Six days on New Mexico's Route 66, from the motel neon of Tucumcari to the old Santa Fe loop and El Rancho in Gallup, starting and ending in Albuquerque with Joe Begay.
From$2,390per person, double room
Overview
New Mexico has two Route 66s. Until 1937 the road swung north from Santa Rosa to Santa Fe and back down to Albuquerque; after that it ran straight west and cut the loop off. This trip drives both. It begins and ends in Albuquerque, so you fly in and out of one airport, and the longest day is about 205 miles. You sleep at the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari, two nights in Santa Fe and one at El Rancho in Gallup.
Joe Begay leads it. He is Navajo, grew up near Gallup, and tells the story of the road from the side of the people who lived along it before the tourists came: the pueblos, the trading posts, the railroad crews. Days start at a civil hour. Neon is a thread through the week, from Tucumcari after dark to Central Avenue in Albuquerque. Departures run from March to November, when the high desert is mild by day and cool at night.
Photos
Itinerary
Meals: B breakfast, L lunch, D dinner. Day 1 is arrival day; flights to the start are optional.
The Sunport is about 10 minutes from the hotel by shuttle. Joe Begay meets the group at 6 pm. The welcome dinner is New Mexican food, so the first lesson is the state question, red or green, meaning which chile sauce you want; answer Christmas and you get both. Afterward the coach takes a slow drive along Central Avenue, past the restored El Vado Motel of 1937 and the neon signs of Nob Hill, to set the tone for the week.
East through Tijeras Canyon and out onto the plains at Moriarty, where a restored Whiting Brothers station still stands by the old road. Coffee at Clines Corners. Lunch in Santa Rosa, then the Blue Hole, a spring-fed pool about 80 feet deep that holds near 62 degrees all year, and the Route 66 Auto Museum with its hot rods and chrome. Into Tucumcari by 4 pm and the Blue Swallow Motel, where the neon comes on as the sky goes dark. About 175 miles.
Morning in Tucumcari: the murals painted around town by Doug and Sharon Quarles, Tee Pee Curios with its concrete teepee front, and the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum. Back west to Santa Rosa, then north on the 1926 alignment, now US 84, through ranch country and the village of Pecos, and over Glorieta Pass into Santa Fe. This was Route 66 for its first eleven years, and it shows how far the road bent to reach the capital. About 175 miles.
Joe leads a morning walk from the Plaza. Native artists sell jewelry and pottery under the portal of the Palace of the Governors, begun in 1610, and San Miguel Chapel nearby is among the oldest churches in the country. The Loretto Chapel stair turns twice with no central post. The afternoon is free: galleries on Canyon Road, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum or a long lunch. In the evening Joe can book a table for anyone who wants green chile stew or a margarita.
Leave Santa Fe down La Bajada, the escarpment the 1926 road climbed in tight switchbacks. In Albuquerque, a stop at the KiMo Theatre, built in 1927 in a style called Pueblo Deco, and lunch at the 66 Diner on Central. West over Nine Mile Hill to the 1933 Rio Puerco bridge, past Laguna Pueblo and through Grants, a uranium mining town in the 1950s. Over the Continental Divide to Gallup and El Rancho, where film stars stayed in the 1940s. About 205 miles.
Morning in Gallup with Joe, on home ground. Richardson's Trading Company has sold rugs, saddles and pawn jewelry on Route 66 since 1913, and the downtown murals tell the Navajo, Zuni and railroad story of the town. Then about 140 miles back east on the interstate, roughly two and a half hours, to the Sunport by 1 pm. Book flights leaving after 2:30 pm. Anyone heading on to Arizona can stay in Gallup and join our Arizona trip on its second day.
Pace: RelaxedTwo to four hours on the road on most days, long stops, short level walks in towns and at roadside sights. Every stop is optional; you can always stay with the vehicle.
Route map
Map tiles © Esri, HERE, Garmin, map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Straight lines join the stops; the trip follows the old Route 66 alignments between them.
Route at a glance
Road miles are rounded and include the detours to the stops named in the itinerary. 1 day with no driving at all.
| Day | From and to | Miles | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Albuquerque Sunport to Albuquerque | 10 | Airport transfer, Central Avenue |
| Day 2 | Albuquerque to Tucumcari | 175 | Santa Rosa, Blue Hole |
| Day 3 | Tucumcari to Santa Fe | 175 | The 1926 loop through Pecos country |
| Day 4 | Santa Fe | No driving | A day on foot in Santa Fe |
| Day 5 | Santa Fe to Gallup | 205 | La Bajada, Albuquerque, Laguna |
| Day 6 | Gallup to Albuquerque Sunport | 140 | Back east to the airport |
| Total | 6 days | 705 | New Mexico |
Where you stay
Rooms by town and style. The exact motels and hotels for your date, these or similar ones, are confirmed in your travel documents.
1 night
Hotel in Old Town, a short ride from Central Avenue, or similar
1 night
Blue Swallow Motel, open since 1939, or similar
2 nights
Adobe hotel within walking distance of the Plaza, or similar
1 night
El Rancho Hotel, opened 1937, or similar
Already included
5 nights, 5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 2 entries and guided visits
Straight talk
Dates and prices 2026-27
Per person in US dollars, sharing a double room. Group up to 14 guests.
| Dates | Status | Double roomPer person | Single roomPer person |
|---|---|---|---|
| to Sunday arrival | Few seatsLast minute: save $200 | $2,190 | $2,810 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableNo single supplement | $2,390 | $2,390 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,390 | $3,010 |
| to Sunday arrival | GuaranteedEarly booking: save $150 | $2,390 | $3,010 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,390 | $3,010 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,390 | $3,010 |
Guaranteed means enough guests have booked and the departure will run. Seats change every week. Email [email protected] and we hold a seat for 72 hours. All departures on one page.
Optional add-on
Economy on scheduled airlines into Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), per person including taxes. Add them when you book, or fly on your own and meet us on day 1.
Fares are held for 72 hours with your seat and confirmed when you pay the deposit. Extra nights before or after the trip on request.
Practical
Weather in New Mexico
High desert: sunny and dry most days, windy spring, summer afternoon storms in July and August, cold clear nights from October
Time zone
Mountain Time, one hour behind Texas, with daylight saving time from March to November
Where it starts and ends
Start: Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ). End: Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ).
What to eat
Green and red chile (order Christmas for both), sopaipillas with honey, green chile cheeseburgers, posole and breakfast burritos
Luggage
One medium suitcase and a small bag per person. Vintage motel rooms are compact and some have no elevator.
Your road captain
New Mexico and Arizona
Joe is Navajo and grew up near Gallup. He leads the New Mexico and Arizona sections and brings the history of the Navajo and Pueblo lands the road crosses to every trip.
Road captains rotate on some dates; the name for your departure is in your documents. Meet all the road captains
FAQ
Booking, motels, flights and insurance questions are answered on the main FAQ page.
For most people, no, but it is noticeable. Albuquerque sits at about 5,300 feet, Santa Fe at 7,000 and Gallup at 6,500. Drink plenty of water, go easy on alcohol the first night, and walk slowly on the first day in Santa Fe.
Days are often sunny and in the 50s or 60s, and nights drop below freezing, especially in Santa Fe. Snow is possible but rarely stays on the road for long. Pack a warm coat for the evening neon walks.
Tucumcari has the best motel neon left in the state and the Blue Swallow is worth the night. Going out and back also lets you drive both alignments: the straight 1937 road east and the old 1926 loop north through Santa Fe.
We pass Laguna Pueblo and stop at the overlook to its mission church. Visits inside pueblos depend on feast days and closures that the communities set, so Joe arranges them only when a village is open to visitors that week.
Yes. Our Arizona and Grand Canyon trip spends its first night in Albuquerque and its second in Gallup, so you can stay on in Gallup and join it there. A trip advisor will line up the dates.
Other trips
New Mexico and Arizona
Oklahoma to New Mexico3 states
Texas to Arizona3 statesNext departureAvailable
From$4,590per person
Ask about dates
Email us the date you like, how many of you are traveling and whether you need flights. We hold the seat for 72 hours while you decide.
Ask about datesBookings, dates and free seats
What to include
We reply Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 17:00 Central Time, usually the same working day.
We use what you send only to answer you and to arrange your trip. See our privacy policy.
From$2,390
Ask about dates