Acoma Sky City, El Malpais and El Morro

Route description

Leave Albuquerque west on I-40 and take exit 102 for Acoma Pueblo, about 100 km from the city. A paved road runs south past sandstone mesas to the Sky City Cultural Center, where guided tours start by bus up to the village on top of the mesa. Tours may be suspended on feast days and at other times, so check before you go. Photography needs a permit.

Return to I-40 and head west to exit 89, then take NM-117 south along the eastern edge of El Malpais. The Sandstone Bluffs Overlook looks over black lava flows, and La Ventana Arch is a short walk from the road further south. NM-117 is paved and quiet, fine for RVs. Return the same way to I-40 and continue to Grants, a former uranium-mining town with a visitor center for El Malpais.

From Grants, take NM-53 south and west, the Ancient Way. It passes the Zuni-Acoma Trail and the privately run Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave, then crosses the Continental Divide. After about 70 km you reach El Morro National Monument, where a sandstone bluff holds inscriptions by Spanish explorers, soldiers and settlers. It also has a small, free first-come campground.

At El Morro, walk the paved Inscription Loop and, if you have time, the Headland Trail over the top to the ruins of Atsinna Pueblo. NM-53 then continues west to Zuni Pueblo, known for its silver and stone carving. From Zuni, NM-602 runs north for about 65 km to Gallup on I-40, the trading center of the region with pawnshops and Route 66 buildings.