Pueblo · 50 min south
Zuni Pueblo
Home of the A:shiwi (Zuni) people, known for fine jewelry and fetishes, with tours of the old Middle Village and ancestral Hawikku.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Photo permit and tour fees (check)
Day Trippin' › New Mexico › From Gallup
Day trips from Gallup
From Gallup, Red Rock Park's Pyramid Rock trail is under 20 minutes away, Zuni Pueblo and Bluewater Lake under an hour, and El Morro and Arizona's Petrified Forest a little over an hour. The best day trips from Gallup, by drive time.
54 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Gallup
- Zuni Pueblo 50 min south
- Bluewater Lake State Park 51 min southeast
- El Morro National Monument 1 hr 4 min southeast
- Petrified Forest National Park 1 hr 5 min southwest
- Acoma Sky City 1 hr 32 min southeast
- Old Town Albuquerque 1 hr 56 min east
- Paseo del Bosque Trail 1 hr 59 min east
- Meteor Crater 2 hr 13 min west
- Petroglyph National Monument 2 hr 26 min east
- Santa Fe 2 hr 49 min east
Within an hour from Gallup 2 spots
Lake · 51 min southeast
Bluewater Lake State Park
A lake in pinon and juniper hills below the Zuni Mountains, known for tiger muskie fishing and boating.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- New Mexico State Parks day-use fee (per vehicle)
1 to 2 hours from Gallup 15 spots
National monument · 1 hr 4 min southeast
El Morro National Monument
A sandstone bluff where travelers carved names and messages for centuries, with a longer trail over the top.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round, Thursday to Monday
- Free
National park · 1 hr 5 min southwest
Petrified Forest National Park
Fallen logs turned to rainbow stone, Painted Desert views and old petroglyphs along a 28-mile park road.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas)
- NPS entrance fee
Pueblo · 1 hr 32 min southeast
Acoma Sky City
A centuries-old pueblo village built on top of a sheer mesa, visited on guided tours from the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round (Fri-Mon)
- Admission (guided tour)
Town · 1 hr 56 min east
Old Town Albuquerque
The city's 1706 birthplace, a walkable plaza ringed by adobe shops, restaurants and the San Felipe de Neri church dating to 1793.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Bike trail · 1 hr 59 min east
Paseo del Bosque Trail
A 16-mile paved path through the cottonwood forest along the Rio Grande, with no road crossings.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Wildlife refuge · 1 hr 59 min east
Rio Grande Nature Center State Park
A small day-use park on the Rio Grande flyway with indoor and outdoor viewing of ponds, gardens and short trails.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Parking fee (per vehicle)
Cave · 1 hr 20 min southeast
Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano
A family-run site on the Continental Divide with a short walk to a cinder cone crater and another to a lava-tube cave holding year-round ice.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy to moderate
- March to October
- Admission
Family fun · 1 hr 58 min east
Tingley Beach
Free fishing ponds, a model-boat pond and bosque trails next to the BioPark, good for an easy family outing.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
2 to 3 hours from Gallup 36 spots
Landmark · 2 hr 13 min west
Meteor Crater
A nearly mile-wide crater left by a meteorite 50,000 years ago, with a museum on the rim.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
National monument · 2 hr 26 min east
Petroglyph National Monument
Thousands of images pecked into dark volcanic boulders on Albuquerque's West Mesa, reached by several short canyon trails plus a volcano day-use area.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- Free
Town · 2 hr 49 min east
Santa Fe
The state capital, with adobe streets around the historic Plaza, galleries, museums and Northern New Mexico food.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
National monument · 2 hr 55 min east
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument
Cone-shaped tent rocks of volcanic ash on Cochiti Pueblo land, with a slot canyon trail that climbs to a mesa-top view.
- Half day · Easy to moderate
- Feb 1 to Dec 14, Thursday to Monday
- BLM ticket (per person) plus Cochiti Pueblo Tribal Access Pass
National park · 2 hr 59 min northeast
Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Massive stone great houses of the Ancestral Puebloans in a remote desert canyon, seen from a loop drive and short trails.
- Full day · Easy to moderate
- Year-round
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
Viewpoint · 2 hr 14 min east
Sandia Peak Tramway
A 2.7-mile aerial tram that lifts you from Albuquerque's foothills to the 10,378-foot summit of the Sandias, with a restaurant at the top.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (closed Tuesdays)
- Admission
Family fun · 2 hr 47 min east
Meow Wolf House of Eternal Return
A walk-through, hands-on art installation where a Victorian house opens into strange glowing worlds, near the Santa Fe Railyard.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (days and times vary)
- Admission
National monument · 2 hr 50 min west
Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument
Walk lava flows and cinder fields at the foot of a volcano that erupted around 1085.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- NPS entrance fee (covers Wupatki too)
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 87301 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.