our heads, but Arizona is so much more than that. I promise.

passing through Kingman and getting a taste of Route 66 history

After hours of driving, we were all in need of a little "pit stop", so we took a little detour from the highway in Kingman, AZ. We came across Lewis Kingman Park. It was the perfect place to stretch our legs, enjoy the lunches I had packed, and change a diaper. The park sits directly on a stretch of historic Route 66 that leads you right into downtown Kingman. We would be spending more time on Route 66 during our return trip from Las Vegas, so we passed through Kingman pretty quickly this time.

After getting back on U.S. Route 93, we noticed a few historical markers along the roadside. Curiosity got the best of us, and we stopped to read one of the signs. We learned that this stretch of the road drove us right near a few ghost towns that had once been booming mine towns of the Wild West. Mineral Park happens to be one of those towns. It was even the county seat at one point in the late 1800s. I hope to return some day and visit these Arizona ghost towns!

Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the view from an airplane. However, there's something special about seeing this land from a car. It's funny how sometimes we move, with such focus, towards a destination that we miss some special things along the way. A road trip is a great way to slow down a little bit and see some of the things we all too often miss when we're in a hurry.

Later this week I will be back with some tips on visiting Las Vegas with kids. I hope you'll come back! Happy Monday everyone.

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U.S. Route 93 in Arizona

Arizona ghost towns:

Mineral Park

Cerbat Mountain ghost towns