Location: Follows Route 25 from Santa Fe, New Mexico south across the border to El Paso, Texas
Length: 299 miles (481 km)
Time To Allow: 9 hours

Description/Highlights/Points of Interest

El Camino Real crosses a land rich in history and culture. From the low-lying flatlands of the south to the soaring peaks of the northern mountains, the terrain climbs 10,000 feet (3,049 m) in altitude, creating a landscape of dramatic contrasts. The Royal Highway of the Interior Lands follows the Rio Grande from the United States-Mexico border to Santa Fe. You'll enjoy a wealth of sites including several former Spanish colonial and Mexican villages, two U.S. Territorial forts and five Pueblo Indian villages.

Suggested Itinerary

El Camino Real could very well take a lifetime to fully explore, but to the visitor, many highlights and historical sites still exist to be able to appreciate the rich history of New Mexico. This tour begins in Santa Fe and continues south to the border of Mexico. The byway itself is, for the most part, a frontage road that runs along Interstate 25. It affords more options to the traveler and allows you to not worry about heavy interstate traffic.

A visit to Pecos National Historic Park just south of Santa Fe is a great stop to learn about 10,000 years of history including the ancient pueblo of Pecos, two Spanish colonial missions and the site of the Civil War battle of Glorieta Pass. Visits to nearby Bandalier National Monument and Fort Union are also fantastic adventures. Venturing south towards Albuquerque, be sure to stop Coronado State Park near Bernalillo. Once in Albuquerque, stop in at Petroglyph National Monument before stopping for the night.

A second day on El Camino actually takes you off the byway for awhile as you take Highway 40 west towards the town of Grants. Activities at El Malpais National Monument and the Acoma Pueblo are sure to fill your morning. Heading back towards the byway, take a right on Highway 6 towards Los Lunas. Highway 6 follows part of the famous Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. Near Los Lunas is the Isleta Pueblo. Stop in and look at the amazing art produced there — a treat only appreciated in person.

Take a small side trip to the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in Abo. Passing into Soccorro County, the landscape flattens a little, and the byway is surrounded by national wildlife refuges, including Bosque Del Apache just south of San Antonio and Laborcita. Spend another night in Truth or Consequences (T or C, for short), but stop at Fort Craig first.

Begin a third day on El Camino at Elephant Butte State Park. Don't forget the Geronimo Springs Museum downtown, either. Then head south toward Hatch, and turn west toward Deming on Highway 26. Highway 26 also follows along the historic Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. At Deming, turn towards Rockhound State Park and go hunting for fantastic gems and minerals. Add to, or begin your collection as the park does allow visitors to take a certain amount of rocks out of the park (by weight). After gathering rocks, hop on Interstate 10 back to Las Cruces and across the byway towards Alamogordo, where a real treat awaits you at White Sands National Monument. Be sure to pick a day that missles are not being tested! The highway is often closed during times of testing. An evening in Las Cruces is a perfect end to the exploration of El Camino Real.

The following organization offers trips along the El Camino Real Scenic Byway:

Museums and Mansions: Old Santa Fe
Traveling America
As America's oldest capital city, Santa Fe has been occupied since 1050. Even though archeologists agree that the settlement was abandoned about 200 years before the Spanish arrived, the region was claimed as the "Kingdom of Mexico" in 1540. Santa Fe was founded in 1607, the same year in which the colonists landed at Jamestown on the Virginia coast. Between 1692 and 1821, as the capital of the Spanish Empire, Santa Fe prospered and grew as a city, emerging as the capital of the Province of New Mexico when Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821.

With all this interesting history at hand, we've designed a special 3-day, 2- night Break Away for you to explore Old Santa Fe; its buildings, art and cultures that are older than America itself. Accommodations at the Bishop's Lodge, with it's own Santa Fe history, are the perfect complement to your historic experience. This package includes admission to the following points of interest: Palace of the Governors, Museum of Spanish American Art, the Mission of San Miguel of Santa Fe and the Loretto Chapel.