I suddenly found myself planning a solo trip to New Mexico over the spring break, and need advice.
I’m driving down from Colorado. Will spend a day in Santa Fe, then a day and a half in Carlsbad Caverns (in order to catch two tours), then spend a night in Mesilla (check Guadalupe Mountains on the way), then possibly visit White Sands and Organ Mountains. At this point I’ll still have a couple of days left. Is there anything I’m missing? I’ve been to Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque before, wouldn’t mind stopping in Taos again but it’s not necessary. I don’t mind long drives and mountain roads. I like hiking but I’d rather do a few short hikes in different places than one long one, and I like pretty historic towns and interesting shopping.
@WayOutWestMom, can you help?
Are you coming down 25? I was in the NE corner of the state a few weeks ago and saw the extinct volcanoes in that area. It is definitely off the beaten path!
https://www.nps.gov/cavo/index.htm
If you’re on the other side of the mountains, I love Abiquiu. Ghost Ranch is owned by the Episcopal Church, but the site is open for hiking and exploring. I think they have weekly classes there every month except February.
I love the food at the Abiquiu Inn, and you can stay there too. They close early, like many places in NM. Tamale Napoleon, yummmmmm.
https://www.abiquiuinn.com/cafe-abiquiu
If you’re willing to drive to the western part of the state, you can’t go wrong with Chaco Canyon. It is a magical place, but hard to get to (unpaved road), and remote (bring some food!). Simply amazing hiking among the ruins and on top of the mesas. The height of Anasazi building culture.
https://www.nps.gov/chcu/index.htm
Touring “sky city” at Acoma Pueblo is great too. You have to go up on a bus, with a tour, but you can choose to walk down. The path has been used for 1000 years and wasn’t that difficult because of old hand and footholds that were carved into the rock. Sky City is considered the oldest continually occupied town in the US.
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Wow @greenwitch I haven’t even heard of any of these places besides Chaco Canyon! Will there be any tourists in Chaco Canyon this time of year? I don’t need crowds but don’t really want to be all alone in a remote place.
Tent Rocks National Monument!!
https://www.google.com/search?q=tent+rocks+national+monument&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS807US807&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjGkKHszYLhAhWW94MKHRO1CwYQ_AUIDygC&biw=1151&bih=582
If you want to tour some Ancestral Puebloan (the term “Anasazi” is now outdated and is considered to be insulting) ruins in a more civilized setting than Chaco Canyon, try the Aztec Ruins National Monument. It’s north of Chaco and is a medium-sized ancient ruin located right in the nice little town of Aztec, NM. They have a good museum and exhibits and you can tour a reconstructed Great Kiva. https://www.nps.gov/azru/index.htm
Plus the city of Farmington and the Four Corners are not far away, and as long as you are there you might as well drive out a get a look at the amazingly scenic Shiprock (the rock Shiprock, not the town Shiprock).
Also NM has the best Mexican food in the US, IMO. Better than than what what we have here in San Diego. Be sure to order some sopapillas and eat them with honey. Also farther south there are the green chile burgers that NM is famous for. They are delicious too. https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-go/true-trails/culinary-trails/green-chile-cheeseburger-trail/
Tent Rocks is fabulous!
Don’t forget your passport. Haha
I was going to say Abiquiu Ghost Ranch, but I see someone already did. We went during trips to both Taos and Santa Fe. Tabletop Mesa or Kitchen Mesa or something like that was an awesome hike. Other hikes also good, but that is one of our all time favorites.
@sherpa Are you serious? I’ve seen a mention of a border patrol checkpoint somewhere in the area which said you need to have your passport if you’re not a U.S. citizen. I am a citizen but I do have an accent, should I worry?
@yucca10 - I’ve been to Chaco twice, both in the month of February. There were other people around but just a few. I can’t imagine it getting crowded! I think there will definitely be people around in Pueblo Bonita, maybe not in more distant areas.
The passport joke is regarding a clerk in a marriage office who wouldn’t let someone get a marriage license because she was convinced that New Mexico was part of Mexico, lol. There’s a thread about it somewhere.
@yucca
There are several immigration checkpoints in NM. One is on I-25 north of T or C near Elephant Butte, more than 100 miles from the US-Mexican border. More checkpoints are all along I-10 between the AZ and TX borders, and I-25 south of T or C.
I don’t think you need to be worried, but it might be wise to have your proof of citizenship with you. There have been issues with people with Hispanic and Native ancestry/appearance being detained for several hours by over zealous BP agents–though usually for people traveling north on I-25.
Tent Rocks is very cool. It’s a favorite hiking area for us.
If you’re into Billy the Kid, you could visit the Billy the Kid museum and his purported grave site in Ft. Sumner. There’s museum in Ft Sumner dedicated to The Long Walk of the Navajo, a genocidal forced relocation of the Navajo people by the US Army.
Or the site of Billy’s famous jail escape and the cattle wars in Lincoln. The Lincoln County Jail still stands and the adobe walls still bear the bullet marks from Billy’s escape. Depending on the date and weather, there are re-enactments of Billys’ escapades in Lincoln.
http://nmhistoricsites.org/lincoln
Roswell can be fun.
During spring break there will be people at Chaco. But it won’t be over-run. It’s long drive over bad roads to Chaco and the number of camping sites is quite limited. There are no hotels anywhere near Chaco so it’s day visit for most folks.
Aztec is a much smaller site/less spectacular that has been extensively rebuilt using new materials, but the site is right in town. (IMO, the encroaching town really take the ruins our of the context of the landscape.)
If you do go to Chaco, a couple of places you may want to check out.
The Navajo weaver’s Guild holds monthly rug auctions in Crownpoint.
https://fourcornersgeotourism.com/content/crownpoint-rug-weavers-association-monthly-navajo-rug-auction/fcae5076d3fc19294b79
Another site on the way back from Chaco to San Ysidro–Cabezon Peak. Its an ancient volcanic plug. A column of basalt that used to be inside a volcano. You can climb to the top without equipment, despite what the state website says (My kids scrambled up in middle school). The bigger danger might be the rattlesnakes sunning in th boulder field surrounding the base of the peak. (But if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you.)
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-mexico/cabezon-peak
Have you been to the Catwalk in the Gila? It’s windy steel platform that takes hikers up Whitewater Canyon. It’s less “exciting” now that it’s been rebuilt. The first time I hiked it it was made of real boards and had some pretty scary gaps you had to navigate around.
https://www.newmexico.org/places-to-go/regions-cities/southwest/catwalk/
If you do head into the Gila, beside the Catwalk, you should stop at Gila Cliff dwellings.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/travelamericancultures/index.htm
Short hike, impressive ruins.
And if you’ll be traveling late April - early May and are in SW part of NM, there’s the Tour of Gila. It’s a pro-level 5 day road cycling race. Plenty of professional and high level amateur cyclists use it a early season training ride for the Tour d’ France.
The Tour leaves from Silver City.
If you are into Atomic Bomb history you can visit Los Alamos. The plateau is beautiful and museums are interesting. Plus there is an interesting canyon nearby with Indian caves and nice hiking - Bandelier National Monument.
Los Alamos is fantastic for science people like ourselves. No need to be into or even like atomic bomb history- just the history of a lot of science is fun. Plus the living conditions, what wives did not know and all the other secrecy measures.
Do you have a driver’s license with a gold star on it? They probably won’t ask to see it but it is fine.
My daughter has been stop a couple of times. They ask if she is a citizen, she says yes, and that’s it. She’s Chinese and can appear to be Hispanic, but no problems.
I think the comment may have been partly in jest as far too many Americans forget that NEW Mexico is a state.
What is a gold star on a driver’s license? Never heard of that. I’ll bet those Colorado car plates will be a clue as to your home.
We travelled from Wisconsin and (real) Indian H always has a nice brown tan from outdoor running. It was when I, the North European, was volunteering in son’s kindergarten class that the Spanish translator looked for the boys he was to translate for and his eyes settled on son. Nope, and he still knows no more Spanish now.
Look at your Florida license, @wis75. It has one. A gold star means that the license is REAL ID compliant, and that the state has checked that you are in the US legally. It can’t be use as a passport, but is the next best thing.To get our Florida Driver’s licenses, we had to have current passports or certified US birth certificates, several forms of ID (like a SS card), etc. We went with the passport.
A “Real ID” driver’s license.