Q: Traveling from Socorro, can we take the short cut from Las Lunas NM 6 to I40 and gain enough time to do El Morro in one day? Thanks, enw

I’m attaching a little map as part of my answer. Short answer: yes, taking US60 west of Los Lunas will save you from having to drive up to Albuquerque; you save about 30 miles of driving. It is a very nice drive but a two lane paved road. About 6 to 10 miles west of Los Lunas is a stunning canyon visible on the north side of the road with Albuquerque’s Sandia Mountains as a backdrop.

Strangely, there is a different route 60 you might consider. This one runs west from Socorro through Magdalena, Datil, Pie Town and Quemado. This map shows a route NM36 (probably NM117 in Quemado) north from Quemado through Fence Lake that intersects NM53 west of El Morro.

I know much of this route. It is lovely as it passes through the Plains of San Augustin. You might consider this. However, I don’t know that stretch north from Quemado. My map software says this southern route is about 200 miles while your route via Los Lunas is about 165 miles. This whole route will certainly be slower than the Interstate (and more interesting). I think it could be a great loop. You might contact El Morro National Monument or El Malpais National Monument for their comments.

This map doesn’t show route NM36 out of Pie Town, which intersects NM117, which follows the eastern edge of El Malpais. That would shave some distance off the 200 mile route AND take you around more of El Malpais; NM53 from I-40 to El Morro passes the western edge of El Malpais. Be sure to stop at the Zuni-Acoma Trail which crosses El Malpais and has trailheads on the east (NM117) and west (NM53); the west trailhead is a little more interesting if you’re not going far (if you are, take water and a hat). I have some pix of the ZAT at www.mjhinton.net/slides.

Didn’t mean to be quite so long-winded. Feel free to write back with questions/comments and to let me know how the trip turns out. mjh