The original Route 10 started in downtown Albuquerque and followed Central Avenue east out of town and then proceeded through Tijeras Canyon and then turned north to Santa Fe at Tijeras.

The Tijeras Canyon portion was replaced in 1927 by US Highway 470 and in 1937 the Canyon portion became part of the now famous US Route 66.

Route 10 remained a dirt and gravel road until finally being paved in the early 1940’s.  By 1949 the entire route was paved except the segment between Golden and Madrid, which finally received asphalt in 1960.

In the early 1970’s Route 10 was renumbered to Highway 14 to eliminate confusion with Interstate I-10 in southern New Mexico.

In 1996 the segment of Highway 14 between Tijeras and I-25 (South of Santa Fe) was designated a New Mexico Scenic & Historic Byway. 

See the Historic Maps (1951, 1925 & 1901) at the bottom of the page.

In the early 1920’s a local timber baron combined a collection of local logging trails and built a road to Sandia Crest (10,678 feet) with hopes to log trees in upper altitudes of the Sandia Mountains.

This narrow and rough dirt road with countless sharp curves and switchbacks was known as the Rim Drive, the Loop Road or Crest Road.  Some old-timers claimed it would take two to three hours to make the one-way trip.

The portion between San Antonito and Sandia Crest was paved in the 1960's.  A majority of  Highway 165  to Placitas , which takes off from Highway 536 part way up the mountain ,largely remains unimproved and dirt today.  In 1988 Route 44 between San Antonito and the Sandia Crest became Highway 536.

In 1998 Highway 536 to Sandia Crest was designated a National Forest Scenic Byway and named the “Sandia Crest Scenic Byway”.

The total length of the Turquoise Trail National Scienic Byway is 62 miles.

Combined Byway
On June 15th, 2000 the two Byways (New Mexico Turquoise Trail Scenic & Historic Byway and Sandia Crest Scenic Byway) were combined into a single Byway and designated the “Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway”.