---
id: "2083"
name: Santa Fe Trail - New Mexico
distance: "381"
duration: 8 hours to drive the New Mexico section of the byway.
description: The Santa Fe Trail, one of America's first great trade routes, was critical to our nation's westward expansion. Visit historic sites and landmarks such as Raton Pass, Cimarron, and Santa Fe. Enjoy spectacular scenery, from rugged mountains to the grama-buffalo grass on the plains east of the Sangre de Cristos.
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websites:
  - url: https://nsbfoundation.com/nb/santa-fe-trail-national-scenic-byway-nm/
    name: National Scenic Byway Association
  - url: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/03e6d455024b42129d9cb1ea087211b0#ref-n-Cv5vuU
    name: New Mexico Scenic Byways Program
  - url: https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-visit/scenic-byways/santa-fe-trail-national/
    name: New Mexico Travel Guide
  - url: https://www.thearmchairexplorer.com/national_trails/santa-fe-trail.php
    name: The Armchair Explorer
attractions:
  - url: https://www.fs.usda.gov/carson
    name: Carson National Forest
  - url: https://www.fws.gov/refuge/las-vegas
    name: Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge
  - url: https://www.santafe.org/
    name: Santa Fe
  - url: https://www.fs.usda.gov/santafe
    name: Santa Fe National Forest
  - url: https://www.nps.gov/safe/index.htm
    name: Santa Fe National Historic Trail
  - url: https://santafetrail.org/explore/
    name: Santa Fe Trail Association
designations:
  - National Scenic Byway
  - New Mexico State Scenic Byway
states:
  - NM
part of:
  - "2287"
ll:
  - -105.93767000017021
  - 35.684846999789386
bounds:
  - - -105.93821700021425
    - 35.39231100015269
  - - -103.00221499962237
    - 36.993861

---

The Santa Fe Trail, one of America's first great trade routes, was critical to our nation's westward expansion. Visit historic sites and landmarks such as Raton Pass, Cimarron, and Santa Fe. Enjoy spectacular scenery, from rugged mountains to the grama-buffalo grass on the plains east of the Sangre de Cristos.