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TRIP

9 Billy the Kid Byway

37 48 Hours in Santa Fe

49 Hiking the Jemez

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Following the Turquoise Trail

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WHY GO You can zip from Albuquerque to Santa Fe in under an hour on the highway, but taking the old turquoise trading trail is the quintessential quirky rural New Mexican road trip. Here, the hippies ride Harleys around ghost-gone-gallery old mining towns and the three-ring circus is found inside the museum.

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TIME

2 days

DISTANCE

65 miles

BEST TIME TO GO

Sep – Nov

START

Albuquerque, NM

END

Santa Fe, NM

ALSO GOOD FOR

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A National and Historic Scenic Byway, the Turquoise Trail has been a major trade route since at least 2000 BC. That’s when local artisans began trading Cerrillos turquoise with communities in present-day Mexico – the first rocks were dug up by Native Americans around AD 100. Today it’s a quixotic rural New Mexican road trip and a journey back in history. First up is the Tinkertown Museum, located about 1 mile down the trail. The museum is the life’s work of Ross J Ward, and one of those places you have to see to believe. Ward has created an entire animated Western miniature town and three-ring circus that includes thousands of intricately carved wooden figurines. The artist is also famous for his kooky words of wisdom like “eat more mangos naked.”

New Mexico’s small towns pride themselves on being off-beat and unique, and the next town en route, Madrid, is no different. Here the hippies ride Harley Davidsons and bikers frequent the modern art galleries. A bustling company coal-mining town in the 1920s and ’30s, Madrid (pronounced Maa-drid) was all but abandoned after WWII. In the mid-1970s, the company’s heirs sold cheap lots to tie-dyed wanderers who have built a thriving arts community with a sprinkling of New Age shops and biker bars. Unlike the uniform adobe brick comprising most New Mexico towns, Madrid’s buildings are wood, giving the place an almost northeast coal-town vibe. By the time you arrive, you’ll be hungry (especially if you’ve logged serious miles on Sandia Crest). Stop by the Mine Shaft Tavern for pub grub and a chance to chat with the locals at the “longest stand-up bar in New Mexico.” Built in 1946, the 50ft shotgun bar has been Madrid’s favorite attraction for decades. There’s live music on weekends.

Spend the night at Madrid Lodging, which has a couple of two-room suites and an outdoor hot tub in a well-tended, colorfully painted 1930s boarding house. Check in for two nights – you have a full day ahead of you. Go gallery hopping the next morning. Madrid may be a one-street town, but it is home to dozens of art shops. Visit Fuse Arts for first-rate abstract designs and Seppanen & Daughters Fine Textiles for amazing rugs. For lunch try Mama Lisa’s Ghost Town Kitchen, where everything from the bread to the stew is made from scratch. The menu changes daily, but there’s always something spicy and New Mexican featured. Take in the afternoon show at the Madrid Melodrama & Engine House Theatre. Whether you have kids, or are one at heart, this place puts on a Wild West how, staring a steam locomotive, mining desperados, scoundrels, vixens and other storied characters from the Victorian era that leave you with an old-fashioned happy feeling at the end. Admission includes a six-shooter loaded with marshmallows to unload at the villains.

From Madrid it’s a quick 3 mile sprint to your next stop. Native Americans have been digging for turquoise in the hills north of tiny Cerrillos since the 1st century. With unpaved streets and a vibe reminiscent of a Spanish village from the late 1800s, the old mining town feels wonderfully lost in time. Explore the history at the Cerrillos Turquoise Mining Museum & Petting Zoo, a top-drawer roadside attraction. It packs five rooms with Chinese art, pioneer-era tools, mining equipment dating to 3000 BC, bottles and antiques excavated from an abandoned