Its total length is approximately 86 miles (138 km).

NM 53's western terminus is a continuation as Arizona State Route 61 (AZ 61) at the Arizona border west-southwest of Zuni, and the eastern terminus at NM 122 in the village of Grants.

In the 1940s, NM 53 was extended northeast from Milan to San Mateo, a small town near Mt.

The segment from Milan to San Mateo was renumbered NM 605 in 1988.

Media related to New Mexico State Road 53 at Wikimedia Commons