# U.S. Route 285 in New Mexico

U.S. Route 285 (US 285) is a north–south U.S. highway that runs from Sanderson, TX to Denver, CO. US 285 enters the state of New Mexico from Texas, into Eddy County, NM just south of Loving. The highway runs through the major cities of Carlsbad, Roswell, and Santa Fe. The highway exits the state into Colorado approximately 25 miles north of Tres Piedras. The Pecos River runs adjacent to the vast stretch of highway, yet breaks away in Northern New Mexico, before entering Colorado.

## Route description

US 285 enters New Mexico from Texas approximately 23 miles south of Loving. As US 285 traverses north on the eastern plains of New Mexico, it passes through the towns of Carlsbad, Artesia and then Roswell. In Artesia, the route intersects with US 82. In Carlsbad, US 285 has an overlap with US 62 and US 180 through the town. In Roswell, the route intersects with US 70 and US 380, having a short overlap with US 70.
The route next heads northwest to Vaughn where it has a brief concurrency with US 54 and US 60. The route then continues northwest and has a junction with Interstate 40 (I-40) at Clines Corners.
Heading north out of Clines Corners, the route continues towards the state capital. At the outskirts of Santa Fe, the route becomes concurrent with I-25, US 84, and its unsigned parent (US 85) for several miles heading west through the foothills of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains to Santa Fe. After exiting I-25, US 285 follows Saint Francis Drive through Santa Fe. The route continues north by northwest to Española and Chamita, where the concurrency with US 84 ends. The route then traverses the Carson National Forest where US 285 now makes a long climb up to the Colorado Plateau, passing through Ojo Caliente as it ascends to the San Luis Valley. After crossing US 64, the highway passes through the village of Tres Piedras, New Mexico at the south end of the valley, then proceeds north to the Colorado border near the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
| Eddy | ​ | 0.00 | 0.00 | | US 285 south – Pecos | Continuation into Texas |
| Eddy | Loving | 21.1 | 34.0 | | NM 387 north | Southern terminus of NM 387 |
| Eddy | ​ | 23.4 | 37.7 | | NM 31 north – Hobbs | Southern terminus of NM 31 |
| Eddy | ​ | 27.3 | 43.9 | | NM 216 north (Grandi Road) | Southern terminus of NM 216 |
| Eddy | Carlsbad | 31.3 | 50.4 | | US 62 / US 180 west – El Paso | South end of US 62/US 180 overlap |
| Eddy | Carlsbad | 32.0 | 51.5 | | NM 216 south (Wood Avenue) | Northern terminus of NM 216 |
| Eddy | Carlsbad | 32.6 | 52.5 | | Plaza Street | Interchange; southbound exit only via San Jose Boulevard |
| Eddy | Carlsbad | 33.1 | 53.3 | | NM 524 west (Lea Street) | Eastern terminus of NM 524 |
| Eddy | Carlsbad | 33.3 | 53.6 | | US 62 / US 180 east – Hobbs | North end of US 62/US 180 overlap |
| Eddy | ​ | 41.6 | 66.9 | | NM 524 east – Carlsbad | Western terminus of NM 524 |
| Eddy | ​ | 45.7 | 73.5 | | NM 137 south – Queen | Northern terminus of NM 137 |
| Eddy | ​ | 55.1 | 88.7 | | NM 381 east – Brantley Lake | Western terminus of NM 381 |
| Eddy | ​ | 63.4 | 102.0 | | NM 229 north (Four Dinkus Road) | Southern terminus of NM 229 |
| Eddy | Atoka | 64.4 | 103.6 | | NM 335 east | Western terminus of NM 335 |
| Eddy | Artesia | 69.4 | 111.7 | | US 82 (Main Street) – Alamogordo, Lovington | |
| Eddy | Artesia | 70.4 | 113.3 | | NM 357 east | Western terminus of NM 357 |
| Eddy | Artesia | 71.4 | 114.9 | | NM 229 south (Mill Road) | Northern terminus of NM 229 |
| Eddy | ​ | 72.1 | 116.0 | | NM 2 north (Lake Arthur Highway) – Hagerman, Dexter | Southern terminus of NM 2 |
| Eddy | ​ | 77.2 | 124.2 | | NM 350 | |
| Eddy–Chaves county line | ​ | 78.6 | 126.5 | | NM 438 | |
| Chaves | ​ | 86.7 | 139.5 | | NM 13 west | Eastern terminus of NM 13 |
| Chaves | ​ | 102.1 | 164.3 | | NM 2 south (Yakima Road) – Dexter, Hagerman | Northern terminus of NM 2 |
| Chaves | ​ | 105.1 | 169.1 | | US 285 Truck north (Relief Route) to US 380 west / US 70 – Roswell International Air Center | Southern terminus of US 285 Truck (Relief Rte.) |
| Chaves | Roswell | 109.7 | 176.5 | | US 70 west / US 380 – Mescalero, Capitan, Tatum | South end of US 70 overlap |
| Chaves | Roswell | 113.7 | 183.0 | | NM 246 west | Eastern terminus of NM 246 |
| Chaves | ​ | 115.0 | 185.1 | | US 70 east (Clovis Highway) / US 70 Truck west / US 285 Truck south (Relief Route) – Portales, Ruidoso | Interchange; north end of US 70 overlap; US 70 exit B, US 70 Truck exit A; eastern terminus of US 70 Truck, northern terminus of US 285 Truck (Relief Rte.) |
| Chaves | ​ | 146.8 | 236.3 | | NM 20 north – Fort Sumner | Southern terminus of NM 20 |
| De Baca | ​ | 166.3 | 267.6 | | NM 247 west – Corona | Eastern terminus of NM 247 |
| Lincoln | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions |
| Guadalupe | ​ | 204.7 | 329.4 | | US 54 / US 60 east – Santa Rosa, Fort Sumner | South end of US 54/US 60 overlap |
| Guadalupe | ​ | 208.6 | 335.7 | | US 54 west – Alamogordo, Carrizozo | North end of US 54 overlap |
| Torrance | Encino | 222.2 | 357.6 | | NM 3 – Duran, Villanueva | |
| Torrance | Encino | 222.7 | 358.4 | | US 60 west – Willard | North end of US 60 overlap |
| Torrance | Clines Corners | 249.4 | 401.4 | | I-40 – Albuquerque, Santa Rosa | I-40 exit 218 |
| San Miguel | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions |
| Santa Fe | ​ | 265.7 | 427.6 | | NM 34 north – Pecos | Southern terminus of NM 34 |
| Santa Fe | ​ | 284.0 | 457.1 | | NM 41 south – Moriarty | Northern terminus of NM 41 |
| Santa Fe | Eldorado at Santa Fe | 290.7 | 467.8 | | I-25 north (US 85 north / US 84 east) – Las Vegas | South end of I-25/US 84/US 85 overlap; I-25 exit 290 |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 297.1 | 478.1 | 284 | NM 466 (Old Pecos Trail) | Exit number follows I-25 |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 298.4 | 480.2 | | I-25 south (US 85 south) – Albuquerque | North end of I-25/US 85 overlap; I-25 exit 282 |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 300.0 | 482.8 | | NM 466 (St. Michaels Drive) – Santa Fe University of Art and Design | Interchange; serves CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 301.6 | 485.4 | | NM 14 south (Cerrillos Road) | Northern terminus of NM 14 |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 302.5 | 486.8 | | NM 475 east (Paseo de Peralta) – State Capitol | Western terminus of NM 475 |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 303.2 | 488.0 | | Downtown Plaza | Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe | 303.8 | 488.9 | 166 | NM 599 south (Santa Fe Relief Route) | Northern terminus of NM 599; south end of freeway; no exit number northbound |
| Santa Fe | Santa Fe–Tesuque line | 306.2 | 492.8 | 168 | CR 73 north / Opera Drive / Avenida Monte Sereno – Tesuque Village | Southern terminus of CR 73 |
| Santa Fe | Tesuque–Tesuque Pueblo line | 308.1 | 495.8 | 171 | Flea Market Road | |
| Santa Fe | Tesuque Pueblo | 309.2 | 497.6 | 172 | CR 73 south – Tesuque | Northern terminus of CR 73 |
| Santa Fe | ​ | 312.3 | 502.6 | 175 | Camel Rock Road | |
| Santa Fe | Cuyamungue | 313.9 | 505.2 | 176 | Cuyamungue | |
| Santa Fe | Cuyamungue | 315.3 | 507.4 | 177 | To CR 89B / CR 89D / Buffalo Thunder Road | North end of freeway |
| Santa Fe | Pojoaque | 317.8 | 511.4 | | NM 502 west – Los Alamos | Eastern terminus of NM 502; interchange |
| Santa Fe | Pojoaque | 318.5 | 512.6 | | NM 503 east – Cundiyo | Western terminus of NM 503 |
| Santa Fe | ​ | 320.4 | 515.6 | 183 | Frontage Road | Interchange |
| Santa Fe | Sombrillo–Española line | 324.5 | 522.2 | | NM 399 south / NM 106 north – Sombrillo | Northern terminus of NM 399, southern terminus of NM 106 |
| Rio Arriba | Española | 326.1 | 524.8 | | NM 68 north (Riverside Drive) | Southern terminus of NM 68 |
| Rio Arriba | Española | 326.9 | 526.1 | | NM 30 south – Los Alamos | Northern terminus of NM 30 |
| Rio Arriba | Española | 328.3 | 528.3 | | NM 584 east (Fairview Lane) | Western terminus of NM 584 |
| Rio Arriba | ​ | 333.3 | 536.4 | | NM 74 east | Western terminus of NM 74 |
| Rio Arriba | ​ | 334.9 | 539.0 | | US 84 west – Tierra Amarilla | North end of US 84 overlap |
| Taos | Ojo Caliente | 351.3 | 565.4 | | NM 414 north | Southern terminus of NM 414 |
| Taos | ​ | 353.0 | 568.1 | | NM 111 north – La Madera | Southern terminus of NM 111 |
| Taos | ​ | 361.9 | 582.4 | | NM 567 east – Carson | Western terminus of NM 567 |
| Taos | Tres Piedras | 382.3 | 615.3 | | US 64 – Tierra Amarilla, Taos | |
| Taos | ​ | 407.0 | 655.0 | | US 285 north – Antonito, Alamosa | Continuation into Colorado |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access |||||||

## Gallery

* Clines Corners, at the junction of US-285 and I-40, south of Santa Fe