Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway

Last updated
National Forest Scenic Byway.svg
Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway National Forest Scenic Byway
Route information
Maintained by NMDOT
Length84 mi (135 km)
Location
Country United States
State New Mexico
Highway system
  • New Mexico State Highway System

The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway is a New Mexico Scenic Byway and National Forest Scenic Byway located in Northern New Mexico. It begins and ends in Taos, New Mexico.

Contents

Route description

The 84-mile (135 km) Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway makes a loop through Taos following four main highways: [1] [2] [3]

The byway encircles Wheeler Peak (13,161 feet (4,011 m)) of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is the tallest mountain in New Mexico. The scenic byway passes through historic towns, alongside lakes and streams, and near ski resorts and recreational parks. [2]

Taos

Taos is the county seat of Taos County, and the largest town in the Enchanted Circle. It is notable for its historic plaza, arts and music scene, and the nearby Taos Pueblo UNESCO World Heritage Site . Recreational opportunities include rafting on the Rio Grande River and skiing and snowboarding at Taos Ski Valley. [2]

Questa & Red River

North of Taos, NM 522 meets NM 38 at Questa, where Red River recreational opportunities include picnic facilities, fishing, and self-guided tours. The town of Questa is known for its artisans whose works are found at the Artesanos de Questa and historic santos and retablos are at the St. Anthony's Church. [2] [4] [nb 1]

Northeast of Questa, the Rio Grande and Red Rivers intersect in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area. East of Questa is the Red River Valley—where there had been copper, lead, silver and gold mining. The town of Red River offers staged gunfights, shopping, a ski resort, and a mining museum. Traveling east on New Mexico State Road 38 (NM 38) is Bobcat Pass (9,820 feet (2,990 m)) which leads into the Moreno Valley and a view of the north side of Mount Wheeler. [2] [nb 2]

Angel Fire

At the eastern edge of the scenic byway is Moreno Valley, which lies between Eagle Nest and Angel Fire. At the southernmost point of the valley is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park. A ski resort and golf course are located south of the park on NM 434 in the village of Angel Fire. The ski resort's chairlift is used during the summer by hikers, sightseers and mountain bikers. From Angel Fire, west on US 64 is the Palo Flechado Pass (9,101 feet (2,774 m)) with a distant view of San Juan. Campsites, canyon trails, picnic areas, and artist's studios are located in the Canyon of the Rio Fernando de Taos. [2] [4]

History

Santa Fe Trail through New Mexico 1845 trailmap.png
Santa Fe Trail through New Mexico

Early trails

The earliest trails used by Plains Indians and Puebloan peoples were those created by buffalo and were followed for hunting. The buffalo were considered "the best civil engineers in the world" for their ability to find the easiest, lowest paths through the mountains. The Old Kiowa Trail, still used today by Native Americans on horseback, is at the base of the Rocky Mountains. An old Navajo Trail criss-crossed the Rio Grande [6] before heading west at Warmsley Crossing (John Dunn Bridge at Arroyo Hondo) [7] There were additional trails that radiated out of Taos [6] from Taos Plaza. [7]

Trails of the 19th century

A key trail into Taos was "The Old Taos Trail", which began at the Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River in Colorado, west of the Spanish Peaks, through Sangre de Cristo Pass (west of Walsenburg, Colorado), Old La Veta Pass and into Questa area (NM 522/NM38 area). [8] [9]

It came into Taos at either Taos Pueblo road or half a mile west on Couse Hill. Another route into Taos was along the Cimarron Route. It was this route that most wagon trains entered into the Rio de Fernando canyon valley. [8] The two routes are the "mountain route" and the "Cimarron Route" of the Santa Fe Trail. One of the Cimarron Mountain Routes paralleled the present U.S. Route 64 from I-25 to Cimarron. Trails branched off of the Cimarron Route into several communities. [10] [11] A branch of the route from Bent's Fort went into Taos in or after the founding of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821. [12] The first wagon train was led by Charles Bent in 1831. Bent, the brother of William Bent of Bent's Fort, became the most successful merchant in Taos before being made governor of New Mexico. [13]

Highways from the 20th century

History of individual highways:

Scenic byway designation

The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway was named a New Mexico Scenic Byways on July 31, 1998. [1]

It was designated as a National Forest Scenic Byway by the U.S. Forest Service on December 14, 1989. [23]

The movies Easy Rider and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were filmed in the area. [4]

See also

Notes

  1. Side trips north of Taos include the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, John Dunn Bridge, D.H. Lawrence Ranch, the village of Arroyo Hondo, Taos Ski Valley, and the Carson National Forest. [4] [5]
  2. A side trip off of NM 38 is Elizabethtown, the ghost town of the former mining settlement. [2] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taos, New Mexico</span> City in Taos County, New Mexico, United States

Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Initially founded in 1615, it was intermittently occupied until its formal establishment in 1795 by Nuevo México Governor Fernando Chacón to act as fortified plaza and trading outpost for the neighboring Native American Taos Pueblo and Hispano communities, including Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, El Prado, and Arroyo Seco. The town was incorporated in 1934. As of the 2021, its population was 6,567.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Fire, New Mexico</span> Village in New Mexico, United States

Angel Fire is a village in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,192 at the 2020 census. Angel Fire Resort is a popular skiing and snowboarding destination, with over 500 acres (2.0 km2) of slopes. Angel Fire and nearby communities experience cold winter temperatures and mild temperatures in the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Questa, New Mexico</span> Village in Taos County, New Mexico, United States

Questa is a village in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,770 at the 2010 census. The village has trails into the Rio Grande Gorge, trout fishing, and mountain lakes with trails that access the Sangre de Cristo Mountains that overlook the area. Questa is on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, near the confluence of the Rio Grande and the Red River. The "Gateway to the Rio Grande del Norte Monument", its visitors can drive to an overlook of the Red River meeting the Rio Grande in the depth of the gorge. The Carson National Forest parallels Questa to the east. The Columbine Hondo Wilderness and Latir Peak Wildness are in the Carson National Forest close to Questa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red River, New Mexico</span> Town in New Mexico, United States

Red River is a resort town in Taos County, New Mexico, US in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The population was 542 at the 2020 census. Red River is on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway, and is 36 miles (58 km) from Taos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Fe Trail</span> 19th-century route through central North America between Franklin, MO, and Santa Fe, NM

The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the trail served as a vital commercial highway until 1880, when the railroad arrived in Santa Fe. Santa Fe was near the end of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro which carried trade from Mexico City. The trail was later incorporated into parts of the National Old Trails Road and U.S. Route 66.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson National Forest</span> National forest in New Mexico, United States

Carson National Forest is a national forest in northern New Mexico, United States. It encompasses 6,070 square kilometers and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The Forest Service's "mixed use" policy allows for its use for recreation, grazing, and resource extraction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico</span> Historic highway in the United States

The historic U.S. Route 66 ran east–west across the central part of the state of New Mexico, along the path now taken by Interstate 40 (I-40). However, until 1937, it took a longer route via Los Lunas, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, now roughly New Mexico State Road 6 (NM 6), I-25, and US 84. Large portions of the old road parallel to I-40 have been designated NM 117, NM 118, NM 122, NM 124, NM 333, three separate loops of I-40 Business, and state-maintained frontage roads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cimarron River (Canadian River tributary)</span> River in New Mexico, U.S.

The Cimarron River, flowing entirely in New Mexico, United States, was also known as La Flecha or Semarone. Its headwaters are Moreno, Sixmile, and Cieneguilla creeks in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which feed into Eagle Nest Dam. From the dam, it runs for 60 miles (97 km) to below the city of Springer, New Mexico, in the Taylor Springs area, where it flows into the Canadian River, the southwesternmost major tributary flowing into the Mississippi River via the Arkansas River sub-basin.

State Road 522 (NM 522) is a 41.096-mile-long (66.138 km) state highway in far northern New Mexico. It was named the Senator Carlos R. Cisneros Memorial Highway, after the late Taos County Commissioner and state senator, in 2022.

The Santa Fe Trail Scenic and Historic Byway is a 188-mile (303 km) National Scenic Byway and Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway located in Prowers, Bent, Otero, and Las Animas counties, Colorado, USA. The byway follows the Santa Fe National Historic Trail through southeastern Colorado and connects to the 381-mile (613 km) Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway in New Mexico at Raton Pass, a National Historic Landmark at elevation 7,834 feet (2,388 m). The byway visits Amache National Historic Site and Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, both National Historic Landmarks, and winds between the Spanish Peaks and Raton Mesa, both National Natural Landmarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle Nest Dam</span> United States historic place

The Eagle Nest Dam is a dam just east of the town of Eagle Nest, New Mexico on U.S. Route 64. The dam, on private property, is on the Cimarron River, and is responsible for Eagle Nest Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trail of the Ancients</span> National Scenic Byways in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, United States

The Trail of the Ancients is a collection of National Scenic Byways located in the U.S. Four Corners states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. These byways comprise:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area</span> United States National Heritage Area in New Mexico

Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the U.S. state of New Mexico. The national heritage area includes a section of the upper Rio Grande Valley that has been inhabited by the Puebloan peoples since the early Pre-Columbian era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abo Canyon</span> Mountain pass in New Mexico, United States

Abo Canyon, also known as Abo Pass, is a mountain pass at the southern end of the Manzano Mountains of central New Mexico in the Southwest United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taos Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in New Mexico, United States

Taos Downtown Historic District is a historic district in Taos, New Mexico. Taos "played a major role in the development of New Mexico, under Spanish, Mexican, and American governments." It is a key historical feature of the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway of northern New Mexico.

Bobcat Pass is a mountain pass located in Taos County, New Mexico on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.

Palo Flechado Pass, also called Taos Pass and Old Taos Pass, is a mountain pass located in Taos County, New Mexico, United States on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Central Regional Transit District</span>

The North Central Regional Transit District operates a network of several local and intercity bus routes in northern New Mexico, serving Santa Fe, Española, Taos, and many smaller communities along a network of 25 fixed routes and one demand-response route, one dial-a-ride and complementary Paratransit service in the Taos area. Routes operate Monday through Friday only, with the exceptions of the "Taos Express," which operates only on weekends, the Mountain Trail route to the Santa Fe National Forest and Ski Santa Fe, which operates daily, and seasonal daily service from the Town of Taos to Taos Ski Valley.

State Road 38 (NM 38) is a state highway in Taos and Colfax counties in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its total length is approximately 29.3 miles (47.2 km). It traverses the Sangre de Cristo Mountains through portions of Carson National Forest and Moreno Valley. NM 38's western terminus is at NM 522 in Questa, and the eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 64 in Eagle Nest. The highway passes through Bobcat Pass, the highest mountain pass in the state.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Enchanted Circle Scenic byway. Legends of America. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  3. Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. New Mexico Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway Archived 2014-08-21 at the Wayback Machine . New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  5. Enchanted Scenic Byway. Scenic USA. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
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  7. 1 2 Best Books on; Federal Writers' Project (1940). New Mexico, a Guide to the Colorful State . Best Books on. p. 220. ISBN   978-1-62376-030-4.
  8. 1 2 Blanche Grant (August 2007). When Old Trails Were New. Sunstone Press. p. 45. ISBN   978-0-86534-606-2.
  9. Stewart M. Green (1 June 2008). Scenic Driving Colorado. Globe Pequot Press. p. 47. ISBN   978-0-7627-4791-7.
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  12. Brief History of Taos. laplaza.org Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  13. Blanche Grant (August 2007). When Old Trails Were New. Sunstone Press. pp. 47-49. ISBN   978-0-86534-606-2.
  14. U.S. Highways in New Mexico. New Mexico Highways. steve-riner.com Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  15. Randall M. MacDonald; Gene Lamm; Sarah E. MacDonald (2012). Cimarrón and Philmont. Arcadia Publishing. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-7385-9527-6.
  16. Randall M. MacDonald; Gene Lamm; Sarah E. MacDonald (2012). Cimarrón and Philmont. Arcadia Publishing. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-7385-9527-6.
  17. US Highway System - State of New Mexico. New Mexico's U.S. highway network as approved November 11, 1926. Federal Highway Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  18. Laurel T. Wallace. (October 2004) Historic Highways in the NMDOT System. Cultural Resource. Technical Series 2004-1. New Mexico Department of Transportation. p. 79. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  19. Laurel T. Wallace. (October 2004) Historic Highways in the NMDOT System. Cultural Resource. Technical Series 2004-1. New Mexico Department of Transportation. p. 100. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  20. State Routes 401-450. New Mexico Highways. steve-riner.com Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  21. Laurel T. Wallace. (October 2004) Historic Highways in the NMDOT System. Cultural Resource. Technical Series 2004-1. New Mexico Department of Transportation. p. 103. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  22. New Mexico Highways 501 to 550. New Mexico Highways. steve-riner.com Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  23. "Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway: Official Designations". America's Byways. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on December 30, 2011.
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