The Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway
|
 East of Toll Gate Canyon in the Dry Cimarron Valley |
|
The Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway is a scenic back road in northeastern New Mexico that traverses high mesas and wide canyons, along the way showcasing a lot of what makes New Mexico the "Land of Enchantment". In driving this scenic byway myself, I was surprised at the diversity of landscapes that I passed through (and I've only driven about 3/4 of the byway). The Dry Cimarron Valley starts off really green but as it loses elevation, things get much drier. It's beautiful country with very few people. The cattle ranches out here seem to be very large. As I headed east I noticed that the lava flows that caused the mesas to remain behind while everything else eroded ran east for many miles. Slowly though, they gave way to lower layers of hard red sandstone and this sandstone stayed with me until I crossed into Oklahoma. All along the way there were big valleys between mesas heading off in all directions, part of that New Mexico landscape magic... And as you come to the Oklahoma border, you are also coming in along the edge of Black Mesa, remnant of a volcanic flow that is now the highest part of the state. |
 Layers of hard red sandstone beginning to appear  The valley of the Dry Cimarron just keeps going and going and going...  Headquarters of the Y- Ranch (seems to be abandoned)  More of the Y- Ranch  Looking east from Y- Ranch  More red sandstone but there's still that lava caprock  Layers of hard red sandstone  Coming up on Long Canyon Road  Almost to Spool Road |
|
|
|
|
| Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway Pages: Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway - Raton to Johnson Mesa - Johnson Mesa to Folsom Folsom to Toll Gate Canyon - Spool Road to Oklahoma Border |
| Related Pages: Raton - Folsom - Folsom Falls Raton-Clayton Volcanic Field - Capulin Volcano National Monument |
| New Mexico Pages: Towns & Places - Scenic Byways - State Parks - History & Heritage Photo Galleries - Unique Features - BLM Sites - Outdoor Sports & Recreation New Mexico's National Forests - Wilderness Areas - New Mexico's National Parks |
 |
| Colorado - New Mexico - Arizona - Utah - Nevada - Idaho - Wyoming - Montana History & Heritage - Rural Life - Living Green - Advertise With Us - Index |
Unless otherwise indicated, all text, photos and images of the Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway in New Mexico are |
