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Turquoise Trail: The very name conjures up images of Southwestern treasure waiting to be unearthed. New Mexico State Road 14 is a 54-mile stretch connecting the Albuquerque area to the Santa Fe area. Known to locals as “the back way” and to tourists worldwide as “The Turquoise Trail,” this picturesque path is a National Scenic Byway that passes beneath Sandia Crest and winds through small towns like Golden, Madrid and Cerrillos. It’s the perfect day trip out of Albuquerque as it’s close by and proves welcome, mountainous relief from the city’s summer heat.
N.M 14 picks up just off I-40 on the east side of the Sandia Mountain as the highway squeezes through Carnuel and Tijeras. It starts in Cedar Crest, home to the famed Tinkertown Museum (the life’s work of folk artist Ross Ward) and the popular Burger Boy restaurant (go for the double!). From there, the road twists and turns northward, passing Sandia Park and the Paako Ridge Golf Club. Curving away from the Sandias, the Turquoise Trail soon threads through the micro-sized town of Golden, where you can take a break at the Henderson Store (family owned since 1918 and your first stop for Native American jewelry, rugs and pottery). You can also drive by Golden’s colorful Bottle House and debate whether a house with a fence covered in bottles actually constitutes a “bottle house.”
About 25 miles up the Turquoise Trail, you’ll hit the halfway point of Madrid. This old mining town was colonized by hippie artists in the 1970s and transformed itself from ghost town to tourist destination. On weekends the town’s sole road fills up with motorcycle riders, drawn by the promise of green chile cheeseburgers and beers at iconic watering hole the Mine Shaft Tavern (which also manages to host the Madrid Film Festival, The Rhymecraft Hip Hop Dance Party, the Crawdaddy Blues Festival and countless rock/folk/blues bands). If you want to avoid the leather-clad crowds, there’s also coffee at Java Junction and ice cream at the Jezebel Gallery Soda Fountain.
After some refreshments, wander down the main drag to check out Madrid’s collection of arts and crafts galleries, including Trading Bird Gallery, Indigo Gallery, 10PM Steampunk Studio, Johnsons of Madrid, Chumani Gallery, Belle of the West Art Gallery and Range West. Another entertaining highlight is Maggie’s Diner, which you may recognize as a pivotal set from the 2007 John Travolita movie Wild Hogs. It’s now a souvenir shop filled with T-shirts, postcards and plenty of Wild Hogs merchandise. If you’ve got kids, Connie’s Photo Park on the north end of town is a must. For a small donation, the whole family can take fun snapshots with a variety of colorful, painted backdrops.
North of Madrid, N.M. 14 continues on through some stunning rock formations and a wide variety of high desert flowers. Along the way, take in even more art at the Museum of Encaustic Art, Hat Ranch Gallery and the Jennifer & Kevin Box Studio and Sculpture Garden (home to their world-famous, large-scale “OrigamiInTheGarden” sculptures).
Near the end of the Turquoise Trail is the village of Los Cerrillos. With its dirt streets and adobe buildings, it’s a picturesque throwback to the Old West. Several Hollywood movies were shot in Cerrillos, including The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca, Outrageous Fortune and Young Guns (look for a commemorative sign above the old Wortley Hotel on First Street). If that gets you in the Old West mood, Broken Saddle Riding Co. rents “smooth-riding Tennessee walkers.” After a trip in the saddle, head to the Black Bird Saloon for food and libations. These days countless artists and craftspeople have made the town their home. Several official galleries and smaller home studios dot the village. On the west end, the Casa Grande Trading Post, Mining Museum & Petting Zoo will give you a history lesson and a chance to look at some locally mined turquoise — which is the perfect way to wrap up your trip along the Turquoise Trail.