Turquoise Trail
Turquoise Trail is a National Scenic Byway in New Mexico. Within New Mexico it covers roughly 60 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Turquoise Trail with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Route 14 runs the back way between Albuquerque and Santa Fe along the eastern flank of the Sandia Mountains, through old mining towns turned artist colonies. Madrid, once a near-ghost town, is now lined with galleries and cafes, and Cerrillos preserves a frontier-era main street long used as a film set. The route is named for the turquoise and other minerals mined here for centuries.
- Madrid arts town
- Cerrillos
- Sandia Mountains
- old mining country
- SR-14
Designated for its scenic qualities
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Places to stop along Turquoise Trail
Tijeras
The southern gateway, in the canyon between the Sandia and Manzano mountains, with a ranger station for trail information.
Sandia Park and Cedar Crest
Mountain communities along the Sandias' forested east side, where the Sandia Crest road climbs to a 10,678-foot overlook.
Golden
The site of one of the earliest gold strikes in the West, now a few ruins and a much-photographed adobe church.
Madrid
A former coal town reborn as an artists' colony of galleries and cafes in old company houses.
WebsiteCerrillos
A dusty old mining town with dirt streets, a turquoise museum, and a feeling of the Old West; ancient turquoise mines dot the hills nearby.
Cerrillos Hills State Park
Trails through low hills pocked by historic mine shafts, where turquoise was mined for centuries before the Spanish arrived.
WebsiteSan Marcos Cafe
A country cafe and feed store with peacocks in the yard, known for its cinnamon rolls, near the trail's Santa Fe end.
Where to Stay along Turquoise Trail
6 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Turquoise Trail.
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Photos of Turquoise Trail
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.