Take a scenic ride through the pine-scented slopes of the Sandia Mountains as we follow New Mexico Highway 333 — better known here as a historic alignment of Route 66 — from Tijeras westward to Carnuel. This short but evocative 5-mile drive carries us through a narrow mountain pass, tracing the footsteps (and tire tracks) of generations of travelers heading toward Albuquerque. The terrain is a mix of rugged canyon walls, piñon-dotted ridges, and sudden glimpses of the wide Rio Grande Valley opening up beyond the hills.
We begin in Tijeras, a small village whose name means “scissors” in Spanish — likely a reference to the fork in the canyon where this road meets the modern Interstate 40. Here, the hum of traffic fades quickly as we merge onto NM-333, a two-lane ribbon that mirrors the route of old U.S. 66 before the interstate carved a faster path overhead. As we climb gently, the air is cooler and scented with juniper, and the rock formations take on warm hues of red and ochre. The landscape feels intimate, the highway hemmed in by canyon walls that seem to lean closer as we press on toward the pass.
Past the midpoint, the road begins a subtle descent, curling between the ridges of the Sandias. The occasional pull-off offers a chance to take in the sweeping views and imagine what it must have been like when this was the main highway west — the slow grind of loaded trucks, the glint of chrome fenders in the sun, and neon motel signs promising a soft bed just a few miles ahead. Today, the route is quieter, but the sense of history lingers. We pass clusters of older homes and a few roadside businesses that stand as reminders of Route 66’s mid-century heyday.
As we near Carnuel, the canyon opens and the sky seems suddenly wider. The road straightens, pointing us toward the distant sprawl of Albuquerque. Here, NM-333 merges into the modern fabric of the metro area, but the old road’s soul remains intact. Even in this brief stretch, the blend of natural beauty, transportation history, and a touch of nostalgia makes it more than just a connector between two points — it’s a living fragment of the Mother Road, tucked into the folds of the Sandia foothills.
🎵 Additional Music:
Piano March by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/
🗺️ Route Map
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