Approximate location — plotted from published sources, not a site visit, and not a guarantee of access.
The Guadalupe Back Country Byway follows NM-137 for about thirty miles from U.S. 285 north of Carlsbad southwest into the Guadalupe Mountains. The route climbs from Chihuahuan Desert flats into the escarpment and Lincoln National Forest approaches, with interpretive pullouts. It is the usual public drive toward Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area and the northern edge of Guadalupe Mountains country.
Cultural sites and artifacts are protected by federal law (ARPA/NHPA) — stay on established routes, touch and remove nothing, and follow the managing agency's and the affiliated tribe's guidance on access.