Glenrio: Explore a Route 66 Ghost Town

If you’re a ghost town enthusiast, Glenrio—which straddles the border of Texas and New Mexico—is truly the stuff that dreams are made of. Once a quiet oasis in the vast arid landscape of West Texas, Glenrio faded out in the mid-1970s when newly paved Interstate 40 left historic Route 66 in the dust.

Glenrio serves as a striking Route 66 time capsule. A motel, a café, and a gas station still stand—with silent, slightly rusted-out cars parked as if the operators are picking up a gallon of milk or getting a bite to eat and will return shortly. Due to the dry climate, some of Glenrio’s buildings are still in fairly good condition. It’s easy to walk the dusty streets of Glenrio and imagine what life was like when the town had a population of 100 people.

The lone resident of Glenrio is the reclusive widow of a service station manager who tragically perished in a 1976 robbery. Intensely private, she does not speak to visitors or the press. The service station manager’s car remains parked outside a deteriorating gas station, and no one is sure if it was ever moved after his death.

In recent years, the Glenrio Smoke Shop—a legal dispensary on the New Mexico side of town—has breathed new life into Glenrio. The developers have plans to build a new hotel and restaurant, though there has been pushback from Route 66 historians who believe Glenrio is one of the best-preserved Route 66 ghost towns and should remain untouched.

Glenrio may once again be in a state of flux, but you are still more likely to encounter a wild turkey than another human being if you spend a few hours roaming the dirt roads surrounding town. You may even spot a rattlesnake slithering in the shadows. In fact, the best reason to obey the “no trespassing” signs posted on Glenrio’s abandoned buildings is to avoid startling one.

A bright blue sky, scrubby wildflowers, and the remnants of a town that quietly receded into the rearview mirror when Interstate 40 replaced Route 66 create a scene that lingers in the imagination. There is no time like the present to explore the dreamy streets of Glenrio, as this time-capsule town may soon look much more modern.