This Terrifying Northern New Mexico Road Trip Will Send Chills Up Your Spine
Juliet White
Author
We already published a haunted road trip through Southern New Mexico, but we figured that anyone living in or passing through Northern New Mexico should have the chance to be terrified too! So we’ve created a trip through the haunted places in Northern New Mexico that ties together a series of truly creepy places.
The loop takes 9 hours and 23 mins to drive (not including stops) and covers 492 miles. Many of the locations on this journey are haunted hotels so there are plenty of places to stay along the way.
While we can’t guarantee that you’ll encounter ghosts, you will definitely find gorgeous scenery, scrumptious food, hotels with a long and often bloody history, and perhaps that certain prickling feeling on the back of your neck.
We’ve included a link to the Google Map for this road trip right here. Since you can only select a limited number of destinations on Google Maps, the first stop in each place appears on the map, while you’ll find the addresses for any subsequent stops in the same city in the article itself.
This stellar piece of Pueblo Deco architecture opened in 1927. Sadly, a 1951 boiler explosion at the theatre claimed the life of a boy named Bobby Darnall. His spirit remains at the KiMo, where he enjoys playing tricks on performers. To increase your odds of spotting Bobby, check out the lobby and its staircase, where he has most often been sighted.
Here is a link to KiMo Theatre's website.
(This shot shows the building before it became a hotel.)
Here is a link to Hotel Parq Central's website.
Multiple restless spirits roam La Fonda including a judge, a slain bride, and a cowboy. But if you’re hungry, grab a bite at La Plazuela. The hotel’s restaurant is located in a lovely courtyard, which is now enclosed.
When it was still open to the elements, a failed salesman allegedly committed suicide by leaping into the courtyard’s well. His ghost has been sighted disappearing into the floor in that same spot - very Willy Loman.
Here is a link to La Fonda on the Plaza's website.
Here is a link to Drury Plaza Hotel's website.
Here is a link to La Posada de Santa Fe's website.
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This restaurant is frequented by the ghost of Arthur Manby, a controversial land speculator who arrived in New Mexico in 1883. In 1929, a headless corpse was discovered in his home (next door to the Taos Inn). Some thought the body was Manby’s, while others believed he had staged his death and used someone else’s body in place of his own. The truth was never discovered, but a spectre that resembles Manby has been spied in the kitchen at the Doc Martin Restaurant.
Here is a link to Doc Martin Restaurant's website.
The list of guests who’ve stayed at the St. James Hotel reads like a Who’s Who of the Wild West. Billy the Kid, Black Jack Ketchum, Jesse James, the Earp brothers…
At least 26 people died here over the years and not all of them from natural causes. Bullet holes are still visible in the hotel. Room 18 is permanently out of commission because it belongs to a spirit named T. J. Wright and he doesn’t like to share!
Here is a link to St. James Hotel's website.
Here is a link to Shuler Theater's website.
Head south, back down I-25. At the far edge of Santa Fe, veer off onto Highway 14, also known as the Turquoise Trail. There are plenty of pseudo ghost towns along this route: Los Cerrillos, Madrid (which was once a ghost town) and Golden.
Here is a link to Plaza Hotel's website.
Rejoin I-40 and return to Albuquerque to complete your trip.
Have you had a paranormal encounter at any of these places? Are you bold enough to take this drive? Let us know.
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More to Explore
Haunted Places In Northern New Mexico
What are the creepiest cemeteries in New Mexico?
If you're brave enough to take a haunted road trip through New Mexico, you might also be interested in visiting the state's creepiest cemeteries. By far the most notable is the Dawson Cemetery, filled with the supposed ghosts of miners. Beyond that, cemeteries like the Fort Bayard National Cemetery, Fort Stanton Cemetery, Angus Cemetery, and Fairview Cemetery are all supposedly haunted by the paranormal or are - plain and simple - creepy to be in.
Can I go ghost hunting in New Mexico?
With so many New Mexico ghost stories, you might be itching to go and explore the paranormal yourself. You can visit places like the Fort Stanton Historic Site, which the Ghost Hunters (of TV show fame) have explored. For a spooky town that may be crawling with spirits, brave a visit to Deming, New Mexico. Supposedly, there are ghosts that hang all around town in various places. The town's dark history includes many deaths in the former tuberculosis sanitarium, alleged satanic cult activity, and plenty of urban legends.
Are there any haunted restaurants or bars in New Mexico?
If you're traveling around the state searching for ghosts in abandoned places in New Mexico, you might get a little hungry and need a fuel break. Luckily, you can keep your paranormal trip theme going with a visit to the most haunted restaurant in New Mexico. Double Eagle Restaurant in Mesilla, New Mexico has quite a few spine-tingling stories of the ghosts within its walls. While you enjoy delicious steak and drinks in this fine-dining atmosphere, you can experience the history around you and the story of two lovers' deaths - the supposed souls that are lingering here to this day. They are said to cause unexplained occurrences in the building, like furniture moving on its own or glasses breaking.