Derelict places are inherently intriguing, making us wonder about their history. There is no shortage of such spots in the Land of Enchantment. From ghost towns to abandoned forts and disused bridges, this road trip takes you on a journey to many abandoned places in New Mexico.

Since this route spans 949 miles and takes a little over 16 hours without stops, it’s a weekend getaway at the very least, and it would be best to space the drive over three or four days. Here is an interactive map, which includes driving directions. Remember, you can start the loop at whatever point on the loop is nearest to you.

Google Maps
1. Kelly (near Magdalena)
Flickr/Dirk Hofmann
Kelly, NM 87825, USA
Flickr/Dirk Hofmann
Kelly, New Mexico is a ghost town close to Magdalena, which is popular with rockhounds and those interested in mining history.

When Kelly was at its most prosperous, 3000 people lived here. The mining town offered a range of amenities from churches, to schools, and hotels. After the ore was fully mined, the town couldn’t survive.

Now, you can view the remains of walls, mining equipment, and a cemetery. When visiting this ghost town, take Kelly Road from Magdalena. Most people park at the little church and continue from there on foot.

Get a closer look at the abandoned town of Kelly:

2. Fort Craig (near Socorro)
Fort Craig Road, Ft Craig Rd, New Mexico 87832, USA
Flickr/Bureau of Land Management
A flag still flies over what’s left of Fort Craig, a military installation designed to protect travelers on El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a 1600-mile trade route that once stretched from Mexico City to New Mexico’s San Juan Pueblo (Ohkay Owingeh). It’s hard to imagine from these scant walls that 4000 troops used to be based here. The fort supported a hospital, school, and stables. It remained important up through the Civil War but was eventually abandoned in 1885.
3. Percha Creek Bridge (near Hillsboro)
Percha Creek, New Mexico 87931, USA
Wikimedia Commons/AllenS
Travel roughly two miles west of Hillsboro, along NM-152, and you’ll drive over Percha Creek. Running parallel to the current bridge is its predecessor. Constructed in 1927, this structure is on the National Register of Historic Places. This is one of several abandoned bridges in New Mexico and it's a sight to be seen.
4. Fort Bayard (near Santa Clara)
Fort Bayard, NM 88061, USA
Flickr/Erin
Entering Fort Bayard is an eerie experience. This vast complex has served as a fort, a POW camp during World War II, and a tuberculosis hospital; Buffalo Soldiers were also stationed here to battle the Apaches.

Now, the place is deserted. You can drive around and view buildings that look functional and well-preserved from a distance but which, upon closer inspection, are clearly suffering from the effects of time and neglect. Thankfully, efforts are underway to preserve the fort and tours are available.

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5. Steins
Steins, NM 88045, USA
Barbara Black/Google
Steins is a privately owned railroad ghost town, which recently reopened to tourists (you need to book a spot on one of the limited tours in advance). The town got its start in 1880 when the Southern Pacific Railroad decided to create a pass through the Peloncillo Mountains. Lack of water spelled the end for Steins, but what remains of the town is in good condition. Residents literally left with what they could carry, abandoning everything else.

See what it’s like to explore Steins:

6. Dripping Springs Natural Area (Las Cruces)
Flickr/Bureau of Land Management
Dripping Springs Natural Area, 15000 Dripping Springs Rd, Las Cruces, NM 88011, USA
Flickr/Amir
Dripping Springs New Mexico is part of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument and the name refers to Dripping Springs Resort, which Colonel Eugene Van Patten constructed here in the 1870s. After the venture went bankrupt, the new owner converted the structures into a sanatorium. If you hike the trails in this canyon, you can still view the abandoned buildings.
7. Organ
Organ, NM, USA
Flickr/Tony Hoffarth
This drive takes you through the ghost town in New Mexico known as Organ and, while the town isn't an official stop on the map, it has more than its share of derelict places.
8. Cloud-climbing Trestle Trail (Cloudcroft)
Cloud Climbing Railroad Cabin and RV Park, 1093 US-82, High Rolls, NM 88325, USA
Flickr/Samat Jain
Next, your journey takes you to Cloudcroft, a town set high in the Lincoln National Forest. Be thankful you can drive up here - until the 1940s your only options were train or pack mule! Although the old Mexican Canyon Trestle pictured is no longer used as a railway bridge, you can hike to an observation point looking over this 323-foot-long structure. The 1.2-mile trail is of moderate difficulty and the trailhead is located off NM-82, on the way into town.
9. Cuervo
Cuervo, NM 88417, USA
Scott.Tanis/Flickr
Cuervo. is a virtual ghost town that contains abandoned houses, cars, and churches, some of which still contain possessions. When I-40 divided this railroad town in two, it began to falter; there are currently a mere 58 residents. Cuervo made the news after explorers discovered what seemed to be a criminal’s trophy room. Creepy.

Learn about the history of Cuervo:

10. The Rail Yards (Albuquerque)
Albuquerque Rail Yards, 777 1st St SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA
Flickr/Keary O.
The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Rail Yards complex is vast, consisting of 18 buildings. Incredibly, a quarter of Albuquerque’s population once worked here when it served as a maintenance facility for the railroads. Now, the public has access on Sundays between May and October, when a market is held in The Yards.

Although the point of this drive is to visit abandoned places, you’ll need access to amenities along the way. The route passes through Socorro, Truth or Consequences, Silver City, Lordsburg, Deming, Las Cruces, Alamogordo, Cloudcroft, and Santa Rosa, where you can find restaurants, hotels, or campgrounds. We’d recommend staying at one of the hot springs hotels in NM in Truth or Consequences to soak away any sore muscles you might have from driving or hiking.

Also, if you’re in this area and interested in forgotten places, check out this road trip through New Mexico ghost towns for some added inspiration.

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More to Explore

Abandoned Places In New Mexico

Leah | January 01, 2021

What are the creepiest places in New Mexico?

One of the creepiest places in New Mexico is Dawson.

If you enjoy visiting creepy places in New Mexico, here are a few more spine-chilling spots to check out. There is a ghost town - or the very last remnants of one - called Dawson in New Mexico. What was once a mining town is now primarily just a cemetery. Hundreds of miners lost their lives in multiple large mining accidents here. The cemetery is ruined to be haunted. Keep in mind that it is on private property, but can be viewed from the road. There is another place in New Mexico called Elizabethtown. It's just the shell that it once was, but it's most notable for being the home of a serial killer. There was a man there who rented rooms out to travelers looking for a place to rest. He would murder and rob them, resulting in the infamous story behind the town.

Are there any ghost towns in New Mexico?

Ghost towns in New Mexico include:

  • White Oaks
  • Hagan

If you enjoyed taking this road trip through New Mexico to these abandoned places, you'll also enjoy checking out some of the many ghost towns in the state. It's hard to believe that the second largest town in New Mexico after Santa Fe at one point is now a ghost town. White Oaks used to have a booming population seeking gold in the nearby mountain after a pure vein was discovered. Now, it's abandoned aside from one saloon. Hagan, New Mexico had a similar fate. There was a cluster of adobe buildings constructed around a coal mine, but once the miners moved on, the town died. Some of the empty shells of the adobe buildings still stand.

What is the most haunted place in New Mexico?

The most haunted place in New Mexico is the St. James Hotel.

Feeling brave enough to explore more of the most haunted places in New Mexico? How about spending the night in one? The most haunted hotel in the Land of Enchantment is said to be the St. James Hotel in the town of Cimarron. Originally built in 1872, it's had a rough and tumble history and is said to have housed the likes of Billy The Kid, Jesse James, and other notorious outlaws. It's known that at least 26 visitors have died in the hotel, usually with violent ends in gun fights. You can still see some of the bullet holes in the ceiling. If that's not enough to make you think it is haunted, this might: there is a room that no one is allowed to stay in, locked with a padlock, because of how haunted it supposedly is. Spooky!

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