Day Trippin' › New Mexico › From Silver City
From Silver City, City of Rocks is under 45 minutes away, Shakespeare Ghost Town under an hour, the Catwalk and the Gila Cliff Dwellings a little over an hour, and Mesilla under two. The best day trips from Silver City, by drive time.
36 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
State park · 44 min southeast
Volcanic rock pinnacles up to 40 feet tall laid out like city streets in the desert between Silver City and Deming, with trails and an observatory.
Ghost town · 53 min southwest
A privately preserved 1800s mining town near Lordsburg seen only on guided tours of its old buildings.
National monument · 1 hr 10 min north
Ancient stone rooms built inside cliff caves, reached by a one-mile loop trail in the Gila Wilderness.
Town · 1 hr 49 min southeast
A walkable historic town by Las Cruces built around a lively plaza and the 1906 Basilica of San Albino.
Wildlife refuge · 1 hr 54 min east
A day-use park of river woodland and restored wetlands near Mesilla, known for birding from wildlife blinds.
Historic site · 2 hr southwest
Hike an easy 3-mile round trip through Apache Pass, past a stage station, a cemetery and Apache Spring, to the adobe ruins of an Army fort from the Apache Wars.
Trail · 1 hr 9 min northwest
A metal walkway clinging to the walls of narrow Whitewater Canyon near Glenwood, about half a mile long.
Winery · 1 hr 52 min west
Hop between tasting rooms in a small railroad town at the heart of the region that grows most of Arizona's wine grapes, many in historic buildings downtown.
National monument · 1 hr 52 min east
Rocky canyons in the Robledo Mountains holding fossil footprints and petrified wood about 280 million years old, older than the dinosaurs.
Town · 1 hr 53 min east
The self-named Chile Capital of the World, a farm village with roadside chile stands and the smell of roasting chile in harvest season.
National park · 2 hr 31 min southwest
Drive Bonita Canyon up to Massai Point and look out over a forest of stone spires, then hike down among them on the Echo Canyon trail. America's newest national park (October 2026).
Cave · 2 hr 31 min southwest
Take a guided walk through a living limestone cave that is still wet and growing, with formations so fragile the cave stayed secret for years after it was found.
National park · 2 hr 39 min east
Rolling dunes of glittering white gypsum, with an 8-mile scenic drive, short trails and sledding on the sand.
Town · 2 hr 49 min southwest
Walk the wooden boardwalks of Allen Street in the 1880s silver boomtown made famous by the Earps, then step into the 1882 county courthouse, now a museum, for the town's real story.
Town · 2 hr 50 min southwest
An old copper town built up steep canyon walls, full of galleries, cafes and staircases, where you can ride a mine train deep into the old Copper Queen Mine with a guide.
National park · 2 hr 56 min west
Drive the paved 8-mile Cactus Forest Loop through thick stands of giant saguaros below the Rincon Mountains, with pull-offs and short walks on the way.
State park · 2 hr 6 min east
A shady cottonwood park on the Rio Grande, good for picnics, fishing and birding.
Lake · 2 hr 8 min west
A small lake at the foot of Mount Graham for an easy picnic, a swim from the sandy beach, fishing or a walk, with the Pinaleños towering behind.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 88061 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.