Start: Cerrillos Road at Paseo de PeraltaBegin in Santa Fe and head southwest on Cerrillos Road.
Historic road book · New Mexico
La Bajada: drive to the edge, not down the hill.
This separates the National Park Service vehicle approach from the 1924 road that became Route 66. The first can guide a prepared driver to the mesa-edge approach. The second is a historical reconstruction only.
Mandatory turnaround
Do not drive down the escarpment. The road is extremely rough, Pueblo of Cochiti land begins partway down the slope, and permission is required for any access to Pueblo land.
Vehicle approach
Santa Fe to the mesa edge · about 18.4 miles.
NPS recommends a high-clearance vehicle, no travel during or just after rain, emergency water and supplies, and staying on the existing dirt road. Current closures, gates, weather, and land access must still be checked before departure.
5.0 mi · Right on Airport RoadContinue toward Santa Fe Regional Airport.
3.1 mi · Airport Road becomes County Road 56Continue on the same road; do not turn off at the airport.
3.3 mi · Hard right on County Road 56CClimb west on County Road 56C.
Stay on 56C as it loops left into Forest Road 24The approach becomes dirt and crosses private, BLM, and Forest Service land.
About 7 mi · Follow Forest Road 24 toward the escarpmentUse a high-clearance vehicle and remain on the existing road.
STOP and turn around at the mesa-edge approachDo not descend the switchback road. Return to Santa Fe by the same route.
Historical reconstruction · not navigation
The 1924 branch that became U.S. 66.
The National Register documentation distinguishes this from the older 1909 road. These are archival control-point instructions, not permission to enter or drive the corridor.
Reference 1 → Reference 2 · 1.8 mi southwestThe shared NM 1 / National Old Trails Road / U.S. 66 corridor crosses the mesa to the alignment fork.
At the fork, take the 1924 branch—not the 1909 branchThe road that became Route 66 heads south-southwest about 0.7 mile toward Reference 4. The older road heads toward Reference 3.
Reference 4 → Reference 5 · about 0.8 mi westThe 1924 alignment crosses the escarpment, passes the historic campground-sign area, and rejoins the older road.
Reference 5 → Reference 6 · about 0.6 mi westThe reunited road continues to the historic Rio Santa Fe crossing.
Reference 6 → Reference 7 · about 0.8 mi westThe corridor continues past the Walden tourist-camp area to the Santa Fe–Sandoval county line.
This sequence reconstructs the documented road corridor, but it does not certify every surviving turn, hairpin, gate, or present-day access condition. The map’s pink La Bajada layer remains evidence—not a routable road.
Source trail
What this reconstruction rests on.
The National Register identifies the 1924 road as the alignment that became U.S. 66 in 1926, reduced the average grade to 5.5 percent, and remained in service until the gentler 1931 replacement opened about three miles south.
Current visitor guidance
Official approach distances, high-clearance/weather preparation, existing-road limits, and the direction not to descend.
Open NPS guidanceNational Register road sequence
1909 and 1924 branch descriptions, seven UTM references, historic grades, the Rio Santa Fe crossing, and district boundaries.
Open the nomination PDF66 Roadies evidence layer
The public map shows the OSM-mapped surviving historic road separately from the NMDOT 1932–1937 replacement corridor.
Open map layers