Scenic Driving New Mexico: Exploring the State's Most Spectacular Back Roads

by Laurence Parent

Overview

Pack up the car and enjoy thirty-five drives through some of the most spectacular scenery in New Mexico, where the culture, terrain, and climate are as diverse as the Land of Enchantment itself. This indispensable highway companion maps out short trips for exploring the state’s scenic byways and back roads. Join nature writer and photographer Laurence Parent on an adventure that takes you from the dunes at White Sands National Park to the lush forests of the Sacramento Mountains to the rugged waters of the Pecos River.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781493036035
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/2020
Series:	Scenic Driving
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	663,193
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Laurence Parent is a freelance photographer and writer specializing in landscape, travel, and nature subjects. He has written 21 books, including seven FalconGuides. He lives in Prescott, Arizona.

Table of Contents

About the Author ix

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Locator Map xvi

How to Use This Guide xvii

Map Legend xix

The Scenic Drives

1 Johnson Mesa & Capulin Volcano: Raton to Capulin 1

2 The Enchanted Circle: Taos-Red River Loop 7

3 The High Road: Santa Fe to Taos 13

4 Brazos Summit: Tres Piedras to Tierra Amarilla 18

5 Cumbres Pass: Chama to Cumbres Pass 22

6 Ghost Ranch: Abiquiu to Tierra Amarilla 26

7 Valle Grande: White Rock to Jemez Pueblo 31

8 Santa Fe National Forest Scenic Byway: Santa Fe to Ski Santa Fe 36

9 Pecos River: Pecos to Cowles 41

10 Sangre de Cristo Mountains & Mora Valley: Vadito to La Cueva 46

11 Angel Fire: Mora to Angel Fire 52

12 Chaco Culture National Historical Park: US 550 to Chaco Culture National Historical Park 56

13 El Malpais & El Morro National Monuments: Grants to El Morro 61

14 El Malpais National Conservation Area: Grants to Quemado 66

15 The Turquoise Trail: Tijeras to Santa Fe 71

16 Sandia Crest: San Antonito to Sandia Crest 76

17 Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument: Tijeras to Gran Quivira 81

18 Magdalena Mountains: Socorro to South Baldy 88

19 Plains of San Agustin & the Beefsteak Trail: Magdalena to Apache Creek 93

20 Southwestern Mountain Country: Glenwood to Ouemado 99

21 Gila Wilderness & Mogollon Ghost Town: Alma to Snow Lake 105

22 Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway: Silver City to Gila Cliff Dwellings 110

23 Kingston-Hillsboro Ghost Towns: San Lorenzo to Hillsboro 118

24 Dunes Drive: White Sands 122

25 Cloudcroft: Alamogordo to Cloudcroft 127

26 Sunspot Scenic Byway: Cloudcroft to Sunspot 133

27 Sacramento Mountain Crest: Cloudcroft to Ruidoso 138

28 Sierra Blanca Peak: Alto to Ski Apache 143

29 Carlsbad Caverns Highway & Walnut Canyon Desert Drive: Whites City to Carlsbad Caverns National Park 148

30 Sitting Bull Falls & the Ridge Road: Sitting Bull Falls to Guadalupe Ridge 154

31 The Black Range: Mimbres Valley to Chloride 160

32 Valle Vidal: Costilla to Cimarron 166

33 Cimarron Canyon: Cimarron to Eagle Nest 172

34 Villanueva State Park: 1-40 to Ribera 176

35 Mount Withington Loop: Cibola National Forest 180

Suggested Reading 186

Appendix: Sources of More Information 187

Index 197