Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway

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Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway
Route information
Length84 mi (135 km)
Highway system
  • State Roads in New Mexico

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

In Taos is its historic district of old adobe buildings. Within the town are the Taos Plaza, homes of historic figures, galleries, shops and the ancient Taos Pueblo. Recreational opportunities include rafting on the Rio Grande. [2]

North of Taos

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 Qesta 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]

Eastern end

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:

  • U.S. Route 64. In 1927 the road into Taos from the northeast was highway 485, a branch of 85 from Raton, New Mexico. It ran south east from Cimarron to Taos and continued south to Santa Fe. In 1931, U.S. 485 was replaced by U.S. Route 64. In 1974 the route of 64 changed from Taos, and rather than taking a southerly route, it traveled north and west over the mountains of Tres Piedras, replacing the former NM 111 and NM 553 highways. [14] [15] [16] [17]
  • New Mexico State Road 38. The highway was named NM 38 in or before 1912 for the road between Questa and Eagle Nest. [18]
  • New Mexico State Road 434. The road runs south from U.S. Route 64 south to Mora. It was a part of NM-38 when the highway was extended south of Eagle Nest by 1917 and at least into the 1950s. [19] It was renumbered to NM 434 in 1988 to eliminate a concurrent section with U.W. 64 and NM 38. [20]
  • New Mexico State Road 522. It was New Mexico State Road 3 from 1930. [21] It was renumbered NM 522 in 1988. North of Costilla at the Colorado state line it becomes CO Highway 159. [22]

Scenic byway designation

The Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway was made one of the New Mexico Scenic Byways on July 31, 1998. [1]

It was designated 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

Taos, New Mexico Town in 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 formally established 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 2010 census, its population was 5,716.

Questa, New Mexico Village in 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.

Santa Fe Trail Transportation route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico.

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New Mexico State Road 14 (NM 14) is an approximately 54-mile-long (87 km) state road located in northern New Mexico. The highway connects Albuquerque to Santa Fe and comprises most of the Turquoise Trail, a National Scenic Byway which also includes NM 536.

U.S. Route 66 in New Mexico 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.

Cimarron River (Canadian River tributary)

The Cimarron River, flowing entirely in New Mexico, 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.

New Mexico State Road 4 (NM 4) is a 67.946-mile-long (109.348 km) state highway in Sandoval, Los Alamos, and Santa Fe counties in New Mexico, United States. It is significant as the main access route connecting the remote town of Los Alamos, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Bandelier National Monument to other, more major highways in New Mexico.

Eagle Nest Dam 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.

Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway in Colorado and Utah, United States

The Trail of the Ancients is a National Scenic Byway located in the states of Colorado and Utah. The route highlights the archaeological and cultural history of southwestern Native American peoples, and traverses the widely diverse geological landscape of the Four Corners region of the Colorado Plateau. It was the first National Scenic Byway that was designated solely for its archaeological sites. The entire route is approximately 480 miles (772.5 km) long.

Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area

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.

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument

The Rio Grande del Norte National Monument is an approximately 242,555-acre (98,159 ha) area of public lands in Taos County, New Mexico, proclaimed as a national monument on March 25, 2013 by President Barack Obama under the provisions of the Antiquities Act. It consists of the Rio Grande Gorge and surrounding lands, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Abo Canyon

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

Taos Downtown Historic District United States historic place

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 a key historical feature of the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway of northern New Mexico.

Wild Rivers Recreation Area

Wild Rivers Recreation Area is located in north central New Mexico within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Two rivers that run through the park, the Rio Grande and Red River are National Wild and Scenic Rivers. NM 378 that traverses the recreation area is designated a New Mexico Scenic Byway. Recreational opportunities include whitewater rafting, hiking, biking, fishing and camping.

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 on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.

Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway (New Mexico) Route in New Mexico with numerous archaeological and geological sites

The Trail of the Ancients is a New Mexico Scenic Byway to prehistoric archaeological and geological sites of northwestern New Mexico. It provides insight into the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans and the Navajo, Ute, and Apache peoples. Geological features include canyons, volcanic rock features, and sandstone buttes. Several of the sites are scenic and wilderness areas with recreational opportunities.

North Central Regional Transit District

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. All routes are fare-free, with the exception of the Taos Express and Mountain Trail route which are premium fare-based routes. The service is supported primarily by transit gross receipt taxes, which provides approximately 70% of the RTD's revenues.

New Mexico State Road 75 is a 20.6 mi (33.2 km) long state highway in Northern New Mexico, located in the Southwestern United States. NM 75 is located on the western slope of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains starting near the Rio Grande, passes through Pircuris Pueblo, and ends as a segment of the High Road to Taos near Peñasco.

References

  1. 1 2 18 NMAC 31.2 New Mexico Scenic and Historic Byways Program. Archived 2006-10-07 at the Wayback Machine Transportation and Highways. New Mexico Legislation. Filed February 27, 1998. Effective July 31, 1998. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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 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.
  6. 1 2 Blanche Grant (August 2007). When Old Trails Were New. Sunstone Press. p. 44. ISBN   978-0-86534-606-2.
  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.
  10. ↑ Santa Fe Trail Historic Routes and National Scenic Byway Routes. New Mexico Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway. Federal Highway Administration and the New Mexico Department of Tourism. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  11. ↑ History of the Santa Fe Trail in New Mexico - Cimarron Cutoff. New Mexico Santa Fe Trail Scenic Byway. Federal Highway Administration and the New Mexico Department of Tourism. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  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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