Cruising Route 93: A 3,000-Mile Odyssey Through the Best Small Towns and Big Cities
Hitting the open road on Route 93 is not just a drive—it’s a full-blown American pilgrimage. Spanning roughly 3,000 miles from the Canadian border down to Mexico, this legendary highway carves through Montana, Idaho, Nevada, and Arizona, serving a smorgasbord of natural wonders, quirky one-stoplight towns, and neon-lit metropolises. Whether you are starting in Missoula and chasing the sun south or kicking off in Nogales and heading north, the journey is a total game-changer for anyone with a serious case of wanderlust. Buckle up, because this ain’t your average Sunday cruise.
Kicking things off in Montana, the town of Kalispell is the real deal. Tucked right at the doorstep of Glacier National Park, it’s an outdoorsman’s paradise that’ll make you want to ditch your car keys and stay a week. Folks can saddle up for horseback riding, tear through trails on a mountain bike, or get their adrenaline fix whitewater rafting without ever leaving town. The crown jewel, though, is the Going-to-the-Sun Road—a 50-mile engineering marvel that snakes through the heart of the park, offering views that are absolutely bonkers. Keep your eyes peeled for grizzlies, mountain goats, and the park’s namesake glaciers, though those icy giants are vanishing faster than a snow cone in July. Honestly, leaving Kalispell feels like breaking up with a summer fling; it hurts, but you know you’ll be back.
Cruising south, Missoula rolls out the welcome mat with a vibe that’s half hipster haven, half rugged frontier. It sits where the Clark Fork, Blackfoot, and Bitterroot Rivers converge—a triple threat for fly-fishing fanatics. If you’re more into keeping your feet dry, tee off at one of six golf courses or stroll through Caras Park while munching on some huckleberry ice cream. When the weather turns moody, the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula and the Montana Natural History Center serve up a deep dive into the region’s past without any dusty textbook vibes. Missoula is the kind of place where you can go from casting a line to sipping craft beer in a reclaimed warehouse, all before sunset.
A stone’s throw across the Idaho border, Twin Falls lives up to its name with an absolute showstopper: Shoshone Falls. Often called the “Niagara of the West,” these falls plunge 212 feet—actually higher than Niagara itself—and are surrounded by trails that lure hikers and photographers like moths to a flame. The Snake River Canyon Trail gives you a front-row seat to the gorge, and just beyond town, the lunar-like landscapes of Craters of the Moon National Monument will make you feel like you’ve landed on another planet. It’s the last hurrah of lush northern scenery before Nevada’s high desert starts throwing heat.
Once you cross into Nevada, the terrain does a complete 180. Wells is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ranching town, but it’s got a secret weapon: Angel Lake. Nestled in the East Humboldt Range, this alpine gem is a breath of fresh air—literally—with hiking trails, fishing spots, and some of the darkest skies in the Lower 48. Stargazing here is next-level; the Milky Way stretches across the horizon like a spilled jar of glitter. After days of desert driving, Wells is the perfect pit stop to recharge your batteries and maybe catch a wink at one of the no-frills motels.
Further down the road, Ely is the kind of place that time forgot—in the best way possible. What was once a booming copper mining town is now a living museum where you can hop aboard a historic steam train at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum or poke around the ghost-town remnants at Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park. For a hands-on adventure, grab a rock hammer and dig for garnets at Garnet Hill; finding your own gem is way more satisfying than buying a souvenir. Ely whispers stories of the Wild West in a way that feels authentic, not cheesy.
And then—bam!—you hit Las Vegas. After miles of quiet two-lane blacktop, the Strip erupts out of the desert like a mirage on steroids. Sin City needs no introduction, but it’s still a wild card on a Route 93 road trip. You can gawk at the Bellagio Fountains, ride a gondola at The Venetian, or stuff your face at the M&M’s World, all within a few blocks. When the sun goes down, the city really wakes up. A sunset helicopter ride over the Strip—dodging the searchlights and neon glow—is a bucket-list experience that’ll make your Instagram followers green with envy. Just don’t blow your entire road trip budget at the blackjack table.
A mere 30-minute drive from the Vegas chaos, Boulder City is the polar opposite. This charming town was built in the 1930s to house workers constructing the Hoover Dam, and it still feels like a slice of Americana frozen in time. The dam itself is a jaw-dropping feat of engineering, and Lake Mead offers a watery playground for paddleboarding, kayaking, or just floating away the desert heat. If you’ve got a soft spot for quirky museums, Tom Devlin’s Monster Museum is a scream—literally—with life-size horror movie icons lurking around every corner.
Crossing into Arizona, the landscape transforms into a canvas of red rock and towering saguaros. Phoenix is a sprawling giant that blends big-city swagger with ancient desert roots. World-class golf courses, luxury resorts, and a culinary scene that’s totally on point make it a primo stop for road-trippers craving a little pampering. For a dose of history, the Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum and the Arizona Capitol Museum peel back the layers of the Valley of the Sun’s past. It’s a city where you can sip a prickly pear margarita by a pool in the morning and hike Camelback Mountain by noon.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a cactus taller than a two-story building, Tucson delivers in spades. Saguaro National Park is the poster child for the Sonoran Desert, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum gives you the lowdown on all the spiky, slithering, and soaring creatures that call this oven-like landscape home. But Tucson isn’t just about spines and sand; the San Xavier del Bac Mission—a stunning white Spanish colonial church—is a slice of serenity, and the Pima Air and Space Museum houses over 400 aircraft, including a real SR-71 Blackbird. It’s a town that keeps surprising you, just like finding a cold drink in the middle of nowhere.
At the tail end of Route 93 stands Nogales, a border town that oozes cross-cultural charm. It’s got a sister city in Mexico—literally sharing the same name—so you can soak up the vibrant Mexican influence without needing your passport. Stroll past colorful murals, browse artisan markets, and chow down on some of the best street tacos this side of the border. When you need a change of scenery, Patagonia Lake State Park and the wetlands of Las Lagunas de Anza offer cool, watery respites that feel almost surreal after so much desert. Nogales is the perfect finale: a place where two worlds meet, and your epic journey comes to a satisfying end.
From glacier-carved peaks to saguaro-studded valleys, Route 93 is the ultimate choose-your-own-adventure road trip. Whether you’re a hardcore hiker, a history buff, or just someone who craves the freedom of the open road, this highway serves it up on a silver platter. So gas up the car, blast your favorite playlist, and get ready to collect some serious windshield time—and memories that’ll last a lifetime.