Turquoise Trail (NM-14)

The Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway is an 84-mile loop through Lincoln County in south-central New Mexico. The circuit connects the mountain resort town of Ruidoso (via NM-48 north through the Sacramento Mountains and Lincoln National Forest) with the historic Lincoln town site via US-380 — the same road where Billy the Kid made his 1881 jail break from the Lincoln County Courthouse. Sierra Blanca Peak (11,981 feet) dominates the western skyline. US-70 along the southern leg cuts through the Mescalero Apache Reservation past the Inn of the Mountain Gods and Ruidoso Downs racetrack. The byway is accessible at Ruidoso Downs via a visitor center on US-70.

The Chama area anchors two complementary motorcycle roads in northwestern New Mexico. US-84 north from Abiquiú follows the Chama River through Georgia O'Keeffe's painted-cliff country — the red and ochre canyon walls inspired decades of her work — past Ghost Ranch and up to the Old West town of Chama (7,800 feet) at the Colorado border. From Chama, NM-17 (which becomes Colorado State Highway 17 at the state line) climbs northeast over Cumbres Pass (10,022 feet) through the same high-mountain meadows that the narrow-gauge Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad traverses on 64 miles of track between Chama and Antonito, Colorado. The pairing of US-84's canyon drama with NM-17's alpine pass makes Chama a natural overnight base for a two-day northern New Mexico loop.

Built in 1816 of hand-packed adobe, El Santuario de Chimayó is a National Historic Landmark and the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the United States, drawing nearly 300,000 visitors per year. Tucked into a hillside village on the High Road to Taos (NM-76 corridor), the twin-towered church and its courtyard are immediately identifiable. Inside a small adjoining room, a hole in the floor contains what pilgrims call sacred healing soil. Motorcyclists riding the High Road use Chimayó as a natural rest and photo stop — parking is steps from the church and the village has several artisan galleries and weavers nearby.