Snapshot

 Highway 14 Segment

The New Mexico Highway 14 segment of the Turquoise Trail was originally a portion of New Mexico Route 10 which connected Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

The original Route 10 started in downtown Albuquerque and followed Central Avenue east out of town, then proceeded through Tijeras Canyon and then turned north to Santa Fe at Tijeras.

The Tijeras Canyon portion was replaced in 1927 by US Highway 470 and in 1937 the Canyon portion became part of the now famous US Route 66.

Route 10 remained a dirt and gravel road until finally being paved in the early 1940’s. By 1949 the entire route was paved except the segment between Golden and Madrid, which finally received asphalt in 1960.

In the early 1970’s Route 10 was renumbered to Highway 14 to eliminate confusion with Interstate I-10 in southern New Mexico.

In 1996 the segment of Highway 14 between Tijeras and I-25 (South of Santa Fe) was designated a New Mexico Scenic & Historic Byway. The total length of the New Mexico 14 segment is 53.9 miles.

 Highway 536 Segment

The New Mexico Highway 536 segment of the Turquoise Trail was originally New Mexico Route 44, which connected San Antonito on Route 10 to Bernalillo on US Highway 85, via Placitas.

In the early 1920’s a local timber baron combined a collection of local logging trails and built a road to Sandia Crest (10,678 feet) with hopes to log trees in upper altitudes of the Sandia Mountains.

Between 1933 and 1941 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which were camped in Sandia Park made improvements to Route 44 and the logging road to Sandia Crest, both of which go through the Cibola National Forest.

This narrow and rough dirt road with countless sharp curves and switchbacks was known as the Rim Drive, the Loop Road or Crest Road. Some old-timers claimed it would take two to three hours to make the one-way trip.

The portion between San Antonito and Sandia Crest was paved in 1960s, a majority of Highway 165 to Placitas largely remains unimproved and dirt today. Highway 165 leaves Highway 536 part way up the mountain.

In 1988 Route 44 between San Antonito and the Sandia Crest became Highway 536.

In 1998 Highway 536 to Sandia Crest was designated a National Forest Scenic Byway and named the “Sandia Crest Scenic Byway”.  The total length of the New Mexico 536 segment is 13.4 miles.

 Combined Byway

On June 15th, 2000 the two Byways (New Mexico Scenic & Historic Byway and Sandia Crest Scenic Byway) were combined into a single Byway and designated a single “National Scenic Byway”.

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