Roswell, NM Road Trips
Sitting in the Desert Southwest, Roswell, NM is a convenient base with 35 trip routes mapped and ready to explore. The route mix is balanced, with options ranging from 205-mile quick runs to 377-mile cross-state drives. Most routes from Roswell, NM head west, giving the route network a clear directional lean.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trip Routes
35
Longest Drive
376.5 mi
Farmington, NM
Quickest Drive
3h 50m
Albuquerque, NM
Plan Around Roswell, NM
Popular Incoming Routes
Useful if Roswell, NM is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.
Continue From Roswell, NM
Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.
Trips from Roswell, NM
Roswell, NM to Farmington, NM
Roswell, NM to Lee Acres, NM
Roswell, NM to Gallup, NM
Roswell, NM to Grants, NM
Roswell, NM to Arroyo Seco, NM
Roswell, NM to Laguna, NM
Roswell, NM to Deming, NM
Roswell, NM to Tome, NM
Roswell, NM to Los Alamos, NM
Roswell, NM to White Rock, NM
Roswell, NM to Peralta, NM
Roswell, NM to Placitas, NM
Roswell, NM to Hatch, NM
Roswell, NM to La Mesilla, NM
Roswell, NM to Sunland Park, NM
Roswell, NM to Santa Teresa, NM
Roswell, NM to Nambe, NM
Roswell, NM to Rio Rancho, NM
Driving from Roswell, NM
Expect an average of 243 miles and about 4h 48m behind the wheel when leaving Roswell, NM. This is long-haul territory. Most routes stretch past the 250-mile mark, so pack snacks and plan fuel stops. The longest mapped route runs 377 miles (7h 13m), while the shortest is just 205 miles.
Popular Destinations
Top road trip destinations from Roswell, NM are Farmington, NM (376.5 mi, 7h 13m), Lee Acres, NM (366.2 mi, 6h 57m), Gallup, NM (336.5 mi, 6h 6m), Grants, NM (275.8 mi, 5h 6m), and Arroyo Seco, NM (271.6 mi, 5h 49m). Most destinations stay within the same state, perfect for exploring the local region thoroughly.
Planning & Costs
Regular gas in NM currently averages around $3.79 per gallon. For the typical 243-mile trip from Roswell, NM, budget about $36 in fuel one way, assuming 25 MPG. Longer hauls and premium fuel will cost proportionally more.
Most trips take a half-day, so a morning start gets you there in time for lunch or an afternoon of exploring. Most routes head west — leaving in the morning keeps the sun behind you for a more comfortable drive.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 22 mapped routes leaving Roswell, NM and 13 routes heading into Roswell, NM, covering 35 total connections. Distances range from 205 to 377 miles.
The longest mapped route from Roswell, NM covers 377 miles and takes approximately 7h 13m. Shorter options start at just 205 miles.
The average route from Roswell, NM runs about 243 miles with a drive time of roughly 4h 48m. This includes both short day trips and longer multi-day drives.
At current gas prices (about $3.79/gallon for regular), the average 243-mile trip from Roswell, NM costs roughly $36 in fuel one way, based on 25 MPG. Your actual cost depends on your vehicle's efficiency.
The most popular road trip destinations from Roswell, NM include Farmington, NM, Lee Acres, NM, Gallup, NM and Grants, NM. Each route page has detailed drive times, fuel estimates, stop suggestions, and turn-by-turn directions.
Roswell, NM by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
47,823
Median Income
$50,294
Median Home Value
$139,200
Median Age
36.8
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Roswell, NM at a Glance
Founded
1869
Elevation
3,573 ft
Area
30 mi²
Notable People from Roswell, NM
A sampling of people born in Roswell, NM.
Demi Moore
1962
American actress and producer (born 1962)
John Denver
1943–1997
American singer (1943–1997)
Austin St. John
1974
American actor
Ray Crawford
1915–1996
racecar driver (1915-1996)
Susan Graham
1960
American singer
J. Z. Knight
1946
American cult leader
George Young
1937–2022
American former track and field athlete and college coach (1937–2022)
Doris Hill
1905–1976
American actress (1905–1976)
Gerina Piller
1985
professional golfer
Landmarks & Historic Sites
Attractions and heritage-registered places located in Roswell, NM.
International UFO Museum And Research Center
museum in Roswell, New Mexico, U.S.
Chaves County Courthouse
county courthouse of Chaves County, New Mexico
Mimms Museum of Technology and Art
Technology and Art museum in Roswell, Georgia, USA with a focus on computing history.
Louise Massey House
historic house in Roswell, New Mexico, USA
Saunders-Crosby House
house in Roswell, New Mexico
Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art
art museum in Roswell, New Mexico
City data from Wikidata (Q33561), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Roswell, NM
Roswell is a city in the southeastern region of the state of New Mexico, United States of America. It has attained a quirky sort of fame/notoriety as the result of an alleged UFO crash (!) in 1947.
1 International UFO Museum and Research Center, 114 N Main St, ☏ +1 575 625-9495, [email protected]. Daily 9AM-5PM. Devoted to the local cult activity; you can decide for yourself whether it's serious or not. $7; children (5-15) $4; seniors and military $5. (updated Jan 2026) 2 Roswell Museum and Art Center, 100 W 11th St (Civic Center Plaza, corner of 11th and Main), ☏ +1 575 624-6744. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su 1PM-5PM, closed major holidays. This one is definitely serious, incorporating a surprisingly good art collection for a small town, with works by Georgia O'Keeffe and Peter Hurd, among others. There is a wing devoted to space flight and rocket science (but not UFOs!) that includes the Robert H. Goddard Planetarium, named in honor of the rocketry pioneer who did much of his research in Roswell. Free. (updated Oct 2016) 3 Bottomless Lakes State Park, 545 A Bottomless Lakes Rd (from Roswell, head east on US 380 for 12 miles and then south on NM 409 for 3 miles), ☏ +1 575 624-6058. A state park with swimming, fishing, and hiking. The lakes are very deep with nearly vertical cliffs surrounding them. Day use $5/vehicle. (updated Jan 2026) 4 Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art, 409 E College Blvd, ☏ +1 575-623-5600. Free, donations. (updated Jan 2026) 5 Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, ☏ +1 575 625-4011. Free. (updated Jun 2019)
UFO Festival. Every year in early July, there is a UFO Festival to commemorate the 1947 Roswell incident. (updated Nov 2019)
Martin's Capitol Cafe, 110 W 4th St, ☏ +1 575 624-2111. Delicious and inexpensive.
Roswell New Mexico doesn't sell alcohol in stores on Sundays, however restaurants serve from noon 10PM on Sunday. Black Cock Brewing, 1719 SE Main, ☏ +1 575-742-8389. Su-W11ː30AM-10PM, Th-Sa 11ː30AM-11PM. Makes their own hard cider, hard lemonade and boozy slushies. Also has craft beer and hard liquor from New Mexico, a food truck with burgers and green chili cheese fries, and live music. (updated Jan 2026)
1 Best Western El Rancho Palacio, 2205 N Main St, ☏ +1 575-622-2721. (updated Oct 2016) Holiday Inn Express, 3 Military Heights Drive (behind the Applebees), ☏ +1-575-208-0736. Affordable. Clean. Friendly. (updated Oct 2018) 2 Fairfield Inn, 1201 N Main, ☏ +1-575-624-1300. Includes breakfast, Wi-Fi, and swimming pool. (updated Nov 2019)
1 Roswell International Air Center (ROW IATA), 1 Jerry Smith Circle, ☏ +1-575-347-5703. American Eagle from Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix/Sky Harbor (updated Nov 2019) Roswell is served by American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, with daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix. If you fly in, you may be amazed to see some big planes (including widebodies) at the airport or flying near town at low altitude, but they aren't there for passenger service: the Roswell air park is a former US Air Force base that has been used from time to time by major airlines as a training site for aircrews and to check out new aircraft. Road access is via US 285 from north or south and US 70 or 380 from east or west. You go through a lot of emptiness getting there, particularly from the north; don't set out for the city from I-40 with a near-empty fuel tank. Limited bus service is available.
There is a bus that travels the length Main Street from the Walmart in North Roswell to the airport in the South several times during the day. Information about the transportation system can be found at its website. There are also local taxi services.
Travel tips adapted from Roswell (New Mexico) 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.
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