Called Chaco Canyon locally, this park protects the remains of large structures called Great Houses built by ancestral Puebloans from roughly 700 to 1100 CE. Explore Chaco Culture National Historical ParkĪ journey to remote Chaco Culture National Historical Park pushes the limits for a road trip from Albuquerque at three hours one-way, but it’s well worth the beautiful drive on US 550 for anyone interested in Native American culture, history, archaeology and desert hiking. Parking is available at stations throughout the Albuquerque area, including the Alvarado Transit Station in downtown Albuquerque.
How to get to Santa Fe via train: Visit the New Mexico Rail Runner Express website for schedules. How to get to the Turquoise Trail: From Albuquerque, travel I-40 east to Exit 175 at Tijeras, then take NM 14 north toward Santa Fe. The entire trip from Tijeras to Santa Fe is only 60 miles, but give yourself plenty of time to explore. From Cerrillos, Santa Fe is just a few miles north. Cerrillos Hills State Park has information about the area’s Native American turquoise mining and has hiking trails through the rolling Ortiz Mountains. New life here hasn’t detracted from its ghost town feel, and the Black Bird Saloon and Cerrillos Station mercantile store and gallery have joined longtime businesses like the Casa Grande Trading Post, Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum and the Cerrillos Petting Zoo. The next stop on the trip is Cerrillos, such the epitome of an Old West town that it’s been featured in several movies including Young Guns. Today the town’s historic mining buildings are brightly colored art galleries, cafés and museums.
Madrid became a ghost town that was discovered by free spirits in the 1960s, and old mining shacks were once again inhabited and fixed up. You might also like: Finding sanctuary in one of America’s few Native-owned breweriesĬontinue north on NM 14 to arrive in Madrid (pronounced MAD-rid) which was a booming coal-mining town in the 1930s.
In Sandia Park, the Tinkertown Museum is an eclectic collection of outsider art that’s a family favorite (closed November through March).
Travelers along this national scenic highway pass through Cedar Crest with its Greenside Cafe and Rumor Brewing before reaching the turnoff for New Mexico 536 that climbs to the crest of the Sandía Mountains at 10,678ft. It gets its sobriquet from the precious mineral that Native Americans mined in Cerrillos and traded throughout the Americas. Go mining for adventure on the Turquoise Trailįilled with mountain views and Old West history, the Turquoise Trail is the nickname for New Mexico 14, a two-lane road that travels from Tijeras just east of Albuquerque to Santa Fe along the east side of the Sandia Mountains. Here are seven of our favorite journeys that can be completed in a day from the Duke City. These road trips from Albuquerque explore some of New Mexico’s most exciting and fascinating destinations, and most will have you back in time for dinner and margaritas.
Set in the center of New Mexico, the city makes a great base for discovering the diverse landscapes and cultures that make the state the Land of Enchantment. Albuquerque is the gateway to the Southwest.