Gilman Tunnels — Attraction in Los Alamos

The tunnels are cool, and the area is beautiful. Unfortunately, because people don't respect property or nature for that matter, there are signs of graffitti around. The Gilman Tunnels are on NM 485 along the Rio Guadalupe in the southwestern Jemez Mountains, at approximately 5 miles northwest of the intersection of NM 4 and NM 485 (after Jemez High School heading north). Two narrow and unusually high tunnels were cut through these Precambrian granite in the 1920's to facilitate the passage of logging trains through this section of Guadalupe Canyon, known as the Guadalupe Box. The logs that were harvested in the western Jemez Mountains in the 1920's were taken by narrow-gauge railroad to a sawmill in Bernalillo. I heard while in Bernalillo the train used to collect water in town, they had a water tower there, trying to find more information on it. The tunnels were enlarged in the 1930's to accommodate logging trucks. Logs were hauled out of the mountains and then loaded on trains at Gilman logging camp, which was established in 1937 about two miles south of the tunnels. The railroad was shut down by flooding along the Jemez and Guadalupe Rivers in 1941. The highway now occupies this old railroad bed. Aside from providing access to the Guadalupe Box itself, NM 485 provides a beautiful view of the of the Guadalupe Canyon. The road ends just at tad bit further up and runs into forest road 376 (dirt road) heading north connecting with road 126. The Gilman Tunnels are part of the Jemez National Recreation Area, on the Santa Fe National Forest. The Gilman Tunnels were used in the filming of at least three Hollywood movies: 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Lone Ranger (2013), and The Scorch...

STOP SCROLLING AND READ THIS NOTICE. **Anyone coming from the direction of Jemez Pueblo, be AWARE. There is a speed trap that is nearly impossible to avoid unless you are familiar with the area. On the way to the Gilman Tunnels I was pulled over by an unmarked truck with cop lights. The Pueblo Police stopped me for speeding accused of going 43 in a 30 zone. I was looking for speed limit signs and the speed limit changes multiple times REALLY quickly here. 55, 40, 30. There is a decent as well near the 30 mph sign that I still have no idea where it is placed (I read from others it hides behind a tree). Being from Louisiana and meaning absolutely no disrespect, I asked the guy if he could please let the stop go as a warning but he refused and proceeded to give me a $90 ticket that becomes $101 and some change if paying online.

So, back to the tunnels, absolutely amazing views, a must see for everyone, fun drive unless you are terrified of driving in the mountains. (This was my first experience in the mountains and I did fine.) There are places to park and go walk inside the tunnels and a creek that runs alongside the tunnels. I wish we would have had more time to hike the area and that there were bathrooms here. We found a neat hiking trail but didn't continue hiking it because this was our first stop of the day and without phone reception we had no idea how long the hike would be or where exactly we would end up.

There is no phone reception out there. There is a sign stating last chance for gas, on the route, take the sign seriously as it is the last gas, and restroom that I observed. I would also suggest checking out any hiking trails prior to arrival if you want to...

This scenic wonder is a short drive from Albuquerque and makes for a very nice day trip. The two tunnels are very impressive, but I felt that the real star of the show was actually the sheer cliffs that they are cut into. There are very few spots to park so don't expect to be able to do so on a weekend, but nothing stops you from driving through the tunnels a few times. Further up the road are a few miles of undeveloped camping/picnic areas that are worth looking for; first come first serve. Many of them have trails that will lead you down to the stream. Oh, please note that some areas are single lane... and that vehicles facing uphill have the...