Stunning landscapes, culture and adobe villages await on this New Mexico to Grand Canyon road trip adventure. Wander in national parks and native lands through New Mexico’s Land of Enchantment and Arizona’s Grand Canyon country on this loop that starts and ends in El Paso, Texas.

There’s a spot in southern New Mexico where you can stand in the middle of a never-ending sea of glittering white, even on a summer afternoon. There’s nothing visible for miles around besides the white sand under your feet, the brilliant blue sky above your head and the dark smudge of distant mountains on the horizon.

Modernist artist Georgia O’Keefe, who called New Mexico home, said “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way…things I had no words for.” Perhaps you’ll feel the same about this land as you drive through the high desert from El Paso, Texas, nestled on the border, to Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

In El Paso, wander through two of the oldest-operating missions in the country. Go deep underground to explore geological history at Carlsbad Caverns. Just past the edge of White Sands National Park, you’ll find the site where the first atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. Near Los Alamos, you can walk in the footsteps of Ancestral Puebloans at Bandelier National Monument. Everywhere you look, you’ll find connections stretching back thousands of years between people and this land. But it’s not all ancient history. You’ll find vibrant communities of mountain bikers, vineyards producing exciting wines and the Indigenous people of the region still living in harmony with the land today.

At every bend in the road, you’ll find another story to uncover and leave you feeling, well, enchanted.