NM itinerary - too ambitious??
 

We haev only a week in NM in October. We plan to hit Aluquerque, Santa Fe and Carlsbad Caverns (is the ride too long to reasonably fit it in??). I am interested in the native American culture (maybe a pueblo or two), the mission churches, and of course some great scenery!!

This will be the first of hopefully many trips to the great southwest.....suggestions are welcome!!!

i've done that trip in 6 days but trust me (including Gila Ntl Monument), you don't really have time for much of northern NM which is where most of the beauty is (Taos, Jemez Spring, Abiqui Country, etc.) but if you do go to Carlsbad, make sure you make a stop at White Sands in Alamogordo.

lose the caverns.

I agree actually. The caverns are nice but I'd rather go north than travel that long road of pretty much nothing (except ruidiso and white sands) to see caverns.... And it was a loooooooong drive.

I say keep the caverns. I think they are the most impressive of the caves I've been to, which included Jewel Cave, Wind Cave, and Mammoth Cave.

You could go up to Chaco Culture NHP for a day out of Albuquerque.

You could go up to Bandelier NM out of Santa Fe.

Both are indian ruins. Chaco is futher away but worth the drive.

When we did this trip it took 9 days, we spent one night in Santa Fe (you probably would want to do more I'm guessing) and just the afternoon we flew into Albuquerque. However, included in those 9 days was two nights down in Big Bend NP in Texas, so it keeping it in New Mexico, should be fine in 7 days.

I would also recommend Lincoln County and White Sands NM on the way to or from Carlsbad as someone already said.

oh i agree, caverns are impressive but against all other sites you get to see up north, it is a dilema. It really depends on what you want to see and if you are willing to be driving most of your trip or spend more qualitly time in an area.

Interesting feedback, thanks! I guess it depends on how badly we feel we need to see the Caverns....to break up the ride I was thinking about doing 3 hours later one afternoon or evening, and only having the last hour and a half to do in the early a.m. I will have to think on this.

Thanks for the great suggestions for some of the Northern sites. It helps t have practical advice from people who have "been there, done that", so to speak.

The landscape fascinates me - I can't wait to see it in person. Do you suggest making a "home base" out of Santa Fe, and daytripping places from there?

I agree with those who say to keep the caverns for another trip.

In all of the times I have been to New Mexico, I have always wanted to go to Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands. We usually base out of Santa Fe, and in 7 days, we never have enough time there, let alone to get south of Albuquerque.

I agree...leave Carlsbad and White Sands for another trip and include some of the SW areas of NM[and you will make another trip, trust me!]. There is so much beauty in mid and northern NM at that time of year. Be sure to include Taos area. Taos Peublo is one not to miss. If you will be here in early October, be sure to see the Balloon Fiesta. It is a sight unlike anything else 700+ hot air balloons in an azure blue sky. And don't short change Albuquerque -- there's lot to do and see. Acoma Peublo is not far from ABQ and is quite unique and different from Taos. If you want to head south a bit, go to Soccorro and visit Bosque del Apache bird sanctuary, it is really amazing.

One last thing, I would not make my base in Santa Fe. I would stay in ABQ and work out of there. It is an easy hour drive to Santa Fe from there and under 3 hours to Taos. There are many more hotel options at more reasonable prices in ABQ. However, IF you do decide to stay in ABQ and it is during Balloon Fiesta time {Oct. 6- 15th} make hotel reservations now!

Hope this helps!

So, as you can see...there's plenty to do with out heading way down to Carlsbad.

Instead of basing out of a town, why don't you plan your days and have say a night in alb, 2-3 nights in santa fe, and a night in taos - or something like that. In that way, you are not driving that extra hour or so. From abq to santa fe is an hour. day trips from santa fe are usually an hour northwest or northeast (mostly northwest). taos is north. and north of taos are some sights too. So you see, if you base yourself out of abq, for example, you are wasting time (not to mention high priced gasoline) for about an hour or 2 each day if you base yourself out of the southern most part of your journeys. I've given many day trip advice for NM. If you want to see some suggested ones I made, click on my name and it will show you some of them.

Enjoy your trip!

These are all great suggestions - we have decided to delay the trip to the Caverns - we are certain we will be back another time.

I will explore a single home base (ABQ) and multiple stays ...I iwll let you know how things work out.

What are the dates of the balloon fiesta?? I can't quite decide whether to avoid it (my husband is not a huge fan of crowds)or if it will be worth the aggravation..... =)

This is NOT something you want to miss. Balloon Fiesta is Oct. 6- 15th Make hotel reservations now! I hate crowds too, and my first year living in ABQ I was worried about too many people. It is worth doing, you won't be sorry. They do mass ascensions in early morning [over by 9am] which leaves lots of time to do other things. There are also evening glows, which are very different. The special shapes ascension is really fun. And since the fiesta lasts for 10 days, the crowds do thin out during the weekdays. And who knows, you might even end up being on a crew and helping out and getting a ride!! [They always need help. There is a sign up on the website. ]

Check out their website for details.
http://www.aibf.org/

Consider where you're going to be travelling to. If you find most of what you want to see is north of Albuquerque, it might make more sense to stay in Santa Fe (or perhaps Taos) instead of in Albuquerque. Why drive an extra hour if you don't need to?

Last time we were in Santa Fe we rented a casita for a week. It was less expensive than a hotel or B&B, we had plenty of room for relaxing in the evening, and a kitchen for breakfasts (we're not big eaters in the morning). Seems like so many people don't even consider a place like this...

I agree. That's what I was saying. The most logical place to base out of is Santa Fe - not ABQ but if you like the drive an extra hour every day, then the road is yours!

Enjoy your trip either way. New Mexico is so beautiful, you will find yourself coming back again and again.

just my two cents...

I love NM! When I went there a few years ago I first stayed in Albq. for a few days. Found it to be seedy with a lot of characters hanging around, it wasn't very interesting either, except for an area around U of NM called Nob Hill, a funky enclave of boutiques and eateries. Although Albq. has the most hotels, they're not all that desirable, IMO. Next, took the scenic Turquoise Trail, Hwy. 14 leaving Albq. Highly recommended!! You'll pass Cedar Crest, Sandia Park and my favorite Madrid, a cool little town filled with interesting little shops run by artist's. You must stop off there. Then on to Santa Fe. Although I wasn't as crazy about it as I initially thought I was going to be, pricey and filled with too many tourist's, it did have some good restaurants, like Pasqual's. Excellent! Other than that, it was ok, better than Albq. But the biggest surprise was Taos, excellent inexpensive art and friendly people. If you go anywhere, definitely go to Taos pueblo. Also, go to the expansive Rio Grande Gorge bridge. 64 West, just outside Taos. One word, breathtaking!!

Warning: Call first before going to any pueblo's Why? Because sometimes they close early or are closed the entire day because of religious ceremonies. I learned that the hard way after traveling almost 100 mi. to Acoma just to find out it was closed. Even when I went to Taos Pueblo I paid $10 adm. just to find out an hour later it was closing early that day because of a religious ceremony. I was only there for about an hour and a half!

great advice - will definitely call aheadon the Pueblos. We will probably base out of Santa Fe and do a night or two away - perhaps the Taos area.

I don't think it's too ambitious, but also I agree in October there isn't a lot of point to the caverns. We were there in April, and really, there are no bats except in summer, and that's the big attraction. I did love White Sands, but that's far from where you'll be.

If your itinerary takes you close to the NM-CO border, visit Aztec, NM to see the Aztec Ruins National Monument...it would fit in with your interests.

Just putting my two cents in since I have been to all of the places mentioned except Carlsbad Caverns, which we will go to eventually since we just purchased a homesite in Las Cruces.
On our first visit to NM, we based in Santa Fe and we fell in love with New Mexico on that first trip the first night we sat on the balcony at the Ore House on the Plaza. The air felt wonderful and it was such a festive atmosphere with so many friendly people.
We have been to NM almost every year since for the past five or six and explored quite a bit of the state although we still have not seen everything. That will take a long time but that is part of the attraction. Everytime we go there, we want to go to all of the places we have been before and add a few new ones.
In Santa Fe, don't miss lunch at La Casa Sena and after dinner drinks at Vanessies piano bar. We also love the Coyote Cafe Cantina and Cowgirl Hall of Fame for eats and drinks in the evening.
Bandelier is very nice, the High Road to Taos is great, the Enchanted Circle is beautiful, Turquoise Trail is beautiful and fun.

We have also enjoyed Ruidoso, Cloudcroft area.
We plan to go back a couple of times between now and September to see how things are going in Las Cruces and also to vacation. This time we are going to explore the Gila Wilderness, Silver City area as well as try to hit ABQ and Santa Fe as usual.
We had a nice time in ABQ last summer at Old Town and going up the tram. Many people seem to put down ABQ, but there are lots of fun things to do there.

Certainly, since you are going in Oct., that should be a wonderful time with some of the fall colors and the balloon festival.

Thanks, once again!! Planning the trip IS half the fun....listening to all the good advice and adventures make me realize we cannot go wrong in NM. We are truly looking forward to this trip!! I will keep you posted.