Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico Road Trip: Route & Stops

By admin, 30 September, 2026

The Wayro route from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes is 378 miles (608 km), about 7 h 30 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 191 on this route, near the Tornillo port of entry.

U.S. State Department travel advisory: Chihuahua — Level 3, Reconsider TravelAdvisory issued May 29, 2026; checked September 29, 2026. Chihuahua is the Mexican state that contains Nuevo Casas Grandes. Check the full advisory for this state before you go.
El Paisano HotelU.S.–Mexico borderAlpineNuevo Casas Grandes
Route from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes with the 1 stops listed below (blue dots) and the approximate U.S.–Mexico border crossing (red square).
Distance378 mi (608 km)
Driving time, no stops7 h 30 min
Main roads, in orderUS-67 → US-90 → I-10 → FM 3380 → CHIH 48 → CHIH 48D → MEX-2 → MEX-10
Border crossingabout mile 191 of this route, Texas → Chihuahua (near the Tornillo, TX port of entry)
Mexican states on the routeChihuahua (Level 3)
Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg)about 15.1 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic
Stops listed below1

Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Nuevo Casas Grandes

PassportPassport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land
FMM entry permitRequired for this trip: Nuevo Casas Grandes is well beyond the 12-mile (20 km) border zone where the permit is not needed
Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP)Required for a U.S.-registered vehicle this far into Mexico
Mexican auto insuranceRequired for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you cross

Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.

Crossing at Tornillo

The Marcelino Serna port, on the Tornillo-Guadalupe bridge over the Rio Grande, is owned on the U.S. side by El Paso County. It has passenger-vehicle and pedestrian lanes, and on the Chihuahua side, at Caseta, the access road connects to Mexican Highway 2.

Sources: [1] [2]

What the drive from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes is like

MEX-2 (112 mi) and I-10 (84 mi) carry about 52% of the 378 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through Texas for about 191 miles; after the border at Tornillo you have about 187 miles left in Mexico. Of the 1 stops listed below, 1 are within a mile of the road.

The route from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes, road by road

RoadRoute miles (from–to)Length, miState
US-670–2626Texas
US-9026–9973Texas
connecting roads99–1001Texas
I-10100–18484Texas
FM 3380184–1906Texas
connecting roads190–1922Texas, Chihuahua
CHIH 48192–21119Chihuahua
CHIH 48D211–22918Chihuahua
MEX-2229–341112Chihuahua
MEX-10341–37534Chihuahua
local roads375–3783Chihuahua
  • Mile 191 of this route: Texas → Chihuahua (international border)

Stops between Alpine and Nuevo Casas Grandes

El Paisano Hotel

Mile 26 · Hotel · 0.2 mi from the route

Designed by El Paso architect Henry C. Trost and opened in 1930, this Marfa hotel hosted Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean during the 1955 filming of Giant, and it still displays memorabilia from the movie.

When you get to Nuevo Casas Grandes

Nuevo Casas Grandes is a ranching and farming town in northwestern Chihuahua, about three hours southwest of Ciudad Juárez. Most visitors come for Paquimé, the pre-Hispanic city just outside town that UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1998, with some 2,000 earthen rooms and distinctive T-shaped doorways.

  • Paquimé archaeological zone: This adobe city peaked in the 14th and 15th centuries as a trade link between the Pueblo cultures of the Southwest and Mesoamerica. source
  • Museo de las Culturas del Norte: INAH's museum beside the ruins, opened in 1996, shows pottery and ornaments of stone, shell, bone and copper from Paquimé and nearby sites. source
  • Casas Grandes: The neighboring Pueblo Mágico was formally established in 1661 around a Franciscan mission and sits right beside the Paquimé ruins. source

More drives to Nuevo Casas Grandes

From Alpine to other places in Mexico

All routes to Nuevo Casas Grandes, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Nuevo Casas Grandes, Mexico from the U.S.

Frequently asked questions

How long is the drive from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes?

About 7 h 30 min of driving without stops, over 378 miles.

How far is Nuevo Casas Grandes from Alpine by car?

About 378 miles (608 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.

Where does the Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes drive cross into Mexico?

At about mile 191 of this route, from Texas into Chihuahua, near the Tornillo port of entry.

Do I need a permit to drive my car from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes?

Yes. A temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) is required for a U.S.-registered car this far into Mexico. You also need Mexican auto insurance and a passport book or card. An FMM entry permit is required too.

Is it safe to drive from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes?

The U.S. State Department rates Chihuahua Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.

What roads does the drive from Alpine to Nuevo Casas Grandes use?

In order: US-67, US-90, I-10, FM 3380, CHIH 48, CHIH 48D, MEX-2 and MEX-10. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.

What are good stops between Alpine and Nuevo Casas Grandes?

Closest to the road: El Paisano Hotel (hotel, mile 26, 0.2 mi from the route). All stops are described above.

How we put this guide together

Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.

Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.