El Camino Real crosses central New Mexico from Santa Fe to the Texas state line near El Paso. The byway follows a series of US Highways and State Highways closely paralleling I-25. All the roads are two-lane paved roads suitable for all types of vehicles. El Camino Real is 276 miles long and remains open year round.

Northern El Camino Real

El Camino Real treats travelers with a varied landscape, from the low-lying flatlands of the south to the mountains in the north. The Rio Grande River is never far from the byway. Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, or Royal Highway of the Interior Lands, linked Mexico City to Santa Fe and was the first European road into what is now the United States. It was established by Juan de Onate in 1598. The byway retraces much of the original route through communities filled with history. Numerous historical sites can be visited along the byway.

Camping is available at one Corps of Engineers project (Cochiti Lake) and several state parks. Cochiti Lake is near the northern end of the byway. This 1,200-acre lake has two developed recreation areas with a total of 124 RV and tent campsites; electric hookups are available at 77 sites. Elephant Butte Lake, near Truth or Consequences, is New Mexico's largest body of water. The state park here has more than 100 campsites; nearly all have electric hookups. South of Elephant Butte Lake is Caballo Lake. The state park on this 11,500-acre lake has 136 developed sites, of which 64 have hookups. A lesser known and used state park is Percha Dam State Park, just south of Caballo Lake. It resides next to the Rio Grande River, which offers anglers good walleye, white bass, and catfish fishing. The park has 29 developed sites, six with electric hook-ups. The remaining state parks have a total of 72 developed campsites with hookups at 48 sites.

Southern El Camino Real

Information: Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, 202 Central Ave SE #300, Albuquerque NM 87102 / 505-842-9003. Cochiti Lake, US Army Corps of Engineers, 82 Dam Crest Rd, Pena Blanca NM 87041 / 505-465-0307. Hyde Memorial State Park, 740 Hyde Park Rd, Santa Fe NM 87501 / 505-983-7175. Coronado State Park, phone 505-867-5589. Senator W.M. Chavez State Park, phone 505-864-3915. Elephant Butte Lake State Park, PO Box 13, Elephant Butte NM 87935 / 505-744-5421. Caballo Lake & Percha Dam State Parks, PO Box 32, Caballo NM 87931 / 505-743-3942. Leasburg Dam State Park, PO Box 6, Radium Springs NM 88054 / 505-524-4068