Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway
Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in New Mexico. Within New Mexico it covers roughly 150 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway is a 154-mile National Scenic Byway through southwestern New Mexico, centered on Truth or Consequences and named for the Chiricahua Apache leader Geronimo. The route runs from San Lorenzo in Grant County north to the Beaverhead Ranger Station, threading past Elephant Butte Dam and Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Caballo Lake, and the rugged Caballo and Black Range mountains. Along its southern leg the byway passes through small mining-era towns, including Kingston, Hillsboro, Caballo, and Williamsburg, along with the ghost town of Lake Valley, a reminder of the silver boom that once drew thousands to this stretch of desert. The drive shifts from reservoir and river-valley scenery near Truth or Consequences to high desert and forested mountain terrain further north, making it one of the more varied long-distance scenic byways in the state. As a National Scenic Byway, it's federally recognized for that range of landscape, and it rewards travelers willing to commit the better part of a day to its full length.
- San Lorenzo to Beaverhead Ranger Station
- 154 miles
- Truth or Consequences
- Elephant Butte Lake State Park
- Black Range Mountains
- Hillsboro & Kingston mining towns
- Lake Valley ghost town
Designated for its historic qualities
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Places to stop along Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway
Truth or Consequences
A hot-springs town that renamed itself after a radio quiz show in 1950, with bathhouses along its main street.
Geronimo Springs Museum
Sierra County history from mammoth skulls and Mimbres pottery to Apache, Hispanic, and ranching exhibits.
Elephant Butte Lake State Park
The state's biggest lake, named for the volcanic butte that rises from it like a resting elephant.
Caballo Lake State Park
A quieter reservoir beneath the Caballo Mountains, known for bass and walleye fishing and wintering bald eagles.
Hillsboro
An 1880s silver and gold town now home to artists and an apple festival, on the climb toward Emory Pass.
WebsiteChloride
A near-ghost silver town where the 1880 Pioneer Store reopened as a museum, its shelves still stocked as when it closed.
Website
Where to Stay along Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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Photos of Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.