La Bajada hill 1941

[daniel roberts]

There is a car in the photo

[Rocky Stone]

At the time, I think, that was part of Route 66. It actually ran from Albuquerque to Santa Fe.

On Sat, Sep 27, 2025 at 9:30 PM daniel roberts <dan...@live.com> wrote:

There is a car in the photo

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[Richard Shagam]

And to drive up the hill, you had to go backwards, or else the carburetor flooded out (or was it starved out? Uh, what's a carburetor?)

After 1934, Rt 66 got rerouted  through Tijeras--the route we know today.

Richard Shagam
Albuquerque, NM

RNSh...@rhizotech.net 

Check out astrophotos from my driveway at:

https://www.astrobin.com/users/rnshagam/

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ikg6pMLQpeH44gxc8

and Apr '24 solar eclipse pics at: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vAc234x6G2oAJ4oR8

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[Brian Kloft]

Cool Picture and commentary! Wow!

Brian 

[daniel roberts]

I forgot to mention, for those that haven't been there, this is extremely close to the bottom of the cliff that we use for slope soaring.  I walked part of this road from the top down with Rocky one time to retrieve a plane. 

Dan R. 

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From: 'Brian Kloft' via soarabq <soa...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2025 7:13 AM
To: soarabq <soa...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [ASA] La Bajada hill 1941

 

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[Dan Tandberg]

La Bajada was a section of U.S. Highway 66 from 1926 to 1932, famous for its treacherous 23-hairpin-turn switchback road descending the escarpment of La Bajada mesa. This route followed the path of the earlier National Old Trails Road and even earlier Euro-American trails like the historic El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro. The road was abandoned for a safer alignment in 1932, which led to the decline of the nearby village of La Bajada. Today, portions of the historic La Bajada alignment are preserved on the National Register of Historic Places. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Historical Significance

• El Camino Real: The route over La Bajada mesa was part of El Camino Real, the oldest Euro-American trade route in the United States, used from the Spanish Colonial period into the 19th century. [1, 4]
• National Old Trails Road/New Mexico State Highway 1: Before the federalization of highways, a safer alignment for auto traffic was built as part of the National Old Trails Road in 1909, leading to the creation of the switchback auto route on the mesa. [2, 4]
• U.S. Highway 66 (1926-1932): The initial alignment of Route 66 in 1926 incorporated the dangerous switchback road, making it a notorious and iconic part of the famous highway. [1, 5]

The Road and its Characteristics

• Switchback Nature: The road featured 23 hairpin turns over a 1.5-mile stretch, descending about 600 feet down the volcanic mesa. [1, 2]
• Automobile Era Challenges: Early motorists faced challenges, with some driving in reverse to manage the steep grades and gravity-fed fuel systems. [7, 8]
• Infrastructure: Retaining walls were built on the outer edges of turns to prevent vehicles from going off the cliff. [4, 9]

Decline and Preservation

• Abandonment: The hazardous La Bajada Hill was bypassed when the safer, more direct Route 66 alignment opened in 1932. [5, 6]
• Impact on the Village: The subsequent bypassing of the village of La Bajada by the new highway severely impacted its ability to thrive. [6]
• Historic Designation: The National Old Trails Road Historic District at La Bajada, which includes the 1926 Route 66 alignment and earlier roads, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. [2, 6]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1] https://www.facebook.com/groups/1412474832723434/posts/1586195998684649/

[2] https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/bff1ca9a-cabc-4382-9cce-46a6203d140a

[3] https://online.nmartmuseum.org/nmhistory/opening-the-west/history-opening-the-west.html

[4] https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/master/pnp/habshaer/nm/nm0300/nm0305/data/nm0305data.pdf

[5] https://www.facebook.com/groups/755142574564723/posts/24633992236253089/

[6] https://labajada.org/about/

[7] https://www.facebook.com/groups/330863620012261/posts/453472564418032/

[8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eRJYyWIh3Q

[9] https://www.facebook.com/100064540275835/posts/route-66-la-bajada-hill-near-santa-fe-nm-between-the-years-of-1926-1932-this-was/655430639951606/

Not all images can be exported from Search.

[Dan Tandberg]

Reference #4 is great.  Give it a look.

[ward hagaman]

Next time anyone would like to go there I’d love to tag along! 

Ward from San Diego

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[Richard Shagam]

Nice video--now I don't have to hike there--lazy me!

Richard Shagam
Albuquerque, NM

RNSh...@rhizotech.net 

Check out astrophotos from my driveway at:

https://www.astrobin.com/users/rnshagam/

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ikg6pMLQpeH44gxc8

and Apr '24 solar eclipse pics at: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/vAc234x6G2oAJ4oR8

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[Stephen Tomany]

The road was sort of open in the early 2000's and we would use it when hang gliding. Crawl to the top in first gear 4WD low, and try not to bottom out. There was a rickety gate with barbed wire about 3/4 of the way up. Maybe saved a little bit of time vs. going around the back through La Cienega. Good times!

Steve T.

[Rocky Stone]

My understanding is that three or four years ago the Native American tribe that owns the land at the bottom of the escarpment and the escarpment face itself closed the road to vehicular travel. 

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[Brian Kloft]

So we can fly there, but don't crash at the bottom of the hill! No Pressure.....

I still want to go when I get back to NM!

Brian 

[Bill Becher]

Rough road. High clearance and rental cars only.

[Brian Kloft]

So the road into the top of the hill is rough, or the road to the bottom?

Brian

[Bill Becher]

The road to the top is very rough. I broke the oil pan on my Mazda going there. High clearance 4WD or rental car needed.

Don't know about driving to the bottom. Better check with Dan or Thelma and Louise.

Bill