_by_ Frank E. Kottlowski
The visitor and the native may be well acquainted with the more famous
scenic places in New Mexico. Most of these are National or State Parks
or Monuments—glistening dunes of White Sands, sandstone cliffs of El
Morro, canyons eroded in volcanic rocks of Bandelier, the recent volcano
of Capulin Mountain, multicolored sinkholes at Bottomless Lakes,
grotesque carvings of volcanic rocks at City of Rocks, and the black
tongues of cooled lava in the Valley of Fires State Park near Carrizozo.
Many of the lesser-known spectacular scenic areas are off the beaten
path, far from the seventy-mile-an-hour Interstate highways. Even a
brief description of all would fill a thick book. But near the most
traveled routes are numerous enchanting landscapes. The traveler from
the midwest or east, driving U.S. Highway 66 (Interstate 40) breaks over
the edge of the “caprock” a few miles east of the New Mexico—Texas line.
Atop the caprock is Llano Estacado, the Staked Plains, a level surface
stretching along the southeast edge of New Mexico eastward into Texas.
As seen south of Tucumcari near Ragland, east of Fort Sumner near
Taiban, or east of Roswell near Kenna and Caprock, the bluffs of the
Llano Estacado are topped by caprock, a cliff of white caliche-limestone
as much as forty feet thick in places. Below, on gentle to steep slopes
reaching northward toward Tucumcari or westward toward Fort Sumner and
Roswell, are the varicolored red, purple, green, and gray shales and
sandstones of Triassic age. Red Lake near Taiban on U.S. Highway 60-84
lies in the red muds of these Triassic rocks.
South of Tucumcari, rising boldly from the red-earth lowlands draining
to the Canadian River, are Tucumcari Mountain and Mesa Redonda, and to
the northwest the long buff cliffs of Mesa Rica. The latter mesa lies
north of Interstate 40 as far west as Newkirk. Patches of the white
caprock caliche-limestone cap these eastern New Mexico sentinels,
whereas in other localities, the brown Dakota Sandstone tops the buttes
and is underlain by pink Jurassic sandstones, with the mesa bases made
up of the Triassic redbeds.
Near Santa Rosa, Interstate 40 dips down into the narrow green valley of
Rio Pecos. Roadcuts lining the steep hills into the city show the red
and brown sandstones and shales of the Triassic beds.
Driving westward from Santa Rosa, one crosses rolling hills near Clines
Corners, then dips gently down into the northern part of the Estancia
Basin near Moriarty. To the north on the horizon are the snow-capped
peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. From Moriarty, Interstate 40
pulls slowly upward toward Edgewood into the eastern foothills of the
Sandia Mountains, the grassy plains giving way to juniper and piñon
groves.
From the downgrade into Tijeras Canyon, State Highway 10 leads north to
San Antonito and the turnoff to Sandia Crest. The crest road winds up
canyon walls, on sloping limestone mesas, up through thick stands of
ponderosa pine, aspen, and, near the top, Engelmann spruce and corkbark
fir. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep may be seen off the road on the high
crags. From Sandia Crest, 10,678 feet above sea level, much of
north-central New Mexico is visible; Mount Taylor to the west, the
Nacimiento and Jemez mountains to the northwest, the mighty Sangre de
Cristo Mountains to the northeast, and countless ranges to the south and
southwest. The city of Albuquerque is spread out at the base of the
Sandias, and the twisting north-south channel of the Rio Grande
stretches, glistening, as far left and right as one can see.
From Tijeras, Interstate 40 plunges into Tijeras Canyon, slicing through
vertical roadcuts in Pennsylvanian limestones and shales, then through
the ancient Precambrian granite. At the canyons mouth, the road levels
off on the broad alluvial plain on which much of east Albuquerque is
built, although the “downtown” is really down, in the valley of the Rio
Grande.
Westward, Interstate 40 rolls up out of the valley, crosses windswept
plains spotted with black volcanic cones, in and out of the shallow
brown valley of Rio Puerco, and then to the red-cliff-bordered valley of
Rio San Jose. Cliffs are of brown, buff, and light-gray Jurassic
sandstones, with the valley carved in Triassic redbeds. Near Laguna, on
the north side of the valley, white gypsum of the Todilto Formation
crops out. Then through the pink Jurassic cliffs the canyon winds, and
near New Laguna, the highway is bordered by the varicolored,
uranium-bearing Morrison beds, which are overlain by brown sandstones
and black shales of Cretaceous age.
But as Interstate 40 approaches Grants, the dominant feature is black
frozen lava. The mesas surrounding Mount Taylor are capped by black
basalt, built up in many layers, each individual flows, and loose blocks
tumble down on the hillsides. Young basalt, twisted and wrinkled as if
it were still hot, winds along the valley; just east of Grants, a huge
“field” of this recent basalt stretches southward beyond the horizon.
And above all looms Mount Taylor, remnant of an ancient volcano,
snow-capped in winter, towering 11,389 feet above sea level.
At Casa Blanca, southeast of Mount Taylor, State Road 23 leads south to
Acoma Pueblo. Eleven miles to the southwest, Enchanted Mesa, _Katsim_ as
it is called by the Acomas, towers 450 feet above the surrounding valley
floor. This sheer-cliffed rock is built by layers of (from the base to
the top) pink and white Entrada Sandstone, gray Todilto limestone, pink
and green Summerville beds, a massive cliff of light-tan Zuni Sandstone,
and a cap of yellow-brown Dakota Sandstone.
The top of Enchanted Mesa is inaccessible by normal means. Legend has it
that once the Acomas lived there, and there are Indian ruins up on the
isolated rim. A terrific rain and lightning storm, one summer day, sent
huge waterfalls down the sides of the mesa, tearing away large blocks of
sandstone, and destroyed the trail to the top, a series of narrow zigzag
ledges and toeholds in crevasses. Thus the Acoma Indians moved a few
miles to the southwest to Acoma, onto the top of another sheer cliff, a
rock fortress carved in Zuni Sandstone and capped by Dakota Sandstone.
[Illustration: Talk about wide open spaces ... around the Enchanted
Mesa]
Southwest of Grants, the forested Zuni Mountains rise, bordered on the
north by a valley cut in Triassic redbeds and on the east by the recent
black basalt flows. The hurrying traveler will follow Interstate 40 to
Gallup around the north edge of the Zuni dome, flanked on the north by
the spectacular pink, red, brown, and gray cliffs of Jurassic and
Cretaceous sandstones. If one has time, take the low road, State
Highways 53 and 36, around the southern edge of the Zunis. For almost
twenty miles, passing through San Rafael, the paved highway parallels
the west edge of the Grants black basalt flow; then up over low ridges
and past black cinder cones toward El Morro. In the lava tunnels,
perpetual ice stays hidden from the sun; these can be visited at Ice
Caves.
El Morro, Inscription Rock, with its towering cliffs of Zuni Sandstone,
overlooks peaceful green valleys; farther west, the red and brown
sandstones are carved into many mesas and buttes near Zuni Pueblo. Then
northward to Gallup, swinging around the west edge of the Zuni
Mountains, the roller-coaster highway, State 36, cuts through ponderosa
pine country, bordered by Cretaceous brown sandstones, black shales, and
coal beds.
Northeast of Gallup eight miles is Kit Carson’s Cave, a gaping door on
the face of a massive cliff of Jurassic sandstone. A pool of cool water
lies along its floor. The three-and-a-half-mile drive north of
Interstate 40 is through a vast broken country of sandstone spires,
pyramids, cliffs, and ledges carved in the Jurassic rocks. Near Gallup,
the drab coal-bearing Cretaceous beds form the landscapes, but westward
near the Arizona line, erosion has cut down again to the brilliantly
colored Jurassic rocks, and Interstate 40 is escorted westward into the
Grand Canyon State by cliffs of white and pink sandstone.
Californians crossing New Mexico in the winter are likely to travel U.S.
Highway 70-80 (Interstate 10) eastward. New Mexico is entered just
before Steins Pass, which is channeled through the tan and green
volcanic rocks of the Peloncillo Mountains. Then down across the mud and
salt marshes of Alkali Flats lying in the Animas Valley and up onto the
north edge of the Pyramid Mountains into Lordsburg. Mine dumps dot the
Pyramids, and the ghost mining town of Shakespeare lies amid the purple
volcanic rocks.
Eastward from Lordsburg for 118 miles are the Antelope Plains; plains,
plains, plains. Steers graze on the sparse grass, yucca clumps border
the highway, and here and there sand dunes flee before the restless
winds. Mountain ranges, like islands on the sea of grass, yucca, and
creosote bush, rise in the distance. West of Deming, the low Victorio
Mountains lie south of the highway, made up of dolomite, limestone, and
andesite ridges. Southeast of Deming are the lofty Florida Mountains,
their northern toe crossed by Interstate 10. Volcanic hills dot the
landscape east of Las Cruces, Sierra de las Uvas’ purple slopes to the
north, and the Potrillo Mountains and Mount Riley to the south. The
latter are part of a spectacular volcanic field where black cinder cones
and basalt flows cover hundreds of square miles, and craters such as
Kilbourne Hole are sunk below the plains.
The descent into the Rio Grande Valley is awesome, especially if the
late afternoon sun is dancing on the spires and cliffs of the Organ
Mountains to the east. From across the brown plains, Interstate 10 winds
down into the green Mesilla Valley, a different world of cotton and
alfalfa fields, pecan and cottonwood groves, and red-tile-roofed Spanish
homes. The view of the Organ Mountains alone is worth the trip.
At Las Cruces, a city booming on cotton, rockets, and tourists,
Interstate 10 turns south to parallel the east side of the Rio Grande
Valley down to Texas and El Paso. If one prefers a quiet scenic route,
State Highway 28 winds its way along the west side of the Valley amid
fields and groves, through peaceful villages, to end at the bridge over
the Rio Grande on the edge of El Paso. Here, to the south, is El Cristo
Rey, a cone of massive andesite, flanked by steeply tilted beds of
limestone and shale, Early Cretaceous in age, cut in two by the New
Mexico-Mexico border. Atop the peak is a 29-foot-high, 40-ton, limestone
statue of Christ; a winding path leads upward from the base for those
strong enough of limb to make the climb. Beyond, to the south, Ciudad
Juarez lies, famous for its bordertown flavor, markets, cathedrals, and
bull rings.
The traveler to the east should stay on U.S. 62-180 from El Paso. This
highway cuts through the Hueco Mountains via Powwow Canyon, a gash
carved from Pennsylvanian and Permian limestones, crosses the Diablo
Plateau, rolls past the white patches of Salt Flat lakes, then winds up
to the summit of Guadalupe Pass between the Delaware Mountains on the
south and the towering Guadalupe Mountains on the north. Looking north
from the Pass, Guadalupe Peak, highest point in Texas, and El Capitan
are unforgettable sights, their steep lower slopes ribbed brown and
green, overshadowed by the 1000-foot limestone cliffs of the peaks. The
limestone-hewn Guadalupe Mountains parallel the highway in New Mexico
and are pitted with many caves, with Carlsbad Caverns the largest known
in the range. Eastward beyond the Pecos Valley stretches the Great
Plains and Texas.
A side trip, near Carlsbad, over black-topped and gravel roads leads
from Seven Rivers, up Rocky Arroyo on State Road 137, into the northern
foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains to Sitting Bull Falls. Here, cool
spring waters cascade over limestone ledges to join in green pools lying
amid the cottonwood groves of the canyon floor.
Lake McMillan, a reservoir along the Pecos River north of Carlsbad, and
the many potash mines east of Carlsbad are parts of the enchanting
landscapes of this southeastern corner. Northward, following the green
cotton fields bordering the Pecos River, U.S. Highway 285 leads through
Artesia with its oil refineries to modern booming Roswell, second city
of the state. East of Roswell, bordering the east side of the Pecos
Valley, is Bottomless Lakes, azure blue pools spotted in sink holes.
Eastward from Roswell, on either U.S. Highway 70 or 380, redbeds of
Permian and Triassic age lie half hidden by pinkish sands up to the edge
of the caprock; beyond are the fertile grazing and crop lands of the
Llano Estacado, with its queen cities of Clovis and Portales. Here, deep
wells pump underground waters to irrigate lush fields that produce
peanuts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, melons, strawberries, cucumbers, and
grapes. On the plains beyond the reach of the wells, wheat, maize, and
broomcorn are grown. Southeastward, oil derricks dot the plains,
surrounding Hobbs and Lovington.
Westward from Roswell, U.S. Highways 70 and 380 run together up the
rolling limestone hills west of the Pecos Valley before plunging down
Picacho Hill into the narrow canyon of Rio Hondo. At Hondo they divide.
U.S. Highway 380 leads northwestward through Lincoln town, Billy the
Kid’s shooting grounds, into Capitan, over Indian Divide, and down into
sleepy Carrizozo—paralleled by the forested peaks of Capitan Mountains
to the north and overshadowed by mighty Sierra Blanca to the southwest.
U.S. Highway 70 runs up the green canyon of Rio Ruidoso, past Ruidoso
Downs, past State Highway 37 which leads to Ruidoso and the Sierra
Blanca Ski Area, up into the ponderosa pines, crossing the divide at
Apache Summit, then westward and downhill past Mescalero, paralleling
Rio Tularosa. Suddenly the canyon widens, and ahead is the dry Tularosa
Basin with the White Sands glistening in the far distance.
[Illustration: (_Forest Service, U.S.D.A._)
Now this is what is meant by forest.... from Monjeau Lookout]
From Tularosa to Alamogordo, U.S. Highway 70 is along the west edge of
the Sacramento Mountains wherein tier upon tier of dolomite and
limestone cliffs rise to the high peaks near Cloudcroft. Southwestward
from Alamogordo, the highway cuts diagonally across the Tularosa Basin,
skirting the southern edge of the White Sands, and passing through White
Sands Missile Range. Ahead lie the fabulous spires of the Organ
Mountains; to the right, the notched cliffs of the San Andres Mountains
stretch northward to rounded Salinas Peak and beyond the horizon.
Steeply, the highway rises to cross San Augustin Pass between the Organ
and San Andres mountains, past the village of Organ with its crumbling
mining dumps, before plunging downward onto the southern end of Jornada
del Muerto, and finally, on the east edge of Las Cruces, leaves the
creosote bush plains to dip into the green Mesilla Valley of the Rio
Grande.
West of Carrizozo, U.S. 380 crosses the black basalt flows of Valley of
Fires State Park, curves over the Carrizozo dome and up the dip slopes
of Chupadera Mesa, crosses in red roadcuts the northern tip of Sierra
Oscura, then westward through sand dunes of the northern Jornada del
Muerto. Coal beds crop out at Cerro Colorado before the highway sweeps
down into the Rio Grande Valley to San Antonio.
U.S. Highway 60 enters the state from the east on the Staked Plains near
booming Clovis, crosses Rio Pecos Valley at Fort Sumner—near Billy the
Kid’s grave—goes straight as a beeline over the plains to Vaughn, then
crosses the low southern end of the Pedernal Hills where tan Permian
sandstones lie abruptly on Precambrian granite, quartzite, and schists.
Near Willard, the highway crosses the southern end of the Estancia
Valley, with the salt lakes of Laguna del Perro mere remnants of the
huge Pleistocene lake that once filled the Valley. West from
Mountainair, Abo redbeds border the highway; limestone walls of Gran
Quivira lie to the south and the red sandstone church ruins of Abo and
Quarai are to the north. Through Abo Pass between the Manzano and Los
Pinos mountains the highway runs, then down the long alluvial fan slopes
to the Rio Grande Valley at Bernardo. From Bernardo to Socorro, U.S.
Highway 60 joins Interstate 25; westward from Socorro, the road climbs
out of the Valley onto Snake Ranch Flats, parallels the snow-tipped
Magdalena Mountains to Magdalena, then crosses the north end of the
grassy San Agustin Plains. Westward to Datil and Quemado, the highway is
always in sight of volcanic mountains, up and down winding canyons, and
across intermontane plains.
Still westward into Arizona along U.S. Highway 60 are Springerville,
fabulous Salt River Canyon, the mining cities of Globe, Miami, and
Superior, and booming Phoenix.
Into this west-central New Mexico country of volcanic peaks and grassy
plains comes U.S. Highway 180 from Deming northwestward. Along the
scenic, winding route are City of Rocks, the copper smelter at Hurley,
Santa Rita’s huge open-pit copper mine, famous Silver City, colorful
canyons of the Gila and San Francisco rivers, and, crossed by passes or
bordering all routes, the rugged rhyolite, andesite, and basalt ledges
and cliffs.
From El Paso to Raton Pass, 515 miles, U.S. Highway 85 (Interstate 25)
crosses New Mexico from south to north, from Mexico to Colorado. As far
as La Bajada Hill, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, the highway
parallels the Rio Grande. Northward from El Paso, past Las Cruces to
Radium Springs and old Fort Selden, the green Mesilla Valley borders the
route; then through Selden Canyon into the Hatch Valley near San Diego
Mountain, and along the west side of the bold cliffs of the Caballo
Mountains, past Caballo Reservoir to Truth or Consequences (old Hot
Springs). Eastward lies Elephant Butte Dam and reservoir; the road cuts
across alluvial plains to the west of the Rio Grande all the way to
Albuquerque, with the mountains to the west the San Mateo, Magdalena,
Socorro, and Ladron and to the east, the Fra Cristobal, Los Pinos, and
Manzano.
Intersecting Interstate 40 at Albuquerque, the Pan-American Central
Highway, Interstate 25 crosses to the east side of the Rio Grande, the
sheer cliffs of the Sandia Mountains to the east and the distant dark
green Jemez Mountains to the northwest. Crossing Galisteo Creek
northeast of Santo Domingo Pueblo, Interstate 25 turns toward the
northeast, climbs La Bajada Hill, onto the green plains sloping from
Santa Fe. Santa Fe, the ancient capital city, is nestled on the edge of
the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Southeastward and eastward, U.S. Highway
85 (to be Interstate 25 here) rolls, skirting the southern end of the
Sangre de Cristo Mountains, wedged in by the north-facing cliffs of
Glorieta Mesa, through Glorieta Pass, where the Confederates lost the
battle for the Southwest, across the upper reaches of Rio Pecos, and
around to Las Vegas. Then in straight lines across the western edges of
the Great Plains where they lap up onto the Sangre de Cristo ranges,
through Wagon Mound and Springer to Raton. The climb up-canyon to Raton
Pass, through roadcuts of brown sandstone, shale, and coal, leads into
Colorado, with a view of much of southern Colorado from the Pass.
Many routes lead northward from ancient Santa Fe. U.S. Highway 285
crosses the high divide near Bishop’s Lodge, follows Rio Tesuque to
Pojoaque, crosses the Rio Grande near Espanola amid varicolored badlands
cut in the Santa Fe rocks, then heads northward on the black basalt
plateau toward Colorado. Black Mesa, a volcanic neck, lies south of
Espanola, overlooking the green Rio Grande Valley; atop this height,
Pueblo Indians once defied Spanish guns until they starved. Northward,
near Tres Piedras, the Ortega and Brazos ranges tower to the west, the
perlite-rich hills of No Agua lie to the northeast, and across the
basalt plains cut by the Rio Grande, the lofty, snow-capped Sangre de
Cristo Mountains loom.
At Pojoaque, State Road 4 leads westward, across Otowi bridge of the Rio
Grande, then winds up into the canyon and mesa country bordering the
Jemez Mountains. Herein lie Bandelier and Los Alamos, one with ancient
abandoned pueblos, the other the atomic city. Farther west, the road
crosses the rim of an ancient volcano into Valle Grande, the crater of
that volcano—some 16 miles across. When this volcano spewed forth hot
ashes about a million years ago, the volcanic dust was wind-blown as far
as Kansas and Nebraska!
At Espanola, U.S. Highway 84 breaks away to the northwest to follow Rio
Chama in its canyon carved from redbeds near Abiquiu, past the
interesting museum at Ghost Ranch—where bones of Triassic dinosaurs are
collected—Echo Amphitheater, El Vado Lake, through Chama, and on up into
the San Juan Mountains country of southern Colorado.
Near Espanola, U.S. Highway 64 splits off to the northeast; this is the
high road of north-central New Mexico. Paralleling the canyon of the Rio
Grande to Pilar, the highway climbs up onto the Taos plateau to Taos,
turns eastward to cut through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains over Palo
Flechado Pass, down into the grassy Moreno Valley to Eagle Nest and
Eagle Nest Lake, then eastward again following the narrow canyon of the
Cimarron River to Cimarron and Raton. A loop trip northward from Eagle
Nest on State 38 goes through ghost town Elizabethtown, over Red River
Pass, and down the varicolored canyon of Red River to Questa, before
turning southward toward Taos.
[Illustration: (_U.S. Park Service_)
Subdivision living, pueblo style—at Aztec National Monument]
And there is the northwest, the Four Corners region, land of Navajos and
gas wells, presided over by magnificent Shiprock. State Highway 44
leaves Interstate 25 at Bernalillo, follows Rio Salado to San Ysidro,
which nestles at the south tip of the Nacimiento Mountains below White
Mesa, thence northwestward past Cabezon Peak and coaly La Ventana to
Cuba in the valley of Rio Puerco. Then, up and down, the winding highway
cuts transversely across the San Juan Basin, through pine groves at the
Continental Divide, past the side road to Chaco Canyon National Monument
at Blanco Trading Post, and among the multicolored Tertiary beds carved
into badlands. At Bloomfield, oil and gas wells lie all about, and the
mesa-and-canyon country gives way to the valley of the San Juan River.
At Aztec, State Road 44 joins U.S. Highway 550 in the narrow valley of
the Animas River—a clear cold stream sent rushing down from the icy
lakes of the San Juan Mountains to the north. Eastward a few miles lies
Navajo Lake along the San Juan River; northward, U. S. 550 winds up the
Animas Valley toward Durango, high Silverton, and Mesa Verde National
Park. Aztec Ruins National Monument is just to the northwest of Aztec.
Westward from Aztec, U.S. Highway 550 follows the Animas River to its
junction with the San Juan River, then past the huge Navajo coal mine, a
long open cut near Fruitland, to junction with U.S. Highway 666 at
Shiprock.
Shiprock! A buttressed needle, towering 1450 vertical feet above
Navajo-land, with walls of black igneous rock radiating from its feet
like spokes on a wheel. This dark-colored spire once filled the throat
of a volcano. Where are piles of rocks, hundreds of feet thick, that
once surrounded it? Down the river they went, down the San Juan to the
Colorado River, and thence to the ocean.
To the west, as a background, are the forested Carrizo, Lukachukai, and
Chuska mountains. Off to the east lies Hogback Mountain, an upturned
ridge of sedimentary rocks producing oil—the petroleum geologist’s
favorite haunt, an anticline.
Southward from Shiprock, U.S. 666 passes other volcanic necks such as
Bennett Peak and Ford Butte. North of Gallup, State Road 68 leads
westward to Window Rock (Arizona), the Indian Headquarters of the Navajo
Reservation. Near Gallup, coal beds of Late Cretaceous age crop out,
Gamerco once being a booming coal-mining town. Now huge dragline shovels
scoop out the coal from open pits to the northwest of Gallup. And at
Gallup, the Indian Capital, a loop drive around the San Juan Basin is
completed; Interstate 40, old U.S. Highway 66, goes eastward to
Albuquerque, St. Louis, and Chicago, and westward to Grand Canyon, Los
Angeles, and the blue Pacific.
Many other scenic places dot the Land of Enchantment; local hosts,
rancher or city dweller, know of these. Mountain meadows, rushing
streams, rocky peaks, desert valleys, badlands, grassy plains, thick
forests, spectacular chasms, needle rocks, and brilliant colors—they are
all here in New Mexico.