El Paso to Austin - Scenic Travel via FM 170 (Presidio: wedding, best)

[jdvaus]

Hello,

My wife and have a long wedding anniversary weekend planned next month. We are from Austin, and will travel to Albuquerque for the balloon festival. We decided to make it a road trip, as we like to travel by car, but also to visit friends in El Paso on the return.

So on the return trip, we were looking at scenic travel options. The one that has been described as one of the best drives to take is FM 170 along the Rio Grande. Looking at a map between El Paso and Austin, the route looks like a long detour of sorts. The idea is to enjoy a scenic drive, but it definitely seems to be a long detour (maybe two - three additional hours of travel).

So, I thought the people on this forum may offer their opinions. Do you think a two hour plus detour for a scenic travel through FM 170 is worth it, or would you suggest that I'd find an alternate trip not so far off from our travel path (e.g. Guadalupe Peak)? What would you do or suggest?

Thank you for your input.

[joqua]

I'm not sure what it is you're trying to accomplish, but FM-170 is accessible only after traveling a long way out of the way to Presidio, TX. You cannot drive from El Paso along the Rio Grande very far past Esparanza (Ft. Hancock). From Presidio you can go either upstream a short ways, or downstream to Big Bend. Upstream is a dead end unless you have serious off-road 4WD experience. Downstream is the route most favored by people visiting Big Bend Nat. Park and is indeed a very scenic paved narrow 2-lane road. That having been said, it's also a very desolate unpopulated route that follows the Rio Grande, with all that implies for potential problems with drug smugglers and other nefarious sorts.

If you've never been to Guadalupe Nat. Park or Carlsbad Caverns, that is definitely a much better alternative than the former route. Lots of desert travel but the Guadalupe Mtns. are a definite "must see."

[katzpaw]

That's at least a 6 hour detour. Leave enough time to do it in daylight. Carlsbad Caverns is worth the drive. Fort Davis (Ft Davis National Monument & McDonald Observatory) is a shorter scenic detour if you're pressed for time.

[jdvaus]

Thank you for your replies. I'd like to travel FM 170 someday, but it is definitely too out of the way for our travels!

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by jdvaus

Thank you for your replies. I'd like to travel FM 170 someday, but it is definitely too out of the way for our travels!

Yes, it might be a tad out of the way for this trip, but do plan a visit at some point--it's magnificent.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by joqua

If you've never been to Guadalupe Nat. Park or Carlsbad Caverns, that is definitely a much better alternative than the former route. Lots of desert travel but the Guadalupe Mtns. are a definite "must see."

If time permits, be sure and take the short side trip to Hueco Tanks State Park east of El Paso. It is both scenic and historic.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/hueco-tanks

[wxf848]

You should definitely drive FM 170 sometime, when you have time to enjoy it and the surrounding area, especially the national park. The whole area is magnificent. If you're just driving through from El Paso to Austin and want a scenic detour, US 62/180 through the Guadalupe Mountains, possibly with a stop at Carlsbad Caverns, which needn't take a long time if you want a short look at it, is a good option.

Another option is the Davis Mountains. You can go south on 118 and drive the loop along 118 and 166 and go back north on 118 to I-10. You could also go south on 118 and back north on 17.

If I were making the trip, here's what I'd do. I'd go east on Loop 375 through the Franklin Mountains, follow it to US 62/180 and go east through the Hueco Mountains to Highway 54. From there you get view of the Guadalupes in the distance (they're impressive even from a distance). You could make an additional detour to drive up to the park from there and see the mountains up close. From there I'd go south on Highway 54, which runs along base of the Sierra Diablo, on the steep side of the fault-block mountain range. That takes you to Van Horn and US 90. To pick up the most high points in the Davis Mountains, I'd follow this route: east on US 90 from Van Horn, east on RM 505 (the junction's in the middle of nowhere, so you have to watch for it), north on 166, south on 118, and north on 17 to I-10.

This route gives you views of desert, salt flats, quite a few mountain ranges (Texas actually has a lot), and 4 winding roads over mountain passes. It also goes by several parks and places to stop and rest (and appreciate the scenery). It only adds about 100 extra miles of distance compared with driving straight through on I-10.

Here's a map of the route. From point A to point B along I-10 is 210 miles.
http://goo.gl/maps/T0rK3

[jdvaus]

Originally Posted by wxf848

....
If I were making the trip, here's what I'd do. I'd go east on Loop 375 through the Franklin Mountains, follow it to US 62/180 and go east through the Hueco Mountains to Highway 54. From there you get view of the Guadalupes in the distance (they're impressive even from a distance). You could make an additional detour to drive up to the park from there and see the mountains up close. From there I'd go south on Highway 54, which runs along base of the Sierra Diablo, on the steep side of the fault-block mountain range. That takes you to Van Horn and US 90. To pick up the most high points in the Davis Mountains, I'd follow this route: east on US 90 from Van Horn, east on RM 505 (the junction's in the middle of nowhere, so you have to watch for it), north on 166, south on 118, and north on 17 to I-10.

This route gives you views of desert, salt flats, quite a few mountain ranges (Texas actually has a lot), and 4 winding roads over mountain passes. It also goes by several parks and places to stop and rest (and appreciate the scenery). It only adds about 100 extra miles of distance compared with driving straight through on I-10.....

Thank you for the suggestion. We were also considering stopping in Marfa for a few hours, and we can modify your suggested route to include that!