Sunspot Scenic Byway
New Mexico Scenic & Historic Byway 16 mi in New Mexico.
About the Sunspot Scenic Byway
This is a short, sweet sprig of asphalt through deep dark woodlands, offering occasional peeks at dunes, deserts and sprawling mountains beyond. Earth-shaking as these vistas are, the Sunspot Highway's sphere of view doesn't stop at the mere horizon but expands to galaxies, nebulae and solar systems of the final frontier. Two national telescope observatories at the byway's terminus offer tours and exhibits to the earthbound public, while a consortium of scientists explores the heavens from its 9,200-foot elevation. The byway is even officially designated N.M. 6563 – the light wavelength in Angstroms used by scientists to locate active areas on the Sun! As the road zigzags along the Sacramento Mountains , lookouts provide a peek at the dramatic spectacle some 5,000 feet below.
The faraway nearby is close at hand on the Sunspot Scenic Byway. The 15-mile road begins two miles south of Cloudcroft , named for the puffy clouds that frequently hug its forested hillsides. Travel south along NM 6563 to Haynes Canyon Vista, where you may locate landmarks such as Hardscrabble and Little Burro Mountains, Oscura and San Andres Peaks, and the shimmering radiance of White Sands . As the road zigzags along the front rim of the Sacramento Mountains through pine, aspen and fir forests, similar lookouts provide a peek at the dramatic spectacle some 5,000 feet below as well as access to numerous hiking trails. At the end of the Sunspot Byway, experience the many interactive exhibits at the Sunspot Visitor Center and Museum.
New Mexico Tourism Department's own description, in its words. Byway page on newmexico.org.
Designations: New Mexico Scenic & Historic Byway, National Forest Scenic Byway.
Camping along the byway
- Mile 0 · 0.7 mi offUpper Fir Group Area · Forest Service · 1 sites · reservable
- Mile 0 · 0.8 mi offPines Campground · Forest Service · 24 sites · reservable
- Mile 0 · 1.1 mi offLower Fir Group Area · Forest Service · 1 sites · reservable
- Mile 0 · 1.2 mi offApache (NM) · Forest Service · 29 sites · reservable
- Mile 0 · 1.4 mi offSaddle (NM) · Forest Service · 21 sites · reservable
- Mile 0 · 1.6 mi offSilver (NM) · Forest Service · 35 sites · reservable
- Mile 1 · on the roadDeerhead Campground · Forest Service · 19 sites · reservable
- Mile 1 · on the roadSleepy Grass · Forest Service · 25 sites · reservable
- Mile 2 · on the roadSlide Group Area · Forest Service
- Mile 4 · 0.9 mi offBlack Bear Group Area · Forest Service · 1 sites · reservable
- Mile 7 · 1.9 mi offKarr Canyon Lower · Forest Service
- Mile 8 · on the roadKarr Canyon Upper · Forest Service
- Mile 16 · 0.8 mi offSlide Group Area · Forest Service · 1 sites · reservable
Public campgrounds within 5 miles of the road as the crow flies, in order along the byway; each one's page has its facts, season and weather by month.
About this page's facts
The line is the Federal Highway Administration's scenic byways layer (HEPGIS, a snapshot of 2022-06-24, a US government work), cut at the state line and simplified for the map; the length is the line's. The designation is the program's own: the national tiers from FHWA's America's Byways roster, the rest from the layer's designation field. Road conditions, closures and seasonal gates change: check the agency's own page and the state's road conditions before you go.