Salt Missions Trail
Salt Missions Trail is a State 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 Salt Missions Trail with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
New Mexico's Salt Missions Trail Scenic Byway loops 150 miles from Tijeras, east of Albuquerque, along the Manzano and Manzanita Mountains. The route follows a historic wagon road through Spanish land grant towns and the Cibola National Forest, tracing the prehistoric trade path of the Salinas Pueblo Missions, then skirts an abandoned railroad grade along the Estancia Basin's salt lakes and prairie before closing the loop on a 24-mile stretch of historic Route 66 back to Tijeras. New Mexico designated the byway in 1998 to build regional identity, spur economic development, and encourage preservation across thirteen communities along the route. Its name comes from the three units of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument it passes, where Native American, Spanish, and Anglo history all overlap. Old trade routes, abandoned rail beds, and forgotten footpaths run through the drive as much as the modern highway does.
- Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
- Manzano Mountains
- 150-mile loop
- Historic Route 66
- 1998 designation
- Estancia Basin salt lakes
- Tijeras
Plan a drive on Salt Missions Trail →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Salt Missions Trail
12 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Salt Missions Trail.
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