Most outstanding natural views in New Mexico?
 

Hello. My wife and I are in our mid 30's and both love outstanding natural sightseeing. We love animals and plants(especially Agaves) and rock/mountain formations. Can anyone suggest the most awe inspiring sights in NM? We are staying in ABQ and plan on being on the road most of the trip. Thanks so much if you can suggest anything.
Regards

Curt

Taos - Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

http://virtualguidebooks.com/NewMexi...rgeBridge.html

NOTE: Check out the other amazing photos in the above site!


Between Santa Fe and Albuquerque - Tent Rocks
http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/rec...ent_rocks.html

Chaco Canyon

http://www.nps.gov/chcu/

Petroglyphs west of ABQ

http://www.nps.gov/petr/

Take the tram to top of Sandias just before sunset. {It gets cold up there, even in summer}. Bring a picnic dinner.


Taos Pueblo
Acoma Pueblo

I will also add this: the zoo in Albuquerque is one of the best. I am sure you would rather see animals in their natural surroundings, but there isn't all that much to see in NM. The zoo is a gem and is small enough to see in a few hours and has enough to make it worthwhile. I love going there.

Hope these give you some ideas.

Deb

If you are going south of Albuquierque, I'll add to Debi's list:

I love the drive from Albuquerque to Las Cruces - all those mountains in the desert! Reminds me of an old Zane Grey novel <i>Riders of the Purple Sage</i>. The desert scenery is ever-changing.

In Las Cruces itself, especially off of Highway 70, there are these great views of the Organ Mountains.

On the other side of these mountains, you'll be on your way to White Sands National Monument - those white sands are really an incredible sight.

Then you cross some mountains near Ruidoso and Cloudcroft. Be sure to just take a look at the view from the window of the Inn of the Mountain Gods.

Further east are Carlsbad Caverns.

I hven't been back there for awhile, but the sunsets are really awesome.

One of the best views is to come into Albuquerque or Las Cruces from the west and see the sunset hit those mountains while the lights of the city twinkle below. Really really breathtaking.

Enjoy your trip! :)

La Ventana arch in El Malpais near Grant could be part of a day from Albuquerque(Albuquerque/Acoma city/El Malpais).
Erik

debitnm &amp; easytraveler have listed some of the most beautiful sites in NM. Second vote for all of them.

&quot;We love animals and plants(especially Agaves) and rock/mountain formations.&quot;

I'll tack on

City of Rocks State Park, cool hike:
http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/cityrocks.htm

We took a very interesting hike at Valley of Fire in Carizozo
http://www.geo.utep.edu/loca/Volcanos/VALLEY.HTML

Gila Cliff Dwellings, you can hike:
http://www.nps.gov/gicl

I've never been, but always wanted to see Bandelier NM:
http://www.nps.gov/band

White Sands &amp; Organ Mtns &amp; the drive up to Cloudcroft is nice. Great views from Cloudcroft of the desert and White Sands below.

Carlsbad Caverns is amazing if you like caves.

I would add White Sands National Monument to the list of other great suggestions

Wow, you guys/gals are awesome. Last night I was perusing the NM posts, so I recognize most of your names! Thank you so much!! I am including all your suggestions here to my itinerary. I am even considering an AZ jaunt to the Petrified forest/Painted Desert for one day (We are arriving in ABQ Thursday afternoon and leaving on Tues a.m.).

We will be staying in ABQ, but I may stay one night down in Las Cruces. Any nice, reasonable hotels that anyone can suggest there?

Again, thanks so much for the leads! Ooops. I meant to also what are your suggestion on what are the most outstanding NM restaurants (Mex and other) around. I saw the huge lists here, but I wondered which were the absolute best. Thank you all again!

Curt

Depends on what you like, but I especially enjoy Cafe Pasqual's and Geronimo, both in Santa Fe.

Thanks Lisa. Duly noted :)

I would absolutely agree with White Sands (quite a sight) and Bandalier (also quite impressive), though any of the above would be great. New Mexico is a beautiful state.

Here are travel journals and photos from my &quot;Southwestern Sojourn&quot; a few years back, much of which was spent in New Mexico: http://strick.net/travel/sw_toc.html

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Check out my new travel blog, STRICKLANDIA
Travel tips, news, deals, stories and more
www.stricklandia.com - updated daily!
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Thank you Raymond, Nice blog page! Definitely going to do the White sands!

To be honest, unless you have some overwhelming desire to go to White Sands, skip it. It is a long drive to get to and then it isn't all that much once you walk on the &quot;sand&quot; and slide down it once or twice. I went only once, while visiting my son at NMSU in Las Cruces. Even from there, it was quite a ride and we didn't stay more than 30 minutes. We found it underwhelming.

Not to knock Las Cruces or the Organ Mountains, but after awhile the mountains start to look a lot alike.

Perhaps think of some variation in what you do/see:

IF you want to travel that far, come to SW Colorado for a day at Mesa Verde National Park and see the cliff dwellings. They are unlike anything else. It is under 4 hour drive from ABQ. You could stay overnight and it would be well worth your time - a far better trip than to White Sands or Las Cruces.

http://www.nps.gov/meve/

Deb

The cliffs at Abique...you will recognize from Georgia O'Keefe's paintings...or go to Mesa Montosa near Ghost Ranch.

and if you would like an awe inspiring view INTO New Mexico, go to Mesa Verde (in SW Colorado) and stay at the Far View Lodge...from the roof deck one can see Shiprock in NM!

You've gotten a lot of good suggestions. I'll second Abiquiu (note the spelling in case you want to research it a bit more). Shiprock in NW New Mexico is pretty cool as well.

Lee Ann

Thanks LeeAnn- I knew it didn't look right and I tried several different spellings...

Hi Debs,

Thanks for your insight. I was only thinking that the white sands were a stark contrast to the mountains and other stuff usually seen there. I'll consider something else! Will look into Mesa Verde for shure :) Thanks again!

Mark- Thanks so much...will look into this! Regards\

Thanks Lee Ann :)

I appreciate everyone's pointers very much

Kurt

&gt;&gt;Thanks LeeAnn- I knew it didn't look right and I tried several different spellings... &lt;&lt;

No problem - I've lived in New Mexico for 21 years and I still have trouble spelling Albuquerque. In fact, I messed it up as I was typing it just now! :-))

Lee Ann

One of fave Santa Fe sights is a dish of charred tomato salsa at Ore House. Then, of course, there are the chips and margarita(s) that go with it. ;-)

Hi,
Everybody has mentioned a bunch of wonderful sights in New Mexico.

I've been there many times over the past 25 years, as I have in-laws there. One sight that actually gave me chills up my spine was Bosque del Apache. It's a nature reserve where hundreds of thousands of migrating birds winter. We were there at sunset, when all of those birds came back to the wetlands after being out feeding all day. There was a huge red sun setting and the silhouettes of the birds crossing it. It's still vivid in my mind, although it was seven years ago. However, I expect that the experience is best in the fall, and I'm not sure when you are going.
Also, if you do get down to the southern part of the state, do see Carlsbad Caverns. It IS a long drive, but there are lots of places to stop and explore on the way. If you go, see the bats leaving the cave at sunset -- park rangers give a good presentation.

DH and I were there just a month ago. We loved Bandelier NM [especially the climb to the ceremonial kiva], Tent Rocks [the slot canyon hike is well worth the effort] and the Rio Grande Gorge bridge. Each of these places has a unique feature. If you are headed west from ABQ, Acoma Pueblo is amazing.

ST

<b>One sight that actually gave me chills up my spine was Bosque del Apache</b>

Bosque is a great place to visit between mid-November and mid-March when wintering snow geese and sandhill cranes fill the ponds. Rest of the year, especially summer, it isn't very good as they drain the ponds. But if you can visit during the winter it's spectacular. Here are a few of our photos from a trip last year:
http://www.pbase.com/hilton_photography/bosque

Bosque is about 90 miles south of Albuquerque just off I-25.

Also, I see some like Deb are advising you to skip White Sands ... if all you would do is jump on a dune for 30 minutes then I agree, you should skip it (and save a dune for us photographers) :) But if you go early or late in the day it's incredibly beautiful. Here's a nice portfolio of White Sands images so you can get a sense of what it's like:
http://www.pbase.com/merriwolf/79th_camp_white_sands

Bill

Bill: Those are magnificent pictures. Thanks so much for sharing! :)

One question: is the road through the Bosque that looks parallel on the map, is this road paved?

I tried to drive through the Bosque once but the paved road ended and it became a dirt road so I didn't continue on without a 4-wheel drive.

Beachbum- Thanks- Will look for it!

Hi Isle- I will defintitely do the Bosque. White sands is a good possibility. Thanks so much!

Suzie- Will do all of these! Thanks :)

Bill- Thanks for the fantastic photos. The white sands are more beautiful than I imagined. I'm changing plans! Thanks again..!

Bill,
Those are magnificent pictures! I will take back my comments and can only wish that my eyes saw the things your camera captured.

easytraveler - Bosque del Apache is not the same thing as the bosque that parallels the Rio Grande River. Bosque del Apache is a National Wildlife Sanctuary located south of ABQ. Migrating sandhill cranes and snow geese and others use the marsh and ponds as they travel south in spring and north in winter.

http://www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/newmex/bosque/

This is a video of take off. We saw landing one winter night. It was amazing.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=nb7G9lfBz...eature=related

&quot;Bosque&quot; is that Spanish word for forest. It sounds like you might be talking about the woods that are on the banks of the Rio Grande [from Santa Fe to ABQ and beyond] which have lots of Cottonwood trees. There are walking/biking and horse trails along there.

Here's something a bit different that no one has mentioned -- VLA [Very Large Array]in Socorro. It is pretty out there

Deb

Hi Deb. Thanks a bunch for your suggs. I had a trip to the VLA planned should I go to the White Sands. Will do a report when I come back Tues!

kurt

<b>Bill: Those are magnificent pictures. Thanks so much for sharing</b>

Just want to say that those are Carol and my Bosque pics but the White Sands images are by Gordon W, not me ... we have a lot of good shots from White Sands from the old film daze but haven't scanned many. You have to be there early or late to get shots like those, mid-day the light is flat.

<b>One question: is the road through the Bosque that looks parallel on the map, is this road paved? </b>

There's a figure-8 loop, I think 14 miles total (you can just do half of it). It's not paved, it's hard packed gravel ... you don't need 4-WD, it's level all the way, even the family sedan is fine. A couple of the best ponds are off the paved road before the entrance station, so you can still do well there without driving off the pavement.

Just to stress that from mid-Nov thru roughly mid-March this is one of the top four birding spots in the USA, especially for photography, but in the summer months it's pretty dead as all the geese and cranes are in Alaska or Canada and most of the ponds are drained!

Bill

Wow - what a great wealth of info here. My son is working on a farm in Albuquerque (we're NYers) and I'm sending this to him - he loves nature, hiking, etc., but is new to the area.
Thank you!

Hi, Deb and Bill!

thanks for the links and the information!

I'm pretty certain it was the Bosque del Apache that I was trying to drive through - can't remember the exact month, tho.

As between Nov and Mar, is there a best month to go?

Also it looks like dawn and dusk are the best times. Is this correct?

Sorry that I got it wrong easy. The road through Bosque del Apache was drivable without 4x4 when we were there.

Yes, the times to be there are sunrise when the birds leave and sunset when they return. We saw the sunset and seeing ALL those birds come in for landings was amazing. You can see them off in the distance as they approach. It looks like a swarm and it getting bigger and noisier as they get closer. They land, then another group comes in right behind them. They land in ponds and the early ones are lucky - they have plenty of surface to land. The later arrivals really have to be precise as their is less and less surface.

There should be reports on the website with daily census to give you an idea as to when might be the best time to see the mose birds.

Deb

I have been fortunate enough to visit 43 of our wonderful states and to this point I consider New Mexico my favorite in regards to breathtaking scenery.

Gila Cliff Dwellings
Carlsbad Caverns
Route 152 from Silver City to I25
Route 380 from Picacho to Carrizozo

and

White Sands (simply spectacular)

Then, of course, there is the best place in the country to eat...Santa Fe!!

<b>As between Nov and Mar, is there a best month to go (to Bosque)?</b>

Probably last two weeks in November because it isn't as cold and most years the cottonwood trees are showing nice fall colors (yellow and orange). However there's a yearly Festival of the Cranes that attracts many people, so that weekend is crowded. Looks like in 2008 the Festival is Nov 18-23:
http://www.friendsofthebosque.org/aboutfestival.html

We like to be there the week of the full moon in both Nov and Dec.

Dec has no color (leaves have fallen) but more deer are active when the rutting starts. Februrary the pheasants are starting to fight for territory and are easy to see. Usually a lot more bald eagles since smaller streams have frozen up north. Basically the geese and cranes are there all those winter months.

<b>Also it looks like dawn and dusk are the best times. Is this correct?</b>

Usually before sunrise big flocks of geese will take off in a raucous mass fly-out, often circling around and landing repeatedly. This is unbelievable when you first see it. Then the cranes take off in small family groups once the sun comes up. Sunrise is no doubt the best time to see all this.

At sunset the geese and cranes fly back in to roost for the night but more in small groups rather than 20,000 taking off simultaneously like at sunrise. Those are surely the two best times to be there :)

Bill

<b>As between Nov and Mar, is there a best month to go (to Bosque)?</b>

Don't want to beat this to death, but here are two images taken at Bosque in Nov by Gayle Clement showing the fall colors I mentioned ... her entire Bosque portfolio is wonderful:

http://www.pbase.com/gpc/image/89482658
http://www.pbase.com/gpc/image/88966207

deb and Bill: many thanks again!

I'm bookmarking all your links and also have the Festival of the Cranes week marked on my calendar.

Bill, that photo by Gayle Clement is so breathtaking - it's those purple mountains in the distance as well as the fall colors.

Euclid - Agreed! New Mexico is so gorgeous. I think Route 152 should be driven from west to east to get the full effect - is this correct? I drove that route during chili festival time and those little towns in between all celebrating the great CHILI! :)

<i>One of fave Santa Fe sights is a dish of charred tomato salsa at Ore House. Then, of course, there are the chips and margarita(s) that go with it.</i>

http://tinyurl.com/6rdkth

Beachbum is so easy to please. But it <i>is</i> the best salsa in Santa Fe.

((h))

Haha. I'll check it out, thanks :0

hmm. url didn't work. try this one:

&lt;img src=&quot;http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p....jpg&quot;&gt;

:-D BeachGirl!

Bill, those are fantastic photos, both yours and the others you linked. Thanks for sharing them!

Curt, are you planning on coming here in the fall?

Lee Ann

I usually cringe when I see this word, but <i>YUM!!!</i> Thanks BeachGirl! Only a few more months....

Bill - your pictures of Bosque are compelling. I don't mean to hijack this thread - but those pictures are amazing, and make me want to take a trip back to NM.

Lee Ann- Just got back tonight! Will write up a summary tomorrow. I am beat from driving 2000 miles and getting sunburned :P. Bye,

Kurt