New Mexico, also referred to as the “Land of Enchantment”, is an underrated state for journey. The state has a lot to supply, together with attractive pure sights, wealthy Pueblo heritage, a vibrant arts scene, unimaginable meals, and journey.
The highest highlights of the state — White Sands, Santa Fe, and Albuquerque — are a bit far aside, however the journey and the fascinating stops alongside the best way are value making it a street journey.
This itinerary is about ten hours of driving time complete and the places are divided into stints not more than two hours aside.
I made all of those stops in six days, however I like to recommend that you simply benefit from the state at a slower tempo in the event you can!
Since I used to be restricted on time, I moved by the journey rapidly and spent numerous time within the automobile driving from place to put. I additionally advocate flying into El Paso and out of Albuquerque to avoid wasting your self the effort and time of needing to double again.
You’ll should take your individual journey preferences into consideration when deciding the place to spend an in a single day. At minimal, I like to recommend an in a single day keep in Almorgado after visiting White Sands Nationwide Park and two nights in Santa Fe.
P.S. Don’t anticipate visitors on this street journey! A lot of the journey occurs on quieter roads. So pack up your street journey necessities, get snug, and let’s go on a New Mexico street journey!
Be part of our group for entry to our free member assets!
Obtain Helpful Outside Packing Checklists & Journey Planning Guides
Necessary Reminder: Because it goes in the entire locations we share, please observe good path etiquette and bear in mind to Go away No Hint. This implies packing out all your rubbish (together with bathroom paper), being respectful to others, and following the established guidelines.
New Mexico Highway Journey Map
Right here is an outline of the route for this New Mexico Highway Journey.
Day-by-Day New Mexico Highway Journey Itinerary
Under you’ll discover a 6-day itinerary for a New Mexico street journey with the right mixture of distinctive cities, outside actvities and exquisite landscapes. On the finish I share some further stops in the event you’d like to increase your journey.
Day 1: El Paso, Texas – Las Cruces – White Sands Nationwide Park
- Distance: 105 miles
- Drive time: 2 hours
This New Mexico street journey itinerary begins in Texas, really. El Paso Worldwide Airport is the closest airport to southern New Mexico, which suggests it’s the closest main airport to White Sands Nationwide Park. Hire a automobile from the airport terminal, and head north to begin your journey!
Earlier than embarking on my journey, I finished briefly to expertise the El Paso Scenic Drive and Overlook. This overlook supplied magnificent sights from atop the town. You possibly can even see the United States-Mexico border. When you’re brief on time, you may skip this cease.
Relying on the time of day you arrive, you might resolve to spend your first night time in El Paso or Las Cruces, about an hour from the airport. Since I arrived within the morning, I left El Paso and continued my journey after Las Cruces.
Tip: Earlier than you depart in your New Mexico street journey, replenish your gasoline tank (and replenish usually!). You’ll usually be driving alongside lengthy stretches of roads with no providers.
Las Cruces
- Journey distance: 1 hour (52 miles) from El Paso
La Cruces will likely be your first cease on this New Mexico street journey itinerary, and is a good place to stretch your legs, seize a chunk, and recharge earlier than your second leg of the drive.
In Las Cruces, there’s tons of restaurant choices. Andele’s is a full of life, Mexican cantina that serves Mexican Scorching Canine. For a vegan-friendly spot, hit up Habaneros Contemporary Mex.
When you’re seeking to sneak a fast hike in proper off the bat, drive 25 minutes east of La Cruces to the Organ Mountains. Right here you’ll discover quite a lot of trails wherever from two to seven miles lengthy.
I like to recommend the Dripping Springs Path (3 miles) for a style of the world. This gravel path is rated as reasonable, beginning on the Guests Heart and resulting in a small seasonal waterfall.
When you do resolve to hike within the Organ Mountains, it is likely to be value discovering a lodge in La Cruces for the night time so that you aren’t rushed whenever you get to White Sands Nationwide Monument. Alternatively, if you’re brief on time, I’d counsel passing by Las Cruces rapidly so you may spend extra time at White Sands.
White Sands Nationwide Park
- Journey distance: 1 hour (53 miles) from Las Cruces
When you’re performed in La Cruces, proceed onto White Sands Nationwide Monument, which can undoubtedly be a spotlight of your New Mexico street journey. As of August 2023, entry is $25 per personal automobile.
Buying an America the Stunning Annual Move($80) will avoid wasting cash in the event you go to 3 or extra federal websites within the upcoming yr. Bandelier Monument, talked about later on this itinerary, can be a part of the move program.
White Sands is very attractive at dawn and sundown. Cease by the Customer’s Heart for an orientation movie, reveals, and a restroom break. Then, proceed on to see extra of the park. Relying on the time of yr, mid-day on this space will be extremely popular, so you’ll want to have loads of water and solar safety.
I opted to stroll the Interdune Boardwalk, a simple .4 mile, 20-minute stroll. This boardwalk is totally accessible for wheelchairs and strollers and gives a shaded space about mid-way by.
White Sands gives many extra trails for exploration that will let you expertise the sand stretching so far as the attention can see. The Alkali Flat or the White Sands Backcountry Path are good choices for getting off the crushed path.
White Sands is an incredible place to observe the sundown. To benefit from your time, I extremely advocate mountain climbing as much as the highest of a towering dune in time for golden hour. On a transparent day, you may anticipate vibrant, colourful sunsets that gentle up the sky within the prettiest of pastels. Convey a headlamp and keep for the blue hour after the solar goes down for the total vary of colours.
The place to Keep Close to White Sands Nationwide Park
As soon as the solar units, proceed into the city of Alamogordo, solely fifteen minutes away. When you’re at White Sands for sundown, put together to drive in full darkness (apart from the opposite automobiles additionally headed to city).
In Alamogordo, you’ll discover lower-budget lodging from prime chains, in addition to bed-and-breakfast-style resorts, motels, and Airbnbs.
I stayed on the Basic Desert Aire Resort, a three-star lodging providing probably the most scrumptious selfmade breakfast that was included within the room price.
Day 2: Roswell – Route 66
- Distance: 253 miles
- Drive time: 4 hours
Roswell
- Journey distance: 2 hours (119 miles) from Alamogordo
Within the morning, proceed your drive towards Roswell, a kitschy city recognized for all issues aliens, after a rumored UFO crash in 1947. The whole city is decked out in all-green alien figures on banners, indicators, and merchandise. Even the McDonald’s is formed like a UFO.
The Worldwide UFO Museum and Analysis Heart is a captivating cease on this New Mexico street journey itinerary. The museum was based to tell the general public about what has change into generally known as the “Roswell Incident.” It showcases a group of written content material across the alleged alien sightings, in addition to replicas of aliens. With admission at solely $7, don’t miss it.
Earlier than you depart Roswell, you’ll want to replenish on gasoline for the subsequent stretch of freeway.
Route 66 (Santa Rosa)
- Journey distance: 2 hours (134 miles) from Roswell
After your stint in Roswell, drive north to fulfill the well-known Route 66. The Route 66 Auto Museum and the Blue Gap are the primary points of interest in Santa Rosa.
The auto museum showcases over 30 classic autos, plus Route 66 memorabilia, like data and Coca-Cola indicators. The museum additionally has a memento store the place you should buy some neat gadgets for household again dwelling. It’s value a cease for any traveler, automobile fanatic or not. Admission is $5.
If automobiles aren’t your factor, cease by the Blue Gap, an 80-foot deep crystal-blue pure swimming gap that’s excellent for a dip. You possibly can even SCUBA dive right here for a one-of-a-kind expertise.
Days 3-4: Santa Fe
- Journey distance: 1.5 hours (108 miles) from Santa Rosa
Head north once more and arrive in Santa Fe, the cultural middle of New Mexico. This charming metropolis is named a hotbed for inventive arts, with a mixture of high-end and lower-priced artwork galleries, textile retailers, pottery retailers, and far more positioned on each block. For that cause, it’s value spending a few days in Santa Fe. Most guests keep within the Previous City, the center of the town.
Santa Fe was based as a Spanish colony in 1610 and nonetheless options genuine Pueblo-style structure. The Palace of the Governors, now the New Mexico Historical past Museum, sits on the coronary heart of the downtown space. This space could be very walkable and homes many resorts, shops, galleries, eateries, and absolutely anything else you might want.
When you’re into artwork or desire a distinctive Santa Fe expertise, take a look at the immersive artwork museum, Meow Wolf. The Georgia O’Keefe Museum can be a fantastic place to go to for artwork lovers.
Santa Fe additionally has an unimaginable meals scene. Native favorites embody chili, burritos, and posole, a standard Mexican consolation stew, often consisting of simmered pork shoulder (take a look at La Choza for a vegan model). When you go to on a Saturday, the Farmers Market (which takes place yr spherical) shouldn’t be missed. It’s a fantastic place to select up some peppers to take dwelling with you.
Santa Fe additionally has nice summer time and shoulder season mountain climbing. The Santa Fe Nationwide Forest gives dozens of trails within the Southern Rockies which might be lower than an hour from Sante Fe. The mountains on this area are surprisingly huge, with some peaks reaching 13,000 ft in elevation.
Whereas I didn’t have time to discover these mountains, the Nambe Lake is one which’s on my record. It’s a 6.3 mile hike that leaves from the bottom of the Santa Fe Ski Space ending at a beaufitul alpine lake, paying homage to one thing you’d see in Colorado.
When you’ve got additional time, Sante Fe is an efficient leaping off level to Jemez Scorching Springs, the place you could find plentiful New Mexico sizzling springs to soak in. Alternatively, it’s a simple day journey as much as hike to Taos or Bandelier Nationwide Monument (which I’ll discuss beneath).
The place to Keep in Santa Fe
With its vibrant arts scene, Santa Fe attracts two million guests annually. There isn’t a scarcity of luxurious, spa-like locations to remain. Take a look at Eldorado, a centrally-located four-star lodge with a beautiful rooftop infinity pool. E book a balcony room with a fire to get pleasure from each the sunny days and the chilly evenings.
Day 5: Bandelier Nationwide Monument
- Journey distance: 50 minutes (41 miles) from Santa Fe
For a stunning day journey outdoors of Santa Fe, drive about 50 minutes northwest to Bandelier Nationwide Monument. This federal recreation land protects 33,000 acres of canyons and mesas and is the ancestral lands of 23 completely different Native American tribes. Guests can see petroglyphs, caves, and carvings on the rock cliffs, and standing masonry partitions from human civilization relationship again over 11,000 years.
Most guests will discover the Predominant (Pueblo) Loop Path, a 1.4 mile loop path that begins on the Guests Heart and continues by excavated archeological websites on the ground of Frijoles Canyon. You possibly can discover the path by yourself or as a part of a Ranger Guided stroll, supplied most days in the summertime.
The three-mile roundtrip Falls Path, which ends up in the breathtaking Higher Falls, is one other fashionable path. The location additionally gives 70 miles complete of assorted pathways.
Entrance for a personal automobile prices $25, or is roofed by the America the Stunning annual park move.
Day 6: Albuquerque
- Journey distance: 1 hour (65 miles) from Santa Fe
Your ultimate vacation spot on this street journey is Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest metropolis. Albuquerque is most recognized for the Worldwide Balloon Fiesta, which happens yearly in October.
Stroll down the Biopark the place you may get pleasure from huge greenspace (notice the Biopark is just not dog-friendly). The Biopark’s Botanical Gardens options 32 acres of reveals, that includes native vegetation and flora from all over the world.
The biopark additionally has a zoo, dwelling to over 900 animals. Get a combo ticket to get pleasure from the complete park. It’s $22 for non-residents ($16 New Mexico resident). Seniors and youth get discounted pricing.
Very like Santa Fe, there’s a wealthy handcrafted arts scene, with many retailers promoting Native American items. The Previous City space could be very walkable to resorts, eating places, museums, shops, and public parks.
Previous City Albuquerque dates again to 1706 when the town was a Spanish colony. Guests can discover many historic buildings, like San Felipe de Neri Church, quite a few museums, and impressed resorts.
For affordable, delicious eats, take a break at Sawmill Market. This contemporary meals corridor gives 25+ eateries, and contains one thing for everybody. Diners can get pleasure from burgers, burritos, pasta, waffles, pizza, sushi, vegan choices and extra. A number of bars (21+) anchor the corridor, making this a preferred after-work spot for locals. Take a look at Cashos for scrumptious empanadas.
The place to Keep in Albuquerque
When you’re flying out of the Albuquerque Worldwide Airport, keep on the Airport Marriott Courtyard or one other lodge in that rapid space.
When you choose to return to El Paso in your ultimate day, it’s an extra 250 miles of driving (~4 hours).
When you’ve got extra time…
If 6-days isn’t sufficient and you’ve got additional time to discover, listed here are a few add-ons to this New Mexico itinerary:
- Cease in Taos earlier than going to Sante Fe: a city bordering the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that’s wealthy in indigenous historical past with mountain climbing, snowboarding, and different outside actions
- After leaving Sante Fe, spend a day in Jemez Springs soaking a New Mexico’s pure sizzling springs
Greatest Time to Go to New Mexico
Summer season is the preferred time to go to New Mexico. Temperatures in Sante Fe sometimes attain the mid-80s, because of it being 7,000 ft above sea degree. Nonetheless, White Sands Nationwide Monument which is decrease round 4,000 ft is way hotter with the highs within the mid-90s and no shade.
For one of the best all-around climate at the entire locations on this New Mexico itinerary, I’d counsel visiting in spring or fall. You’ll have gentle temperatures each in Sante Fe and White Sands, together with fewer crowds. Simply be certain to pack layers for mountain climbing and be ready for noticeable temperature swings between day and night time.
Hope this publish will get you excited to go to New Mexico! Go away your questions and New Mexico street journey suggestions down within the feedback.
Save this publish to Pinterest
Associated Posts
