New Mexico

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TRAVEL GUIDE

Santa Fe

Albuquerque

Today's smart traveler knows something special is afoot in this wonderfully diverse and charmingly quirky historic town hard by the Rio Grande

Taos

Taos casts a lingering spell. Set on an undulating mesa at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it's a place of piercing light and spectacular

The Plaza

Much of the history of Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Southwest, and even the West has some association with Santa Fe's central Plaza, which New

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

On the surface, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is deceptively normal—but all bets are off once visitors set foot in the elevator, which plunges

Railyard District

The most significant development in Santa Fe in recent years has taken place in the Railyard District, a neighborhood just south of the Plaza

Las Cruces

The Mesilla Valley has been populated for centuries. The Spanish passed through the region first in 1598 and continued to use the route to reach

Farmington

A rough-and-tumble, unpretentious town full of pickup trucks whose radio dials are programmed with country-and-western stations, Farmington

Old Town

Albuquerque's social and commercial anchor since the settlement was established in 1706, Old Town and the surrounding blocks contain the wealth

East Side and Canyon Road

Once a trail used by indigenous people to access water and the lush forest in the foothills east of town, then a route for Hispanic woodcutters

UNM/Nob Hill

Established in 1889, the University of New Mexico (UNM) is the state's leading institution of higher education. Its many outstanding galleries

Raton

Raton’s appealing setting at the foot of a lush mountain pass provides wide-open views of stepped mesas and sloping canyons from the higher

Gallup

With a population mix of Navajo, Anglo, and Hispanic—plus a Mormon influence, a strong presence of other tribes, and a richly intertwined culture

Downtown

Although Downtown doesn't have many formal attractions short of its anchoring arts scene, this neighborhood rewards those who take a closer

Plaza and Vicinity

Silver City

Silver City began as a tough and lawless mining camp in 1870, and struggled for a long time to become a more respectable—and permanent—settlement

South Side

The majority of Santa Feans live on the South Side, which encompasses a vast stretch of relatively level mesa land. What this largely middle

The High Road to Taos

The main route to Taos (NM 68, the so-called “Low Road”) is a quite dramatic drive if you've got limited time, but by far the most spectacular

Truth or Consequences

Yes, Truth or Consequences really did get its name from the game show of the same name. The show's producer, Ralph Edwards, suggested that a

Old Mesilla

Historians disagree about the origins of Mesilla (called both Mesilla and Old Mesilla), which in Spanish means "Little Table." Some say the

Ruidoso

A year-round mountain resort town on the eastern slopes of the pine-covered Sacramento Mountains, Ruidoso retains a certain rustic charm. Shops

Cimarron

As you approach Cimarron from the south or east, you can't help but notice a massive, grayish-white pinnacle perched atop the mountain at the

Old Santa Fe Trail and South Capitol

It was along the Old Santa Fe Trail that wagon trains from Missouri rolled into town in the 1820s, forever changing Santa Fe's destiny. This

West of the Plaza

Although most of Downtown’s commercial activity beyond the Plaza extends south and east, a handful of notable restaurants, shops, and inns do

Gila National Forest

The Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway (also referred to as the Inner Loop Scenic Drive ) snakes through 75 miles of some of the

Los Ranchos/North Valley

Many attractions lie north of Downtown, Old Town, and the University of New Mexico. Quite a few, including the Casa Rondeña winery and the Rio

The Turquoise Trail

The most prominent side trip south of the city is along the fabled Turquoise Trail, an excellent—and leisurely—alternative route from Santa

North Side

You’ll find some of Santa Fe’s prettiest scenery on the hilly north side of town, which extends from the Sangre de Cristo foothills (home to

Las Vegas

The antithesis of the Nevada city that shares its name, Las Vegas, elevation 6,470 feet, is a town of about 15,000 that time appears to have

Lincoln

It may not be as well-known as Tombstone, Arizona, or Deadwood, South Dakota, but Lincoln ranks right up there with the toughest of the tough

Alamogordo

Defense-related activities are vital to the town of Alamogordo and to Otero County, which covers much of the Tularosa Basin desert. Look up

Socorro

The town of Socorro, population about 9,000, traces its roots back to the earliest Spanish expeditions into New Mexico when explorer Juan de

Cloudcroft

Cloudcroft was established in 1898 when the El Paso–Northeastern Railroad crew laid out the route for the Cloud Climbing Railroad. The natural

Zuni Pueblo

Roswell

The true character of Roswell has been largely obscured over the last few decades by the brouhaha over UFOs. Rather than a hotbed of extraterrestrial

Portales

Along with neighboring Clovis, this farming and ranching community bills itself as the world's top producer of Valencia peanuts, a specialty

Chimayo

From U.S. 285/84 north of Pojoaque, scenic NM 503 winds past horse paddocks and orchards in the narrow Nambé Valley, then ascends into the red

Museum Hill

What used to be the outskirts of town became the site of gracious, neo-Pueblo style homes in the mid-20th century, many of them designed by

Aztec

The many Victorian brick buildings and quaint outlying residential blocks give charming Aztec, the seat of San Juan County, the feeling of a

Santa Rosa

A visually charming little town loaded with history, Santa Rosa also has the only body of water in the state—the Blue Hole—where divers can

South Side

El Morro National Monument

From Albuquerque, take Interstate 40 77 miles west to Grants, Exit 81, then turn south onto NM 53. Proceed 43 miles, past the lava fields of

Springer

A stroll under the shady oaks of Springer's main street is a journey into the past; if it weren't for the modern-day cars driving by, you might

Arroyo Seco

Navajo Dam

Navajo Dam is the name of a tiny town a few miles below Navajo Lake State Park, as well as the name of the dam itself. At the base of the dam

Tucumcari

Tucumcari is a tumbledown little town with intriguing early- to mid-20th-century architecture. Neat little houses on quiet, tree-shaded streets

Magdalena

Magdalena, population 300, enjoyed its heyday about a hundred years ago as a raucous town of miners and cowboys. It was once the biggest livestock

Elephant Butte

Carrizozo

Back when railroad crews began using this site as a supply center, the community that rose up was named after carrizo, the reedlike grass

Northeast Heights

In the Northeast Heights you are approaching the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, in upscale neighborhoods that surprise with the sudden appearance

Side Trips from Taos

The Enchanted Circle Century Tour takes place in mid-September. This popular bike rally loops through the entire 83-mile Enchanted Circle, revealing

Madrid

Abandoned when its coal mine closed in the 1950s, Madrid (locals put the emphasis on the first syllable: mah -drid) has gradually been rebuilt

Clayton

Clayton, which lies flat on the high prairie at an elevation of 5,000 feet, seemingly grew up out of nothing. Downtown is sleepy and sunny,

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Los Alamos

Look at old books on New Mexico and you rarely find a mention of Los Alamos, now a busy town of about 18,000 that has the highest per capita

Grants

The largest community on old Route 66 between Albuquerque and Gallup, little Grants has an intriguing museum and enough chain hotels and inexpensive

Bloomfield/Salmon Ruins

Fort Sumner

Besides its historic significance as one of the area's earliest military outposts and the place where Billy the Kid was killed, the town of

Jicarilla Apache Nation

Mora

Originally settled in 1835 by land grantees, Mora was seen by the Mexican government as a buffer between their territory and encroaching Americans

Abiquiu

This tiny, very traditional Hispanic village was originally home to freed genizaros, indigenous and mixed-blood slaves who served as house

Dixon

The small village of Dixon is home to a number of artists as well as a couple of the wineries that are helping put the northern Rio Grande Valley

Angel Fire

Named for its blazing sunrise and sunset colors by the Ute Indians who gathered here each autumn, Angel Fire is known these days primarily as

Quemado

Quemado (pronounced kay- ma -doh) means "burnt" in Spanish, and the town is supposedly named for a legendary Apache chief who burned his hand

Lincoln National Forest

West Side

Acoma Pueblo

Hatch

Hatch bills itself the Chile Capital of the World. And although chiles are grown elsewhere in the state—and some might argue taste just as good

Barelas/South Valley

The historic Barelas neighborhood, to the south of Old Town and Downtown, features the must-see National Hispanic Cultural Center. Otherwise

Pie Town

During the 1930s and ’40s, it was said that the best pie in New Mexico was served at a little café in Pie Town, a homesteading community just

East Side

South of Interstate 40 and the Northeast Heights, the East Side bridges the older and historic parts of Route 66 with pockets of newer development

Capitan

Capitan is famous as the birthplace and final home of Smokey Bear, the nation's symbol of wildfire prevention. The original bear concept was

Laguna Pueblo

San Patricio

Ranchers, farmers, artists, and others who appreciate the lush, green loveliness of the Hondo Valley live in San Patricio and the nearby villages

Peñasco

Although still a modest-size community, Peñasco is one of the "larger" villages along the High Road and a good bet if you need to fill your

Truchas

Truchas (Spanish for "trout") is where Robert Redford shot the movie The Milagro Beanfield War (based on the novel written by Taos author

Fort Union National Monument

Taos Pueblo

Artesia

Artesia got its name from artesian wells that were dug here in the late 1800s to tap the abundant water supply just below the ground's surface

Los Ojos

Los Ojos, midway between Tierra Amarilla and Chama, could well serve as a model for rural economic development worldwide. The little town has

Ice Cave and Bandera Crater

West Side

The fastest-growing part of Albuquerque lies on a broad mesa high above the Rio Grande Valley. The West Side is primarily the domain of new

The Santa Fe Trail

In the mid-19th century, this vast tract of grasslands and prairies, along with the eastern foothills of the Sangre de Cristo range, became

Santa Fe

Albuquerque

Today's smart traveler knows something special is afoot in this wonderfully diverse and charmingly quirky historic town hard by the Rio Grande

Taos

Taos casts a lingering spell. Set on an undulating mesa at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, it's a place of piercing light and spectacular

Las Cruces

The Mesilla Valley has been populated for centuries. The Spanish passed through the region first in 1598 and continued to use the route to reach

Farmington

A rough-and-tumble, unpretentious town full of pickup trucks whose radio dials are programmed with country-and-western stations, Farmington

Raton

Raton’s appealing setting at the foot of a lush mountain pass provides wide-open views of stepped mesas and sloping canyons from the higher

Gallup

With a population mix of Navajo, Anglo, and Hispanic—plus a Mormon influence, a strong presence of other tribes, and a richly intertwined culture

Silver City

Silver City began as a tough and lawless mining camp in 1870, and struggled for a long time to become a more respectable—and permanent—settlement

Truth or Consequences

Yes, Truth or Consequences really did get its name from the game show of the same name. The show's producer, Ralph Edwards, suggested that a

Ruidoso

A year-round mountain resort town on the eastern slopes of the pine-covered Sacramento Mountains, Ruidoso retains a certain rustic charm. Shops

Old Mesilla

Historians disagree about the origins of Mesilla (called both Mesilla and Old Mesilla), which in Spanish means "Little Table." Some say the

Cimarron

As you approach Cimarron from the south or east, you can't help but notice a massive, grayish-white pinnacle perched atop the mountain at the

Gila National Forest

The Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway (also referred to as the Inner Loop Scenic Drive ) snakes through 75 miles of some of the

Las Vegas

The antithesis of the Nevada city that shares its name, Las Vegas, elevation 6,470 feet, is a town of about 15,000 that time appears to have

Alamogordo

Defense-related activities are vital to the town of Alamogordo and to Otero County, which covers much of the Tularosa Basin desert. Look up

Lincoln

It may not be as well-known as Tombstone, Arizona, or Deadwood, South Dakota, but Lincoln ranks right up there with the toughest of the tough

Roswell

The true character of Roswell has been largely obscured over the last few decades by the brouhaha over UFOs. Rather than a hotbed of extraterrestrial

Cloudcroft

Cloudcroft was established in 1898 when the El Paso–Northeastern Railroad crew laid out the route for the Cloud Climbing Railroad. The natural

Zuni Pueblo

Socorro

The town of Socorro, population about 9,000, traces its roots back to the earliest Spanish expeditions into New Mexico when explorer Juan de

Chimayo

From U.S. 285/84 north of Pojoaque, scenic NM 503 winds past horse paddocks and orchards in the narrow Nambé Valley, then ascends into the red

Portales

Along with neighboring Clovis, this farming and ranching community bills itself as the world's top producer of Valencia peanuts, a specialty

Santa Rosa

A visually charming little town loaded with history, Santa Rosa also has the only body of water in the state—the Blue Hole—where divers can

Aztec

The many Victorian brick buildings and quaint outlying residential blocks give charming Aztec, the seat of San Juan County, the feeling of a

Magdalena

Magdalena, population 300, enjoyed its heyday about a hundred years ago as a raucous town of miners and cowboys. It was once the biggest livestock

Springer

A stroll under the shady oaks of Springer's main street is a journey into the past; if it weren't for the modern-day cars driving by, you might

Madrid

Abandoned when its coal mine closed in the 1950s, Madrid (locals put the emphasis on the first syllable: mah -drid) has gradually been rebuilt

Chaco Culture National Historical Park

Elephant Butte

Clayton

Clayton, which lies flat on the high prairie at an elevation of 5,000 feet, seemingly grew up out of nothing. Downtown is sleepy and sunny,

Tucumcari

Tucumcari is a tumbledown little town with intriguing early- to mid-20th-century architecture. Neat little houses on quiet, tree-shaded streets

Carrizozo

Back when railroad crews began using this site as a supply center, the community that rose up was named after carrizo, the reedlike grass

Mora

Originally settled in 1835 by land grantees, Mora was seen by the Mexican government as a buffer between their territory and encroaching Americans

Los Alamos

Look at old books on New Mexico and you rarely find a mention of Los Alamos, now a busy town of about 18,000 that has the highest per capita

Grants

The largest community on old Route 66 between Albuquerque and Gallup, little Grants has an intriguing museum and enough chain hotels and inexpensive

Fort Sumner

Besides its historic significance as one of the area's earliest military outposts and the place where Billy the Kid was killed, the town of

Dixon

The small village of Dixon is home to a number of artists as well as a couple of the wineries that are helping put the northern Rio Grande Valley

Quemado

Quemado (pronounced kay- ma -doh) means "burnt" in Spanish, and the town is supposedly named for a legendary Apache chief who burned his hand

Acoma Pueblo

Lincoln National Forest

Hatch

Hatch bills itself the Chile Capital of the World. And although chiles are grown elsewhere in the state—and some might argue taste just as good

Capitan

Capitan is famous as the birthplace and final home of Smokey Bear, the nation's symbol of wildfire prevention. The original bear concept was

Truchas

Truchas (Spanish for "trout") is where Robert Redford shot the movie The Milagro Beanfield War (based on the novel written by Taos author

Laguna Pueblo

Pie Town

During the 1930s and ’40s, it was said that the best pie in New Mexico was served at a little café in Pie Town, a homesteading community just

Peñasco

Although still a modest-size community, Peñasco is one of the "larger" villages along the High Road and a good bet if you need to fill your

San Patricio

Ranchers, farmers, artists, and others who appreciate the lush, green loveliness of the Hondo Valley live in San Patricio and the nearby villages

Artesia

Artesia got its name from artesian wells that were dug here in the late 1800s to tap the abundant water supply just below the ground's surface

Southwestern New Mexico

Calling southwestern New Mexico a borderland may seem a bit obvious, but it is one in the broadest possible sense. The proximity of Mexico is

Northwestern New Mexico

When you catch a New Mexican glibly saying they are "on Indian time," they're referring to a certain relaxed approach to schedules and numbers

Southeastern New Mexico

Southeastern New Mexico retains a delicious feeling of wildness. The nearest interstate is generally as far as 200 miles away, and with few

Northeastern New Mexico

You'll battle neither crowds nor hype in northeastern New Mexico, one of the most underrated sections of the state, and an area well worth exploring

Day Trips from Santa Fe

Santa Fe makes a great base for exploring the entire North-central Rio Grande Valley, a region rich in Spanish-colonial and Native American

Outside Carlsbad Caverns National Park

On the Pecos River, with 3 miles of beaches, lawns, and picturesque riverside pathways, Carlsbad, New Mexico, seems suspended between the

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

On the surface, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is deceptively normal—but all bets are off once visitors set foot in the elevator, which plunges

El Morro National Monument

From Albuquerque, take Interstate 40 77 miles west to Grants, Exit 81, then turn south onto NM 53. Proceed 43 miles, past the lava fields of

Fort Union National Monument