What's the easiest way to get to Albuquerque, NM from Madison, WI?

The other suggestions include interstate highways, but I suggest instead taking state route 54.

That route is much more fun – you can see what is happening, and it is easy to stop off and see things. It is also very flat. In addition to all of this, it is a very direct route.

Specifically, drive directly from Madison to Des Moines:

After this, take I35 to Kansas City:
.

Then, take 70 / 335 to Wichita:

Then, route 54 from Wichita to Tucumcari:

After this, it is a straight shot on I40 to Albuquerque.

I’ve taken this route on road trips a dozen times, and enjoy it very much. Even more, it is the route suggested by Google.

I suggest staying past Des Moines and Witchita along the way, as motels there are fairly cheap and very fun.

(There are plenty of bathrooms on this route; and easy to stop when not on the interstate.)

Big picture options:

Madison to I-80: I recall, many years ago, going SW through Dubuque and Cedar Rapids, probably better than heading due south through Rockford.

I-80 to Des Moines: applies to any of the options here.

Options:

(1) I-80 to I-76 to Denver, I-25 South to Albuquerque

(2) I-35 to I-70 to Denver, I-25 South to Albuquerque

(3) I-35 to Oklahoma City, I-40 to Albuquerque

Pro/Con:

(1) I-80 to I-76 is generally pretty gradual gradients, fairly light traffic in my experiences (but those are a bit dated). But, Denver south to Colorado Springs can be ugly, traffic wise. Then Raton pass is about 7800 feet in elevation, and there has been road construction the past few years. I go over that pass multiple times per year, and have done it with a fairly lightly loaded U-Haul trailer, but am quite comfortable with mountain driving and have a truck set up to tow well. You also go over the Pecos, and sections of I-25 north and south of Santa Fe can be a bit exciting.

(2) I-70 might be a bit longer, trending a bit towards the north between Kansas City and Denver. Rather than going to Denver I would cut off onto US24 between Limon and Colorado Springs – you skip much of the Denver to the Springs traffic, but still have Raton etc. from (1) above.

(3) I-35 to OKC has no real altitude gains. From OKC, I-40 to Albuquerque is pretty benign as well. Grades near Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, and through the East Mountains into Albuquerque, but nothing at all like Raton pass.

(3a) If you really want to be adventurous, and see lots of cows, you could go West from Wichita on US400, then on to US54 through Liberal KS, Dalhart TX, and down to Tucumcari. Not many hotel options on that route, so might not be the best for little kids…

For the route, I’d simply follow what Google says when you plug in Madison to Albuquerque. The quickest route is (well, by 20 minutes):

1. Madison, WI
2. Des Moines, IA
3. Kansas City, MO
4. Emporia, KS
5. Wichita, KS
6. Santa Rosa, NM
7. Albuquerque, NM

Everything to the east of Colorado is going to be pretty flat, but this route also avoids Raton in NM on I-25 (which has the Raton pass), and the minor winding bits just east of Santa Fe on I-25. The only sections I have experience with are I-25 and I-40 in NM, and once you get there things are easy.

As it’s about 1200 miles/20 hours of driving, I’d agree to split this route up into a minimum of 3 days of driving and 2 nights in a hotel. You may also want to have the last hotel night in Santa Rosa, so that by the time you get to ABQ you’re not totally exhausted. And given that tiny are driving 2 vehicles you may want to look into some cheap 2-way radios so that you can stay in touch without needing to use cell phones — there are actually spots between Santa Fe and Albuquerque where I have zero cell phone service (but that just may be T-Mobile).

For the altitude sickness aspect, based on my experience you won’t notice it too much. I once took the train from LA to ABQ and then on to Santa Fe for a vacation (and now live here). Prior to this I had been living at sea level. Yes, you will get out of breath quicker until you become acclimatized, but lots of tourists come to this area (especially from TX) and I haven’t heard of any issues at all. But we do have hospitals and doctors!

Also I would caution you about where you park in ABQ once you get here. There have been stories of trailers and U-Haul trucks being robbed when parked in motel parking lots overnight. I’m not trying to scare you, but it is something to be aware of.

Finally, Welcome! You’ll really enjoy the surrounds, the history, the culture and the food.