Travel

New Mexico State Map – click to enlarge

New Mexico is easy to get to by air, with airline service to Albuquerque by Southwest, American, Northwest, United, U.S Airways, Frontier, Great Plains, ExpressJet, Delta, Mesa and Continental.

All major rent-a-car companies serve the Albuquerque International Sunport. A city-run shuttle bus operates continuously between the airport arrivals and departures levels and the central rental-car pickup/return center, less than 5 minutes away. Albuquerque is pretty much in the middle of the state.

For travelers to Las Cruces and some Southern New Mexico cities, El Paso, Texas, may be the closest airport.

AMTRAK has cross-country service through Albuquerque, and three interstate highways, I-40, I-10 and I-25, crisscross the state.

The wide-open, uncrowded secondary highways of New Mexico make getting from town to town a breeze by car. Many stretches of the Interstate highways in New Mexico are posted at 70 and 75 miles an hour. Most secondary road speeds are posted at 55 and 65. Most New Mexico golf courses are served by two- and four-lane highways.

Driving distances to Albuquerque from the major U.S. cities (in miles):

Chicago 1,347
Dallas 654
Denver 440
Des Moines, Iowa 993
El Paso, Texas 273
Houston 874
Los Angeles 804
Las Vegas, Nev. 578
Midland, Texas 425
Oklahoma City 551
Omaha, Neb. 991
Phoenix 467
Tucson, 498
Tulsa 649
St. Louis 1,039
Salt Lake City 625
San Antonio, Texas 810
San Diego 906
San Francisco, 1,082

Driving distance from selected cities in Mexico (in kilometers) To Albuquerque:

Cd. Juarez 430
Cd. de Mexico Distrito Federal 2,627
Leon 1,867
Chihuahua 755
Monterrey 1,538
Guadalajara 1,980

To Santa Fe:

Cd. Juarez 526
Cd. de Mexico Distrito Federal 2,723
Leon 1,963
Chihuahua 851
Monterrey 1,634
Guadalajara 2,976

Note: There are border crossings in El Paso, Texas, and Santa Teresa, N.M. Both crossings are near Las Cruces.