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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Gallup
Gallup, New Mexico
Use Gallup as one night on Route 66 or a base for Red Rock Park and the Navajo Nation: 1 night, 2 if you add Chaco or El Malpais.
Gallup sits on Interstate 40 where it follows old Route 66, about two hours west of Albuquerque, and is the main gateway to the Navajo Nation and the pueblos and parks of northwest New Mexico. It is a trading-post town: jewelry, crafts, motels and a railroad station, not a sightseeing city. Most travellers pass through on the way to Arizona or stop one night to see Red Rock Park and the Intertribal Ceremonial.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Gallup, New Mexico
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (monsoon storms and heat), Dec–Feb (wind-driven snow on I-40)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–90 excl. bed · Mid $90–150 excl. bed · High $150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Gallup Police (non-emergency) 505-722-2231 · Poison control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $2–4 |
| Breakfast burrito or diner plate | $10–16 |
| New Mexican plate (enchiladas, chile relleno) | $14–22 |
| Beer at a bar | $5–8 |
| Gallup Express bus fare | $1 |
| Silver and turquoise jewellery at a trading post | $40–400+ |
| Museum entry (Rex Museum, Cultural Center) | Free–$5 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ABQ · Albuquerque International Sunport
- About 2 h 15 min by car on I-40; the nearest major airport. Gallup has no commercial flights.
Typical fares
- Gallup Express bus
- $1, hourly 6AM–6PM (check)
- Amtrak Southwest Chief, Gallup → Albuquerque
- about $30–60 coach, 2 h 30 min (check)
- Taxi or rideshare across town
- $10–20 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical choice: sights and trailheads sit outside the centre and the Navajo Nation starts north and west of town. Gallup Express buses run hourly 6AM–6PM for $1, with the main transfer stop at East Aztec and South 2nd Street; route 1 links downtown with hotels near Rio West Mall. Amtrak's Southwest Chief stops in Gallup, but the station has no ticket office or machine, so buy tickets online or at another station.
See and do
Known for
- Route 66 main street and neon motels
- Trading posts and Native American jewelry
- Red Rock Park and the Intertribal Indian Ceremonial
- Gateway to the Navajo Nation
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rock Park | Drive east on I-40 to Exit 26, then Outlaw Road, about 10 min | About 20 min |
| El Morro National Monument | Drive NM 602 north and west, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| El Malpais National Monument | Drive east on I-40 then south on NM 117, about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Chaco Culture National Historical Park | Drive US 491 north, then NM 57 from the east side, about 2 h | About 2 h |
| Cuba, New Mexico | Drive US 491 north then NM 197, about 1 h 30 min | About 1.5 h |
| Farmington | Drive US 491 north, about 2 h | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Route 66 / West Coal Avenue
- Historic motels, including El Rancho and the older independents; walkable to downtown shops.
- East Route 66 near I-40
- Chain hotels and easy highway access; best for one night with a car.
- Rio West Mall area
- West side, next to the mall and the Gallup Express route 1; useful without a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
| No, thank you | No, thank you |
| I need help | I need help |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Violent crime is well above the national average and panhandling and public drinking are common downtown, especially after dark: keep to lit streets and drive between motels and restaurants at night.
- I-40 between Gallup and Grants is often under construction; dust storms and wind-driven snow can close or slow it.
- Do not approach Chaco Culture from the southwest (NM 371 to NM 9 to NM 57) without 4-wheel drive; take the longer eastern approach.
- Summer monsoon brings sudden afternoon storms; flash floods run through the arroyos around Red Rock Park.
- Many trading posts and small galleries keep short or seasonal hours: check before driving out.
Gallup has a serious crime and public-drinking problem for its size: stay downtown in daylight, drive between motels and restaurants after dark, and treat panhandling with a firm no.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Gallup yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Route 66 main street and neon motels
- Trading posts and Native American jewelry
- Red Rock Park and the Intertribal Indian Ceremonial
- Gateway to the Navajo Nation
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Gallup: www.gallupnm.gov/
- New Mexico Tourism Department: www.newmexico.org/
- Amtrak — Southwest Chief: www.amtrak.com/southwest-chief-train
- National Park Service — El Malpais: www.nps.gov/elma/
- National Park Service — Chaco Culture: www.nps.gov/chcu/
- Wikivoyage: Gallup, revision 5025544 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5025544
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
GallupGallup, New Mexico
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Gallup Police (non-emergency)505-722-2231
- Poison control1-800-222-1222
No consulates in Gallup; national embassies are in Washington, DC, and the nearest consulates are in Albuquerque or Phoenix.
Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/gallup). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.