ROAD SORTIES Scenic Roads

Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico

Wagon Mound, the butte that guided travelers toward Santa Fe
Wagon Mound, the butte that guided travelers toward Santa FePhoto: Tony Oliver / America's Byways (FHWA), public domain

Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico is a National Scenic Byway in New Mexico. Within New Mexico it covers roughly 420 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.

New Mexico's stretch of the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway follows two branches of the route William Becknell pioneered from Missouri in 1821. The Mountain Branch crossed the punishing Raton Pass, where Richens Wootton ran a toll road starting in 1865, charging $1.50 per wagon; the Cimarron Cutoff, which carried an estimated three-quarters of all trail traffic, entered New Mexico from the Oklahoma panhandle near Clayton, passing landmarks like McNee's Crossing and Point of Rocks. The two branches met at Watrous before continuing to Fort Union, the first of three forts built here starting in 1851 to protect trail travelers and supply other New Mexico garrisons. Springer, six miles from the trail's Canadian River crossing, now houses the Santa Fe Trail Museum in the 1882 Colfax County Courthouse. The full byway also runs through Kansas and southeastern Colorado, but its New Mexico stretch carries some of the trail's hardest terrain and best-preserved historic sites.

Designated for its historic qualities

Plan a drive on Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store

Places to stop along Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico

  1. Wagon Mound

    A butte shaped like a covered wagon pulled by oxen, a landmark that told travelers Santa Fe was getting close.

  2. Fort Union National Monument

    The adobe ruins of the largest 19th-century military post on the frontier, with wagon ruts still visible in the grassland.

    Website

  3. Pecos National Historical Park

    Ruins of Pecos Pueblo and its Spanish mission church on a ridge travelers passed on the last days before Santa Fe.

    Website

  4. Palace of the Governors

    The adobe palace on the Santa Fe plaza where the trail ended, now part of the New Mexico History Museum.

    Website

Where to Stay along Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico

1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico.

Santa Fe, NMRancheros de Santa Fe CampgroundBook a site →Hotels & motelsNear Trinidad, COSearch stays →Renting an RV?Near Trinidad, COSee RV rentals →Harvest Hosts20% offPark free overnight at farms and wineriesSee membership →

Campsite, lodging, RV rental and membership links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.

Photos of Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico

Wagon swales near Fort Union National Monument
Wagon swales near Fort Union National MonumentPhoto: National Trails Office (US National Park Service) / Public domain
Trail ruts beside a bluff on Tecolote Ranch
Trail ruts beside a bluff on Tecolote RanchPhoto: National Trails Office (US National Park Service) / Public domain
State Road 453 and a Santa Fe Trail marker near Grenville
State Road 453 and a Santa Fe Trail marker near GrenvillePhoto: Jeffrey Beall / CC BY 4.0

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.

← All scenic roads in New Mexico