Vaughn, NM Route 66w Rest Stop — Local services in Santa Rosa

Update December 19, 2022, RESTROOMS (Closed) are locked up. No signs on highways or parking areas or even on the restroom doors saying they are closed. Maybe it’s temporary as they have been saying they are fixing the water issue here but it would have been nice for a warning. Until I pass by again they are at a 1 star for no restrooms. NM needs to have signs posted on the entrance, parking, and restroom doors if they are going to close them down.

Cars and small RV/trailers can take the first left (restroom sign on road) into the rest area they have their own parking area (and it's really big). Leave the parallel road side parking for Large vehicles and Semis. You have to go all the way to the end to find the open restrooms. The middle building is closed. Water is not safe to drink but should be fine for hand washing. I would skip using the bathroom to wash face or brush teeth they don't have the reason posted as to why the water is non portable. It's a...

I'm assuming that this rest area has been renovated recently. There are concrete barriers blocking quite a bit of pavement. And there are new picnic areas that have a different look than the original. Unfortunately, they did not leave enough space for semi trucks. So if you're planning on staying the night, you may just have a semi truck as your next door neighbor. This was a tremendous nuisance, having to try to sleep through the idling of their engines and the smell of the diesel exhaust. Sadly, driving to another location was not an option due to the time and my level of exhaustion. And just to be clear, I am in the car area of the car area, not...

NON-POTABLE WATER! What is even the point?!

Drove 50 miles from the last rest area, where the water fountain was broken. I’m in the middle of the desert and I’m out of drinking water! So I guess, after I already drove 47 minutes more than I intended, now I have to take the downhill part of the 40 into Albuquerque at night to look for water. I’m tired and getting thirsty.

NEW MEXICO GET YOUR REST AREAS IN ORDER.

Also the entrance was crowded and confusing, and I ended up missing the car parking lot and ending up in the semi area.

But I guess I’m not staying here tonight anyways because I need water!...