The
Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway is in mountainous
southwestern New Mexico’s Grant and Catron Counties in an area rich in
scenic, historical, cultural, geological, natural, and archeological
points of interest.
Silver City is the “Gateway” to the Byway
and approximately one-half of the Byway’s total area falls within the
boundaries of the Gila National Forest, one of the nation’s largest and
most scenic year-round recreation and natural areas. With more than 3.3
million acres, the Gila National Forest contains more federal land than
any other national forest outside Alaska.
Travel on the Byway
typically begins in Silver City. Driving north on NM 15, the Byway
passes through the old mining town of Pinos Altos. Entering the
beautiful and remote Gila National Forest, the Byway winds its way
further north to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.
Returning
from the spur to the Monument and remaining in the Gila National
Forest, the Byway proceeds southeast on NM 35 southeast past Lake
Roberts and then meanders through the picturesque Mimbres River Valley,
passing many farms and ranches. Finally, ascending from the valley, the
Byway, on NM 152 and US 180, passes the Santa Rita Copper Mine and Fort
Bayard, and then returns west to Silver City.
The Byway is
located in southwest New Mexico 2.5 hours from El Paso, 3 hours from
Tucson, and 4.5 hours from Albuquerque. It links with the Geronimo
Trail Byway to the east. Lake Valley Back Country Scenic Byway is also
just to the east. The Camino Real Scenic Byway is to the east from El
Paso north through Albuquerque. The Socorro Historic District Scenic
Byway and Quebradas Back Country Byway are in the Socorro area.
Travelers coming to the Byway have a variety of options:
By Car
Grant
County and the gateway to the Byway are easy to reach at any time of
year via Interstate Highway 10 and New Mexico Highway 90. Winter
travelers may see snow in the higher elevations of the county, but snow
rarely appears and even more rarely stays on these highways.
Travelers
from Albuquerque and northern New Mexico can find Grant County by
traveling south down Interstate Highway 25. South of Truth or
Consequences, take New Mexico Highway 152 west into the Aldo Leopold
Wilderness and Grant County via a winding mountain roadway. Winter
travelers on Highway 152 often encounter snow, sometimes quite a lot of
it. Some portions of Highway 152 are not plowed at night or on
weekends. For an alternate route, continue south on Interstate 25 to
Hatch, NM, and an easy route onto Highway 90 toward Silver City.
By Air
Travelers
to Silver City have several options. Grant County Airport has daily
service from Albuquerque via Great Lakes Airlines, (800) 554-5111.
Shuttle service from the Grant County Airport into Silver City is
available with advance reservations from Corre Caminos Transit,
866-934-3866.
The El Paso International Airport is three hours
away by car. Airports in Tucson and Phoenix are 3 and 4.5 hours away,
respectively. Shuttle bus service from points in Silver Cityy to the El
Paso Airport is available with advance reservations.
By Train
Amtrak
offers service into a number of communities across southern New Mexico.
The station in Deming is at 400 East Railroad Avenue, Deming, NM 88030.
