Small groups of up to 14, a road captain on every trip

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Old La Bajada road switchbacks climbing a dark basalt mesa in the New Mexico high desert

State 6 of 8, driving west

Route 66 in New Mexico: Tucumcari, Santa Fe and Albuquerque

New Mexico is where Route 66 climbs onto the high desert: motel neon in Tucumcari, a cold blue spring in Santa Rosa, the adobe capital on the old northern loop, 18 miles of Central Avenue and the trading posts of Gallup.

Trips
81 only in New Mexico
Stops
5On our trips
Length
6 to 15 daysSmall groups
Best months
Apr to MayTrips run Mar to Nov
From
$2,390Per person

The Southwest: New Mexico and Arizona

What the road is like in New Mexico

Route 66 crosses New Mexico from Glenrio on the Texas line to the Arizona border west of Gallup. It climbs the whole way, from about 4,000 feet at Tucumcari to more than 7,000 feet at the Continental Divide, through mesa country, piñon and juniper, and the pueblo lands west of Albuquerque. The state has two Route 66s. From 1926 to 1937 the road looped north from Santa Rosa through Santa Fe and down to Albuquerque on Fourth Street; in 1937 a new straight alignment cut west across the plains through Moriarty. Following both makes about 490 miles instead of about 380, and our longer trips do just that.

Eight of our trips spend time here, more than in any other state. The six day New Mexico trip from Albuquerque covers the whole state, with the Santa Fe loop. Neon and Diners ends here, the Classic Convertible Drive and the photography trip pass through, and the Arizona trip starts in Albuquerque before heading west to Gallup. Joe Begay, who is Navajo and grew up near Gallup, leads our New Mexico and Arizona days, and Annie Cho, a photographer based in Santa Fe, leads the photography trip. Hank Delgado, our motorcycle captain, lives in Albuquerque. Expect green chile on almost everything.

Route 66 tours through New Mexico, 2026 and 2027

Per person sharing a double room. Trips that only cross part of New Mexico are listed too.

All 16 trips

8 trips

    Your own private trip

    Car club, family reunion or friends: any trip can run just for your group on your dates, from 6 travelers.

    Private and group trips

    Deals and early booking

    Save $150 per person on 2027 departures booked by January 31, 2027, plus last-minute prices on November and December 2026 dates.

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    Not sure which stretch?

    Tell us how many days you have, the month and what you love: neon, diners, museums or open desert. A trip advisor in Tulsa suggests two or three trips.

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    5 stops

    Route 66 stops in New Mexico

    Blue Swallow Motel neon sign glowing at dusk with a pink sedan in Tucumcari, New Mexico

    Tucumcari: Motel neon on the old road

    Billboards across the Southwest once read Tucumcari Tonite! 2000 Motel Rooms, and a good share of the town's 1950s neon still works. The Blue Swallow Motel, open since 1939, has a garage beside each room and a sign promising 100% refrigerated air, and several of our trips spend the night there or at a similar motel on the strip. After dark we walk the old road past Tee Pee Curios, the Motel Safari and the large murals painted by Doug and Sharon Quarles. Tucumcari Mountain, a flat-topped mesa, rises south of town. The New Mexico Route 66 Museum sits in the convention center on the east side. Freight trains pass through the night, so light sleepers should pack earplugs.

    • A night at the Blue Swallow Motel, or similar
    • Evening neon walk on Route 66
    • Murals by Doug and Sharon Quarles

    Best monthsMarch to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    Swimmers at the clear spring of the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico

    Santa Rosa and the Blue Hole: A cold blue spring in the desert

    Santa Rosa sits on the Pecos River in dry country, which makes the Blue Hole a surprise. It is an artesian spring about 80 feet deep, a bell-shaped pool of clear blue water that stays around 62 degrees all year and refills at roughly 3,000 gallons a minute. Scuba divers train in it, and in warm weather you can swim; most people last a few minutes. Back on Will Rogers Drive, the old Route 66, the Route 66 Auto Museum shows a few dozen restored cars, hot rods and signs. Santa Rosa is also where the 1926 road turned north toward Santa Fe, while the 1937 road ran straight west to Albuquerque. Lunch is Mexican food at a family place on the main street.

    • The Blue Hole artesian spring
    • Route 66 Auto Museum
    • The fork of the 1926 and 1937 roads

    Best monthsApril to June, September and October

    Trips that stop here

    Artisans selling jewelry under the adobe portal of the Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe

    Santa Fe: Adobe capital on the 1926 loop

    Between 1926 and 1937 Route 66 made a long loop north through Santa Fe, and our trips with the time follow it. The town was founded around 1610 as the capital of Spanish New Mexico, and the Palace of the Governors on the Plaza is the oldest public building in continuous use in the United States. Under its portal, Native artists sell jewelry and pottery directly to visitors. We walk to the Loretto Chapel and its spiral staircase, see the adobe galleries of Canyon Road and eat green chile stew. Santa Fe sits at about 7,000 feet, so drink plenty of water and expect cool nights even in summer. Annie Cho, who lives here, starts the photography trip with an early morning on the Plaza.

    • Native artists under the Palace of the Governors portal
    • Canyon Road galleries
    • Green chile stew

    Best monthsApril to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    Pueblo Deco facade of the KiMo Theatre on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico

    Albuquerque and Central Avenue: Eighteen miles of Central Avenue

    Central Avenue carries Route 66 for about 18 miles across Albuquerque, one of the longest city stretches on the road, from Tijeras Canyon in the east to the West Mesa. Along it stand the KiMo Theatre of 1927, whose Pueblo Deco interior has plaster steer skulls with glowing eyes, the restored El Vado Motel from 1937, the Nob Hill district near the university, and Old Town, whose plaza dates from 1706. Before 1937 the road ran north to south through the city along Fourth Street instead. Albuquerque sits at about 5,000 feet, with the Sandia Mountains turning pink at sunset. Our motorcycle captain Hank Delgado lives here, and evening is the time to drive Central, when the signs are lit.

    • The KiMo Theatre
    • El Vado Motel and Nob Hill neon
    • Old Town plaza

    Best monthsMarch to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    Log balconies, Navajo rugs and a stone fireplace in the El Rancho Hotel lobby, Gallup

    Gallup: Trading posts and El Rancho

    Gallup is a railroad and trading town on the edge of the Navajo Nation and calls itself the Indian Capital of the World. The El Rancho Hotel opened in 1937 for film crews shooting westerns nearby, and its lobby walls still carry signed photos of stars who stayed, from Ronald Reagan to Katharine Hepburn. Several of our trips sleep there, or similar. Trading posts along Route 66 sell turquoise and silver jewelry, rugs and pottery, often made by artists the owners have known for years. Our road captain Joe Begay grew up near Gallup and takes groups to the stores he trusts. In summer, Native dancers perform in the evenings near the courthouse. Mornings at 6,500 feet are cool even in June.

    • A night at the El Rancho Hotel, or similar
    • Trading posts with Joe Begay
    • Downtown murals and the 1928 El Morro Theatre

    Best monthsApril to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    Coach, convertible or motorcycle

    Ways to drive Route 66 in New Mexico

    1. By small coach, with the Santa Fe loop

      The six day New Mexico trip starts and ends in Albuquerque and covers the whole state at an easy pace: Tucumcari's neon, the Blue Hole, Santa Fe on the 1926 loop, Central Avenue and Gallup. Joe Begay leads, with a professional driver in a 24-seat coach and no more than 14 guests. The Arizona and Grand Canyon trip also starts here, heading west to Gallup on day 2.

    2. After dark, for the neon

      Neon and Diners runs from Tulsa to Albuquerque and saves the best signs for New Mexico. The group walks Tucumcari's motel row at night, eats at a local diner, and finishes with an evening drive down Central Avenue past the KiMo and El Vado. The Classic Convertible Drive follows much of the same road in restored 1960s cars, with guests driving and a chase truck behind.

    3. With a camera, at first light

      The Route 66 Photography Road Trip starts in Santa Fe with Annie Cho and spends its first days in New Mexico, with no more than 10 guests. Mornings start early for the low light on adobe walls and the Plaza; afternoons are for editing and rest; evenings are for neon in Albuquerque and the old signs of Gallup. Annie helps with settings, composition and sequencing, whatever camera you bring.

    One price

    What is included on our New Mexico trips

    In New Mexico our prices cover hotel and motel nights (such as the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari and El Rancho in Gallup, or similar), breakfast every day, the dinners listed in each itinerary, the road captain and driver or vehicle support, parking, and the entries named in the itinerary, such as the Blue Hole, the Route 66 Auto Museum and museum visits in Santa Fe.

    Flights are optional: each trip page shows the add-on price for flying into the start and home from the end, from 10 US cities. Full list and payments.

    Included on every New Mexico trip

    • Restored vintage motels and good 3 to 4 star hotels, double room with private bathroom
    • Breakfast daily plus the lunches and dinners listed in the itinerary
    • A road captain from the first day to the last, and local guides at museums and parks
    • Small coach with a professional driver, or your classic convertible or motorcycle on themed trips
    • Museum, park and attraction entries listed in the itinerary
    • Airport pickup on day 1 and drop-off on the last day

    Seasons

    Best time to drive Route 66 in New Mexico

    Most of New Mexico's Route 66 runs above 4,000 feet, so it is cooler than people expect. April and May are sunny and dry, with highs in the 60s and 70s, though spring winds can be strong. June is hot and bright. July and August bring afternoon thunderstorms, the monsoon. September and October are the best months: clear skies, warm days, cold nights, and the smell of green chile roasting outside markets. March and November can be cold, with nights below freezing in Santa Fe and Gallup.

    1. JanNo trips: No trips
    2. FebNo trips: No trips
    3. MarGood: Good
    4. AprBest: Best
    5. MayBest: Best
    6. JunGood: Good
    7. JulNo trips: No trips
    8. AugNo trips: No trips
    9. SepBest: Best
    10. OctBest: Best
    11. NovGood: Good
    12. DecNo trips: No trips

    Best monthsGood, some trips runNo trips

    Practical

    Route 66 in New Mexico at a glance

    • Route 66 miles

      About 380 miles from Glenrio to the Arizona line on the 1937 road, or about 490 with the 1926 to 1937 loop north through Santa Fe

    • Main towns on the road

      Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Grants, Gallup

    • Airports

      Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ); Santa Fe Regional (SAF); Amarillo (AMA) for the east end

    • Time zone

      Mountain Time, one hour behind Texas, with daylight saving time from March to November

    • Road weather

      High desert: sunny and dry most days, windy spring, summer afternoon storms in July and August, cold clear nights from October

    • What to eat

      Green and red chile (order Christmas for both), sopaipillas with honey, green chile cheeseburgers, posole and breakfast burritos

    • Best months for our trips

      April, May, September and October; March, June and November are also good

    6 questions

    Route 66 in New Mexico: questions

    Which Route 66 do your New Mexico trips follow?

    Both, where time allows. The New Mexico trip and the photography trip include the 1926 to 1937 loop north through Santa Fe, then come back down to Albuquerque. The End to End journey and both classic convertible trips also visit Santa Fe. The motorcycle trip takes the 1937 road straight west from Santa Rosa to Albuquerque.

    Will the altitude affect me?

    Santa Fe is at about 7,000 feet and Gallup at about 6,500, so some people feel short of breath on stairs or sleep lightly the first night. Drink more water than usual, go easy on alcohol the first evening and use sunscreen, since the sun is strong at altitude. Anyone with heart or lung conditions should ask their doctor before traveling.

    Can I swim in the Blue Hole?

    Yes, in warm months there is a small entry fee, which we cover, and a changing area. The water is about 62 degrees all year, so it is a quick dip for most people. In March, November and other cool months we visit for the view only.

    How do I know jewelry in Gallup is genuine?

    Buy from established trading posts that label who made a piece and from which nation, and ask for that in writing. Joe Begay takes groups to stores that have dealt with the same Navajo, Zuni and Hopi artists for years. Federal law makes it illegal to sell an item as Native-made if it is not.

    Is New Mexico spicy food very hot?

    It can be. Ask for chile on the side the first time, and know that green and red vary by the batch. Christmas means both on the same plate. Every restaurant we use also has milder dishes, and sopaipillas with honey help after a hot bite.

    Does the New Mexico trip need a car rental?

    No. It starts and ends at Albuquerque International Sunport, and everything in between is in our coach with a professional driver. If you arrive early, Albuquerque has a hotel shuttle and rideshare from the airport, and our trip advisors can book extra nights.

    Next on the road

    Keep driving from New Mexico

    The whole route
    Restored 1929 brick gas station with orange pumps and a vintage tank truck in McLean, TexasRoute 66 in Texas6 trips, from $2,290 The Museum Club log roadhouse in Flagstaff, Arizona, with pines and melting snowRoute 66 in Arizona8 trips, from $1,190

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    Drive New Mexico on the old road

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