11 Best Sights in Raton, Northeastern New Mexico

To reach Capulin from Raton, skip U.S. 64 and instead take NM 72 past Sugarite Canyon State Park, a stunning road that climbs up over Johnson Mesa, from which you have amazing 100-mi views north over the mesa into the plains of eastern Colorado. It's bare and flat up here, as though you're driving across a table straddling the Colorado–New Mexico border. About halfway across the mesa (15 miles from Raton), note the old stone church to your right, which was built by the early farmsteaders and has since been abandoned—it's a beautiful, lonely little building with a presence that illustrates the life of solitude the mesa's settlers must have endured.

Farther along on the right, a historical marker details the 1908 discovery of Folsom Man by George McJunkin, which established the existence of indigenous inhabitants in the area dating back some 10,000 years. The road trails down the eastern side of the mesa and leads into tiny Folsom. Here make a right turn south on NM 325 to reach Capulin Volcano, 6 miles away.

More retro 1930s and '40s than Victorian, 2nd Street—Raton's main commercial drag—also has a number of handsome old buildings. The pride and joy of the neighborhood is the Shuler Theater, a 1915 European rococo–style structure whose lobby contains WPA murals depicting local history. The Shuler is one of the few remaining stages where all sets, curtains, and scenery are hand-operated with hemp rope and wooden pulleys. On weekdays between 10 and 5 the staff will happily take you on a free tour.

Sugarite Canyon State Park, a gem of a park near the Colorado state line, has some of the state's best hiking, camping, wildflower viewing, fishing, and bird-watching ("sugarite" is a corruption of the Comanche word chicorica, meaning "an abundance of birds," and is pronounced shug-ur-eet). The road to Sugarite twists and turns high up into the canyon to Lake Maloya, a trout-stocked body of water from which a spillway carries overflow down into the canyon. From its 7,800-foot elevation hills rise up the eastern and western canyon walls where miners once dug for ore; you can still see gray slag heaps and remnants of the coal camp, which thrived here from 1910 to 1940, along portions of the park road near the visitor center (the former coal-camp post office) and down near the base of the canyon. The center contains exhibits on the mining legacy, and from here you can hike 1½ mi to the original camp.

Hikes elsewhere in the park range from the easy ½-mi Grande Vista Nature Trail to the pleasant 4-mi jaunt around Lake Maloya to the challenging Opportunity Trail. "Caprock" is the name given to the park's striking basaltic rock columns, which were formed millions of years ago when hot lava from a nearby volcano created the 10- to 100-foot-thick rocks. Climbing is permitted on these sheer cliffs, although it's not recommended for the faint of heart.

Garlands and female figureheads adorn the 1906 Abourezk Building, originally a drugstore, later a dry-goods and grocery store, and now the home of the Heirloom Shop.

From the crest of Capulin Volcano National Monument, elevation 8,182 feet, you can see four states: Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. To the southeast is the vast section of the Santa Fe Trail that includes the Cimarron Cutoff; to the west are the snowcapped Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Unlike much of the dry surrounding territory, Capulin has enough water to support an oasis of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. A narrow 2-mi paved road leads to the rim of the volcano; from there you can walk the final 0.2 mi into the extinct, and not especially dramatic, crater vent. (An easy-to-hike 1-mi trail circles the rim, so you can see it from different angles.) The cone of Capulin (the word is Spanish for "chokecherry"; these bushes are scattered across the area) rises more than 1,300 feet from its base. The visitor center has books, a brief video about the site, and interpretive exhibits.

In the early 20th century the Mission Santa Fe Depot, a 1903 Spanish Mission Revival structure, serviced several dozen trains daily (Amtrak still stops here).

The building houses both the Raton Arts & Humanities Council and the Old Pass Gallery, which presents exhibits of regional art, books, and jewelry.

The tiny storefront Raton Museum, inside the 1906 Coors Building (the beer manufacturer once used it as a warehouse), brims with artifacts of the coal camps, railroading, ranch life, and the Santa Fe Trail. The museum, which has a large and interesting photo collection, is a good first stop on a visit to the area. The docents enjoy explaining local history.

Southern California may have its "Hollywood" sign, but northeastern New Mexico has its RATON SIGN—and this neon-red beauty is completely accessible. From the north end of 3rd Street, head west on Moulton Avenue to Hill Street and follow signs along the twisting road to the parking area at Goat Hill. Here you can walk around the sign, take in 270-degree views of the countryside, or picnic while contemplating the history of Raton Pass—the original Santa Fe Trail ran up Goat Hill clear into Colorado.

Just down a couple of blocks from the train station, the Scouting Museum, devoted to all things Boy Scout, is a must-see for anyone planning a visit to Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron. Amiable curator Dennis Downing has amassed an exhaustive collection of scouting-related books, badges, films of old jamborees, buttons, and Boys' Life magazines.

The Wells Fargo Express Building, also designed in the Spanish Mission Revival style, was erected in 1910.