Questa to Solo is 53.2 miles and takes about 1 hour 29 minutes via Main Street and US 64, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New Mexico, moving through the Desert Southwest region. The route offers a mix of driving experiences, making it a straightforward option for a single day. Consider this drive if you're looking for a quick connection between two points without extensive planning.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Main Street
20.1 mi
29m
NM 567
9 mi
15m
US 64
8.7 mi
10m
US 285
5.6 mi
7m
Upper Rim Road
3 mi
7m
County Road Cb-115
2.1 mi
5m
Taos County Road Cb-115
1.9 mi
4m
Taos County Rd Cb-115
1.1 mi
2m
Longest stretch:
Main Street
— 20.1 mi, about 29m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Questa, NM and Solo, NM.
1
Start on NM 38
243 ft·13 sec·NM 38
2
At end of road, turn left onto NM 522
20 mi·29 min·Main Street
3
Turn right onto US 64
8.7 mi·10 min·US 64
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Turn left onto Sheep Herder Road
125 ft·4 sec·Sheep Herder Road
5
Continue on Upper Rim Road
3.0 mi·7 min·Upper Rim Road
6
Continue on County Road Cb-115
0.3 mi·37 sec·County Road Cb-115
7
Continue on Taos County Rd Cb-115
0.2 mi·33 sec·Taos County Rd Cb-115
8
Continue on Taos County Road Cb-115
0.1 mi·18 sec·Taos County Road Cb-115
9
Continue on County Road Cb-115
1.9 mi·4 min·County Road Cb-115
10
Continue on Taos County Road Cb-115
1.8 mi·4 min·Taos County Road Cb-115
11
Continue on Taos County Rd Cb-115
0.8 mi·2 min·Taos County Rd Cb-115
12
Turn right onto NM 567
9.0 mi·15 min·NM 567
13
Turn left onto US 285
1.0 mi·1 min·US 285
14
Turn straight onto US 285
4.6 mi·5 min·US 285
15
Turn sharp right
1.6 mi·6 min
16
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
The midpoint is around 26.6 miles from Questa, NM, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 6
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 51.6 — 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 522 / Main Street
At end of road, turn left onto NM 522 / Main Street
Navigation decision point
6
20.1 mi into trip|~30m in|US 64
Turn right onto US 64
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
28.8 mi into trip|~40m in|Sheep Herder Road
Turn left onto Sheep Herder Road
Navigation decision point
4
36.9 mi into trip|~1h in|NM 567
Turn right onto NM 567
Navigation decision point
5
51.6 mi into trip|~1h 23m in
Turn sharp right
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.14 one way
$16.29 round trip
$3.89/gal25.4 MPG avg19 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.31
$9.02
$18.04
premium
$4.65
$9.74
$19.47
diesel
$6.28
$13.15
$26.29
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.6 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-10-19.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging
· 0 stops
· 68% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
16
0
$5.59
$2.55
Efficient EV
13.3
0
$4.66
$2.13
EV Truck/SUV
21.3
0
$7.45
$3.40
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (68% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
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 Oct 22, 2026
Origin
Questa, NM
Morning
in Questa on Friday
Local time
8:03 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
0 mph24% chanceLive forecast
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued October 21 at 10:25PM MDT until October 23 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued October 21 at 10:25PM MDT until October 23 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Destination
Solo, NM
Morning
in Solo on Friday
Local time
8:03 AM
MDT
Current temp
48°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
NE 5 mph20% chanceLive forecast
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued October 21 at 10:25PM MDT until October 23 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued October 21 at 10:25PM MDT until October 23 at 6:00AM MDT by NWS El Paso Tx/Santa Teresa NM
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
2 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 29m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
About 54% of this 53.2-mile drive is on highways. You'll encounter a 20.1-mile stretch on Main Street before transitioning to other roads. Expect a mix of highway cruising and surface road driving as you navigate between these two New Mexico locations.
54% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 20.1 mi on Main Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
2/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near NM 522 / Main Street.
Driving Effort2/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Questa, NM to Solo, NM is easy. At 1h 29m with 54% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (NM 522 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 20.1 miles (US 64): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.8 miles (Sheep Herder Road): Navigation decision point.
Red River is a small mountain resort town in North Central New Mexico. Tucked into a canyon in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, this former mining town now thrives on tourism as the home of a popular ski resort.
The longest stretch is about 20.1 miles on Main Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 2 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.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
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 522 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 20.1 miles (US 64): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.8 miles (Sheep Herder Road): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Solo, NM before heading back.
