Questa, NM

united states

Questa is a high-desert town of 2,500 people nestled in northern New Mexico's mountains, about 25 miles north of Taos via Highway 522. The former mining community sits at 7,500 feet where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains meet the Rio Grande valley. Visitors typically reach Questa from Albuquerque via I-25 north to Highway 68, then Highway 522, or from Colorado via Highway 160 west. The massive molybdenum mine tailings pile dominates the landscape, visible for miles as a stark reminder of the town's mining heritage.