Route suggestions from NM to NO ...

[gypsypair]

We are doing preliminary planning for a trip from Albuquerque to New Orleans in Mid-May. Would like to hear suggestions for routes to take or to stay away from. Look forward to hearing from anyone with that knowledge. ... thanks in advance!

[n2916s]

Avoid Interstate 10 between Lafayette, La and Baton Rouge - the spacing of the expansion joints on the atchafayalla viaduct will drive you nuts.

Mike

[Hittenstiehl]

We did this trip a couple of years ago and to change things up a bit we dropped south of I 10 on outskirts of Houston, to Galveston and took the free Texas Highway Ferry across Galveston Bay to Port Bolivar, east along Bolivar Peninsula and the pretty stilt houses and then back north on 124 and jumped back onto I 10. It was a nice little side trip that only added about 2 hours to our overall trip.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by n2916s

Avoid Interstate 10 between Lafayette, La and Baton Rouge - the spacing of the expansion joints on the atchafayalla viaduct will drive you nuts. Mike

I did that once and dropped down on Hwy 90. It is even worse!!!

I believe they have been doing some repaving on I-10 so it has gotten better than it was.

[KJRitchie]

I drove that stretch of highway in 2013 back and forth to Florida. I usually tow around 60mph. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, maybe because I have a shorter trailer. It was on this leg, Lafayette to Mobile that I got my best fuel mileage leg on that trip.

Kelvin

[NavyCorpsman]

Mike (post #2) isn't kidding. Having lived in NO for 10 years I traveled I-10 almost daily. Stay off Hwy 90 if you can, lots of rough road, and speed traps. I 10 will get you there, but be ready for the railroad crossing click, clack, bah-bump, bah bump. The elevated road is better than the pavement in the swamps. OOOieeeee! Gonna pass a good time, No?!!!!!

[gypsypair]

Thanks for the suggestion .... we just might do that!

[NavyCorpsman]

Have a safe and fun trip! We're planning a trip your way this summer. I LOVE New Mexico. I've been to 43 countries and around the world 2 1/2 times and nothing compares to the stunning places you have in NM. Australia is close. I will never forget seeing the HUGE roadrunner sculpted from garbage outside Las Cruces, I believe. I was heading east at sunup when I first saw it. My brain couldn't process the incredible illusion.

[bhutch74ly]

I would avoid I-10 through La mostly because the elevated sections west of Lafayette are notorious for accidents that block traffic for long periods. I would cross La on I-20 to Tallulah and head south on US-65 to Clayton. Then east on US-84 to Natchez,Ms. Then Hwy 98 to I-55. Then drive south on I-55 to NO. A great camping spot along this route is Lake Bruin State Park (my favorite in La).

[bhutch74ly]

Originally Posted by bhutch74ly

I would avoid I-10 through La mostly because the elevated sections west of Lafayette are notorious for accidents that block traffic for long periods. I would cross La on I-20 to Tallulah and head south on US-65 to Clayton. Then east on US-84 to Natchez,Ms. Then Hwy 98 to I-55. Then drive south on I-55 to NO. A great camping spot along this route is Lake Bruin State Park (my favorite in La).

Oops, the elevated sections of I-10 are actually east of Lafayette, not west as stated above.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by gypsypair

We are doing preliminary planning for a trip from Albuquerque to New Orleans in Mid-May. Would like to hear suggestions for routes to take or to stay away from. Look forward to hearing from anyone with that knowledge. ... thanks in advance!

I will be making the trip in the other direction in June, and returning in July. But I've traveled a large part of the way every year for over thirty years to visit family, and I've explored a lot of alternate routes in those years. Here is the route that works best for me…

From Albuquerque, take I-40 to Amarillo.
From Amarillo, take US Highway 287 to Henrietta, TX.
From Henrietta, take US Highway 82 until it intersects US Highway 62. This will route you around the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Take US Highway 62 until it intersects I-20 just before you get to Tyler.
Take I-20 to Shreveport.
Loop around most of Shreveport on Louisiana Highway 3132 until you reach I-49.
Take I-49 until you reach Opelousas, LA.
At Opelousas, take US Highway 190 to Baton Rouge. This will route you around the dreaded Atchafalaya Basin section of I-10. Highway 190 isn't the greatest— there are some sections in desperate need of repaving— but it is still better than being stuck on that endless bridge.
Just before you get to Baton Rouge, take Louisiana Highway 76 down to I-10.
Once you get on I-10, stay on there until you get to New Orleans.

Side note, as you're coming down I-49, if you get the chance, detour west just a little bit near the town of Ville Platte and stay at Chicot State Park, home of the Louisiana State Arboretum. Great campground— in the three years I've been an Airstreamer, it's the ONLY park I've stayed at more than once! Although the Arboretum isn't terribly large, there are six miles of beautiful hiking trails running through it.

[87MH]

Mary and I are full time at the Texas Airstream Harbor in the Deep East Piney Woods in North East Texas.

The Harbor is located on a peninsula on Lake Sam Rayburn, the largest lake entirely within Texas.

Texas Airstream Harbor, Inc.



Check it out.

[NavyCorpsman]

If you do decide to go through Lafayette, there is a place (of which I cant remember the name), that prepares a deboned chicken that is stuffed with rice, shrimp, crawfish, and all kinds of wonderful things. To prepare, heat the oven and cook for 45 minutes. It's part of acadiana that you just have to try. If you put it on top of your head, your tongue will beat your brains out trying to get at it.....
Just ask one of the locals, I think it is called Guidry's. You wont be disappointed.