A Week in Albuquerque: Route 66 Stops, Petroglyphs & Bandelier

After a week exploring the quirky roadside stops and art-filled stretches of Amarillo, we made our way west to Albuquerque, one of the most iconic cities along Route 66 and a stop we had been looking forward to on this trip. Sitting right in the middle of our journey (with Arizona up next), Albuquerque felt like the perfect mix of history, culture, and outdoor adventure.

This stretch of Route 66 runs right through the heart of the city, and with about 18 miles of Albuquerque Route 66 to explore, it’s actually the longest continuous urban section of the entire route. From classic neon and local shops to nearby national parks and hiking trails, there are so many things to do in Albuquerque, whether you’re sticking to the Mother Road or venturing a little beyond it.

We spent a week here balancing both, checking out historic sites like Petroglyph National Monument and Bandelier National Monument, diving into local spots along Route 66, and mixing in some slower, real-life days in between. It wasn’t our most fast-paced stop on the trip, but it ended up being one of the most well-rounded, and a really good reminder that not every travel week has to be packed to be memorable.

If you’re planning your own stop, this guide covers our full day-by-day itinerary, along with plenty of ideas for things to do in Albuquerque and how to experience Albuquerque Route 66 for yourself.

Where We Stayed in Albuquerque

For our week in Albuquerque, we stayed at Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post, and it ended up being such a fun, very on-theme stop for our Route 66 trip. Not only is it conveniently located on the edge of town (so you get easy access to everything in Albuquerque without all the city noise), but it’s also a Route 66 passport stamp site- which always feels like a bonus when you’re traveling the Mother Road.

The campground itself has a solid clubhouse with cheap laundry (always a win) and a pool table, which kept us entertained while waiting on loads to finish. But the real standout here is the vibe, they fully lean into the Route 66 nostalgia with a display of vintage campers around the property, which makes it feel a little more unique than your typical RV park.

One of our favorite parts of staying here, though, was getting to know our neighbors. The couple in the site next to us were also full-time nomads and content creators, Lady Ferns, and it’s always fun when travel overlaps like that and you get to connect with people living a similar lifestyle.

Overall, it was a great mix of convenience, character, and community- exactly what we look for in a stop along Route 66.

Sunday: Salinas Pueblo Missions and Carlito Springs

For our first full day in Albuquerque, we actually got out of town to do some hiking and visit one of the more remote historic sites.

Salines Pueblo Missions National Monument

Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is made up of three separate units plus a visitor center in Mountainair, and Quarai is the most complete church of the 3 units. The site was originally home to ancestral Pueblo people who settled here because of a reliable natural spring. Over time, it became a thriving farming and trading community. Then in 1626, the Spanish arrived and built a massive mission church, whose ruins still stand today. I love ruins like this and could easily take a million pictures here. We also walked the nature trail around the site, which was very peaceful with almost no one else there.

After exploring Quarai, we made our way into Mountainair to stop at the Salinas Pueblo Missions Visitor Center. We wandered through the exhibits, picked up a couple souvenirs, and of course added another stamp to the park passport.

High Mountain Grill

By then we were ready for lunch, so we drove over to Tijeras and ended up at High Mountain Grill, a newer local spot that totally delivered. Super good food, fair prices, and the kind of friendly, small-town vibe you hope for. From what we heard, there weren’t many great lunch options out here before, but this is now the perfect stop if you’ve been hiking in the nearby national forest.

Carlito Springs 

After fueling up, we weren’t quite done with the outdoors yet. We headed back toward Albuquerque to hike at Carlito Springs Open Space, tucked into the Sandia Mountains. It’s a really pretty, fairly easy hike that leads to a small spring at a former homestead. The springs themselves are beautiful… but also a little frustrating. There are multiple signs explaining that the water feeds into the drinking supply and to stay out, yet people were still letting their kids and dogs play in it. It definitely soured the vibes for us, but the hike itself was beautiful.

We wrapped up the day back at the campground with a very real-life RV combo: laundry and a few games of pool while we waited. Not the most glamorous ending, but honestly kind of perfect after a full day out exploring.

Monday: Petroglyphs National Monument

Monday afternoon was all about finally checking something off our list from last year: Petroglyph National Monument.

When we passed through Albuquerque before, it was during the October government shutdown, so the monument was completely closed. This time, we made sure to carve out the time to go back, and it was 100% worth it. We started at the visitor center/bookstore to grab our passport stamps, unigrids, and (of course) browse the souvenirs. One thing to know before you go: none of the trails are directly connected to the visitor center, so you’ll have to drive to whichever trailhead you choose. Also, most of the gates close at 5pm, which definitely limits how much you can squeeze in.

With limited time, we picked the Piedras Marcadas Canyon Trail, and honestly, it was the perfect choice. The trail starts off in a neighborhood (which feels a little unexpected at first), but quickly opens up into classic high desert landscape. And then come the petroglyphs. This trail alone has around 400 petroglyph images. Yes… FOUR. HUNDRED.

They’re carved into volcanic rock and scattered all along the trail, so you’re constantly stopping, scanning, and spotting new ones. Some are super obvious, others you have to really look for, which kind of makes it feel like a treasure hunt the whole way through. We easily could’ve spent more time exploring other trails in the monument, but between the early closing times and everything else we had planned for the week, it just didn’t work out. Definitely one of those places we’d go back to in a heartbeat.

Tuesday: Errands Day

Even though there’s so much to do in Albuquerque, we went into this week knowing it wasn’t going to be go-go-go the whole time. Josh had a handful of late meetings, including Tuesday, so we kept this day intentionally low key. Our big outings for the day was a package pickup at CVS Pharmacy and a grocery run.

Not exactly headline-worthy, but honestly… that’s real life on the road.

One of the things you don’t always see in travel recaps is this side of full-time RV life. Not every day is packed with hikes and museums, sometimes it’s errands, work calls, and catching up on the little things. And having those slower days built in is what makes the busier adventure days actually enjoyable.

So no big attractions for this one, just a reset day, and exactly what we needed.

Wednesday: Rio Grande Trading Post and National Museum of Nuclear Science

Wednesday ended up being a rainy day, which honestly worked out perfectly since we already had indoor plans lined up.

Rio Grande Trading

First stop was Rio Grande Trading, a big gift shop right along Route 66 and a passport stamp stop. The staff here were so friendly, and they even had us add a pin to their visitor map… although the Chicago area was already very crowded, so we weren’t exactly breaking new ground there.

A fun little Route 66 note: about 18 miles of the route run through Albuquerque, making it the longest continuous urban stretch of the Mother Road. Originally, Route 66 actually went through Santa Fe, but in 1937 it was realigned through Albuquerque instead. You can still see that mix today, some parts feel a little rough around the edges, while others have really leaned into the retro tourism vibe.

National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Next up was the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, which I had been wanting to visit ever since we went down the Manhattan Project rabbit hole last year. After seeing so many of the actual historic sites tied to nuclear history, this one felt a little underwhelming in comparison, but it’s still a topic I’m really interested in, so I kind of want to see everything related anyway.

It also felt a bit overpriced for what it was, but at the same time, I’m glad we went and checked it off the list. Definitely one of those stops where your experience might depend on how deep you’ve already gone into the history.

Thursday: Unhinged Brewing & Distilling

Thursday was another slower day since Josh had a late meeting, and this one ended up being a bit of a stressful one. So instead of calling it a night after, we decided to get out for a bit and decompress.

We headed over to Unhinged Brewing & Distilling for a drink, and it was exactly the kind of low-key reset we needed. Josh went with a flight of their spirits, which was a fun way to try a mix of what they offer. He liked them enough that the flight felt worth it… but not quite enough to commit to a full bottle (although he was definitely tempted). To be fair, they make it pretty appealing- if you do buy a bottle, they discount it by the cost of your flight, which is a really nice touch. I went with a prickly pear wheat beer, which felt very New Mexico-coded and was a solid choice. 

Friday: Bandelier National Monument and Dinner in Santa Fe

Friday was our big adventure day. Josh took off work (minus one quick meeting from the truck), so we finally had a full day to get out and explore.

Bandelier National Monument

Our main destination was Bandelier National Monument, another spot we had planned to visit back in October but missed thanks to the shutdown. This one had been high on our list, and it definitely delivered.

We started with the main loop trail through Frijoles Canyon, which takes you past some of the park’s most iconic sites. Bandelier was home to ancestral Pueblo people, and archaeologists have identified over 3,000 sites here (though not all were occupied at the same time). Early on, people lived in smaller, scattered settlements, and over time those grew into larger villages like the ones you can explore today.

Along the trail, you pass a number of cavates, small carved-out dwellings in the rock, some of which you can access by ladder. There’s also Alcove House, which involves climbing several tall ladders up to a ceremonial cave. The park was busy, though. Like, lines-for-ladders busy.

We ended up skipping most of the smaller ladder climbs since you basically just go up, peek inside, and come back down, and the lines were moving slow with people stopping for photos. Josh did go for the Alcove House climb, but I skipped it thanks to my fear of heights. If it had been less crowded, I might’ve tried it, but I didn’t want to feel stuck up there or like I was holding up a line of people behind me.

After the hike, we grabbed lunch at the café near the visitor center, and it was so good. They’re known for their burgers, and honestly, the hype is deserved.

Next, we headed over to Tyuonyi Overlook Trail, which was the complete opposite vibe- quiet, uncrowded, and super peaceful. From the overlook, you can see down into the canyon and get a really cool perspective of Tyuonyi village, which we had just walked through earlier.

Since we still had some time before dinner, we made one more stop at the Tsankawi Section, and this ended up being our favorite part of the day. There were hardly any people, and the trail itself is just fun. Parts of it are carved directly into the soft rock, so you’re literally walking along paths worn in by centuries of use. There are a few short ladders, cavates you can explore, petroglyphs up close, a pueblo site, and incredible views the whole way. It felt way more immersive and a lot less crowded than the main area.

Harry’s Roadhouse

After all that hiking, we cleaned up and headed into Santa Fe to meet our friend Bee and her partner Adrian for dinner. We always trust the locals to pick the spot, and they chose Harry’s Roadhouse, which was clearly a local favorite because it was packed.

Bee told us they’re known for their rotating specials, but we ended up ordering off the regular menu because too many things sounded good. Josh went with a smothered burrito, I got the wild mushroom pizza with prosciutto, and everything was amazing. I also loved that they offer half pints of beer, perfect when you want the taste with dinner but also need to rehydrate after a full day of hiking.

We had such a good time catching up with friends and it was the perfect end to our time in Albuquerque.

More to Do in Albuquerque

• From Big Cats to Secret Gardens: Inside ABQ BioPark (our blog post)
• Sandia Peak Tramway
• Rattlesnake Museum
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
• New Mexico Museum of Natural History
• Albuquerque Museum
• Turquoise Museum
• Kimo Theatre
• Breaking Bad RV Tours

More Route 66

Check out the rest of our Route 66 Centennial adventures: