I-40 · I-27 · US 287 · AMA

Getting to Amarillo

Reach Amarillo on I-40 or I-27, or fly into AMA east of the city; Palo Duro Canyon State Park lies south near Canyon and requires a separate drive.

Airport and highway arrival map

Compare AMA, I-40, I-27, and the separate drive to Palo Duro Canyon.

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport sits east of Amarillo near I-40. I-40 crosses the city east to west, while I-27 reaches Amarillo from Lubbock and continues south toward Canyon. Palo Duro Canyon State Park is a separate drive south of the city; use live directions and check park alerts before leaving Amarillo.

Tap a marker for the airport, highway, city, and canyon context.
Map lines show regional corridors rather than turn-by-turn road geometry.

Open driving directions →

Second Star gear guide

Road Trip Essentials

Road-trip packing list

A cleaner trunk and charged phones for the drive.

Phone mounts, coolers, emergency kits, chargers, packing pieces, and glovebox backup for scenic drives and weekend routes.

Car Phone Mounts

$26.99

Road Trip Coolers

$275.00

Car Emergency Kits

$69.95

Open road-trip guideMore picks on Second Star Guide →

Drive corridors

High Plains miles are easy; the city grid is spread out

Amarillo sits where I-40 and I-27 cross on the Llano Estacado. Highway approaches are fast and flat; hotel neighborhoods, Cadillac Ranch, and Palo Duro Canyon sit on different spokes—pick the hotel area once the arrival direction is set.

Dallas–Fort Worth

US 287 runs northwest from Fort Worth to Amarillo—roughly five hours of open Panhandle driving when weather cooperates. It is the main intercity link from North Texas; winter wind and summer heat both punish long stops without shade, so fill water and fuel before the final hour.

Lubbock

I-27 runs north from Lubbock into Amarillo in about two hours and continues through town toward the downtown grid. Palo Duro Canyon turns off south of Amarillo near Canyon—do not assume the park sits inside the city limits.

Albuquerque and eastern New Mexico

I-40 eastbound crosses the High Plains into Amarillo in roughly four hours from Albuquerque. Westbound departures on Sunday reverse the same corridor; Cadillac Ranch sits just west of town for a fast stop before the long stretch toward Tucumcari.

Oklahoma City and the eastern Panhandle

I-40 west from Oklahoma City reaches Amarillo in about four hours through flat prairie. The drive is straightforward; the slow part is choosing a hotel neighborhood once I-40 and I-27 split the city.

By air — Rick Husband Amarillo International (AMA)

AMA sits east of the city near I-40. A rental car is essential for Palo Duro Canyon, Cadillac Ranch, and the dispersed museum stops—rideshare coverage is thin compared with larger Texas cities, and the canyon gate is thirty minutes south of the terminal.

Match arrival direction to the first stop

Arriving from the east on I-40: West-side hotels and Cadillac Ranch lie ahead; downtown and I-27 south toward Palo Duro require crossing the city. Check in first if Saturday starts at the canyon rim.
Arriving from Lubbock on I-27: You enter from the south—the Palo Duro turnoff near Canyon is intuitive on departure day. Downtown hotels sit north along the same corridor.
Flying into AMA: Budget time to collect a rental car, reach the hotel cluster—east, west, or downtown can each be twenty-plus minutes from the terminal—and still buy water before a dawn canyon drive.
For Palo Duro Canyon: take I-27 south toward Canyon, reserve a day pass, and read the current TPWD alert before the rim descent— open the canyon guide.

Palo Duro Canyon sunrise south of Amarillo