Scenic Byways in New Mexico

Scenic byways can make travel through New Mexico not only interesting but heart warming. The beauty of the State of New Mexico can be seen along each of these scenic byways.

The Farmers, Ranchers and Rock N Roll scenic byway takes the traveler along the Eastern side of the State of New Mexico. Begin your trip along Hwy 18 from North to South New Mexico. While traveling this Scenic route the distance is 170miles with a high elevation of 4,266 feet. Visit the Miles Mineral Museum and Natural History Museum in Portales, the Model Train Museum in Clovis, also in Clovis there is the Norman Petty Studios and the Norman and Vi Petty Rock 'n roll Museum. Travel south to Lovington visiting the Lea County Museum or Chaparral Park (80 acres of outdoor fun). Hobbs is the next stop and take a break at the Zia Park Race Track and Casino or visit the Linam Ranch Museum (by appointment only). Finish this Scenic drive in Jal at the 400-foot long metal sculpture depicting the Old West Cattle Drive at The Trail Head.

Next take Highway 285 right in the middle of the state, from South to North of New Mexico and start out seeing the amazing Carlsbad Caverns. These amazing caverns are some 900 feet below the surface and the sights are amazing. Be sure to take in the evening bat flight show where literally millions of Brown Bats take flight for the evening meal. Then driving through the Guadalupe Mountain National Park and viewing the beauty of New Mexico is next. Wildlife is plentiful in the Guadalupe Mountain National Park and can be seen mostly in the early morning or early evening hours when weather is at it's coolest. Next is the Billy the Kid Museum in Fort Sumner where visitors learn of Billy's great adventures on the wrong side of the law. Follow the Heritage Walkway in Artesia where five fountains and two locally created murals tell the story of the Artesian past. Next is the Roswell Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge or the International UFO Museum where visitors can decide for themselves and then onward to the Bosque Redondo Memorial Fort Sumner State Monument where honoring the Navajo and Apaches who were forced from their lands in 1864.

The final Scenic Byway in New Mexico is along highway 70 looping up 54 and back down 244. Beginning in El Paso this route will take you 206 miles with an elevation of 8,650 at it's highest. First stop is the White Sands National Monument, which will take your breath away. The sand is white as far as the eye can see but life still continues to find a way here in this white sand desert. Next is the town of Alamogordo and he Alameda Park Zoo, which is one of the oldest zoos's in the Southwest and features 300 animals with 90 different species living on the zoo grounds. Visit the Oliver Lee Memorial State Park before leaving Alamogordo traveling to Tularosa and visiting St. Francis de Paula Church, which was build in 1869. Along this route visitor's travel through the Valley of fire, which is 40miles long and five miles wide and made of ancient volcanic matter. Three Rivers Petroglyph Site gives the visitor a great look into the art of the worlds past. Make a stop over at the Inn of the Mountain gods Resort and Casino in Mescalero and take a needed rest and dinner in one of the fantastic restaurants at the Casino. In the morning visit St. Joseph's Mission and move on down the highway to the town of Cloudcroft which is a quaint little mountain town and National Solar Observatory at Sunspot, Spencer Theater for Performing arts is located in Alto, Billy the Kid Casino and Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs, Smokey Bear Historical State park in Capitan and Lincoln State Monument in Lincoln and finally the Carrizozo Heritage Museum in Carrizozo ending your trip down the Scenic byway at Ruidoso Lincoln National Forest where there is indoor and outdoor activities for visitors of all ages.