Drive roads less taken in Arizona and New Mexico

If you’re the kind of traveler who avoids Interstate freeways in favor of back road adventures, here’s a book you’ll enjoy reading. Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips (Imbrifex Books) by Rick Quinn will guide you through these two states that are full of stunning scenery and interesting landmarks on the roads less traveled.

And there's no better way to scratch the travel itch these days than by taking a road trip in your own car. 

When researching this book for the Roadtrip America series, Quinn drove 11,000 miles and shot 7,000 photographs. The result is expert advice that will help make a road trip through this part of the American southwest a memorable journey, perhaps the best summer vacation for your family.

Memorable is easy, since the region is loaded with natural wonders (Grand Canyon National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands national Monument, Antelope Canyon, etc.), historical and cultural sites (Cliff Dwellings, Petroglyph National Monument, Aztec Ruins National Monument, etc.), and scenic landscapes (Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, Monument Valley, Salt Mission Trail Scenic Byway, etc.).

Although Arizona and New Mexico are full of amazing and notable destinations like these, Quinn's desire is to entice travelers to explore more.

Of course he knows that the fastest way to travel long distances by car in the U.S. is on Interstate highways, so each side trip that he describes begins at an exit off an Interstate and takes the traveler back to an Interstate at the end.

Quinn provides alternative scenic routes from Interstates 10, 17, 40, and 25.  Each of the 25 trips is driveable in a day, so there’s no reason to stick with a boring, quick, point-A-to-point-B drive through. Choose as many detours as time allows for fascinating additions to your road journey.

The book is easy to follow with color-coded pages for routes that are sorted by geographic region. In addition to beautiful color photos, he includes visitor information for parks, attractions, and unusual lodging and dining along the way. A driver who sticks to Interstate travel might never see or even know about many of these. So it becomes a trip of discovery perfect for solo travelers or families looking to get away after months of quarantine--but hoping to avoid crowded cities, beaches, or other popular tourist destination.

A stunning landscape of deserts, mountains, and canyons provides a backdrop for explorations as you travel at a slower pace on recommended two-lane highways. Keep a highlighter handy as you read the book to mark the spots you won’t want to miss. Then plan your road trip through these remarkable Southwestern states.

The book is available from Amazon and other sources.