With a length of about 24 miles,[2] the Quebradas Back Country Byway can be picked up in the north of southwestern New Mexico, near I-25, close to Socorro at the Escondida Exit.[3] The byway stretches over to the east and then down to U.S. 380 in the south. Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy a variety of activities along the byway including hiking, photography, ATVing, rockhounding, and biking.
The byway is known for its geographical features such as the quebrada (Spanish for 'break' / 'ravine'), which in New Mexico often refers in plural to the eroded escarpment of a plain or mesa.[4] Other features include badlands, fossils,[5]rhombohedralcalcitecrystals,[6]malachite, azurite and more. Interesting attractions are along the byway including the Ojo de Amado pool and Minas del Chupadero, which is an abandoned mining area including a mining shaft, adit, and several exploration pits.[7]
^Julyan, Robert (2001). The Place Names of New Mexico (Revised ed.). University of New Mexico Press. p. 280. ISBN0-8263-1689-1.
^Freed, Martin; Vaskys, Ruta (2021). Rockhounding New Mexico: A Guide to 140 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites. Falcon Guides. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 123-126. ISBN978-1-4930-5723-8.
^Mitchell, James R. (1987). Gem Trails of New Mexico (Sixth Revised ed.). Pico Rivera, California: Gem Guides Book Co. pp. 20–21. ISBN0-935182-24-1.
^Pike, David (2004). Roadside New Mexico: A Guide to Historic Markers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. pp. 296–298. ISBN0-8263-3118-1.
Freed, Martin; Vaskys, Ruta (2021). Rockhounding New Mexico: A Guide to 140 of the State's Best Rockhounding Sites. The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.: Falcon Guides. p. 255. ISBN978-1-4930-5723-8.
Julyan, Robert (2001). The Place Names of New Mexico (Revised ed.). University of New Mexico Press. p. 385. ISBN0-8263-1689-1.
Mitchell, James R. (1987). Gem Trails of New Mexico (Sixth Revised ed.). Pico Rivera, California: Gem Guides Book Co. p. 110. ISBN0-935182-24-1.
Pike, David (2004). Roadside New Mexico: A Guide to Historic Markers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. p. 434. ISBN0-8263-3118-1.