Tracks Across Borders Byway - New Mexico
Tracks Across Borders Byway - New Mexico is a State Scenic Byway in New Mexico. Within New Mexico it covers roughly 10 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Tracks Across Borders Byway - New Mexico with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
New Mexico's stretch of the Tracks Across Borders Byway runs from Chama to the Colorado line, part of a 128-mile bi-state route continuing on to Durango, Colorado. The byway traces the abandoned right-of-way of the narrow-gauge Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, which linked the two towns until it stopped running in 1969. In New Mexico, the drive starts at the western terminus of the still-operating Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad in Chama, runs west through the Jicarilla Apache Nation at Dulce, and passes a well-preserved historic railroad bridge and water tank at Navajo before climbing north through the pine-lined canyon of the Navajo River to Colorado. Beyond the railroad, the byway's name nods to several other layers of history sharing this ground: Native American trails, 1600s Spanish missionary routes, Old Spanish Trail oxcart tracks, and pioneer wagon ruts. The Jicarilla Apache Nation portion adds a living cultural dimension the railroad-focused name doesn't fully capture on its own.
- Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad
- Chama
- 128-mile bi-state route
- Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
- Jicarilla Apache Nation
- Navajo River canyon
- 1969 rail closure
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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 Tracks Across Borders Byway - New Mexico
No campgrounds are listed close to Tracks Across Borders Byway - New Mexico yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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