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Narrow Gauge Scenic Byway
New Mexico
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The Narrow Gauge Scenic Byway allows vacationers to experience a narrow gauge train ride through a New Mexico canyon - just without the narrow gauge train.
The ten-mile, largely undeveloped byway parallels or overlays part of the Denver and Rio Grande Western railroad's old narrow gauge route. Built in 1881, the railroad connected Antonito to Durango and ran until 1968, when almost all the track was torn up.
Today, remains of the railroad lie along the Narrow Gauge Scenic Byway, allowing drivers to get a taste of what the route was like in its heyday from the comfort of their own cars.
Just outside Dulce, the byway is located on Jicarilla 9 - also known as Narrow Gauge Street - and runs until mile marker 9, just outside the Colorado border. From the route's starting point, at its intersection with U.S. 64 in Dulce, drivers can catch a glimpse of the only portion of remaining track. In town, two old D&RGW boxcars sit outside the Jicarilla Culture Center and a few of the railroad's old administration buildings - now repurposed for other uses - still remain.
Further down the road, the railroad's old Navajo stop has long since been torn down, but a bridge, a water tower and a plaque remain to mark the once-important station. And nothing's changed about the landscape - the route is still surrounded by stunning canyon walls, the sparkling waters of Amargo Creek and the Navajo River, and lots of greenery.
But the byway isn't all about railroads. The route is now the primary link between the Jicarilla Apache reservation in New Mexico and the Southern Ute reservation in Colorado. Vacationers can stop at a few Native American markets and the Jicarilla Apache museum along the route to pick up unique items and learn a little about the people who inhabited the area long before the railroads came through.
And nearby, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Chama still operates on a portion of the remaining D&RGW track, so vacationers can take a real-life ride on the narrow gauge.
But with so much to do and see on this scenic byway, visitors likely won't miss the train at all.
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