New Mexico

Route 66 New Mexico

"Where you "gonna " go to find yourself a smiling face?...  We got the top laid back, the wind in our face - Tucumcari Tonight...   Where we gonna go to let the good times roll?...  Where we gonna go to soothe our soul?... Tucumcari Tonight."

Lyrics from the world famous Road Crew - America's Route 66 Band

(Hit song on the "Songs From The Mother Road" album, written on the road to their performance at the International Route 66 festival in Tucumcari, 2012.)

"Your New Mexico Route 66 Visitor Center"

Link to United States and International Route 66 Associations

"As Route 66 slides from Texas into New Mexico, travelers enter a mystical landscape that celebrates a cultural melting pot of food, architecture, tradition, and history.  Photograph vintage neon signs in Tucumcari.  Swim in Santa Rosa's spring-fed Blue Hole. Delight in the musical road at Tijeras that literally sings America the Beautiful. Watch hundreds of hot air balloons over Albuquerque.  Explore romantic Santa Fe, the oldest capital city in the United States. Visit thousand-year old Indian ruins, century old chapels, and historical pueblos, pick up quality-made pottery, weavings, and exquisite jewelry.  Climb over the Continental Divide. And before rambling into Arizona, enjoy Gallup, the filming location of dozens of Western movies, and today said to be the most patriotic small town in America."

Quote by Larry Lindahl, reknowned photographer from Sedona, Arizona. His latest publication:

"Ancient Southwest:  A Guide to Archaeological Sites"

Larry Lindahl and Aaron Downey

The original plan for Route 66 in New Mexico passed through Santa Fe, but because of politics, a 69-mile cutoff was constructed in 1927 from Santa Rosa directly to Albuquerque, bypassing Santa Fe entirely.

Route 66 in New Mexico was marked over portions of two auto trails – the National Old Trails Road which ran from Arizona via Albuquerque and Santa Fe to just before Las Vegas, NM, and the other was one of the main routes of the Ozark Trails network which ran from that point into Texas.

Commemorating the hardships of the early pioneer travelers, the New Mexico Madonna of the Trail, one of a dozen monuments located in each state on the National Old Trails, stands on US 66 in Albuquerque.

Travelling across the 377-mile stretch of Route 66 across New Mexico in the 1920’s and 1930’s, motorists witnessed three cultures:  American in the east and west, Spanish in Santa Fe, and Pueblo Indian in the central region and along the Rio Grande.  All three cultures were evident by the architecture found along the roadside, with Pueblo Revival the dominant style.

Your home away from home - Little Guy ccampers/trailers

Route 66 provided Santa Rosa, New Mexico with 75% of its business.  Each of the 63 gas stations in Santa Rosa competed for every gasoline nickel that entered the town.

Route 66 crossed the Continental Divide five miles west of Thoreau, New Mexico.  At 7,275 feet, it was the highest point on the entire highway.

Get Your Kicks On Route 66 - New Mexico Route 66 Attractions

Video of Rockabilly on the Route in Tucumcari, New Mexico 2016

Click image for 2017 information

 New Mexico Route 66 Museum - Tucumcari, New Mexico

"World's Largest Route 66 Photo Exhibit"

Visit Tucumcari, Cuervo, Glenrio, Santa Rosa, Moriarity, Albuquerque, Grants, Gallup.

Route 66 Auto Museum

Santa Rosa, New Mexico