Highway 456 is a very scenic route. At some points the volcanic field, including Mt. Capulin, is visible to the southwest. There is hardly any traffic. This may be in part because of its remoteness and because about 18 miles of it are unpaved. Depending on the trip, it can be pretty rough and wash-boarded. This trip, it was smooth sailing all the way to Folsom. After that, it was up over Johnson Mesa (which still had a good bit of snow on top) and back down to Sugarite Canyon State Park, just east of Raton.