Pie Town, New Mexico: Tasty Traditions since the 1920’s

Updated August 2026

Believe it or not, there’s a real place called Pie Town in the boonies of New Mexico. Located on U.S. Highway 60, about an hour east of Arizona and 80 minutes west of Socorro, Pie Town has been a stop for travelers and ranchers since it was established in the 1920s. With a name like Pie Town and a reputation for good pie, some travelers drive hours out of their way just to stop and have a slice. I was one of those travelers. Here’s what I learned about this small New Mexico town.

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A Brief History of Pie Town, New Mexico

Like much of New Mexico, the area around Pie Town was once home to Native Americans, including the Acoma and Pueblo. Over time, settlers began to arrive. By the late 1800s, cattle and sheep were being hustled from eastern Arizona and western New Mexico on treks that could be as long as 120 miles. Their destination? Magdalena, where a steam train waited to whisk them off to market. This cattle and sheep route became known as “The Driveway.”

The journey along “The Driveway” was done on horseback. Cattle and sheep drivers traveled about 20 miles a day before stopping for water, food, and sleep. These stopover points along “The Driveway” eventually turned into small towns such as Pie Town and Datil. But I’m jumping the gun a bit.

Let’s start the story in the 1920s. A Texan named Clyde Norman, who also happened to be a World War I vet, rolled the dice on a mining claim for gold and silver in what would later become Pie Town. That venture didn’t pan out, but Clyde was undeterred and decided to settle there anyway.

Clyde opened a general store called “Norman’s Place,” catering to travelers with gasoline, kerosene, and groceries. From what I could gather in my research, the unpaved road was also known as the “Coast-to-Coast Highway” by this time. So, whether folks referred to it as “The Driveway” or the “Coast-to-Coast Highway,” it was a popular route for travelers passing through.

As part of his routine to stock his general store, Clyde would pick up coffee and donuts from a bakery in Datil that was run by Helen McLaughlin. One day, Helen suggested Norman try his hand at making donuts. Clyde took the advice but proved to be terrible at it. Not one to be discouraged, Clyde switched tactics and began making dried fruit pies, a craft he’d picked up during his teenage years in Texas. He chose well. Those pies were a hit. Before long, “Norman’s Place” was a favorite among long-haul drivers and cowboys, who dubbed the spot “Pie Town.” The name stuck.

As folks started moving west, lured by the promise of free land through the Homestead Acts, they brought along dreams of cabins and farmland. In Pie Town, they planted corn and pinto beans. One local shop even gained a reputation for making pinto bean pies.

Then came the Great Depression. With crop prices plummeting and farms struggling across the Great Plains, around 200 homesteaders eventually made their way to Pie Town during the 1920s and 1930s.

If you’re picturing Pie Town as a flat prairie, think again. Pie Town is in the high desert of New Mexico, at 7,778 feet above sea level.

I wish I could say Pie Town has been on a roll ever since. Unfortunately, it hit a rough patch in the 1950s. A strange weather shift led to unusually dry conditions, wrecking most of the crops. With farming no longer viable, many residents left for places like Albuquerque and California.

It was a sad time indeed. Pie Town without pies! But things turned around in the 1990s. Read on for more about that comeback.

Pie-O-Neer brings the pie back to Pie Town

In 1995, a family from Dallas, Texas visited Pie Town, hoping to enjoy some pie. To their surprise, there was no pie to be found. One of those disappointed visitors was Kathy Knapp. Instead of forgetting about it, Kathy reached out to her mother, Mary Knapp, with the idea of bringing pie back to Pie Town. Mary, who was living in California, had a background in pie-making from her mother’s cafe in Illinois, and she was interested in the idea.

After getting turned down for loans by Dallas bankers, they eventually came across a third-generation banker from Socorro, New Mexico. The banker had fond childhood memories of visiting Pie Town for pie, and he agreed to finance them. On November 11, 1995, the Pie-O-Neer restaurant opened its doors.

A year later, Mary had to relocate to a lower altitude due to health concerns, so Kathy took over. Rather than serve meals, Pie-O-Neer focused solely on pie. Over time, Kathy’s story gained national attention and was even featured in a documentary film called Pie Lady of Pie Town.

When I visited, Pie-O-Neer served large whole pies, pies by the slice, small 6-inch pies, and even cupcake-size pies. The selection varied depending on the season and what was in stock, with some unusual offerings such as New Mexico Apple with Green Chile and Pine Nuts, Peach Green Chile, and Chocolate Chess with Red Chile.

While browsing the different options, I came across a key lime pie and, since that’s one of my mom’s favorites, I settled on that. Fortunately, I had a cooler in my car since I still had a three-hour drive ahead of me to get to my mom’s house. It proved to be a hit and, of course, I ate half of it.

Since my visit, Pie-O-Neer has become Pie Town Pie Company. The new owners are still serving pie at the same location, and you can buy pies by the slice or take home a whole pie. They also ship pies if Pie Town isn’t in your travel plans.

Pie Town Pie Company is open Monday from 11am–4pm, Thursday from noon–4pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am–4pm, and Sunday from noon–6pm. It’s closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Hours can change, so check their website before making the drive.

Local Ingredients, Big Taste: The Gatherin’ Place II’s Recipe for Success

As you cruise along U.S. Highway 60 through Pie Town, you’re bound to spot The Gatherin’ Place II, a highly rated restaurant and pie shop. It’s very close to Pie Town Pie Company. Naturally, you might start wondering, “What happened to The Gatherin’ Place I?” Yep, I was curious too, so I did the only logical thing. I asked them.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Paul Rader, the owner of the Gatherin’ Place II, and he filled me in on the background of his restaurant. A special thanks also goes out to Paul’s mother, Cheryl, who provided additional details about how The Gatherin’ Place II was established.

Cheryl used to work with Janine McMurtrey, the owner of The Gatherin’ Place (I), starting in 2016. Cheryl learned the ropes of making fabulous pies during the three years she worked with Janine. In 2020, Janine moved to Arizona with her husband, and they leased the cafe to several different operators between 2020 and 2023. The last of those restaurants was a Hawaiian restaurant called the Ohana Cafe. When the Ohana Cafe closed, Janine asked Cheryl if she and Paul would be interested in buying the property and cafe. Given Cheryl’s experience making pies with Janine and Paul’s previous restaurant experience, they said yes.

Paul packed his bags and moved from Sandpoint, Idaho (where he’d been living the previous four years) to join forces with his mom to launch the new restaurant. As a token of gratitude to Janine McMurtrey for the opportunity to purchase the property and cafe, Paul and Cheryl named the restaurant The Gatherin’ Place II, in a nod to Janine’s original restaurant. The Gatherin’ Place II opened in November 2023.

The Gatherin’ Place II serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Paul takes pride in making everything from scratch. Nothing comes out of a bag. They cut their own fries, dip their own onion rings, purchase locally raised beef, smoke their own meat, and make all their sauces in-house. Their handmade pies are also made from scratch, with no pre-made pie filling. You can check out their current menu online.

Paul comes from a military and police family, so you’ll see flags on top of the restaurant in a nod to those who serve in the military, police, and as first responders.

The Gatherin’ Place II also caters to hikers and bicyclists traveling the Continental Divide Trail. They sell hiker supplies, including food, fuel canisters, bicycle repair items, and toiletries. There’s also a pet-friendly patio, a small fenced area for pets, and plenty of parking for RVs and big rigs.

The Gatherin’ Place II is open Monday through Saturday from 8am to 4pm and Sunday from 8am to 2pm. As for pie, they offer a variety of 6-inch pies that are ready to eat or take out. You can also call to request a 10-inch pie, and slices are available too. If there’s a flavor that you really want to have waiting for you when you arrive, it’s best to give them a call at 575-772-2909 and they’ll do their best to have one ready for you.

Pie Town: A Welcome Pit Stop for Thru-Hikers of the Continental Divide Trail

The 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail passes through Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. New Mexico is home to 820 miles of the trail. Section 18 passes through Pie Town and is known to be one of the more boring segments, as it includes a long stretch on a relatively flat, hard gravel road.

As you might imagine, the thought of eating a freshly baked pie sounds like a dream while hiking 3,100 miles on the rugged Continental Divide Trail. Well, in Pie Town, that dream can become a reality. Having said that, access to clean water and a post office are also top priorities for hikers. Decent water sources are hard to come by on the section of trail leading to Pie Town, and the Pie Town Post Office serves as an important resupply spot for hikers to pick up packages. If you want to see some hikers, just visit the post office at 8am on a Monday morning in the summer or fall.

Pie Town is also home to the Toaster House, a private house that was converted into a free hostel for hikers and backpackers. There are actual toasters hanging along the entry to the place, so it’s hard to miss. They also have a shoe wall of old running shoes that have been retired after many miles on the trail. The Toaster House was the home of Nita Larronde. After raising five children there, she left the house open to hikers and mountain bikers passing through. There’s a sign indicating that “No one lives here any more. Please make yourselves at home.” There’s a box for donations to help cover the cost of electricity, along with some expectations to take care of the place during your stay. The water is shut off in the winter to avoid bursting the pipes.

As you might guess, Pie Town is a welcome stop for hikers, bikers, hunters, and climbers passing through the area. Speaking of climbing, the Enchanted Tower in nearby Datil is considered one of the best sport climbing spots in New Mexico. More on that when I write a post about Datil.

Pie Town now has at least one Airbnb, but accommodations are still very limited. If you’re looking for other options, your best bet is to check the nearby towns of Datil (21 miles east), Magdalena (57 miles east), and Quemado (22 miles west).

The Annual Pie Festival of Pie Town

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Pie Town hosts an annual Pie Festival. The event takes place each year on the second Saturday in September. I haven’t been to the festival yet, but I hope to give it a shot in 2027. After all, I’ve never entered a horned toad race, although the “bring your own toad” requirement may prove to be an obstacle. After losing the race, I could indulge in a few slices of tasty pie. That sounds like a win to me.

Here’s the schedule of events for the 2026 Pie Town Pie Festival, which takes place on Saturday, September 12.

If you can’t make it to the festival, then you can always go to Pie Town on March 14th to celebrate Pi Day (3.14), assuming that it falls on a day when the restaurants are open.

Conclusion

To close this article, I’ll answer a question that I’ll no doubt get from readers. “Should I get pie from Pie Town Pie Company or The Gatherin’ Place II?”

My answer is Option C. Both.

Both places serve excellent pies. My recommendation is to go to The Gatherin’ Place II for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and get one of their pies AND go to Pie Town Pie Company and get another pie there. That way you can do your own taste test. If you’re feeling full, you can take one home with you, assuming you can resist the temptation of eating it during your drive. It won’t be easy.

📚 Want to Learn More?

Pie Town may be small, but there’s quite a bit more to its story. If you’d like to learn more about the town, its history, or its most famous export, here are a few books worth checking out:

• Pie Town Pies: Making Pies with the Pie Lady of Pie Town by Kathy Knapp. If reading about Pie-O-Neer has you craving pie, you can learn how to make some yourself. Kathy shares recipes from Pie-O-Neer, along with pie-making tips, photos, stories behind the pies, and some history of Pie Town.
• Under the Piñon Tree: Finding a Place in Pie Town by Jerry D. Thompson. If you’re more interested in Pie Town’s history, this book combines local and family history with Thompson’s memories of growing up in the area. His family homesteaded near Pie Town during the Depression era.
• Pie Town Woman: The Hard Life and Good Times of a New Mexico Homesteader by Joan Myers. This is directly about Doris Caudill, one of the Pie Town homesteaders photographed by Russell Lee in 1940. Myers tracked her down decades later and tells her story, while also examining Lee’s photographs and life in Depression-era Pie Town. It includes Lee’s historic photographs, Caudill family snapshots, and Myers’s later photographs.
• Pie Town Revisited by Arthur Drooker. Photographer Russell Lee documented Pie Town and its homesteaders in a remarkable series of photographs in 1940. Decades later, Drooker returned to Pie Town to photograph the community and explore what became of the people and place Lee documented.

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Thought for the Week

For this week’s thought for the week, I was torn between two very different quotes about pie. So, in the spirit of Option C (both), here are two thoughts for your enjoyment.

The first quote is from the American astronomer and author Carl Sagan. Carl was a prolific writer of more than 600 scientific papers and articles, and he helped write more than 20 books. He was well known for his television series, Cosmos. He also wrote a book called Contact that was turned into the 1997 film Contact, starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. I mention that factoid because Pie Town is only 45 minutes away from the Very Large Array, which is featured in the movie Contact. If you’d like to learn more about the VLA, you can read my article, Listening to the Universe: A Visit to New Mexico’s Very Large Array.

The second quote is from David Mamet, a Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright, author, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He’s perhaps best known for his play Glengarry Glen Ross, and he’s also written screenplays for movies such as The Verdict, The Untouchables, and Wag the Dog. The pie quote below comes from his 1999 play Boston Marriage.

“If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.”
― Carl Sagan

“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”
― David Mamet

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Thanks for reading, and happy travels!

Mark (New Mexico Travel Guy)

Mark Aspelin, The New Mexico Travel Guy (www.newmexicotravelguy.com), is a travel writer, conservation biologist, project manager, and author of two books. He’s currently working on his third book, the upcoming Moon New Mexico travel guide (Fall 2027), published by Moon Travel Guides, and wrote the Northeastern New Mexico chapter for the 2026 edition of Fodor’s New Mexico. Mark has visited over 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states, just enough to land in the Travelers’ Century Club and make choosing a favorite place nearly impossible. He’s currently on a questionable mission to visit every town in New Mexico (there are over 500) and write a story about each one, with plans to wrap it up sometime before his early to mid 100s. Mark balances his writing with conservation and project work from his home base in the East Mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico.