The Land of Enchantment will have you under its spell as soon as you get behind the wheel. This geographical fantasy land offers otherworldly landscapes, giant granite bluffs, peculiar-shaped hoodoos and vast dusty desert panoramas on its road trips. It’s got ancient dwellings to tour, adobe structures to visit, and ghost towns rich with old Southwest history to roam, plus vibey ski towns, high altitude slopes and dazzling pine-forest mountain views.
The best bit? This is the United States‘ fifth largest state but only has 2 million residents, meaning roads out of the cities are virtually empty – its most spectacular stretches of asphalt are a dream to drive in any type of vehicle.
These five are some of my favorite routes.
1. Route 66
Vintage charm, nostalgia and Americana by the bucket-load
Tucumcari – Defiance, 320 miles, allow 2-3 days
The legendary “Mother Road”, which opened in 1926 crossing eight states and covering over 2400 miles, once went from Chicago to Santa Monica running 465 miles through the middle of the New Mexico from east to west (with a U-bend in the middle, later becoming an S-shape near Albuquerque). Now there are only 300 miles of the route left in the 47th state, with parts intersected by Interstate 40, but in the words of Nat King Cole it is still possible to get your “kicks on Route 66”. Much of the original scenery – including dramatic mountain views and high prairies – plus nostalgic elements remain.
You’ll find retro motels, neon signs and vintage diners in the old Southwestern boomtowns along the route. Stop at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, see classics, lowriders and muscle cars in Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, eat breakfast at the all-American Owls Cafe diner in Albuquerque, snap a picture under the lit-up neon Route 66 sign in Grants, get Navajo rugs and western gear at Richardson’s Trading Company then hangout like the 1930s and ‘40s movie stars at the western El Rancho Hotel in Gallup.
2. Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway
Best for volcanic cliffs, hot springs and awesome geological features
San Ysidro – Bandelier National Monument; 45 miles, allow 1-2 days
Take your time on this sublime route, which winds into the forested wilderness and volcanic peaks of Jemez Mountains, passing through the colorful red sandstone mesas of Jemez Pueblo, and meandering to the cute settlement of Jemez Springs. Save time for a soak at the awesome Jemez Springs Bath House here, fed by natural piping-hot natural springs. Over the road, the Los Ojos saloon is an atmospheric spot for a bite, decorated with mounted guns and animal heads.
Continue winding up the road, next to the rushing Jemez River waters, past Jemez Soda Dam – a collection of hot springs with a peculiar 50ft-tall calcium carbonate and rock formed over 7000 years, which appears like a natural bridge dripping with candle wax. Climbing higher into Santa Fe National Forest, past the looming 550m high basalt Battleship Rock, and onto a clearing in the trees, which reveals a breathtaking 13.7-mile wide mountain meadow inside a volcanic caldera. You can drive right across the caldera, which erupted 1.2 million years ago, at Valles Caldera National Preserve.
Continue higher for another hot spring opportunity – the cooler (and free) Spence Hot Springs (at 95°F). End the drive at the mesmerizing 33,000-acre area of Bandelier National Monument, containing 3000 ancient settlements caved into the soft volcanic rock, once inhabited by Navajo and Pueblo people. A short walk leads to ladders you can climb into cave dwellings.
Planning tip: Leave time to hike Las Conchas Trail on route, which starts between mile markers 37 and 36. Crisscross bridges over the Jemez River in a canyon with high volcanic walls and among conifers and pine trees.
3. Turquoise Trail
Best for ghost towns, quirky communities and pinyon pine-covered hills
Santa Fe – Tijeras 52-miles, allow 1 day
This attractive back road between Albuquerque and Santa Fe (also known as Hwy 14) has high desert hills, rock outcrops and soaring views. It was once an important trade route rich with precious turquoise stone, plus copper, aluminium, gold and silver. The mining industry created towns like Cerrillos in the mid-to-late 1800s, once considered the capital of New Mexico in its heyday, with 2000 residents and 21 saloons. People left when the mines closed at the beginning of the 20th century and places like this became ghost towns. In recent decades, artists have moved in. The old coal-mining town of Madrid (pronounced maa-drid), is a particularly vibrant stop, home to a thriving arts community, with a strip of eclectic boutiques, thrift stores and cafes – pick up some handmade candies at Shugarman’s Little Chocolate Shop. Meanwhile, Cerrillos’s small collection of dirt roads has an entirely different vibe. One old saloon remains – the Black Bird is a popular biker stop with craft beer, elk burgers and green chile-slathered burritos. In the nearby Cerrillos Hills State Park, it’s possible to peer into the mines that made this area thrive years ago.
Planning tip: Don’t miss a trip to Tinkertown, a folk-art museum nine miles north of Tijeras with thousands of tiny miniatures created by artist Ross J Ward. Push buttons to watch the detailed hand-carved circus miniatures move.
4. Santa Fe National Forest Scenic Byway
Short but punchy high-altitude mountain drive
Santa Fe historic plaza – Santa Fe Ski Basin; 15 miles, half a day
Starting at the the Palace of the Governors, the oldest public building in the US (built 400 years ago), this road slowly meanders up Hwy 475 (with a 15 mph speed limit) past some of the city’s fanciest properties and into big aspen-evergreen covered mountains with lots of switchbacks. There are soaring views of the Sangre de Cristo range, with different perspectives as the road curves, the route finishes at more than 8000ft above sea level at Santa Fe Ski Basin, where in winter there are many opportunities to ride the slopes or snowshoe or camp, picnic hike and bike in the warmer months.
Planning tip: Come in the fall for a panorama ignited with shimmering golden leaves.
5. High Road to Taos
For remnants of Old Spain, historic architecture, sandstone formations and desert scenery
Santa Fe – Taos Pueblo, 76 miles, allow 1 day
Leaving Santa Fe, the scenic curvy road passes lush forests, through stunning Sangre de Cristo Mountains vistas, desert badlands with twisting hoodoos, and small farms, plus artsy villages. Be sure to stop in Chimayó, a fortified village dating back to 1598 and with galleries featuring work by traditional weavers from Ortega and Trujillo families. Catholics the world over come here for the holy dirt at El Santuario de Chimayó – legend holds that the adobe church with its distinctive twin front towers was built over dirt with curative powers, visitors come with little bags to take some of the sacred sand home with them. Pass through pretty villages, including Truchas, with its adobe houses, before eventually reaching this historic buildings of Taos plaza, where some 70 art galleries are filled with local works. Stock up on craft brews and wine from the many breweries and tasting shops around town and pick up southwestern souvenirs before heading north to Taos Pueblo to learn about Pueblo culture and meet one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the US, with multi-story mud and straw adobe apartments.