Small Towns Near Albuquerque
The best small towns near Albuquerque are Jemez Springs, for mineral baths and a 1621 mission ruin in red-rock canyon country; Madrid, an old coal town turned artists’ row on the Turquoise Trail; and Aztec, home to a 900-year-old ancestral Pueblo great house. Madrid and Jemez Springs are easy day trips, and Aztec makes a good overnight.
The 10 towns below run nearest first, from Madrid at about 35 miles to Aztec at about 140. Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Albuquerque, so the drive is longer. The list covers mountain villages, Route 66 stops, Spanish colonial history and two ski towns.
| Town | Distance | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Madrid, New Mexico | About 35 miles | galleries, a roadhouse, a day trip |
| Jemez Springs, New Mexico | About 50 miles | hot springs, ruins, red rocks |
| Chimayó, New Mexico | About 75 miles | a pilgrimage church, weaving, chile |
| Las Vegas, New Mexico | About 90 miles | Victorian buildings, film sets |
| Taos, New Mexico | About 110 miles | a pueblo, art museums, a weekend |
| Santa Rosa, New Mexico | About 110 miles | swimming, diving, Route 66 |
| Gallup, New Mexico | About 120 miles | Native arts, Route 66, a road trip |
| Red River, New Mexico | About 130 miles | skiing, summer mountain fun |
| Ruidoso, New Mexico | About 135 miles | horse racing, mountain air |
| Aztec, New Mexico | About 140 miles | archaeology, an overnight |
Distances are straight-line miles from downtown Albuquerque, as the crow flies.
Madrid, New Mexico
About 35 miles as the crow flies · Best for: galleries, a roadhouse, a day trip
Madrid was a company coal town from 1895 until mining stopped by 1954, and most residents moved away. Today about 250 people live here, and galleries line State Road 14, the Turquoise Trail. The ending of the 2007 film Wild Hogs was shot here.
Don’t miss: the Mine Shaft Tavern, a historic roadhouse with live music on weekends, and the highway galleries
★ Good to know Pair it with Cerrillos, a few miles north, where Cerrillos Hills State Park has 5 miles of trails through old mine sites.
Jemez Springs, New Mexico
About 50 miles as the crow flies · Best for: hot springs, ruins, red rocks
Jemez Springs is a village of 198 on the Jemez River, in red-rock San Diego Canyon. It sits at 6,237 feet in the Santa Fe National Forest. Geothermal springs in and near the village feed the river.
Don’t miss: the village-owned Jemez Springs Bath House and Jemez Historic Site, with a 700-year-old village and the 1621 San José de los Jemez church
★ Good to know Bath house hours change by season, so call ahead before you drive up.
Chimayó, New Mexico
About 75 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a pilgrimage church, weaving, chile
Chimayó is a village of about 3,100 in the Sangre de Cristo foothills. Its Santuario, built by 1816, is a National Historic Landmark that draws close to 300,000 visitors a year. The village is also known for Rio Grande weaving and its own chile.
Don’t miss: El Santuario de Chimayó; Centinela Traditional Arts, the Trujillo family’s weaving gallery; and Rancho de Chimayó, serving New Mexican food since 1965 in the family’s restored home
★ Good to know Holy Week is the busiest time, with up to 30,000 pilgrims, many walking in on Good Friday.
Las Vegas, New Mexico
About 90 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Victorian buildings, film sets
This Las Vegas was founded in 1835, and the railroad arrived in 1879. More than 900 of its buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places. No Country for Old Men and the series Longmire both filmed here.
Don’t miss: the Plaza Hotel, open since 1881 on the old town plaza, with its restored saloon and the Plaza Grill
★ Good to know Over 900 listed buildings means the best way to see the town is on foot, starting from the plaza.
Taos, New Mexico
About 110 miles as the crow flies · Best for: a pueblo, art museums, a weekend
Taos, a town of 6,474 at 6,969 feet, has drawn painters since 1898, and the Taos Society of Artists formed in 1915. Taos Pueblo, built between 1000 and 1450, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992.
Don’t miss: Taos Pueblo; the Harwood Museum of Art, founded in 1923 and home to an Agnes Martin collection; and the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge west of town
★ Good to know The Pueblo can close for ceremonies, so check its events calendar the week you go.
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
About 110 miles as the crow flies · Best for: swimming, diving, Route 66
Santa Rosa, population 2,850, sits on Route 66 in a desert full of natural lakes formed as limestone sinkholes. John Ford shot the freight-train scene of The Grapes of Wrath on the Pecos River bridge here.
Don’t miss: the Blue Hole, a city-run spring 81 feet deep that stays 61 degrees year-round
★ Good to know Visibility runs about 100 feet, but there’s no lifeguard, and divers need a certification card and a city permit.
Gallup, New Mexico
About 120 miles as the crow flies · Best for: Native arts, Route 66, a road trip
Gallup, population 21,899, was founded as a railroad town in 1881 and sits on Route 66 near the Navajo Nation. More than a third of its residents have Native American roots, which is why it calls itself the Indian Capital of the World.
Don’t miss: El Rancho Hotel, the Route 66 landmark where John Wayne and Kirk Douglas stayed during Western shoots
★ Good to know Come in August for the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, held over about 10 days; the 2027 dates are August 6 to 15.
Red River, New Mexico
About 130 miles as the crow flies · Best for: skiing, summer mountain fun
Red River boomed as a gold, silver and copper camp in the 1890s. Now it’s a resort village of 542 at 8,688 feet on the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. The ski area sits right at the edge of town.
Don’t miss: Red River Ski Area, family-owned for more than 60 years, with scenic chairlift rides, a zip line and mountain tubing in summer
★ Good to know Loop back through Taos on the Enchanted Circle; Red River is 36 miles from Taos by road.
Ruidoso, New Mexico
About 135 miles as the crow flies · Best for: horse racing, mountain air
Ruidoso is a mountain village of 7,679 at 6,739 feet next to the Lincoln National Forest. The racetrack’s All American Futurity is billed as the world’s richest Quarter Horse race, and Ski Apache runs New Mexico’s only eight-passenger gondola. In June 2024 the South Fork Fire forced the whole village to evacuate.
Don’t miss: Ruidoso Downs Race Track, home of the All American Futurity, and Ski Apache, run by the Mescalero Apache Tribe
★ Good to know The Hubbard Museum of the American West in Ruidoso Downs is closed for renovation until further notice.
Aztec, New Mexico
About 140 miles as the crow flies · Best for: archaeology, an overnight
Aztec is a city of 6,201 on the Animas River. It has no link to the Aztecs; early settlers misnamed the ruins, and the town took their name. The ruins are part of the Chaco Culture UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Don’t miss: Aztec Ruins National Monument, with a half-mile trail through a three-story great house and a restored Great Kiva you can walk into
★ Good to know Plan one to two hours; the grounds and visitor center are open daily except three winter holidays.
What’s the closest small town to Albuquerque?
On this list, Madrid, about 35 miles as the crow flies on the Turquoise Trail. Jemez Springs is next at about 50 miles.
What’s the best day trip from Albuquerque to a small town?
Madrid or Jemez Springs. Madrid pairs galleries with lunch at the Mine Shaft Tavern, and Jemez Springs pairs a mineral bath with the 1621 church ruins.
What’s the best small-town weekend trip from Albuquerque?
Taos, for Taos Pueblo and its art museums. Add a loop over the Enchanted Circle through Red River if you have a second day.
Which small towns near Albuquerque are on Route 66?
Santa Rosa and Gallup. Santa Rosa has the Blue Hole, and Gallup has El Rancho Hotel.