Visiting New Mexico for 6 days
 

I am having trouble coming up with an itinerary for my up coming trip to New Mexcio. The more I research and look the more I find I want to see and do. I understand New Mexico is a big state so looking for a bit of advice.

I will be there for 6 days and one half day if I count the day I arrive and not the day I leave. I will be flying into and out of Albuquerque. I will have my parents with me who are in their 60s & 70s. They are just looking for beautiful scenery that doesn't require too much hiking, etc. They are even happy sitting in a car or lookout while I walk/hike a bit. I do want to spend some time in Santa Fe and would like to see the White Sand Dunes and Carlsbad but I'm afraid this would be too much traveling in 6 days. Maybe I should just pick either north or south? My parents don't mind long car rides but I like to keep the car rides to 3-4 hours in one day. I know where ever we end up, I can find things to do but just don't want to spend all our time driving.

I was thinking of starting off in Albuquerque as the Sandia Tramway is only opened the weekend we get there and closed the weekend we leave. After that I am at a loss. I think I could end in Santa Fe as our flight out isn't until 12 pm. Once I have an idea of what areas/places to hit, I can start looking at hotels. I hope this is enough information to help me come up with a basic itinerary. Thanks.

I personally think north of Albuquerque is more scenic than the south of Albuquerque.

Carlsbad Caverns is definitely worth seeing but will your parents be going into the caverns at Carlsbad? If not, it's pretty much scrub brush as far as views above the caves go. The Guadalupe Mountains are scenic, but that's even farther south of Carlsbad Caverns.

We haven't done the Sandia Tramway but we've done the drive up Sandia crest. http://www.scenicdrivesusa.com/node/129


Utahtea

I just mapped it using google maps, and if your parents don't mind a lot of driving, it's doable.

Thinking aloud...

1/2 day and Full day 1 in ABQ = 2 nights in ABQ
Day 2 - drive to White Sands = 3.5 hours = night in Alamagordo
Day 3 - drive to Carlsbad = 3.5 hours = night in Carlsbad
Day 4 - drive to Santa Fe (via Roswell) = 4.45 (sorry, got to have a long day) = night in Santa Fe
Days 5 and 6 = Santa Fe as a base. Go to Taos. Go to Georgia O'Keefe's house in Abiquiu if you can get in the tour -
http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/abiquiu-tour.html

My parents will go into the caverns in Carlsbad if we go. They just aren't the typical hikers and I feel bad leaving them behind. My mom will walk a mile hike if I promise to go slow, my dad is iffy but might step it up a bit this time.

Thanks Starr's that doesn't look too bad. I didn't know if doing any one nighters would be cutting us short. For some reason this trip has me scratching my head. They won't mind a five hour trip as they love car rides. I just don't like them sitting for long periods of time which they will do so I make them stop a few times.

"I didn't know if doing any one nighters would be cutting us short."

I'm not following.

If it were me, I'd leave ABQ and do the 3.5 hour drive, look around White Sands and continue on to Carlsbad. The next morning, I'd do the caverns and then drive on to Santa Fe. That means all of that in 2 days but that would be two long driving days. That would be fine for me, but you said no more than 3-4 hours. The only way to eliminate long driving days would be to 1) eliminate the southern stops or 2) have more one nighters.

We only stopped in White Sands for an hour or so, because it was so darn hot. It wasn't much more than a drive-through visit. Did you tell us what time of year?

So...fast forwarding things would mean...
Day 2 - 7 hours of driving and a quick White Sands visit
Day 3 - cavern tour and 4+ hours of driving.
That means you start having full days with Santa Fe as your base.
Days 4, 5 and 6 - based in Santa Fe

Ah I got you now. We will be there beginning of April over Easter. I kept reading that Carlsbad was an all day thing. Maybe not? If we follow what you posted does it matter if arriving at White Sand Dunes and Carlsbad at 11-12 ish? White Sands I think would be a quick visit so not a big deal but a hour 7 hr car ride doesn't sound like fun especially if we can't leave the hotel early in the morning. I won't get into why that might be an issue.

"I kept reading that Carlsbad was an all day thing. Maybe not?"

How much are your parents able to do? The ranger-led hikes appear to be too strenuous for them -
http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/tour_schedule.htm

Here are the cautions regarding mobility issues -
http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm

Here's the info re self-guided tours -
http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisi...ided_tours.htm

Only you can decide what's appropriate for your parents. Keep in mind that it will be chilly in the caverns. Calling the park and speaking to a ranger may be helpful also.


The hours are 8 to 5, so no matter what time you get there in the morning/ day, you'll be out of there by 5pm.

If you left at 5pm, you'd be in Santa Fe around 10pm or you could spend the night somewhere along the way.

The other option is to spend two nights in a hotel in Carlsbad and if it's not appropriate for your parents, you could do the caverns and they could relax in the room during the day.

Yeah no the ranger led tour wouldn't be good. As much as I would love to see them get down and crawl, I don't think I could get my Mom up and my Dad would bail. They aren't handicapped just not as mobile as they were in their 20s or 30s. They are good sports when it comes to most things but do know their limits. For example, we didn't do the narrows at Zion but did some of the smaller trails. I will have to research the caverns a bit more so thanks for the information.

My 2 cents is that you all would be happier to travel in and around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. April isn't always the best month to visit, as it can be windy and that means sand and dust blowing.

Rather than having your parents sit in the car, I would plan on going places where they can get out and walk about with you. Or you can hike and have them explore Satna Fe on their own.

They may not think they don't mind spending hours driving and then sitting around a motel room ,but why do that when you can plan so that all of you get to do nice things.

Your original plan allows really for one day in Santa Fe and one in Taos. One in Taos is ok, but really, all those one nights constantly changing motels...gets old.

And really, White sands isn't all that worth doing. If you want to slide down the sand on a sled, maybe. And if your parents won't do Carlsbad, by not just skip south of ABQ?

" They are good sports when it comes to most things but do know their limits"

That's good that they are more mobile than not. Only you can decide if it's worth 7 hours to get there and 5 hours to get back up. My parents love road trips so they'd be up for it. We took two long road trips when they were 65 and 70 and they were happy playing cards for an hour or so when I was off seeing something I wanted to do. One of those trips was Seattle - Victoria - Vancouver - Calgary and when I flew out of Calgary I left a suggested plan with them. They put on THOUSANDS of miles on the rental van (brand new when we picked it up in Seattle) and I have no idea how they put that many miles on it during that second week. :-)

Another thing to consider is that the Carlsbad Day may be the fourth day of your trip. Sometimes "be still time" is welcomed on a busy trip.

There are no "right" answers, just what you can make work. If you'll regret not driving south to see the two things you want to see, talk to your parents and get their thoughts. I went to WS and CC on a road trip that began in NOLA and then we headed north through the American and Canadian Rockies - and then back "home" to the SE. I'll usually lean toward doing more on a road trip vs doing less, especially if you've had two nights based in ABQ and three nights based in SF.

I agree with Debit, save Carlsbad and White sands for another trip. One time when we went to White sands we had to wait a couple of hours because they were doing test flights or something.

The day you arrive, drive up to Santa Fe and use it as a base for several days. Do day trip up to Taos and another day trip to Bandolier from SF.

Head east on 4 to Jemez Springs, then south back to Albuquerque. Be sure to check out Vallez caldera when you go by. In Albuquerque, check out old town, take the tram up to Sandia peak if it is running, if not drive up the back side for wonderful views. Do a day trip over to Accoma pueblo.

See I just am not sure about going south. They have been to the pink sand dunes and Luray caverns although not the same but they liked it. I don't want to go all that way and regret it. I also don't want it to be too rushed either. My Dad would be happy in front of a TV sleeping but then why pay all that money for something he can do at home? I have to keep him a bit busy or that's what he will end up doing. It happened in California and my parents don't give suggestions. They tell me after what they didn't like. You've all given me things to think about so thanks.

Good luck. Only you can decide what works for those going on the trip. Happy planning!

I was working on something close to this very trip late last summer before a family tragedy intervened.

Can you fly into El Paso and out of ABQ? At the time I was ready to book, there were no or very minimal penalties for one way car rentals, and you don't have to backtrack. I was skipping Carlsbad in favor of Lincoln County and Ruidoso, but my northern NM interests were Santa Fe, Taos, San Ildefonso, Bandelier, Los Alamos, and Jemez, then back to ABQ in a loop.

I have been all these places before and can't get enough of them. If I had to leave the ocean, well, look out NM! I am in your parents' age group, broadly speaking.

My only question is whether or not the higher roads may still be closed by snow.

If the weather so far is any indication [and it likely isn't]; snow won't be an issue in April :( Been pretty little so far.

Biggest issue with flying into El Paso, well, is flying into El Pase. Cost and # of flights

The Carlsbad self-guided audio tour would be fine for your parents, I think, if it is something they would really like to see. Otherwise it is probably not worth heading south.

You will have lots of great scenery in the north, and I suggest taking the Turquoise Trail (State Road 14) between Albuquerque and Santa Fe instead of the Interstate on a day you have time to dawdle. Madrid and Cerrillos are neat old mining towns along the way. www.turquoisetrail.org

My two cents are, based on what you've said so far, skip the southern part of the state in favor of basing yourself in Santa Fe. There, you can kick off drives of varying distance, or stay in town for museums, galleries, food, shopping...and Dad can stay in the room occasionally if he must :-)

Not that you can drive up to Sandia Peak from Santa Fe and take the ski lift up and down, as well as or instead of taking the tramway there from ABQ.

I second jayne1973 suggestion on the Turquoise Trail. We really enjoyed Madrid.

Utahtea

I'm still thinking things over. There just is too much to see in so little time. I should have known you all would give me even more to see. Makes deciding even harder.

Our flight is locked in. We will be arriving and departing from Albuquerque. I did look at El Paso but the connecting flight times were worse and a lot more expensive. I was even thinking of canceling or finding another place but then found a price and times I would live with which also cut our trip short by a day.

No matter what you end up doing, it will be grand. It is so lovely here, you can't go wrong.

We've gone for 4-5 days a couple of times and I feel like we saw a lot, so it's true, it really will be grand no matter what you decide. Map out a few of the drives you'd like to do from Santa Fe--to me, there's a lot within a long day trip's time. Good luck!

I had a trip like that a couple of years ago. I like to take long road trips and drove from TN to NM. I began in Carlsbad, went to White Sands and then up to Taos. I had previously been to Santa Fe and the surrounding area so I did not return there. I spent one day at Carlsbad Caverns and one day hiking at Guadalupe Mountains Nat'l Park. Both nights I spent at Carlsbad Caverns watching the bats fly out. Pretty cool. I spent a day at White Sands and then another day at White Sands missile museum. On my way up from White Sand to Taos, I stopped for a couple of hours in Roswell at the UFO Museum. It was more interesting than I had thought. I don't find the drives bad because I think NM is beautiful. I hope you and your parents enjoy the trip.

Thank you dmrt. I decided last night I am going to try and do it all. I don't know if my parents will ever get another chance to visit. In all honestly, if our plans get messed up we will just go with the flow.

I am getting very excited now as all the comments here have helped so much. I like to take my parents some place new each year while they can travel. They never would go on their own and its my way of giving them a little something for all they have done for me.

Enjoy yourselves-- New Mexico truly is the land of enchantment!

" I decided last night I am going to try and do it all"

Good for you. Excellent attitude.

You may regret not doing it. Your parents seem flexible enough not to mind a couple of days of a lot of driving, especially when there are more days when you doing very little driving. Enjoy the trip!

ps - unsolicited advice = learn to be okay with dad staying still in the hotel room for a day if he wants. If you read the Europe board, you'll see lots of examples of folks who travel with others, part ways after breakfast and meet up again for dinner. Different folks have different travel styles and speeds. If he's ready for a quiet day, there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't mean you and your mom can't go off and have adventures. It may add a new/different/very nice component to your trip.

Just a note on Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands. We recently went to Carlsbad Caverns with a group. The younger and more active of us went on the self-guided tours, We did the King's Palace ranger led tour and it was perfect. The others were tired as it took longer and a lot more walking. We are in our mid 70's. The lodging in Carlsbad is outrageous due to the local mining. Be prepared to pay. We stayed at a Motel that should have cost $50, but they wanted $150. We paid $120 with AARP, but left after one night. It was terrible.

White Sands is one of my favorite places. You may not want to climb one of the bigger hills, but try for a smaller one. The views are breathtaking and endless. Also no matter how many times I go, I always watch the short film about the sands in the main building. If it fits your schedule, there are ranger led sunset walks that take about 30 minutes and end up at a picture perfect spot for sunset photos.

New Mexico is amazing. Enjoy your time here.

This is why I love fodorites. It's information like this that helps so much. Thanks everyone. I am taking and keeping all the advice and information into consideration while planning. I did see Carlsbad hotels are overpriced so looking at all options.

If you can be at Carlsbad for the evening bat flight, it can be quite spectacular.