Deming, NM to Shiprock, NM is 442.2 miles and takes about 8h 17m via I 25, I 40, and US 491, with a fuel budget near $70 and likely requires an overnight stop. This trip stays within the Desert Southwest, offering a consistent regional feel. With a recommended two days for the drive, you'll have ample time to break up the mileage and make the most of the experience. It's a straightforward route connecting two points within New Mexico.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
221.1 miles from Deming, NM
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 4h 11m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
I 25
161.5 mi
2h 41m
I 40
105.4 mi
1h 46m
US 491
92.1 mi
1h 48m
State Road 6
30.7 mi
39m
Hatch Highway
23.8 mi
36m
New Mexico State Road 26
23 mi
34m
Main Street Northwest
1.4 mi
2m
North Gold Avenue
1.4 mi
2m
Longest stretch:
I 25
— 161.5 mi, about 2h 41m
Traffic on I-25
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 8 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~439 veh/hr typical
· worst 653
Quietest
1 AM
~47 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.3×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 50 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Deming, NM and Shiprock, NM.
1
Start on I 10 Bus
43 ft·3 sec·East Pine Street
2
Turn right onto NM 11
1.4 mi·2 min·North Gold Avenue
3
Turn right onto NM 26
6.7 mi·11 min·Hatch Highway
4
Continue on NM 26
10.0 mi·14 min·New Mexico State Road 26
5
Continue on NM 26
17 mi·25 min·Hatch Highway
6
Continue on NM 26
12 mi·18 min·New Mexico State Road 26
7
Continue on NM 26
0.4 mi·39 sec·West Hall Street
8
Turn left onto West Canal Road
0.3 mi·25 sec·West Canal Road
9
Continue on NM 26
0.4 mi·34 sec·Franklin Street
10
Continue on NM 26
0.7 mi·1 min·New Mexico State Road 26
11
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·28 sec
12
Merge onto I 25
161 mi·2 hr 41 min·I 25
13
Take the exit
0.2 mi·33 sec
Toward NM 6: Los Lunas
14
Turn left onto NM 6
0.6 mi·1 min·Main Street Southwest
15
Continue on NM 6
1.4 mi·2 min·Main Street Northwest
16
Continue on NM 6
31 mi·39 min·State Road 6
17
Take the ramp
0.3 mi·37 sec
18
Merge onto I 40
105 mi·1 hr 46 min·I 40
19
Take the exit
0.3 mi·41 sec
Toward Muñoz Boulevard
20
Turn right onto US 491
7.1 mi·9 min·US 491
Use the right lane.
21
Take the exit onto US 491
85 mi·1 hr 38 min·US 491
22
Turn left onto US 491
0.2 mi·21 sec·US 491
23
Turn left
504 ft·28 sec
24
Turn left
485 ft·25 sec
25
Turn left
126 ft·5 sec
26
Arrive at destination
Trip Plan
Given the 8h 17m estimated driving time, splitting this trip over two days is highly recommended. Aim to depart early to maximize your first day's mileage. Plan for around two stops to break up the drive and refuel. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge, especially on US 491, as services can be spaced out. Consider an overnight stop around the halfway point to make the second day's drive more relaxed.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This drive is better paced as a 2-day trip.
Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 221.1 miles from Deming, NM, or about 4h 11m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 161.5 miles.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 97 miles or 2h 3m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 221.1 miles or 4h 11m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 221.1 miles or 4h 11m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 7h 7m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Shiprock, NM than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Deming, NM so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
+
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
+
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Deming, NM
Aim for roughly 221 miles and 4.1 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Shiprock, NM
Aim for roughly 221 miles and 4.1 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 97 miles from Deming, NM.
This route usually feels better as a 2-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on I 25 for about 161.5 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 15
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 442 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip|~0m in|NM 11 / North Gold Avenue
Turn right onto NM 11 / North Gold Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
49.3 mi into trip|~1h 15m in
Take the ramp
Navigation decision point
4
211 mi into trip|~3h 57m in
Take the exit toward NM 6: Los Lunas
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward NM 6: Los Lunas
6
349.9 mi into trip|~6h 28m in|US 491
Turn right onto US 491
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
442 mi into trip|~8h 16m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$61.39 one way
$122.77 round trip
$3.53/gal25.4 MPG avg155 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$3.95
$68.68
$137.36
premium
$4.29
$74.67
$149.34
diesel
$4.80
$83.50
$166.99
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$61
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$191–$301
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 154.7 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $46 in charging
· 1 stop
· 66% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
132.7
1
$46.43
$21.23
Efficient EV
110.6
1
$38.69
$17.69
EV Truck/SUV
176.9
2
$61.91
$28.30
Gas CO2
155 kg
EV CO2
52 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Jul 17, 2026
Origin
Deming, NM
Evening
in Deming on Saturday
Local time
7:06 PM
MDT
Current temp
90°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
W 5 mph16% chanceLive forecast
Flash Flood Warning
Flash Flood Warning issued July 16 at 6:33PM MDT until July 16 at 8:30PM MDT by NWS Albuquerque NM
Dust Advisory
Dust Advisory issued July 16 at 5:42PM MDT until July 16 at 7:45PM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Destination
Shiprock, NM
Evening
in Shiprock on Saturday
Local time
7:06 PM
MDT
Current temp
59°F
Mostly Cloudy
E 5 to 10 mph14% chanceLive forecast
Flash Flood Warning
Flash Flood Warning issued July 16 at 6:33PM MDT until July 16 at 8:30PM MDT by NWS Albuquerque NM
Dust Advisory
Dust Advisory issued July 16 at 5:42PM MDT until July 16 at 7:45PM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
31 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
8h 17m on the road
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
El Malpais National Monument
National Monument
The richly diverse volcanic landscape of El Malpais (el-mal-pie-EES) offers solitude, recreation, and adventure. Explore incredible geologic features such as young lava flows, cinder cones, lava tubes...
20 mi from route
~50 min detour
Free
near mile 289.7
Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700...
22 mi from route
~55 min detour
Free
near mile 213.5
Imagine the refreshment of finding water after days of dusty travel. A reliable waterhole hidden at the base of a sandstone bluff made El Morro (the headland) a popular campsite for hundreds of years....
26 mi from route
~64 min detour
Free
near mile 320.2
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
You'll spend 81% of your time on highways, with the longest continuous stretch being 161.5 miles on I 25. The route transitions from interstate cruising to more rural highway driving as you progress. Expect a significant amount of time on I-40 and then US-491, which can feature fewer services and more open stretches as you head north.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
26 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 161.5 mi on I 25.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 25 and I 40. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near NM 11 / North Gold Avenue.
Driving Effort4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The route itself is not hard, but at 8h 17m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 15 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (NM 11 / North Gold Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 49.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 211 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Elevation Profile
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
7,097 ft4,222 ft
Total Climb
3,470 ft
Total Descent
2,919 ft
Highest Point
7,097 ft
~315.9 mi in
Elevation Range
2,875 ft
Notable High Points
4,687 ft at ~31.6 miles+345 ft prominence
4,848 ft at ~94.8 miles+45 ft prominence
7,097 ft at ~315.9 miles+556 ft prominence
Detours Along the Way
Tagged by where each one fits in your drive — first break, midpoint, final stretch.
Deming is a small town in the southwestern region of New Mexico, USA. It has attained a quirky sort of fame as the site of the Great American Duck Race, one of those little bits of Americana sometimes encountered in very small towns. Interesting country is nearby for the geologist and hiker.
Top landmarks
•Downtown Deming Historic District — historic district in Deming, New Mexico, United States
•Deming Main Post Office — main post office building for Deming, New Mexico
•Morgan Hall — former city hall and fire station in Deming, New Mexico
Farmington is a town in the northwest region of the state of New Mexico. It is notable as a gateway to Navajo Nation and the Four Corners area, and as a center for folk art, particularly Navajo weavings. Attractions associated with the nearby towns of Aztec, Bloomfield, Kirtland and Shiprock, about the nearest things that highly rural northwestern New Mexico has to "suburbs," are also covered in this article.
The longest stretch is about 161.5 miles on I 25. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — a 2-day pace is more comfortable than one long haul. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 221 miles on day one.
Yes — we found about 11 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
It helps. This is a long drive, so arriving tired and in the dark compounds. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Shiprock, NM before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 2 meaningful breaks. There are 11 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NM can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (NM 11 / North Gold Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 49.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 211 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes — El Malpais National Monument, Petroglyph National Monument and El Morro National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Not recommended in a single day. At 8.3 hours each way, a round trip means 16.6 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Shiprock, NM before the return drive.
