San Rafael New Mexico Map
Explore San Rafael, New Mexico, with this interactive street and satellite map.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below.
Interactive Map of San Rafael, New Mexico
How to Use This San Rafael, New Mexico Map
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for San Rafael, New Mexico. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture. Drag the map to pan to any area of New Mexico or beyond.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation in the Adirondacks, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to San Rafael.
Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.
| City | San Rafael |
| State | New Mexico (NM) |
| County | Cibola County |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Mountain Time (America/Denver) |
| Latitude | 35.098163 |
| Longitude | -107.904921 |
| Population | 1,164 |
| Density | 28.5 /km² |
| Incorporated | N/A |
| ZIP Codes | 88439, 87020 |
| Area Code | 575, 505 |
| County Seat | Grants |
| School District | Grants-Cibola County Schools |
About San Rafael, New Mexico
San Rafael is a locality in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. It has a population of approximately 1,164. The population density is 28.5 people per km². San Rafael is located at 35.0982°N, 107.9049°W. It observes the Mountain Time (America/Denver) timezone. ZIP codes: 88439, 87020.San Rafael emerges from the high desert floor as a quiet confluence of geological patience and enduring human settlement. It lies 56.3 miles east-southeast of Gallup, NM (from Gallup, NM: bearing 120°T), and is situated 3.0 miles southwest of Grants. Morada Canyon serves as the cradle for the settlement, its rugged walls framing a landscape defined by the stark, volcanic architecture of El Malpais National Conservation Area, which lies a mere mile away. To the horizon, the silhouette of Chute Mesa rises against the vast, pale sky, while the cooling air of evening carries the scent of dry earth and sage. The nearby Rio San Jose traces a thin, life-giving line through the arid plains, providing a vital contrast to the ancient, weathered basalt flows that dominate the surrounding terrain.
San Rafael carries the legacy of generations who cultivated this demanding soil, their history etched into the adobe structures that anchor the village. Local life remains tied to the rhythms of the land, with the economy reflecting a quiet resilience rooted in agriculture and an intimate connection to the wilderness of the Mount Taylor Ranger District. Residents often look toward the waters of Atarque del Doter, which glimmers under the intense, crystalline light that defines these afternoons. In the slow, deliberate pace of daily work, San Rafael maintains an identity that feels inseparable from the harsh, beautiful expanse of the plateau, where the shadows of passing clouds drift across the volcanic rock like ink on parchment.
Nearby Outdoor Places
- El Malpais National Conservation Area (National Conservation Area) — 1.9 mi, 092° E · 263k acres
- Cibola National Forest (National Forest) — 2.1 mi, 270° W · 1.6M acres
- San Rafael Historical marker (Monument) — 2.2 mi, 049° NE
- Mount Taylor Historic Marker (Monument) — 3.9 mi, 026° NE
- El Malpais National Monument (National Monument) — 4.0 mi, 077° E · 109k acres
- San Jose Park (Local Park) — 4.5 mi, 033° NE
- Route 66 Drive-Thru Neon Sign (Attraction) — 4.7 mi, 036° NE
- The Roarin' 20's Sign (Attraction) — 4.8 mi, 039° NE
- Cibola County History Museum (Museum) — 4.8 mi, 036° NE
- Grants Historic Marker (Monument) — 5.0 mi, 063° NE
- El Malpais Wilderness Study Area (Wilderness Study Area) — 5.5 mi, 149° SE · 21k acres
- Wells Park (Local Park) — 6.2 mi, 052° NE
- El Malpais Proposed or Recommended Wilderness Area (Wilderness Study Area) — 7.2 mi, 157° SE · 98k acres
- Lava Caves (entry forbidden) (Viewpoint) — 10.5 mi, 212° SW
- Garret Homestead (Historic Ruins) — 10.8 mi, 157° SE
- Cebolla Wilderness Area (Wilderness Area) — 14.1 mi, 164° S · 62k acres
- West Malpais Wilderness Area (Wilderness Area) — 16.0 mi, 192° S · 40k acres
- Bluewater Lake State Park (State Park) — 16.9 mi, 315° NW
- Engine House? (Historic Ruins) — 20.0 mi, 286° W
- Phillips 66 Gas Station (Attraction) — 21.5 mi, 095° E
- Acoma Museum (Museum) — 22.5 mi, 127° SE
- El Morro National Monument (National Monument) — 24.2 mi, 262° W · 1,040 acres
- Roy T. Herman's Garage (Attraction) — 27.5 mi, 319° NW
- Fort Wingate Army Depot (Historic Castle / Fort) — 48.1 mi, 307° NW
- Red Rock Musuem (Museum) — 50.4 mi, 308° NW
- Front Row Seat (Cinema) — 53.5 mi, 304° NW
- Museum of Zuni (Museum) — 53.6 mi, 268° W
- Wind Biker (Public Artwork) — 55.7 mi, 302° NW
- George Galaris Multiultural Center (Museum) — 55.7 mi, 303° NW
- Apache National Forest (National Forest) — 61.8 mi, 213° SW · 1.8M acres
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About This San Rafael Map Page
This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of San Rafael, New Mexico. Coordinates: 35.098163, -107.904921. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.
Detailed location data for San Rafael includes the ZIP code (88439, 87020), telephone area code (575, 505), county seat of Cibola County (Grants), and school district assignment (Grants-Cibola County Schools).
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any US town, county or landmark by name; offers USGS topographic maps and USGS aerial imagery as base layers; overlays a labelled U.S. National Grid (USNG) so the map can be read like a printed topographic quad; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as a USNG grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require cell coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Location data | SimpleMaps US Cities Database; coordinates matched to USGS GNIS definitive data |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; USGS The National Map topographic and aerial imagery (public domain); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Wikipedia validation | Article content matched to USGS GNIS coordinates via Wikipedia geosearch API. |
