Quebradas Back Country Byway

Quebradas Back Country Byway
Route information
Maintained by Bureau of Land Management
Length	24 mi (39 km)
Restrictions	Type II byway
Major junctions
From	East of San Antonio
To	Near Socorro
Location
Country	United States
State	New Mexico
Counties	Socorro
Highway system
Scenic Byways National National Forest BLM NPS New Mexico State Highway System Interstate US State Scenic

Quebradas Back Country Byway, NM, USA.

Quebradas Back Country Byway is both a State (July 31, 1998) and National (June 20, 1989) scenic byway, in Socorro County, New Mexico, United States. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.^[1]

Route

Malachite Mounds

With a length of about 24 miles,^[2] the Quebradas Back Country Byway can be picked up in the north of southwestern New Mexico, near I-25, close to Socorro at the Escondida Exit.^[3] The byway stretches over to the east and then down to U.S. 380 in the south. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy a variety of activities along the byway including hiking, photography, ATVing, rockhounding, and biking.

Features

Malachite, Quebradas Back Country Byway, NM, USA.

The byway is known for its geographical features such as the quebrada (Spanish for 'break' / 'ravine'), which in New Mexico often refers in plural to the eroded escarpment of a plain or mesa.^[4] Other features include badlands, fossils,^[5] rhombohedral calcite crystals,^[6] malachite, azurite and more. Interesting attractions are along the byway including the Ojo de Amado pool and Minas del Chupadero, which is an abandoned mining area including a mining shaft, adit, and several exploration pits.^[7]

See also

• List of Bureau of Land Management Back Country Byways
• List of New Mexico Scenic and Historic Byways
• Socorro, New Mexico

References

1. Browman, Robert (June 28, 2019). "Quebradas Backcountry Byway: The road less traveled". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
2. "Quebradas Backcountry Scenic Byway". New Mexico True. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
3. "Quebradas Back Country Byway". www.socorronm.org. Visit Socorro. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
4. Julyan, Robert (2001). The Place Names of New Mexico (Revised ed.). University of New Mexico Press. p. 280. ISBN 0-8263-1689-1.
5. Freed, Martin; Vaskys, Ruta (2021). Rockhounding New Mexico: A Guide to 140 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites. Falcon Guides. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 123-126. ISBN 978-1-4930-5723-8.
6. Mitchell, James R. (1987). Gem Trails of New Mexico (Sixth Revised ed.). Pico Rivera, California: Gem Guides Book Co. pp. 20–21. ISBN 0-935182-24-1.
7. Pike, David (2004). Roadside New Mexico: A Guide to Historic Markers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 296–298. ISBN 0-8263-3118-1.

Further reading

• Freed, Martin; Vaskys, Ruta (2021). Rockhounding New Mexico: A Guide to 140 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites. The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.: Falcon Guides. p. 255. ISBN 978-1-4930-5723-8.
• Julyan, Robert (2001). The Place Names of New Mexico (Revised ed.). University of New Mexico Press. p. 385. ISBN 0-8263-1689-1.
• Mitchell, James R. (1987). Gem Trails of New Mexico (Sixth Revised ed.). Pico Rivera, California: Gem Guides Book Co. p. 110. ISBN 0-935182-24-1.
• Pike, David (2004). Roadside New Mexico: A Guide to Historic Markers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. p. 434. ISBN 0-8263-3118-1.