Sunspot Solar Observatory

NM-6563 earns its designation: the road number references the wavelength of light — in angstroms — that solar scientists use to study the sun's chromosphere, a detail that tells you everything about the place you're heading toward. The byway runs about 15 miles through the Lincoln National Forest, and the planet-named road signs along the route are spaced at a 1:250-million scale, so the distance from Cloudcroft to the observatory corresponds to the distance from the sun to Pluto. It's a quiet piece of science you absorb while riding rim-edge switchbacks above a canyon floor some 5,000 feet below.

At the top, the Sunspot Solar Observatory sits at 9,200 feet on Sacramento Peak. The Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope — the last operational telescope on site — is what draws the curious, though access to the observation room is only on select days and times, not guaranteed. Before planning a stop inside, call ahead: as of early 2025, the DST, surrounding observatory building, and visitor center were closed while remediation work was underway following a mercury discovery on-site. Check current status before making the observatory itself the reason for your ride.

Practical notes regardless of status: there is no gas station or restaurant at the observatory, and cell service between Cloudcroft and Sunspot is spotty to nonexistent. Top off the tank in Cloudcroft, which is your nearest resupply in either direction. The official site also flags a real road hazard: cattle range freely along NM-130 and NM-6563 and will cross in front of you, so keep your head up on the byway, not just on the canyon views.