Engle: Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway, New Mexico

SIDE TRIP 9 to Engle twists and dips through scraggy foothills offering glimpses of Elephant Butte Lake before suddenly spilling out onto desert prairie. The primary road in this Side Trip is a state-maintained highway with two 12-foot-wide paved driving lanes. This segment is in good repair. Safety conditions are good for the posted speed limits. During summer weekends and holidays, the area near Elephant Butte Lake may experience heavy congestion.
ENGLE, founded in 1879 as a station on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, became a thriving railhead. Construction of nearby Elephant Butte Dam from 1911- 16 raised the population when a spur line was built to haul supplies. An early resident of Engle was Eugene Manlove Rhodes, a well-known writer of western novels in the early 1900s. Today, freight trains pass through Engle without stopping. Only a few people and three buildings remain; the school is still in use as a community center and church for residents of the ranches in the surrounding area. Running nearly parallel to the railroad is the original Camino Real, the Royal Road from Mexico City to Santa Fe. Established in 1598, the road was used for hundreds of years as caravans made their way north or south with trade goods, livestock and settlers. This section of the route was called Jornada del Muerto (Journey of The Dead). Heat, lack of water and frequent Indian attacks escalated the use of the name for this area. A historic marker indicates the Jornada. Vineyards were planted in the area several years ago, with water for irrigation being pumped from Elephant Butte Lake. Several types of wine under different names are bottled from grapes grown in the area.
	Please note that there is no gasoline available on the Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway west of Truth or Consequences / Williamsburg and Elephant Butte. This is the majority of the Trail, which runs through some very remote countryside. Fill your tank before you leave! Gasoline is available on Side Trip 5; or, if you choose to follow the Alternate Loop, gas is available at Silver City. Please also note that bridges between Caballo and Hillsboro bear twelve-foot, six-inch height restrictions; and the Forest Service advises not only that trailers over twenty feet are unsafe on Forest Development Road 150, but that low-clearance / non-four-wheel-drive vehicles travel that section of the Trail at their own risk.
What's on the web about Engle?
(This will take you to our Links page.)
Next stop on the E-Tour: back to the beginning of The Geronimo Trail Scenic Byway...
	Enjoy the nature, history, and culture of southwest New Mexico - but don't disturb the natural, historical, and cultural sites. Do not remove, destroy, or deface anything on any site; strict laws protect artifacts on State, Federal, Indian, and private lands. Buying, selling, trading, or transporting these stolen items is also illegal. Please report looting and vandalism to federal land management authorities or the local sheriff. Hide all traces of your travels as the Apache hid their passing so these wildlands may remain unspoiled, the historical sites may remain true to their history, and the developed sites may remain clean and pleasant. Thank you.