Touring sw and se NM in the winter??
Jun 21st, 2009, 10:11 AM
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Touring sw and se NM in the winter??
HI, My DH and I are considering a trip to NM next year in late Feb. into Mar., any comments on the South of NM at this time of the year? We are from Michigan so the temps will probably be warmer than hee so not bothered by cooler weather ...
Jun 21st, 2009, 10:23 AM
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Just wondering about the average temps and if it will be decent traveling in regards to snow, rain etc .. and a good spot for staying to make day trips from. We are interested in the whole area south of Socorro ...
Jun 21st, 2009, 10:34 AM
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They don't usually get snow along the interstate down that far. If there is any, it melts fast. There can be snow at the higher elevations.
We are interested in the whole area south of Socorro ... That covers a pretty big stretch of land. There isn't a lot between Socorro and Las Cruces along the beaten path as far as places to stay.
Are you wanting to go to Bosque del Apache? It would be good to do that out of Socorro.
Deb
We are interested in the whole area south of Socorro ... That covers a pretty big stretch of land. There isn't a lot between Socorro and Las Cruces along the beaten path as far as places to stay.
Are you wanting to go to Bosque del Apache? It would be good to do that out of Socorro.
Deb
Jun 21st, 2009, 02:58 PM
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Thanks Deb, I know that is a large area just trying to give a general idea ... we may go up to Santa Fe but having never been there I can't be more specific. We really are not interested in larger cities on this trip, just touring the countryside to the sw and se. We are looking at flying into El Paso and starting from there ... if it is a lot cheaper to fly into Abq we will consider that too. I really know nothing about NM so sorry to be so vague ... have just heard that New Mexico has some amazing scenery and extremes.. desert, forest (rain?), mountains ....
Jun 21st, 2009, 03:04 PM
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I think flying into ABQ will prove to be easier and less expensive and offer way more flights than El Paso. Southwest is the best carrier into ABQ in terms of price, frequency etc. If you can, I would suggest trying their website.
Weather in ABQ, Santa Fe, Taos etc [northern NM] can prove to be tricky at that time of year - snow is possible, again, especially at elevation.
Deb
Weather in ABQ, Santa Fe, Taos etc [northern NM] can prove to be tricky at that time of year - snow is possible, again, especially at elevation.
Deb
Jun 21st, 2009, 03:35 PM
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You're not likely to get any rain that time of year. As Deb said, there will be snow in the mountains and across northern New Mexico. The southern NM mountains will also have snow, but the lower elevations will just be cold. 
The Very Large Array radio telescope is west of Socorro on Hwy. 60. We visited there about a month ago; there is an interesting self-guided walking tour. West of the VLA is Pie Town - hit one of the cafes there for a snack.
Deb mentioned Bosque del Apache; from there you can take Hwy. 380 east to Carrizozo and up the mountain to Lincoln (Billy the Kid history). Then you can head on down to Roswell and Carlsbad. This would be a great time to visit Carlsbad Caverns; the visiting hours will be shorter, but there should be fewer tourists around.
From Carlsbad, you can head west to El Paso, Las Cruces (this would be a good time of year for hikes around Las Cruces). White Sands National Monument, etc. Or you could go to Alamogordo (pretty good space museum there).
Truth or Consequences is off I-25 between Socorro and Las Cruces. It has hot springs and a burgeoning arts scene.
New Mexico is big enough that you can't just use one town as a base. If you give us some ideas on what you want to see, we can make recommendations on where to stay.
lee Ann
Lee Ann
The Very Large Array radio telescope is west of Socorro on Hwy. 60. We visited there about a month ago; there is an interesting self-guided walking tour. West of the VLA is Pie Town - hit one of the cafes there for a snack.
Deb mentioned Bosque del Apache; from there you can take Hwy. 380 east to Carrizozo and up the mountain to Lincoln (Billy the Kid history). Then you can head on down to Roswell and Carlsbad. This would be a great time to visit Carlsbad Caverns; the visiting hours will be shorter, but there should be fewer tourists around.
From Carlsbad, you can head west to El Paso, Las Cruces (this would be a good time of year for hikes around Las Cruces). White Sands National Monument, etc. Or you could go to Alamogordo (pretty good space museum there).
Truth or Consequences is off I-25 between Socorro and Las Cruces. It has hot springs and a burgeoning arts scene.
New Mexico is big enough that you can't just use one town as a base. If you give us some ideas on what you want to see, we can make recommendations on where to stay.
lee Ann
Lee Ann
Jun 23rd, 2009, 11:06 AM
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Guess I don't know how to say it any plainer ... we just want to spend a couple weeks or so touring SE and SW New Mexico .... all of it! If we need to stay in several different areas that's fine but never having been there how can I say what we want to see specifically ... we want to see it all and just wanted to know what the must sees might be ... honestly Carlsbad Caverns and Roswell are the only attractions I have heard about. My DH is claustrophobic so I probably won't be getting in a cave any time soon!! LOL I want to see them though and he will be happy to wait for me outside ...
Jun 23rd, 2009, 03:26 PM
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Carlsbad Caverns, IMO, isn't claustrophobic at all. There are no narrow places where he might feel confined on the Big Room tour or walking in from the natural entrance. You might want to call the park, though, and ask a ranger's opinion.
Lee Ann
Lee Ann
Jun 23rd, 2009, 03:47 PM
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You do know that El Paso is in Texas, not New Mexico, right?
There is much to see in New Mexico. It's just spread over lots of miles. Have you looked at any information on the web about New Mexico? The state tourism site and the Santa Fe site have lots of good information. Past posts here are available at the top of tis page and may be helpful, too.
If you are into art, I would not miss Santa Fe.
Socorro has the VLA near by if you are interested in space and science. And the Bosque del Apache is a famous bird sanctuary there.
Once you have some ideas please post again with specific questions and you'll find lots of help here.
There is much to see in New Mexico. It's just spread over lots of miles. Have you looked at any information on the web about New Mexico? The state tourism site and the Santa Fe site have lots of good information. Past posts here are available at the top of tis page and may be helpful, too.
If you are into art, I would not miss Santa Fe.
Socorro has the VLA near by if you are interested in space and science. And the Bosque del Apache is a famous bird sanctuary there.
Once you have some ideas please post again with specific questions and you'll find lots of help here.
Jun 28th, 2009, 10:05 AM
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Thank you Elendilpickle for and informative post, I can't imagine that it is so huge an area that we can't cover the lower third of the state in 2 - 3 weeks ....
Saige, of course I know El Paso is in Texas .. I will do further investigating on my own, thanks anyways everybody.... no need for further posting ....
Saige, of course I know El Paso is in Texas .. I will do further investigating on my own, thanks anyways everybody.... no need for further posting ....
Jun 28th, 2009, 03:46 PM
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In two or three weeks you can do ALL of New Mexico, since you could drive north-south on I-25 through all of NM in about 8 hours. It takes a bit longer to go east-west. I'd suggest expanding your exploration map to include all of New Mexico and perhaps parts of Arizona as well.
If you're flying into El Paso and you like steak, ask for the way to the Indian Cliffs Ranch Steak House in Fabens. It's about a half hour out of El Paso and you'd think you were driving further and further into no man's land, but it's the kind of place that I think of as a REAL Texas steak house. Go there for the sunset. Several Westerns were shot at this ranch. Indian Cliffs will get you into the mood for this part of the country.
If you prefer real Mexican food, try Barrigas on Sunland Park Drive.
http://www.guestlife.com/media/Guest...ANTS/Barrigas/
If you want barbeque, try Stateline which is on the other side of the freeway on Sunland Park Drive.
After having stuffed yourselves, spend the night in El Paso. Drive up to the Franklin Mountains and get a terrific view of El Paso-Ciudad Juarez.
Next morning, start out for Carlsbad Caverns very early because you want to make the 10am tour.
From Carlsbad Caverns you can head to Roswell, which really doesn't have very much to offer besides its legendary status.
Then head up to Cloudcroft and Ruidoso where there might be snow as you'll be getting into the mountains and the Lincoln National Forest, which will be quite different from the desert areas that you've been travelling through.
One of the more interesting places to see in Ruidoso is the Inn of the Mountain Gods:
http://www.innofthemountaingods.com/
You may want to spend the night in Ruidoso/Cloudcroft.
Coming down from Ruidoso, you might want to visit the Space Museum at Alamagordo, but definitely do not miss White Sands National Monument.
From White Sands, take Highway 70 into Las Cruces. Stay in Las Cruces. Visit old Mesilla. Drive out a bit to the Stahlman pecan farms. Dine in old Mesilla at the Double Eagle:
http://www.double-eagle-mesilla.com/
From Las Cruces, take I-10 heading west and go to Silver City. It's an old mining town. (You can guess from its name, right?) you can use Silver City as a base to explore the Gila National Forest, including the Gila Cliff Dwellings:
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/u...st/nm_gila.htm
http://www.nps.gov/gicl/
After you have explored the westernmost part of NM, take NM Highway 152 and cross the mountains from Silver City to the Caballo Reservoir on I-25. Now you are on the main north-south route for New Mexico.
You can explore all the way from here on up on I-25 to Albuquerque, including Socorro.
Spend some time in Albuquerque.
You'll find that DebitNM and Elendilpickle and others are among our treasured resources here on Fodors for New Mexico. Use them wisely. They can be a tremendous fount of knowledge for you on New Mexico.
From Albuquerque, definitely go north to Santa Fe and Taos. There's a lot written about these two places, so I will not go into further descriptions -there's Tent Rocks which was one of DebitNM's recommendations, there's Los Alamos, there's Abiquiu (Georgia O'Keefe territory), lots and lots to explore here, although you may run into some snow in February. I'll let DebitNM and Elendilpickle make the recommendations on this part of New Mexico. You can't go wrong following their recommendations.
Going around New Mexico with its rich Indian history, I also have to recommend crossing over into Arizona and visiting the Navajo Nation which has a great deal to offer, like the Canyon de Chelly.
Well, I hope this gives you some ideas to work with on planning your trip. It's a beautiful part of this country. Enjoy!
If you're flying into El Paso and you like steak, ask for the way to the Indian Cliffs Ranch Steak House in Fabens. It's about a half hour out of El Paso and you'd think you were driving further and further into no man's land, but it's the kind of place that I think of as a REAL Texas steak house. Go there for the sunset. Several Westerns were shot at this ranch. Indian Cliffs will get you into the mood for this part of the country.
If you prefer real Mexican food, try Barrigas on Sunland Park Drive.
http://www.guestlife.com/media/Guest...ANTS/Barrigas/
If you want barbeque, try Stateline which is on the other side of the freeway on Sunland Park Drive.
After having stuffed yourselves, spend the night in El Paso. Drive up to the Franklin Mountains and get a terrific view of El Paso-Ciudad Juarez.
Next morning, start out for Carlsbad Caverns very early because you want to make the 10am tour.
From Carlsbad Caverns you can head to Roswell, which really doesn't have very much to offer besides its legendary status.
Then head up to Cloudcroft and Ruidoso where there might be snow as you'll be getting into the mountains and the Lincoln National Forest, which will be quite different from the desert areas that you've been travelling through.
One of the more interesting places to see in Ruidoso is the Inn of the Mountain Gods:
http://www.innofthemountaingods.com/
You may want to spend the night in Ruidoso/Cloudcroft.
Coming down from Ruidoso, you might want to visit the Space Museum at Alamagordo, but definitely do not miss White Sands National Monument.
From White Sands, take Highway 70 into Las Cruces. Stay in Las Cruces. Visit old Mesilla. Drive out a bit to the Stahlman pecan farms. Dine in old Mesilla at the Double Eagle:
http://www.double-eagle-mesilla.com/
From Las Cruces, take I-10 heading west and go to Silver City. It's an old mining town. (You can guess from its name, right?) you can use Silver City as a base to explore the Gila National Forest, including the Gila Cliff Dwellings:
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/u...st/nm_gila.htm
http://www.nps.gov/gicl/
After you have explored the westernmost part of NM, take NM Highway 152 and cross the mountains from Silver City to the Caballo Reservoir on I-25. Now you are on the main north-south route for New Mexico.
You can explore all the way from here on up on I-25 to Albuquerque, including Socorro.
Spend some time in Albuquerque.
You'll find that DebitNM and Elendilpickle and others are among our treasured resources here on Fodors for New Mexico. Use them wisely. They can be a tremendous fount of knowledge for you on New Mexico.
From Albuquerque, definitely go north to Santa Fe and Taos. There's a lot written about these two places, so I will not go into further descriptions -there's Tent Rocks which was one of DebitNM's recommendations, there's Los Alamos, there's Abiquiu (Georgia O'Keefe territory), lots and lots to explore here, although you may run into some snow in February. I'll let DebitNM and Elendilpickle make the recommendations on this part of New Mexico. You can't go wrong following their recommendations.
Going around New Mexico with its rich Indian history, I also have to recommend crossing over into Arizona and visiting the Navajo Nation which has a great deal to offer, like the Canyon de Chelly.
Well, I hope this gives you some ideas to work with on planning your trip. It's a beautiful part of this country. Enjoy!
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