Rt. 4 - White Rock to Jemez Springs + ADD NEW ROUTE

Written Directions

Start your route in the town of White Rock, NM. Take Rt 4 north out of town until you get to SR 502 within Bandelier National Monument. Head west on SR 502 to Los Alamos, where 502 is Trinity Drive within town. Continue through Los Alamos on SR 502 until it becomes SR 501 (also called west Jemez Rd at that point). SR 501 intersects with Rt. 4 to the south of Los Alamos, turn right at the tee, heading west. Stay on Rt. 4 to the routes end point of Jemez Springs, NM.

* Note: SR 126, north of Jemez Springs, is a nice detour to Fenton Lake. However, the road quality is lower and the last few miles is gravel.

Scenery

The terrain frequently changes and the views are spectacular. There are several overlooks on the twisties and the gently sloping hills/curves provide wide-open vistas, especially Valle Grande, which is west of Bandalier National Monument. Through most all of the trip you'll be traveling through Santa Fe National Forest.

Road Quality

The road has a good combination of twisties near White Rock, over the top of Bandelier National Monument, and south of the 126/Rt 4 intersection. There are gently sloping hills and curves elsewhere along the route.

Roadside Amenities

State park camping is available along the route, Jemez Falls campground is better than Rodondo. Get a fair burger and hot chocolate at the intersection of 126 and Rt 4., about 2/3 through the ride. Los Alamos offers a few choices for food, shopping, coffee, etc. I strongly recommend taking the time to go into Bandelier for a hike down to the water falls or up to the cliffs.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) : John B.