Need Help with Must Sees in New Mexico
#1
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Need Help with Must Sees in New Mexico
We are taking a three month RV trip through the southern part of the US. We will be driving from Tuscan, AZ to Las Cruces, Alamogordo, and Carlsbad, NM. We will be sure to see the famous sights along the way, but would appreciate your feedback on the little-known areas to be visited near our destinations. Our interestes are scenery, art, crafts and culture, history, bird watching, and experiencing the local cuisine. Any information you can provide would be most helpful.
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White Sands National Monument (morning is probably the best time)
If you are adventurous, consider doing the Wild Cave Tours in Carlsbad(they only allow 8 people per week-reserve ASAP). I've been to Carlsbad Caverns many times and thoroughly enjoy all the cave tours they offer. Do as many as you can.
Guadalupe is a National Park that is often overlooked. It is about an hour from Carlsbad. Hike Guadalupe Peak(the highest point in Texas).
There is a Campground (no hookups) in Guadalupe. There isn't one in Carlsbad Caverns. DO NOT even consider White's City for a meal or a camping spot. Worst place to stay or eat I've ever been to. Off the charts crazy bad.
Kartchner Caverns is another cave just outside of Tucson. We are doing that ourselves for the first time in about 2 months.
If you are adventurous, consider doing the Wild Cave Tours in Carlsbad(they only allow 8 people per week-reserve ASAP). I've been to Carlsbad Caverns many times and thoroughly enjoy all the cave tours they offer. Do as many as you can.
Guadalupe is a National Park that is often overlooked. It is about an hour from Carlsbad. Hike Guadalupe Peak(the highest point in Texas).
There is a Campground (no hookups) in Guadalupe. There isn't one in Carlsbad Caverns. DO NOT even consider White's City for a meal or a camping spot. Worst place to stay or eat I've ever been to. Off the charts crazy bad.
Kartchner Caverns is another cave just outside of Tucson. We are doing that ourselves for the first time in about 2 months.
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You don't say when you will be visiting, or how far off your route you are willing to venture, but for birding you should consider the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (a couple of hours from Las Cruces or Alamogordo). http://www.fws.gov/refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=22520
Near Alamogordo is the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot. http://www.nso.edu/visit
The NSO's sister facility, the Kitt Peak National Observatory, is located about an hour west of Tucson. http://www.noao.edu/outreach/kpvc/plan_trip.html You could visit one or both.
Lincoln Historic Site is about 1.5 hours from Alamogordo or Cloudcroft (it is a well-preserved 1880s village that is famous for its connection to Billy the Kid). http://www.nmmonuments.org/lincoln
If you do go as far as the Bosque del Apache, you might also want to visit the Very Large Array radio telescope west of Socorro. http://www.vla.nrao.edu
Near Alamogordo is the National Solar Observatory in Sunspot. http://www.nso.edu/visit
The NSO's sister facility, the Kitt Peak National Observatory, is located about an hour west of Tucson. http://www.noao.edu/outreach/kpvc/plan_trip.html You could visit one or both.
Lincoln Historic Site is about 1.5 hours from Alamogordo or Cloudcroft (it is a well-preserved 1880s village that is famous for its connection to Billy the Kid). http://www.nmmonuments.org/lincoln
If you do go as far as the Bosque del Apache, you might also want to visit the Very Large Array radio telescope west of Socorro. http://www.vla.nrao.edu
#7
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We will visit northern New Mexico on the way back. We've been to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, but plan to visit again. We haven't been to Taos so we will take that in on our return route.
#9
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With 3 months, I would think you would want the last half to be in the Northern mountainous area, where weather will be better.
BTW, I am planning on doing Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson. I debated and debated over it and Kitts. Not sure which one is best. Since, I'm only doing the one, I don't guess I'll know.
BTW, I am planning on doing Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson. I debated and debated over it and Kitts. Not sure which one is best. Since, I'm only doing the one, I don't guess I'll know.
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I think my original post was a bit confusing. Here's our itinerary: We will be making our way across southern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas from Sonora to Houston then through southern Louisiana, skirting along the gulf shore of Mississippi and Florida, across northern Florida to Savanna Georgia. Up the coast of South Carolina then into Kentucky for the bourbon trail, back through Tennessee to go to Nashville and Memphis. We'll make our way through Oklahoma, northern Texas, northern New Mexico (Santa Fe again!), northern Arizona then home to northern California.
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I totally agree with DebitNM about the swing up to Mesa Verde, then go west to Moab, UT for Arches and Canyonlands before you go back to Santa Fe and Albuquerque. If you have been to Santa Fe already, you might even consider continuing west through southern Utah and visiting, Capitol Reef, Bryce and Zion before heading for California.