Portales, NM Road Trips
Plan drives from Portales, NM with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trip Routes
1
Longest Drive
33.2 mi
Causey, NM
Quickest Drive
44m
Causey, NM
Plan Around Portales, NM
Continue From Portales, NM
Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.
Trips from Portales, NM
Portales, NM by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
12,023
Median Income
$51,290
Median Home Value
$132,900
Median Age
27.7
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Notable People from Portales, NM
A sampling of people born in Portales, NM.
Cody Ross
1980
baseball player from the United States
Ed Foreman
1933–2022
Texas businessman and former congressman from Texas and New Mexico
Landmarks & Historic Sites
Attractions and heritage-registered places located in Portales, NM.
Administration Building
historic building at Eastern New Mexico University, USA
Portales Main Post Office
post office in Portales, New Mexico, United States
Bank of Portales
bank building in Portales, New Mexico
City data from Wikidata (Q988821), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Portales, NM
Portales is a small, fairly quiet college and agricultural town in Southeast New Mexico, United States. Home of Eastern New Mexico University. Nearest sizable town is Clovis; close to Cannon Air Force Base. Located almost adjacent to the Texas border. 90 miles from Roswell of UFO fame.
Eastern New Mexico University has the usual small-college features, and maintains two museums: Blackwater Draw Museum off US 70, which preserves artifacts from a nearby archaeological site of some significance, and Roosevelt County Museum on campus, with the usual collection of items of local historical interest.
1 Blackwater Draw Site, 508 Route 467, ☏ +1 575 356-5235. Sa-Su 9AM-4PM. The archaeological site associated with ENMU's museum (see above), is available for visits during much of the year. Open 9-5 daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day; closed November-March; 9-5 Sa-Su other months. Fee $3, several discounts apply. There are a couple of short interpretive trails. This site (formally known as Blackwater Locality 1) is significant as the place where "Clovis man" was discovered (generations of children learned that Clovis Man was the oldest human ancestor in the Americas, though archaeologists now believe there may be older human settlements).
Roosevelt Brewing Company, 201 S. Main Ave (Downtown, across from the County Courthouse), ☏ +1 575-226-2739. 11:30AM-9PM, closed Sun-Mon. Casual eatery and local craft brewery featuring pub grub and innovative pizzas. (updated Aug 2022)
1 Sands Motel, 1130 W 1st St, ☏ +1 575 356-4424. This one is perfect if you're looking for that classic basic roadside motor inn type of feel. (updated Oct 2021) 2 Comfort Inn, 223 W 2nd St, ☏ +1 575 226-3996. Choice of pastries and things for breakfast. 3 Super 8, 1805 W Second St, ☏ +1 575 356 8518. Clean, comfortable mid-range lodging about 1/2 mile north of the ENMU campus. (updated Aug 2022)
Portales is located on the Llano Estacado (Staked Plains) in extreme eastern New Mexico, at the junction of US 70, NM 206 and NM 267. These roads are all good but rather remote, and can be troublesome during winter blizzards. The nearest air service is via commuter lines into the airport at Clovis, about 15 miles away.
Walk or drive your own car. No local bus or taxi service.
Travel tips adapted from Portales on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
Nearby Hubs
Other cities within driving distance of Portales, NM that also have route pages.
Drives from Portales, NM in your inbox
Monthly note with new routes, weekend drive ideas, and seasonal picks for NM. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Browse more NM road trips or choose a route from Portales, NM above.