One could use the same description for the region in which it's located. Madrid is a midpoint of what's become known as the Turquoise Trail, the scenic back-road route between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. But don't expect the designation to spawn new billboards touting the trail, or sprawling new developments or high-rise condos. But more than that, we're concerned with keeping the beauty of this area so that tourists can enjoy it. These are just old mountain towns, and we want to keep the old ways around here.
Development tends to be slow-moving and locally owned.
For those who speed by, there may seem as if there isn't much to see beyond scenery and the occasional lonely gallery, often attached to the artist's modest home and stuck on the side of the road by itself, easy to miss if you're not looking. These make a good base for other activities, such as hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, photography or general scenery-gawking. A favorite drive is the back road to Sandia Peak, the 10,400-foot peak of the Sandia Mountains within the Cibola National Forest. On the other side of the mountain, closer to Albuquerque, you can catch a tram that goes to the ski area just below the peak, but from the Turquoise Trail, you can take the Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway all the way to the top, enjoying the shift from desert to upper forestland as you go. The towns, such as they are, range from dot on the map to slightly larger dot on the map, and the time needed to explore them from a few minutes to hours.