Visit Hatch, New Mexico: A Chile-Country Guide

Hatch sits on NM-26 just west of Interstate 25, in the Hatch Valley of southern New Mexico. The festival organizers publish these routes:

• From Albuquerque (north): I-25 south toward Las Cruces, Exit 41 (NM-26 toward Hatch/Deming), then NM-26 west into Hatch.
• From Las Cruces (south): I-25 north toward Truth or Consequences, Exit 41, then NM-26 west into Hatch.
• From Alamogordo (east): US-70 west toward Las Cruces, merge onto I-25 north, Exit 41, then NM-26 west.
• From Deming (west): NM-26 east straight into Hatch.

Hatch is a driving destination — come with a car.

Chile drives the calendar here.

• Late July through early October is harvest. Green chile peaks in August, red chile in September, and the season ends with the first frost, usually mid-to-late October. This is when roasters are running and farm stands are open.
• Labor Day weekend is the Hatch Chile Festival — the single busiest weekend of the year, with over 30,000 visitors coming through a village of roughly 1,600 people. Book a room in Las Cruces or Truth or Consequences early, and expect traffic.
• November through June is quiet. The fields are dormant or growing, most chile you'll find is dried or frozen, and a couple of hours is enough for the town.

Weather can move the harvest two to three weeks in either direction. If your trip depends on it, the Hatch chile season guide has the month-by-month version.

Hatch is famously known as the Chile Capital of the World because of the volume of chile grown in this valley. The village is small; the attractions are the valley itself and what people do with the crop.

• Chile fields and farms. The valley floor around the village is chile country. Some farms in the area run tours during the season; call ahead, as they are working farms and hours depend on the harvest.
• The Hatch Chile Festival. If you are here over Labor Day weekend, the festival is the reason to be. Parade, two music stages, chile roasting, eating contests, a carnival and craft and produce booths. See our festival page for the schedule and directions.
• Sparky's Burgers, BBQ & Espresso (opens in a new window) ↗. Vintage signs and larger-than-life roadside sculptures out front, a green chile cheeseburger inside. It is the most photographed spot in town.
• Local arts, crafts and farm stands. Hatch has a small but real arts scene, and in season the roadside stands sell chile, ristras, onions and pecans.
• Rio Grande country. The river runs just east of town; the desert around it is open and quiet — good for a scenic drive, a walk or bird watching.

Hatch is home to a handful of local restaurants serving New Mexican food, and the local specialty is the green chile cheeseburger. These are the ones people come back for:

• Valley Cafe (opens in a new window) ↗ — a down-to-earth place for breakfast or lunch: omelets, sandwiches and salads, with Hatch green chile a common ingredient.
• The Pepper Pot (opens in a new window) ↗ — a local favorite serving Mexican and New Mexican dishes, including enchiladas with Hatch green chile.
• Sparky's Burgers, BBQ & Espresso (opens in a new window) ↗ — burgers, barbecue and green-chile-infused everything. The green chile cheeseburger is what it is known for.
• Hot Stuff Restaurant (opens in a new window) ↗ — a mix of Mexican and American food: burritos, tacos and breakfast, all featuring Hatch green chile.

A day is about right. Here is the shape of a good one:

1. Breakfast at a local diner. Start with something smothered in green chile.
2. Drive the valley. Get out past the fields in the morning light. In season you will smell the roasters before you see them.
3. Shop the farm stands. Fresh or roasted chile by the sack, chile powder, ristras, onions and pecans.
4. Lunch: a green chile cheeseburger. This is the local dish. Have it where the sculptures are.
5. Afternoon on the river or in the desert. The Rio Grande and the open country around it are close by; bring water and a hat.
6. Dinner, New Mexican. Enchiladas, red or green — the state question — or a bowl of green chile stew.

If it is Labor Day weekend, replace all of the above with the festival.

Fresh chile is a perishable crop. If you buy a sack in the valley, get it cool the day you buy it and roast or freeze it quickly — our roasting guide covers blistering, the steam-and-peel step that makes skins slide off, and freezing in flat labeled portions. A freshly roasted sack sweats, so plan a cooler if you have a long drive.

If you'd rather not haul it: we grow chile in this valley and ship it. Fresh green chile goes out Wednesdays during the season in 5, 10 and 25 lb boxes; flame-roasted chile is frozen at peak season and ships on dry ice year-round.

One thing we can't offer: a store to walk into. Our fresh-pack shed in Garfield and our frozen-foods kitchen in Deming are working facilities and are not open to the public.