Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
41
To find out which airlines travel to the
Southwest, please see “Airlines,” p. 612.
Grand Canyon, Williams, Flagstaff, and
Winslow; in New Mexico in Gallup,
Grants, Albuquerque, Lamy (for Santa
Fe), Las Vegas, and Raton; and in Colo-
rado in Trinidad, La Junta, and Lamar. A
second train, the
Sunset Limited,
skims
through the southern part of the region
three times weekly in each direction
between Los Angeles and New Orleans,
with stops in Arizona in Yuma, Maricopa,
Tucson, and Benson; in New Mexico in
Lordsburg and Deming; and in Texas in El
Paso. Greyhound/Trailways bus lines pro-
vide through-ticketing for Amtrak between
Albuquerque and El Paso and other desti-
nations. You can get a copy of Amtrak's
national timetable from any Amtrak sta-
tion, from travel agents, or by contacting
the number above.
GETTING AROUND
By Car
The broad expanses of the American
Southwest make driving the best means of
getting around, and they also necessitate
some precautions. If you plan to drive
your own vehicle to and around the
region, give it a thorough road check
before starting out. There are lots of wide-
open desert and wilderness spaces here,
and it is not fun to be stranded in the heat
or cold with a vehicle that doesn't run.
Check your lights, windshield wipers,
horn, tires, battery, drive belts, fluid levels,
alignment, and other possible trouble
spots. Make sure your driver's license,
vehicle registration, safety-inspection
sticker, and auto-club membership (if you
have one) are valid. Check with your auto-
insurance company to make sure you're
covered when out of state, or when driving
a rental car. A breakdown in the desert can
be serious. Always carry water with you in
the car.
Gasoline
is readily available at service
stations throughout the region. However,
keep close tabs on your gauge, and in more
remote areas fill up whenever you can. It's
By Car
Three interstate highways cross the South-
west. The north-south I-25 bisects New
Mexico, passing through Albuquerque and
Las Cruces. The east-west I-40 follows the
path of the old Route 66 through King-
man and Flagstaff, in Arizona, and Gallup,
Albuquerque, and Tucumcari in New
Mexico. I-10 from San Diego crosses the
southern part of the region, passing
through Yuma and Tucson in Arizona, and
intersecting I-25 at Las Cruces, New Mex-
ico. I-15 crosses the region at the south-
west corner of Utah. These major routes
help provide easy access to the many sights
in the region that are on much smaller
state highways and roadways.
The distance to Phoenix from Los
Angeles is approximately 369 miles; from
San Francisco, 778 miles; from Albuquer-
que, 455 miles; from Salt Lake City, 660
miles; from Las Vegas, 287 miles; and
from Santa Fe, 516 miles.
Your biggest concern is weather. In
winter, be sure your car has front-wheel
drive or four-wheel drive and good tires,
because roads can become snowpacked
and icy.
For more information on negotiating
roads in this region, see “Getting Around,”
below.
International visitors should note that
insurance and taxes are almost never
included in quoted rental-car rates in the
U.S. Be sure to ask your rental agency
about additional fees for these. They can
add a significant cost to your car rental.
3
By Train
Amtrak
(
&
800/USA-RAIL
[872-7245];
www.amtrak.com) has two routes through
the region. The
Southwest Chief,
which
runs between Chicago and Los Angeles,
passes through once daily in each direc-
tion, with Arizona stops in Kingman,
