Sunspot Scenic Byway
Sunspot Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway in New Mexico. Within New Mexico it covers roughly 16 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Sunspot Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
New Mexico's Sunspot Scenic Byway, State Road 6563, runs about 15 miles south from Cloudcroft through the Lincoln National Forest. Its route number is itself a piece of science: 6563 angstroms is the wavelength of the hydrogen-alpha spectral line astronomers use to study the sun's chromosphere and track solar flares. Roadside markers along the drive represent the planets, each placed to scale using a 1:250-million-scale model of the solar system's actual distances from the sun. The US government chose Sacramento Peak in 1947 for a solar observatory, drawn by the area's low humidity, dark skies, and clean air, ideal conditions for studying how solar activity disrupts radio communications on Earth. Designated a National Forest Scenic Byway on October 6, 1990, the drive also offers sweeping overlooks of White Sands National Monument and the Tularosa Basin far below, tying astronomy directly into the mountain scenery it's named for.
- Sacramento Peak Observatory
- State Road 6563
- 15 miles
- White Sands overlook
- hydrogen-alpha wavelength
- 1990 designation
- Lincoln National Forest
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What is a National Forest Scenic Byway?
National Forest Scenic Byways are routes designated by the U.S. Forest Service that thread through the mountains, canyons and old growth of America's national forests and grasslands.
Where to Stay along Sunspot Scenic Byway
10 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Sunspot Scenic Byway.
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