Between Albuquerque and Gallup, New Mexico, Route 66 passes through a number of interesting small towns--some virtual ghost towns--with a variety of things to see.
After reaching the crest of Albuquerque’s Nine Mile Hill during our 2022 Route 66 road trip, we turned right (north) on Atrisco Vista Boulevard, crossed I-40, then turned left (west) to stay on Central Avenue Northwest. We soon saw Enchanted Trails Trading Post & RV Park, where vintage trailers have been converted into motel rooms.
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| Enchanged Trails Trading Post & RV Park west of Albuquerque |
Past Enchanted Trails, Route 66 runs along I-40, and the view looking west is terrific.
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| Route 66 west of Albuquerque, running along I-40 |
About 6 miles past Enchanted Trails is Rio Puerco Bridge.
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| Rio Puerco Bridge west of Albuquerque |
Rio Puerco Bridge was built in 1933. It’s now open only to pedestrians.
Just past Rio Puerco Bridge, we had to get on I-40 because, while Central Avenue continues as a frontage road for a few more miles, it then veers sharply north, away from Route 66. We exited I-40 at Highland Meadows (NM 6), so we could take the 1926 alignment of Route 66 here. We drove south on NM 6 about 2 miles, then turned right (west) on Sparrow Hawk Road (NM 169), which is the 1926 Route 66 alignment.
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| NM 169 (1926 alignment of Route 66) west of Highland Meadows NM |
In a mile, NM 169 turns south, and Sparrow Hawk Road—the 1926 Route 66 alignment—becomes a dirt road.
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| Sparrow Hawk Road (1926 alignment of Route 66) where it forks from NM 169 |
We kept going—we’ve driven other dirt segments of Route 66 and found them a lot of fun—but Sparrow Hawk Road was a muddy morass.
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| Sparrow Hawk Road west of NM 169 |
Rather than risk getting stuck in, literally, the middle of nowhere, we reluctantly turned around and returned to I-40 west. We took the next exit (Mesita) to rejoin the 1926 Route 66 alignment. Here it is the north frontage road of I-40 and called Old Route 66 Road on Google Maps. The road soon bends away from I-40 and becomes one of the prettiest drives we’ve seen along Route 66.
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| 1926 alignment of Route 66 east of Laguna, New Mexico |
Watch for a lava outcrop called Owl Rock and a sharp bend called Dead Man’s Curve.
Just east of Laguna, Old Route 66 Road bends close to I-40 and becomes NM 124. Here we found a great convenience store: Laguna 66 Pit Stop.
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| Laguna 66 Pit Stop in Laguna, New Mexico |
About a quarter mile past the Laguna 66 Pit Stop, Old Route 66 Road veers off of NM 124 for just a half mile or so. Turn left on Rio San Jose Road, then make an immediate right onto Old Route 66 Road. From the road, you can see the Pueblo of Laguna to the south.
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| San Jose de la Laguna Mission Church in Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico |
The pueblo was built in 1698, and San Jose de la Laguna Mission Church—the tallest building in this photo—was built in 1701.
We rejoined NM 124 and continued on it about 9 miles to the remains of Budville Trading Post.
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| Budville Trading Post in Budville, New Mexico |
Budville Trading Post was built in 1928 or 1938 (sources give varying dates). It had a colorful history including murder!
At Budville Trading Post, the road forks. I read conflicting things about which fork was the 1926 Route 66 alignment. We took the right fork, which is a road called the Cubero Loop.
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| Cubero Loop south of Cubero, New Mexico |
The Cubero Loop leads to the village of Cubero. Cubero was established in 1776. It’s hard to believe that, in the early 20th century, this tiny community was a haven for rich and famous people, especially movie stars filming near Gallup. We didn’t see any movie stars, but we did see some cattle loose near the road.
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| Cubero, New Mexico |
The Cubero Loop took us back to NM 124, where we saw the Villa de Cubero Trading Post.
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| Villa de Cubero Trading Post south of Cubero, New Mexico |
Villa de Cubero was built in 1936-1937 in Mediterranean Revival style. There’s a legend that Ernest Hemingway wrote The Old Man and the Sea in its cafĂ©.
About 2½ miles past Villa de Cubero, in the village of San Fidel, is the Acoma Curio Shop.
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| Acoma Curio Shop in San Fidel, New Mexico |
The Acoma Curio Shop was probably built around 1916, making one of the oldest shops we’ve seen along Route 66.
About 2 miles after the Acoma Curio Shop, we reached an abandoned Whiting Brothers gas station, built around 1940.
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| Whiting Brothers gas station in San Fidel, New Mexico |
Across the road are two great old Whiting Brothers signs.
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| Whiting Brothers sign in San Fidel, New Mexico |
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| Whiting Brothers motel sign in San Fidel, New Mexico |
Here Route 66 (NM 124) crosses to the south side of I-40. On the south side of Route 66, we could see the village of McCartys and its Church of Santa Maria de Acoma, built into the hillside.
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| McCartys, New Mexico, as seen from Route 66 |
After McCartys, Route 66 (NM 124) passes through several miles of lava flows.
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| Lava along Route 66 west of McCartys |
About 2 miles west of McCarty’s, Route 66 goes over a 1936 bridge crossing the Rio San Jose.
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| 1936 bridge on Route 66 west of McCartys |
Just past the bridge, we turned left (southwest) on Anzac Road.
Anzac Road is another early alignment of Route 66, built in 1935-1936.
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| Anzac Road, a 1936-1936 alignment of Route 66 |
In about 2 miles, we forked right (north) to stay on Anzac Rd. In a few hundred feet, we turned left on Route 66 (NM 124), which then crosses to the north side of I-40. Route 66 continues as an I-40 frontage road for about a mile, then turns right on McBride Road. This is still the 1926-1937 alignment of Route 66. We followed McBride Road about 5 miles into Grants, New Mexico. Grants has a great Route 66 drive-through sign—a nice photo opportunity!.
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| Route 66 drive-through sign in Grants, New Mexico |
On the western outskirts of Grants, Route 66 becomes NM 122. We stayed on Route 66 for about 8 miles to the remains of Bowlin's Old Crater Trading Post in Bluewater, New Mexico.
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| Bowlin's Old Crater Trading Post in Bluewater, New Mexico |
The original Bowlin’s was built here in 1936. The current building replaced it in 1954 and closed in 1973. The building is covered with murals, but today they are barely visible.
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| Former Tomahawk Bar in Prewitt, New Mexico |
Here NM 122 is the 1936 alignment of Route 66. About 8 miles after Bowlin’s is Roy T. Herman's Garage and Service Station in Thoreau (pronounced “threw”), New Mexico.
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| Roy T. Herman's Garage and Service Station in Thoreau, New Mexico |
Herman’s was a Standard Oil station. It is one of the oldest gas stations along New Mexico’s Route 66. It was built in Grants in 1931 or 1935 (sources give varying dates). It was moved here in 1937 when Route 66 realigned.
About 5 miles after Herman’s, Route 66 (NM 122) reaches the Continental Divide. There are signs on the frontage roads on both sides of I-40.
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| Sign at Continental Divide, New Mexico |
Here we crossed I-40 to see a short fragment of the 1926 alignment of Route 66 along the south side of I-40. The remains of an old gas station and gift shop are here.
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| Remains of an old gas station at Continental Divide, New Mexico |
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| Remains of an old gift shop at Continental Divide, New Mexico |
After the Continental Divide, both frontage roads peter out, so we got on I-40 west. After about 8 miles, we left I-40 at Exit 36 near Iyanbito. The exit ramp merges into Route 66. This stretch of Route 66 is particularly historic. It began in 1912 as part of the National Old Trails Road. It became NM 6 in 1914. It became part of Route 66 in 1926, and it was paved in 1937.
The sandstone formations here are beautiful. We passed two particularly interesting ones on the north.
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| Sandstone formations near Perea, New Mexico: Navajo Church on the right, and Pyramid Rock on the left |
The formation on the right, shaped like a spire and white on top, is called Navajo Church. The cone-shaped formation on the left is called Pyramid Rock.
We continued on Route 66 into our next stop: Gallup, New Mexico.
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