Southwestern Utah
Locals call it ‘color country,’ but the cutesy label hardly does justice to the eye-popping hues that saturate the landscape. The deep-crimson canyons of Zion, the delicate pink-and-orange minarets at Bryce Canyon, the swirling yellow-white domes of Capitol Reef – the land is so spectacular that it encompasses three national parks and the gigantic Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM).
This section is organized roughly northeast to southwest, following the highly scenic Hwy 12 and Hwy 89 from Capitol Reef National Park to Zion National Park and St George.
CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK
Not as crowded as its fellow parks but equally scenic, Capitol Reef (www.nps.gov/care; cnr Hwy 24 & Scenic Dr; admission free, scenic drive per vehicle $5; 
24hr, visitor center & scenic drive 8am-6pm Apr-Oct, to 4:30pm Nov-Mar) contains much of the 100-mile Waterpocket Fold, created 65 million years ago when the earth’s surface buckled up and folded, exposing a cross-section of geologic history that is downright painterly in its colorful intensity. Hwy 24 cuts grandly through the park, but make sure to take the scenic drive south, which passes through orchards – a legacy of Mormon settlement. In season, you can freely pick cherries, peaches and apples, as well as stop by the historic Gifford Farmhouse to see an old homestead and buy fruit-filled minipies. Grassy, first-come, first-served tent & RV sites ($10) fill fast spring through fall.
TORREY
Just 15 miles west of Capital Reef, the small pioneer town of Torrey serves as most visitors’ base for sleeping and eating.
Ty Markham has done an exquisite job of bringing the spacious, 1914 Torrey Schoolhouse (
435-633-4643; www.torreyschoolhouse.com; 150 N Center St; r incl breakfast $110-115; Apr-Oct; 
) back to life as a B&B. Soaring ceilings hang over rooms decked out in dressed-down country elegance and gourmet breakfasts are organic. Western-themed Austin’s Chuck Wagon Lodge ( 435-425-3335; www.austinschuckwagonmotel.com; 12 W Main St; r $75-85, cabins $135; mid-Mar–Oct; 
) motel rooms are clean but basic, with sturdy furniture and lots of space. Grab supplies at the on-site general store.
Highly stylized Southwestern food such as turkey chimole (a spicy stew), Mayan tamales and fire-roasted pork tenderloin on a cilantro waffle draws visitors to Café Diablo ( 435-425-3070; 599 W Main St; mains $22-30; 11:30am-10pm mid-Apr–Oct) from across the state. Be sure to reserve ahead.
Wayne County Travel Council ( 435-425-3365; www.capitolreef.org; cnr Hwys 24 & 12; noon-7pm Apr-Oct) provides loads of information. Ask about area outfitters.
BOULDER
Though the tiny outpost of Boulder (www.boulderutah.com), population 188, is just 32 miles south of Torrey on Hwy 12, you have to cross Boulder Mountain to get there. The area is so rugged and isloated that a paved Hwy 12 didn’t connect through until 1985. From here, the attractive Burr Trail heads east as a paved road across the northeastern corner of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, eventually winding up on a gravel road to Capital Reef’s Waterpocket Fold and down to Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell. To explore area canyons and rock art, consider a one-day trek (child-friendly) with knowledgeable Earth Tours ( 435-691-1241; www.earth-tours.com; half-/full-day tours $75/100).
The small-but-excellent Anasazi State Park Museum (www.stateparks.utah.gov; Main St/Hwy 12; admission $5; 8am-6pm Jun-Aug, 9am-5pm Sep-May) curates artifacts and a Native American site inhabited from AD 1130 to 1175. Get information on area public lands inside the museum, at the GSENM Interagency Desk.
Plush rooms at Boulder Mountain Lodge ( 435-335-7460; www.boulder-utah.com; 20 N Hwy 12; r $110-175; 
) are nice enough, but it’s the 15-acre wildlife sanctuary setting that’s unsurpassed. An outdoor hot tub with mountain views is a particularly scenic spot to soak off trail-earned aches and bird-watch. The lodge’s must-visit Hell’s Backbone Grill ( 435-335-7464; Boulder Mountain Lodge, 20 N Hwy 12; breakfast $8-10, dinner $16-34; 7-11:30am & 5:30-9:30pm Mar-Oct) serves soulful, earthy preparations of regionally inspired and sourced cuisine. Book ahead.
Organic vegetable tarts, eclectic burgers and scrumptious homemade desserts at Burr Trail Grill & Outpost (Hwy 12 & Burr Trail Rd; mains $7-18; 11am-10pm Mar-Oct; ) rival dishes at the more famous restaurant next door. There’s a coffee shop and gallery too.
HIGHWAY 12
Arguably Utah’s most diverse and stunning route, Highway 12 Scenic Byway (http://scenicbyway12.com) winds through rugged canyonland on a 124-mile journey west of Bryce Canyon to near Capitol Reef. The section between Escalante and Torrey traverses a moonscape of sculpted slickrock, crosses narrow ridgebacks and climbs over an 11,000ft-tall mountain.
GRAND STAIRCASE-ESCALANTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
The 2656-sq-mile Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM; www.ut.blm.gov/monument; admission free; 24hr) covers more territory than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. It sprawls between Capitol Reef National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Bryce Canyon National Park. The nearest services, and GSENM visitor centers, are in Boulder and Escalante on Hwy 12 in the north, and Kanab on US 89 in the south. Otherwise, infrastructure is minimal, leaving a vast, uninhabited canyonland full of 4WD roads that call to adventurous travelers who have the time and equipment to explore. Be warned: this waterless region was so inhospitable that it was the last to be mapped in the continental US.
A 6-mile, round-trip trail to Lower Calf Creek Falls (Mile 75, Hwy 12; admission per vehicle $2), between Boulder and Escalante, is the most accessible, and most used, trail in the park. The 13 creekside tent & RV sites ($7) fill fast (no reservations).
ESCALANTE
This gateway town of 750 people is the closest thing to a metropolis for miles and miles. It’s a good place to base yourself – or to stock up and map it out – before venturing into the adjacent GSENM. The Escalante Interagency Office ( 435-826-5499; www.ut.blm.gov/monument; 775 W Main St; 7:30am-5:30pm mid-Mar–Oct, 8am-4:30pm Nov–mid-Mar) is a superb resource center with complete information on all area monument and forest service lands surrounding. Escalante is 65 miles from Torrey, near Capital Reef National Park, and 30 slow and windy miles from Boulder.
Escalante Outfitters & Cafe ( 435-826-4266; www.escalanteoutfitters.com; 310 W Main St; 8am-9pm; ) is a traveler’s oasis, selling maps, books, camping supplies, liquor(!), espresso, breakfast and homemade pizza and salads. It also rents out tiny, rustic cabins ($45) and mountain bikes (from $35 per day). Outfitter Excursions of Escalante ( 800-839-7567; www.excursionsofescalante.com; 125 E Main St; full day trips from $145) leads area canyoneering, climbing and photo hikes; its cafe was under reconstruction at the time of research.
Recommended lodgings:
Canyons Bed & Breakfast B&B $$
( 435-826-4747; www.canyonsbnb.com; 120 E Main St; r incl breakfast $125-135; ) Upscale, cabin-rooms surround a shady terrace.
Circle D Motel MOTEL $
( 435-826-4297; www.escalantecircledmotel.com; 475 W Main St; r $65-75; ) Updated, older motel with a friendly proprietor and a full-service restaurant.
Rainbow Country Bed & Breakfast B&B $
( 435-826-4567; www.bnbescalante.com; 586 E 300 S; r incl breakfast $69-109; ) Homey and relaxed B&B with a shared TV den.
KODACHROME BASIN STATE PARK
Dozens of red, pink and white sandstone chimneys highlight this colorful state park (www.stateparks.utah.gov; Cottonwood Canyon Rd; admission per vehicle $6), named for its photogenic landscape by the National Geographic Society. Twenty-four of the developed sites at the campground ( 801-322-3770; http://utahstateparks.reserveamerica.com; tent/RV sites with hookups $16/20) are available by reservation.
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK
The Grand Staircase, a series of steplike uplifted rock layers elevating north from the Grand Canyon, culminates at this rightly popular national park (www.nps.gov/brca; Hwy 63; 7-day pass per vehicle $25; 24hr, visitor center 8am-8pm May-Sep, 8am-4:30pm Nov-Mar, 8am-6pm Oct & Apr) in the Pink Cliffs formation. It’s full of wondrous sorbet-colored pinnacles and points, steeples and spires, and totem-pole-shaped ‘hoodoo’ formations. The canyon is actually an amphitheater eroded from the cliffs. From Hwy 12, turn south on Hwy 63; the park is 50 miles southwest of Escalante.
Rim Road Scenic Drive (8000ft) travels 18 miles one-way, roughly following the canyon rim past the visitor center, the lodge, incredible overlooks (don’t miss Inspiration Point) and trailheads, ending at Rainbow Point (9115ft). From May through September, a free shuttle bus ( 8am-6pm) runs from a staging area just north of the park to as far south as Bryce Amphitheater.
The two campgrounds, North Campground ( 877-444-6777; www.recreation.gov; tent & RV sites $15) and Sunset Campground (tent & RV sites $15; late spring–fall), both have toilets and water. Sunset is more wooded, but has fewer amenities and doesn’t accept reservations. For laundry, showers and groceries, visit North Campground. During summer, sites fill before noon.
The 1920s Bryce Canyon Lodge ( 435-834-8700; www.brycecanyonforever.com; Hwy 63; r $135-180; Apr-Oct; ) exudes rustic mountain charm. Rooms are in modern hotel-style units, with up-to-date furnishings, and thin-walled duplex cabins with gas fireplaces and front porches. No TVs. The lodge restaurant (breakfast $6-10, lunch & dinner $12-40; 6:30-10:30am, 11:30am-3pm & 5-10pm Apr-Oct) is excellent, if expensive.
Just north of the park boundaries, Ruby’s Inn ( 435-834-5341; www.rubysinn.com; 1000 S Hwy 63; campsites $25-40, r $89-199; ) is a town as much as it is a motel complex. Choose from several Best Western lodging options, plus a campground, before you take a helicopter ride, watch a rodeo, admire Western art, wash laundry, shop for groceries, fill up with gas, dine at one of several restaurants and then post a letter about it all.
Eleven miles east on Hwy 12, the small town of Tropic has additional food and lodging.
CEDAR CITY & BREAKS
At 10,000ft, the summer-only road to Cedar Breaks National Monument (www.nps.gov/cebr; admission $3; 24hr Jun-Sep, visitor center 8am-6pm Jun-Sep) is one of the last to open after winter snow. But it’s worth the wait the amazing amphitheater overlooks rival those of Bryce Canyon. Nearby Cedar City (www.scenicsouthernutah.com) is known for its four-month-long Shakespeare Festival and an abundance of adorable B&Bs. The town is on I-15, 52 miles north of St George and 90 miles west of Bryce Canyon; the national monument is 22 miles northeast of the town.
KANAB
At the southern edge of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, vast expanses of rugged desert surround remote Kanab (population 3564). Western filmmakers made dozens of films here from the 1920s to the 1970s, and the town still has an Old West movie set feel to it.
The Kanab GSENM Visitor Center (www.ut.blm.gov/monument; 745 E Hwy 89; 8am-5pm) provides monument information; Kane County Office of Tourism ( 435-644-5033; www.kaneutah.com; 78 S 100 E; 10am-5pm, closed Sun Nov-May) focuses on town and movie sites.
John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and Gregory Peck are a few Hollywood notables who slumbered at the somewhat-dated Parry Lodge ( 435-644-2601; 89 E Center St; r $60-80; ). An old, brickfront building houses Rocking V Cafe (97 W Center St; mains 10-20; 5-10pm), where fresh ingredients star in dishes such as buffalo tenderloin and curried quinoa.
ELEVATION MATTERS
As elsewhere, southern Utah is generally warmer than northern Utah. But before you go making any assumptions about weather, check the elevation of your destination. Places less than an hour apart may have several thousand feet of elevation – and 20°F temperature – difference.
»St George (3000ft)
»Zion National Park – Springdale entrance (3900ft)
»Cedar Breaks National Monument (10,000ft)
»Bryce National Park Lodge (8100ft)
»Moab (4026ft)
»Salt Lake City (4226ft)
»Park City (7100ft)
ZION NATIONAL PARK
Entering Zion (www.nps.gov/zion; Hwy 9; 7-day pass per vehicle $25; 24hr, Zion Canyon Visitor Center 8am-7pm May-Sep, 8am-6pm Apr & Oct, 8am-5pm Nov-Mar) from the east along Hwy 9, the route rolls past yellow sandstone and Checkerboard Mesa before reaching an impressive gallery-dotted tunnel and 3.5 miles of switchbacks going down in red-rock splendor. More than 100 miles of park trails here offer everything from leisurely strolls to wilderness backpacking and camping.
If you’ve time for only one activity, the 6-mile Scenic Drive, which pierces the heart of Zion Canyon, is it. From April through October, taking a free shuttle ( 6:45am-10pm) from the visitor center is required, but you can hop off and on at any of the scenic stops and trailheads along the way. The famous Angels Landing Trail is a strenuous, 5.4-mile vertigo-inducer (1400ft elevation gain, with sheer drop-offs), but the views of Zion Canyon are phenomenal. Allow four hours round-trip.
For the 16-mile backpacking trip down through the Narrows (June to September only), you need a hiker shuttle and a backcountry permit from the visitor center, which usually requires advance reservation on the website. But you can get part of the experience by walking up from Riverside Walk 5 miles to Big Springs, where the canyon walls narrow and day trips end. Remember, in either direction, you’re hiking in the Virgin River for most of the time.
Reserve far ahead and request a riverside site in the cottonwood-shaded Watchman Campground ( 800-365-2267; http://reservations.nps.gov; Hwy 9; tent sites $16, RV sites with hookups $18-30) by the canyon. Adjacent South Campground (tent & RV sites $16) is first-come, first-served only. Together these two campgrounds have almost 300 sites.
Smack in the middle of the scenic drive, rustic Zion Lodge ( 435-772-7700; www.zionlodge.com; r & cabins $160-180; ) has 81 well-appointed motel rooms and 40 cabins with gas fireplaces. All have wooden porches with stellar red-rock cliff views, but no TVs. The lodge’s full-service dining room, Red Rock Grill (breakfast $10-15, lunch $8-20, dinner $15-30; 7am-10pm, hr vary Dec-Mar) has similarly amazing views. Just outside the park, the town of Springdale offers many more services.
Note that you must pay an entrance fee to drive on Hwy 9 through the park, even if you are just passing through. Motorhome drivers are also required to pay a $15 escort fee to cross through the 1.1-mile Zion-Mt Carmel tunnel at the east entrance.
SPRINGDALE
Positioned at the main south, entrance to Zion National Park, Springdale is a perfect little park town. Stunning red cliffs form the backdrop to eclectic cafes, restaurants are big on organic ingredients, and artist galleries are interspersed with indie motels and B&Bs. Many of the outdoorsy folk who live here moved from somewhere less beautiful, but you will occasionally run into a lifelong local.
In addition to hiking trails in the national park, you can take outfitter-led climbing and canyoneering trips (from $150 per half-day) on adjacent BLM lands. All the classes and trips with terrific Zion Rock & Mountain Guides ( 435-772-3303; www.zionrockguides.com; 1458 Zion Park Blvd) are private. Solo travelers can save money by joining an existing group with Zion Adventure Company ( 435-772-1001; www.zionadventures.com; 36 Lion Blvd). The latter also offers river tubing in summer; both have hiker/biker shuttles.
Springdale has an abundance of good restaurants and nice lodging options. The updated motorcourt rooms at Canyon Ranch Motel ( 435-772-3357; www.canyonranchmotel.com; 668 Zion Park Blvd; s $84-94, d $94-99, r with kitchenette $114-125; ) ring a shady lawn with picnic tables and swings.
From colorful tractor reflectors to angel art, the owners’ collections enliven every corner of the 1930s bungalow that is Under-the-Eaves Bed & Breakfast ( 435-772-3457; www.under-the-eaves.com; 980 Zion Park Blvd; r incl breakfast $95-185; ). Five flower-filled acres spill down to the Virgin River bank at Cliffrose Lodge ( 435-772-3234; www.cliffroselodge.com; 281 Zion Park Blvd; r $129-259; ).
Grab a coffee, breakfast burrito or turkey panini at Mean Bean (932 Zion Park Blvd; mains $4-10; 7am-5pm Jun-Aug, 7am-2pm Sep-May; ), a hiker-and-cyclist haven with a roof deck. Top-notch, seasonal meals at Parallel 88 ( 435-772-3588; Driftwood Lodge, 1515 Zion Park Blvd; breakfasts $10-14, dinner mains $28-40; 7:30-10:30am & 5-10pm) may include impossibly tender green-apple pork loin or a mile-high quiche. Gorgeous red-rock views are best appreciated at sunset; make a reservation.
The Mexican-tiled patio with twinkly lights at Oscar’s Café (948 Zion Park Blvd; breakfast & sandwiches $5-10, mains $12-20; 7:30am-10pm) and the Bit & Spur Restaurant & Saloon (1212 Zion Park Blvd; mains $13-18; 5-10pm) are local-favored places to hang out, eat and drink at.
The regional visitors bureau ( 888-518-7070; www.zionpark.com) does not have a physical office. Request a travel planner by mail or check online. A Springdale menu guide, available at local lodgings, comes out every spring.
POLYGAMY TODAY
Though the Mormon church eschewed plural marriage in 1890, there are those that still believe it is a divinely decreed practice. Most of the roughly 7000 residents in Hilldale-Colorado City on the Utah–Arizona border are polygamy-practicing members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (FLDS). Walk into a Wal-Mart in Washington or Hurricane and the shoppers you see in pastel-colored, prairie-style dresses – with lengthy braids or elaborate up-dos – are likely sister wives. Other, less-conspicuous sects are active in the state as well.
ST GEORGE
Nicknamed ‘Dixie’ for its warm weather and southern location, St George (population 88,001) is popular with retirees. This spacious Mormon town, with an eye-catching temple and pioneer buildings, makes a good stop between Las Vegas and Salt Lake City – or en route to Zion National Park.
St George’s first residents weren’t snowbirds from Idaho, but Jurassic-era dinosaurs. Entry to the Dinosaur Discovery Site (www.dinotrax.com; 2200 E Riverside Dr; adult/child $6/3; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat) gets you an interpretive tour of a 15,000-sq-ft collection of in-situ dino tracks, beginning with a video. At 7400-acre Snow Canyon State Park (www.stateparks.utah.gov; Hwy 18; admission per vehicle $5), 9 miles north of town, short easy trails lead to tiny slot canyons, cinder cones, lava tubes and vast fields of undulating red slickrock.
Nearly every chain hotel known to humanity is represented somewhere in St George. When events aren’t going on, lodging is plentiful and affordable; when they are, prices skyrocket. Best Western Coral Hills ( 435-673-4844; www.coralhills.com; 125 E St George Blvd; r incl breakfast $80-129; 
) is walking distance from downtown restaurants and historic buildings. Two lovely, late-1800 houses contain Seven Wives Inn ( 800-600-3737; www.sevenwivesinn.com; 217 N 100 West; r incl breakfast $99-185; ), a charming B&B with manicured gardens and a small swimming pool.
Homemade cupcakes are not all Twenty-five on Main (25 N Main St; mains $6-14; 8am-9pm Mon-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat) bakery-cafe does well. We also like the breakfast panini, a warm salmon salad and the veggie-filled pasta primavera. For something fancier, try the creative modern American mains at Painted Pony (2 W St George Blvd, Ancestor Sq; lunch $12-20, dinner $21-38; 11:30am-10pm Mon-Sat, 4-10pm Sun).
The Chamber of Commerce ( 435-628-1658; www.stgeorgechamber.com; 97 E St George Blvd; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) is the primary source for town info. Utah Welcome Center ( 435-673-4542; http://travel.utah.gov; Dixie Convention Center, 1835 Convention Center Dr; 8:30am-5:30pm), off I-15, addresses statewide queries.
GU Municipal Airport (www.flysgu.com; 4550 S Airport Parkway) has expanded service in recent years, with more to come. Delta ( 800-221-1212; www.delta.com) shuttles between Salt Lake City and St George several times daily; United Express ( 800-864-8331; www.united.com) has four weekly flights to-and-from Los Angeles. Taxis (downtown $15) and all the standard chain car rentals are available. Note that Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport, 120 miles south, often has better flight and car rental deals than Utah airports.
Greyhound ( 435-673-2933; www.greyhound.com; 1235 S Bluff St) departs from the local McDonald’s, with buses to SLC ($65, 5½ hours) and Las Vegas, NV ($29, two hours). St George Express ( 435-652-1100; www.stgeorgeexpress.com; 1040 S Main St) has shuttle service to Las Vegas ($35, two hours) and Zion National Park ($25, 40 minutes).
NEW MEXICO
It’s called the Land of Enchantment for a reason. The play of sunlight on juniper-speckled hills that roll to infinity; the traditional Hispanic mountain villages with pitched tin roofs atop old adobe homes; the gentle magnificence of the 13,000-foot Sangre de Cristo Mountains; plus volcanoes, river canyons and vast high desert plains beneath an even vaster sky – the beauty sneaks up on you, then casts a powerful spell. The culture, too, is alluring, with silhouetted crosses topping historic mud-brick missions, ancient and living Indian pueblos, chile-smothered enchiladas, real-life cowboys and a vibe of otherness that makes the state feel like it might be a foreign country.
The legend of Billy the Kid lurks around every corner. Miracle healings bring flocks of faithful pilgrims to Chimayo. Bats plumb the ethereal corners of Carlsbad Caverns. Something crashed near Roswell…
Maybe New Mexico’s indescribable charm is best expressed in the captivating paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe, the state’s patron artist. She herself exclaimed, on her very first visit: ‘Well! Well! Well!…This is wonderful! No one told me it was like this.’
But seriously, how could they?
NEW MEXICO FACTS
»Nickname Land of Enchantment
»Population 2 million
»Area 121,599 sq miles
»Capital city Santa Fe (population 68,00)
»Other cities Albuquerque (population 545,800), Las Cruces (population 97,600)
»Sales tax 5% to 8%
»Birthplace of John Denver (1943–97), Smokey Bear (1950–76)
»Home of International UFO Museum & Research Center (Roswell), Julia Roberts
»Politics a ‘purple’ state, with a more liberal north and conservative south
»Famous for ancient pueblos, the first atomic bomb (1945), where Bugs Bunny should have turned left
»State question ‘red or green?’ (chile sauce, that is)
»Driving distances Albuquerque to Carlsbad 275 miles, Santa Fe to Taos 71 miles
History
People roamed the land here as far back as 10,500 BC, but by Coronado’s arrival in the 16th century, Pueblos were the dominant communities. Santa Fe was crowned as the colonial capital in 1610, after which Spanish settlers and farmers fanned out across northern New Mexico and missionaries began their often violent efforts to convert the area’s Puebloans to Catholicism. Following a successful revolt in 1680, Native Americans occupied Santa Fe until 1692, when Diego de Vargas recaptured the city.
In 1851 New Mexico became US territory. Native American wars, settlement by cowboys and miners and trade along the Santa Fe Trail further transformed the region, and the arrival of the railroad in the 1870s created an economic boom.
Painters and writers set up art colonies in Santa Fe and Taos in the early 20th century. In 1943 a scientific community descended on Los Alamos and developed the atomic bomb. Big issues include water rights (whoever owns the water has the power) and immigration.
Information
Where opening hours are listed by season (not month), readers should call first, as hours can fluctuate based on weather, budgets or for no reason at all.
New Mexico CultureNet (www.nmcn.org) A great overview of the state’s contemporary cultural legacy.
New Mexico Magazine (www.nmmagazine.com) Good guide to the state with sections on destinations, diversions and comforts.
New Mexico Route 66 Association (www.rt66nm.org) Information on the famous path through the state.
New Mexico State Parks Division (www.emnrd.state.nm.us/prd; 1220 South St Francis Dr, Santa Fe) Info on state parks, with a link to camping reservations.
New Mexico Tourism Department ( 505-827-7400; www.newmexico.org) Order a free Vacation Guide, download a Scenic Byways map or research activities and accommodations.
Public Lands Information Center ( 877-851-8946; www.publiclands.org) Camping and recreation information.
SCENIC DRIVES: NEW MEXICO’S BEST
»Billy the Kid Scenic Byway (www.billybyway.com) This mountain-and-valley loop in southeastern New Mexico swoops past Billy the Kid’s stomping grounds, Smokey Bear’s gravesite and the orchard-lined Hondo Valley. From Roswell, take Hwy 380 west.
»High Road to Taos The back road between Santa Fe and Taos passes through sculpted sandstone desert, fresh pine forests and rural villages with historic adobe churches and horse-filled pastures. The 13,000ft Truchas Peaks soar above. From Santa Fe, take Hwy 84/285 to Hwy 513 then follow the signs.
»NM Highway 96 From Abiquiu to Cuba, this little road wends through the heart of Georgia O’Keeffe country, beneath the distinct profile of Cerro Pedernal, then passing Martian-red buttes and sandstone cliffs striped purple, yellow and ivory.
»NM Highway 52 Head west from Truth or Consequences into the dramatic foothills of the Black Range, past the old mining towns of Winston and Chloride. Continue north, emerging onto the sweeping Plains of San Augustin before reaching the bizarre Very Large Array.
Albuquerque
This bustling crossroads has a sneaky charm, one based more on its locals than big-city sparkle. The citizens here are proud of their city, and folks are more than happy to share history, highlights and must-try restaurants – which makes the state’s most populous city much more than a dot on the Route 66 map.
Centuries-old adobes line the lively Old Town area, and the shops, restaurants and bars in the hip Nob Hill zone are all within easy walking distance of each other. Ancient petroglyphs cover rocks just outside town while modern museums explore space and nuclear energy. There’s a distinctive and vibrant mix of university students, Native Americans, Hispanics, gays and lesbians. You’ll find square dances and yoga classes flyered with equal enthusiasm, and ranch hands and real-estate brokers chow down at hole-in-the-wall taquerias and retro cafes.
Albuquerque’s major boundaries are Paseo del Norte Dr to the north, Central Ave to the south, Rio Grande Blvd to the west and Tramway Blvd to the east. Central Ave is the main artery (aka old Route 66) – it passes through Old Town, downtown, the university and Nob Hill. The city is divided into four quadrants (NW, NE, SW and SE), and the intersection of Central Ave and the railroad tracks just east of downtown serves as the center point of the city.
Sights
OLD TOWN
From its foundation in 1706 until the arrival of the railroad in 1880, the plaza was the hub of Albuquerque; today Old Town is the city’s most popular tourist area.
American International Rattlesnake Museum MUSEUM
(www.rattlesnakes.com; 202 San Felipe St NW; adult/child/senior $5/3/4; 11:30am-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun) From eastern diamondback to rare tiger rattlers, you won’t find more types of live rattlesnakes anywhere else in the world. Once you get over the freak-out factor, you’ll be amazed not just by the variety of vipers but by the intricate beauty of their colors and patterns. Hopefully you’ll never see them this close in the wild! Weekday hours are a little longer in summer.
Albuquerque Museum of Art & History MUSEUM
(www.cabq.gov/museum; 2000 Mountain Rd NW; adult/4-12yr/senior $4/1/2, admission free 1st Wed of month & 9am-1pm Sun; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun) Conquistador armor and weaponry are highlights at the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History, where visitors can study the city’s tricultural Native American, Hispanic and Anglo past. Works by New Mexico artists also featured.
Also in the Old Town are San Felipe de Neri Church (built in 1793), ¡Explora! Children’s Museum (Click here) and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (Click here).
AROUND TOWN
The University of New Mexico (UNM) area has loads of good restaurants, casual bars, offbeat shops and hip college hangouts. The main drag is Central Ave between University and Carlisle Blvds. Just east is trendy Nob Hill, a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood lined with indie coffee shops, stylish boutiques and patio-wrapped restaurants.
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center MUSEUM
(www.indianpueblo.org; 2401 12th St NW; adult/child & student/under 5yr $6/3/free; 9am-5pm) Operated by New Mexico’s 19 pueblos, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a must for contextualizing the history of northern New Mexico. Appealing displays trace the development of Pueblo cultures, exhibit customs and crafts, and feature changing exhibits.
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History MUSEUM
(www.nuclearmuseum.org; 601 Eubank Blvd SE; adult/child & senior $8/7; 9am-5pm) Exhibits examine the Manhattan Project, the history of arms control and the use of nuclear energy as an alternative energy source. Docents here are retired military, and they’re very knowledgeable.
Petroglyph National Monument ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
(www.nps.gov/petr) More than 20,000 rock etchings are found inside the Petroglyph National Monument northwest of town. Stop by the visitor center (on Western Trail at Unser Blvd) to determine which of three viewing trails – in different sections of the park – best suits your interests. For a hike with great views but no rock art, hit the Volcanoes trail. Note: smash-and-grab thefts have been reported at some trailhead parking lots, so don’t leave valuables in your vehicle. Head west on I-40 across the Rio Grande and take exit 154 north.
Sandia Peak Tramway CABLE CAR
(www.sandiapeak.com; Tramway Blvd; vehicle entrance fee $1, adult/13-20yr & senior/child/under 5yr $20/17/12/free; 9am-8pm Wed-Mon, 5-8pm Tue Sep-May, 9am-9pm Jun-Aug) The 2.7-mile Sandia Peak Tramway starts in the desert realm of cholla cactus and soars to the pines atop 10,378ft Sandia Peak in about 15 minutes. The views are huge and that’s what you’re paying for at the restaurant at the top.
Activities
The omnipresent Sandia Mountains and the less crowded Manzano Mountains offer outdoor activities, including hiking, skiing (downhill and cross-country), mountain biking, rock climbing and camping. For information and maps, head to the Cibola National Forest office ( 505-346-3900; 2133 Osuna Rd NE, Albuquerque; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) or the Sandia Ranger Station ( 505-281-3304; 11776 Hwy 337, Tijeras; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri), off I-40 exit 175 south, about 15 miles east of Albuquerque.
Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway DRIVING, HIKING
Reach the top of the Sandias via the eastern slope along the lovely Sandia Crest National Scenic Byway (I-40 exit 175 north), which passes numerous hiking trailheads. Alternatively, take the Sandia Peak Tramway or Hwy 165 from Placitas (I-25 exit 242), a dirt road through Las Huertas Canyon that passes the prehistoric dwelling of Sandia Man Cave.
Sandia Peak Ski Area SKIING, CYCLING
( 505-242-9052; www.sandiapeak.com; half-/full-day lift tickets adult $35/50, teen, child & senior $30/40) Sometimes the snow here is great, other times it’s lame, so check before heading up. The ski area opens on summer weekends and holidays (June to September) for mountain bikers. You can rent a bike at the base facility ($48 with $650 deposit) or ride the chairlift to the top of the peak with your own bike ($10). Drive here via Scenic Byway 536, or take the Sandia Peak Tramway (skis are allowed on the tram, but not bikes).
Discover Balloons BALLOONING
( 505-842-1111; www.discoverballoons.com; 205c San Felipe NW; adult/under 12yr $160/125) Several companies will float you over the city and the Rio Grande, including Discover Balloons. Flights last about an hour, and many are offered early in the morning to catch optimal winds and the sunrise.
ALBUQUERQUE FOR CHILDREN
The gung-ho ¡Explora! Children’s Museum (www.explora.us; 1701 Mountain Rd NW; adult/under 12yr $8/4; 10am-6pm Mon-Sat, noon-6pm Sun; ) will captivate your kiddies for hours. From the lofty high-wire bike to the leaping waters to the arts-and-crafts workshop, there’s a hands-on exhibit for every type of child (don’t miss the elevator). Not traveling with kids? Check the website to see if you’re in town for the popular ‘Adult Night.’ Typically hosted by an acclaimed local scientist, it’s become one of the hottest tickets in town.
The teen-friendly New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science (www.nmnaturalhistory.org; 1801 Mountain Rd NW; adult/under 13yr $7/4; 9am-5pm; ) features an Evolator (evolution elevator), which transports visitors through 38 million years of New Mexico’s geologic and evolutionary history. The new Space Frontiers exhibit highlights the state’s contribution to space exploration, from ancient Chaco observatories to an impressive, full-scale replica of the Mars Rover. The museum also contains a Planetarium (adult/child $7/4) and the newly 3-D IMAX-screened DynaTheater (adult/child $7/4).
Tours
From mid-March to mid-December, the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History offers informative, guided Old Town walking tours ( 11am Tue-Sun). They last 45 minutes to an hour and are free with museum admission.
Festivals & Events
Gathering of Nations CULTURAL
(www.gatheringofnations.com) The biggest Native American powwow in the world, with traditional music, dance, food, crafts and the crowning of Miss Indian World. Held each April.
Zia Regional Rodeo RODEO
The New Mexico Gay Rodeo Association (www.nmgra.com) hosts this event during the second weekend of August.
International Balloon Fiesta BALLOONING
( 888-422-7277; www.balloonfiesta.com) In early October, some 800,000 spectators are drawn to this weeklong event. The highlight is the mass ascension, when more than 500 hot-air balloons launch nearly simultaneously.
Sleeping
Route 66 Hostel HOSTEL $
( 505-247-1813; www.rt66hostel.com; 1012 Central Ave SW; dm $20, r from $25; 
) Clean, fun and inexpensive, this place is simple and has a good travelers’ vibe. A kitchen, library and outdoor patio are available for its guests to use.
Andaluz BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$
( 505-242-9090; www.hotelandaluz.com; 125 2nd St NW; r $140-240; ) Albuquerque’s best hotel will wow you with style and attention to detail, from the dazzling lobby – where six arched nooks with tables and couches offer alluring spaces to talk and drink in public-privacy, to the Italian-made hypoallergenic bedding. The restaurant is one of the best in town, and there’s a beautiful guest library and a rooftop bar. The hotel is so ‘green’ you can tour its solar water-heating system – the largest in the state. You’ll get big discounts if you book online.
Mauger Estate B&B B&B $$
( 505-242-8755; www.maugerbb.com; 701 Roma Ave NW; r incl breakfast $99-195, ste $160-205; ) This restored Queen Anne mansion (Mauger is pronounced ‘major’) has comfortable rooms with down comforters, stocked fridges and freshly cut flowers. Kids are welcome and there’s one dog-friendly room complete with Wild West decor and a small yard ($20 extra).
Böttger Mansion B&B $$
( 505-243-3639; www.bottger.com; 110 San Felipe St NW; r incl breakfast $104-179; ) A friendly and informative proprietor gives this well-appointed Victorian-era B&B an edge over some tough competition. The eight-bedroom mansion, built in 1912, is close to Old Town Plaza, top-notch museums and several in-the-know New Mexican restaurants such as Duran’s Central Pharmacy (1815 Central Ave; cash only). The honeysuckle-lined courtyard is a favorite with bird-watchers. Famous past guests include Elvis, Janis Joplin and Machine Gun Kelly.
Hotel Blue HOTEL $
( 877-878-4868; www.thehotelblue.com; 717 Central Ave NW; r incl breakfast $60-99; ) Well positioned beside a park and downtown, the art-deco 134-room Hotel Blue has Tempurpedic beds and a free airport shuttle. Bonus points awarded for the good-sized pool and 40in flat-screen TVs.
Eating
Golden Crown Panaderia BAKERY $
( 505-243-2424; www.goldencrown.biz; 1103 Mountain Rd NW; mains $5-20; 7am-8pm Tue-Sat, 10am-8pm Sun) Who doesn’t love a friendly neighborhood bakery? Especially one with gracious staff, fresh-from-the-oven bread and pizza, fruit-filled empanadas, smooth coffee and the frequent free cookie. Call ahead to reserve a loaf of quick-selling green-chile bread. Go to the website to check out the ‘bread cam.’
Frontier CAFETERIA $
(2400 Central Ave SE; dishes $3-10; 5am-1pm; ) An Albuquerque tradition, the Frontier boasts enormous cinnamon rolls, addictive green-chile stew, and the best huevos rancheros ever. The food and people-watching are outstanding, and students love the low prices on the breakfast, burgers and Mexican food.
Annapurna INDIAN $$
(www.chaishoppe.com; 2201 Silver Ave SE; mains $7-12; 7am-9pm Mon-Sat, 10am-8pm Sun; 
) For some of the freshest, tastiest health food in town, grab a seat within the bright, mural-covered walls of Annapurna. The delicately spiced ayurvedic dishes are all vegetarian or vegan, but they’re so delicious that even carnivores will find something to love.
Flying Star Café DINER $
(www.flyingstarcafe.com; mains $8-11) Central Ave (3416 Central Ave SE; 6am-11pm Sun-Thu, 6am-midnight Fri & Sat) Juan Tabo Blvd (4501 Juan Tabo Blvd NE; 6am-10pm Sun-Thu, 6am-11pm Fri & Sat; ) With seven constantly packed locations, this is the place to go for creative diner food made with regional ingredients, including homemade soups, main dishes from sandwiches to stir-fry, and yummy desserts. There’s something here for everyone.
Artichoke Café MODERN AMERICAN $$$
( 505-243-0200; www.artichokecafe.com; 424 Central Ave SE; lunch mains $8-16, dinner mains $19-30; 11am-2:30pm Mon-Fri, 5-9pm Mon & Sun, 5:30-10pm Tue-Sat) Voted an Albuquerque favorite many times over, this place takes the best from Italian, French and American cuisine and serves it with a touch of class.
Drinking & Entertainment
Popejoy Hall (www.popejoyhall.com; cnr Central Ave & Cornell St SE) and the historic KiMo Theatre (www.cabq.gov/kimo; 423 Central Ave NW) are the primary venues for big-name national acts, local opera, symphony and theater. To find out what’s happening in town, grab a free copy of the weekly Alibi or visit www.alibi.com.
Satellite Coffee CAFE
(2300 Central Ave NE) Don’t be put off by the hip, space-age appearance. The staff is welcoming and seats are filled with all manner of laptop-viewing, java-swilling locals. There are eight locations scattered across town; also try the one in Nob Hill (3513 Central Ave NE).
Copper Lounge LOUNGE
(1504 Central Ave SE, 2nd fl) If a parking lot filled with pickup trucks spells the word ‘fun’ in your party dictionary, then pull over for the red-brick Copper Lounge, where baseball caps and cowboy hats sip beer, play pool and scope the ladies.
Kelly’s Brewery BREWERY
(3226 Central Ave SE) Grab a seat at a communal table then settle in for a convivial night of people-watching and beer-drinking at this former Ford dealership and gas station. On warm spring nights, it seems everyone in town is chilling on the sprawling patio.
Launch Pad LIVE MUSIC
(www.launchpadrocks.com; 618 Central Ave SW) Indie, reggae, punk and country bands rock the house most nights (though not at the same time). Look for the spaceship on Central Ave. Right next door is the El Rey Theater (www.elreytheater.com; 620 Central Ave SW), another longtime favorite for live music.
Shopping
For eclectic gifts, head to Nob Hill, east of the university. Park on Central Ave SE or one of the college-named side streets, then take a stroll past the inviting boutiques and specialty stores.
Palms Trading Post HANDICRAFTS
(1504 Lomas Blvd NW; 9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat) If you’re looking for Native American crafts and informed salespeople who can give you advice, stop by the Palms Trading Post.
Silver Sun JEWELRY
(116 San Felipe St NW; 9am-4:30pm) Just south of the plaza, Silver Sun is a reputable spot for turquoise.
Mariposa Gallery ARTWORK
(www.mariposa-gallery.com; 3500 Central Ave SE) Beautiful and funky arts, crafts and jewelry, mostly by regional artists.
IMEC JEWELRY
(www.imecjewelry.net; 101 Amherst SE) Around the corner from Mariposa, you’ll find more artistic fine jewelry at IMEC.
Information
Emergency & Medical Services
Police ( 505-764-1600; 400 Roma Ave NW)
Presbyterian Hospital ( 505-841-1234; 1100 Central Ave SE; 24hr emergency)
UNM Hospital ( 505-272-2411; 2211 Lomas Blvd NE; 24hr emergency) Head here if you don’t have insurance.
Internet Access
Lots of restaurants and cafes have wi-fi.
Main Library ( 505-768-5141; 501 Copper Ave NW; 10am-6pm Mon & Thu-Sat, 10am-7pm Tue & Wed) Free internet access after purchasing a $3 SmartCard. Wi-fi available for free but must obtain access card.
Internet Resources
Albuquerque.com (www.albuquerque.com) Attractions, hotels and restaurants.
City of Albuquerque (www.cabq.gov) Information on public transportation, area attractions and more.
Post
Post office ( 505-346-1256; 201 5th St SW)
Tourist Information
The Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau (www.itsatrip.org) has three visitor centers:
Downtown ( 505-842-9918; 20 First Plaza NW, cnr 2nd St & Copper Ave; 9am-4pm Mon- Fri)
Old Town ( 505-243-3215; 303 Romero St NW; 10am-5pm Oct-May, 10am-6pm Jun-Sep)
Sunport (Albuquerque International Airport) At the lower-level baggage claim.
Getting There & Around
Air
Albuquerque International Sunport (www.cabq.gov/airport; 2200 Sunport Blvd SE) is New Mexico’s main airport and most major US airlines fly here. Cabs to downtown cost $20 to $25; try Albuquerque Cab ( 505-883-4888).
Bus
The Alvarado Transportation Center (100 1st St SW, cnr Central Ave) houses ABQ RIDE ( 505-243-4435; www.cabq.gov/transit; 8am-5pm), the public bus system. It covers most of Albuquerque from Monday to Friday and hits the major tourist spots daily (adult/child $1/35¢; one-day pass $2). Most lines run until 6pm. ABQ RIDE Route 50 connects the airport with downtown (last bus at 8pm Monday to Friday; limited service Saturday). Check the website for maps and exact schedules. Route 36 stops near Old Town and the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Greyhound ( 505-243-4435; www.greyhound.com, 320 1st St SW) serves destinations throughout New Mexico.
Sandia Shuttle ( 888-775-5696; www.sandiashuttle.com) runs daily shuttles from Albuquerque to many Santa Fe hotels between 9am and 11pm (one-way/round-trip $25/45).
Twin Hearts Express ( 800-654-9456) runs a shuttle service from the airport to northern New Mexico destinations, including Santa Fe and Taos.
Train
The Southwest Chief stops daily at Albuquerque’s Amtrak station ( 505-842-9650; www.amtrak.com; cnr 1st St & Central Ave), heading east to Chicago ($194, 26 hours) or west through Flagstaff, AZ ($90, five hours), to Los Angeles, CA (from $101, 16½ hours).
A commuter line, the New Mexico Rail Runner Express (www.nmrailrunner.com), shares the station, with eight departures for Santa Fe weekdays (one-way/day pass $7/8), four on Saturday and two on Sunday, though weekend service will likely be discontinued. The trip takes about 1½ hours.
Along I-40
Although you can zip between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, AZ, in less than five hours, the national monuments and pueblos along the way are well worth a visit. For a scenic loop, take Hwy 53 southwest from Grants, which leads to all the following sights, except Acoma. Hwy 602 brings you north to Gallup.
ACOMA PUEBLO
The dramatic mesa-top ‘Sky City’ sits 7000ft above sea level and 367ft above the surrounding plateau. One of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in North America, this place has been home to pottery-making people since the later part of the 11th century. Guided tours (adult/senior/child $20/15/12; hourly 10am-3pm Fri-Sun mid-Oct–mid-Apr, 9am-3:30pm daily mid-Apr–mid-Oct) leave from the visitor center ( 800-747-0181; http://sccc.acomaskycity.org) at the bottom of the mesa and take two hours, or one hour just to tour the historic mission. From I-40, take exit 102, which is about 60 miles west of Albuquerque, then drive 12 miles south.
EL MORRO NATIONAL MONUMENT
The 200ft sandstone outcropping at this monument (www.nps.gov/elmo; adult/child $3/free; 9am-6pm Jun-Aug, 9am-5pm Sep-Oct, 9am-4pm Nov-May), also known as ‘Inscription Rock,’ has been a travelers’ oasis for millennia. Thousands of carvings – from petroglyphs in the pueblo at the top (c 1275) to elaborate inscriptions by the Spanish conquistadors and the Anglo pioneers – offer a unique means of tracing history. It’s about 38 miles southwest of Grants via Hwy 53.
ZUNI PUEBLO
The Zuni are known worldwide for their delicately inlaid silverwork, which is sold in stores lining Hwy 53. Check in at the visitor center for information, photo permits and tours of the pueblo ( 505-782-7238; www.zunitourism.com; 1239 Hwy 53; tours $10; 8:30am-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 10:30am-4pm Sat, noon-4pm Sun), which lead you among stone houses and beehive-shaped adobe ovens to the massive Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, featuring impressive kachina murals. The A:shiwi A:wan Museum & Heritage Center ( 505-782-4403; www.ashiwi-museum.org; Ojo Caliente Rd; admission by donation; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) displays early photos and other tribal artifacts.
The friendly, eight-room Inn at Halona ( 505-782-4547; www.halona.com; Halona Plaza; r incl breakfast $79; ), decorated with local Zuni arts and crafts, is the only place to stay on the pueblo.
GALLUP
Because Gallup serves as the Navajo and Zuni peoples’ major trading center, you’ll find many trading posts, pawnshops, jewelry stores and crafts galleries in the historic district. It’s arguably the best place in New Mexico for top-quality goods at fair prices. Gallup is another classic Route 66 town, with loads of vintage motels and businesses.
The town’s lodging jewel is El Rancho ( 505-863-9311; www.elranchohotel.com; 1000 E Hwy 66; r from $76; ). Many of the great actors of the 1940s and ’50s stayed here. El Rancho features a superb Southwestern lobby, a restaurant, a bar and an eclectic selection of simple rooms. There’s wi-fi in the lobby.
Visit the chamber of commerce ( 800-380-4989; www.thegallupchamber.com; 103 W Hwy 66; 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri) for details and events listings.
Santa Fe
Walking among the historic adobe neighborhoods or even around the tourist-filled plaza, there’s no denying that Santa Fe has a timeless, earthy soul. Founded around 1610, Santa Fe is the second-oldest city and oldest state capital in the USA. It’s got the oldest public building and throws the oldest party in the country (Fiesta). Yet the city is synonymous with contemporary chic, and boasts the second-largest art market in the nation, gourmet restaurants, great museums, spas and a world-class opera.
At 7000ft, it’s also the highest state capital in the US, sitting at the base of the Sangre de Cristo range, a conveniently fantastic place to hike, mountain bike, backpack and ski.
Cerrillos Rd (I-25 exit 278), a 6-mile strip of hotels and fast-food restaurants, enters town from the south; Paseo de Peralta circles the center of town; St Francis Dr (I-25 exit 282) forms the western border of downtown and turns into Hwy 285, which heads north toward Los Alamos and Taos. Most downtown restaurants, galleries, museums and sights are within walking distance from the plaza, the historic center of town.
Sights
Art enthusiasts coming for the weekend may want to arrive early on Friday to take advantage of the evening’s free admission policies at many museums.
Santa Fe
Top Sights
Sights
Activities, Courses & Tours
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking
Entertainment
Georgia O’Keeffe Museum MUSEUM
( 505-946-1000; www.okeeffemuseum.org; 217 Johnson St; adult/senior/child $10/8/free; 10am-5pm, to 8pm Fri) Possessing the world’s largest collection of her work, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum features the artist’s paintings of flowers, bleached skulls and adobe architecture. Tours of O’Keeffe’s house in Abiquiu (Click here) require advance reservations.
Canyon Road NEIGHBORHOOD
(www.canyonroadarts.com) The epicenter of the city’s upscale art scene. More than 100 galleries, studios, shops and restaurants line the narrow historic road. Look for Santa Fe School masterpieces, rare Native American antiquities and wild contemporary work. The area positively buzzes with activity during the early-evening art openings on Fridays, and especially on Christmas Eve.
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian MUSEUM
(www.wheelwright.org; 704 Camino Lejo; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun) In 1937, Mary Cabot established the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, part of Museum Hill, to showcase Navajo ceremonial art. While its strength continues to be Navajo exhibits, it now includes contemporary Native American art and historical artifacts as well.
Museum of New Mexico MUSEUM
(www.museumofnewmexico.org; 1 museum $9, 4-day pass to all 4 museums $20, under 16yr free; 10am-5pm Sat-Thu, 10am-8pm Fri, closed Mon winter) The Museum of New Mexico celebrated its centennial in 2009. It administers four museums around town:
Palace of the Governors HISTORIC BUILDING
(www.nmhistorymuseum.org; 105 W Palace Ave) On the plaza, this 400-year-old abode was once the seat of the Spanish colonial government. It displays a handful of regional relics, but most of its holdings are now shown in an adjacent exhibit space called the New Mexico History Museum (113 Lincoln Ave), a glossy, 96,000-sq-ft expansion that opened in 2009.
New Mexico Museum of Art MUSEUM
(www.nmartmuseum.org; 107 W Palace Ave) Just off the plaza, there are more than 20,000 piece of fine art here, mostly by Southwestern artists.
Museum of Indian Arts & Culture MUSEUM
(www.indianartsandculture.org; 710 Camino Lejo) On Museum Hill, this is one of the most complete collections of Native American arts and crafts – and a perfect companion to the nearby Wheelwright Museum.
Museum of International Folk Art MUSEUM
(www.internationalfolkart.org; 706 Camino Lejo; ) Also on Museum Hill, the galleries here are at once whimsical and mind-blowing – featuring the world’s largest collection of traditional folk art. Try to hit the incredible folk art market, held each June.
Also don’t miss:
St Francis Cathedral CHURCH
(131 Cathedral Pl; 8:30am-5pm) Houses the oldest Madonna statue in North America.
Shidoni Foundry GALLERY
(www.shidoni.com; 1508 Bishops Lodge Rd, Tesuque; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat; ) Five miles north of the plaza; outdoor sculpture garden, indoor gallery and on-site glass-blowing studio. On Saturdays, watch the artisans do huge bronze pours in the workshop ($2).
Loretto Chapel CHURCH
(207 Old Santa Fe Trail; admission $3; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10:30am-5pm Sun) Famous for its ‘miraculous’ spiral staircase that appears to be supported by thin air.
Activities
The Pecos Wilderness and Santa Fe National Forest, east of town, have more than 1000 miles of hiking trails, several of which lead to 12,000ft peaks. Summer storms are frequent, so prepare for hikes by checking weather reports. For maps and details, contact the Public Lands Information Center (Click here). If mountain biking is your thing, drop into Mellow Velo ( 505-995-8356; www.mellowvelo.com; 621 Old Santa Fe Trail), which rents bikes and has loads of information about regional trails.
Busloads of people head up to the Rio Grande and Rio Chama for white-water river running on day and overnight trips. Contact New Wave Rafting ( 505-984-1444; www.newwaverafting.com) and stay cool on trips through the Rio Grande Gorge (adult/child half-day $57/50, full day $95/85), the wild Taos Box (Click here) (full day $116) or the Rio Chama Wilderness (three days $525).
Santa Fe Ski Area SKIING
( 505-982-4429, snow report 505-983-9155; www.skisantafe.com; lift ticket adult/child $60/40; 9am-4pm) A half-hour drive from the plaza up Hwy 475, you’ll find the second-highest ski area in the USA. When the powder is fresh and the sun is shining, it’s as good as it gets.
10,000 Waves SPA
( 505-982-9304; www.tenthousandwaves.com; 3451 Hyde Park Rd; communal tubs $19, private tubs per person $29-49; 2-10:30pm Tue, 9am-10:30pm Wed-Mon Jul-Oct, hr vary Nov-Jun) The Japanese-style 10,000 Waves, with landscaped grounds concealing eight attractive tubs in a smooth Zen design, offers waterfalls, cold plunges, massage and hot and dry saunas. Call to reserve private tubs.
Courses
Santa Fe School of Cooking COOKING
( 505-983-4511; www.santafeschoolofcooking.com; 116 W San Francisco St) If you develop a love for New Mexican cuisine, try cooking lessons here. Classes, including traditional New Mexican and Southwestern breakfast, are typically between 1½ and three hours long and cost $70 to $98. The family course is fun for kids.
SANTA FE FOR CHILDREN
The newly expanded Santa Fe Children’s Museum (www.santafechildrensmuseum.org; 1050 Old Pecos Trail; admission $9, $5 Sun; 10am-6pm Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun; ) features hands-on exhibits on science and art for young children. There are daily programs tackling subjects such as solar energy and printmaking.
Santa Fe Southern Railway ( 505-989-8600; www.thetraininsantafe.com; 410 S Guadalupe St; ) runs excursions on restored railcars. Its four-hour trips (adult/child from $32/18), departing Saturdays at noon (with extra summer-only trains on Friday at 11am), venture through the high desert and are pulled by working freight trains. Shorter rides are offered on Sundays (year-round) and Wednesdays (summer). Reservations are recommended.
Festivals & Events
Santa Fe’s biggest festivals:
Spanish Market CULTURAL (WWW.SPANISHMARKET.ORG) In late July, traditional Spanish colonial arts, from retablos (paintings on wooden panels) and bultos (wooden carvings of religious figures), to handcrafted furniture and metalwork, make this juried show an artistic extravaganza.
Santa Fe Indian Market CULTURAL (WWW.SWAIA.ORG) Typically held the weekend after the third Thursday in August, this event draws the country’s finest Native American artisans to the plaza – and tens of thousands of visitors.
Santa Fe Fiesta CULTURAL
(www.santafefiesta.org) Two weeks of events in early September, including concerts, dances, parades and the burning of Zozobra (Old Man Gloom).
Sleeping
Cerrillos Rd is lined with chains and independent motels. There’s camping in developed sites in Santa Fe National Forest and Hyde State Park on Hwy 475, the road to the ski basin.
Santa Fe Motel & Inn HOTEL $$
( 505-982-1039; www.santafemotel.com; 510 Cerrillos Rd; r $89-155, casitas $119-169; ) It’s the aesthetic and technological attention to detail that make this downtown-adjacent motel a great pick. Bright tiles, clay sunbursts, LCD TVs and a welcoming chile pepper carefully placed atop your towels are just a few memorable pluses. Savor hot breakfasts on the kiva-anchored patio.
Silver Saddle Motel MOTEL $
( 505-471-7663; www.silversaddlemotelllc.com; 2810 Cerrillos Rd; r incl continental breakfast from $45; ) Shady wooden arcades outside and rustic cowboy-inspired decor inside, including some rooms with attractively tiled kitchenettes. For a bit of kitsch, request the Kenny Rogers or Wyatt Earp room. Probably the best value in town.
La Fonda HISTORIC HOTEL $$$
( 505-982-5511; www.lafondasantafe.com; 100 E San Francisco St; r $210-400, ste $430-800; ) Claiming to be the original ‘Inn at the end of the Santa Fe Trail,’ here since 1610, La Fonda has always offered some of the best lodging in town. The hotel today seamlessly blends modern luxury with folk-art touches; it’s authentic, top-shelf Santa Fe style.
El Rey Inn HISTORIC HOTEL $$
( 505-982-1931; www.elreyinnsantafe.com; 1862 Cerrillos Rd; r incl breakfast $99-165, ste from $150; ) A highly recommended classic courtyard hotel, with super rooms, a great pool and hot tub, and even a kids’ playground scattered around 5 acres of greenery. The inn recycles and takes a lot of green-friendly steps to conserve resources. Most rooms have air con.
Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground CAMPGROUND $
( 505-466-3482; www.rancheros.com; 736 Old Las Vegas Hwy; tent/RV sites $23/39, cabins $48; mid-Mar–Oct; ) Superfriendly, this wooded campground is seven miles southeast of town. Enjoy hot showers, cheap morning coffee and evening movies.
Eating
San Marcos Café NEW MEXICAN, AMERICAN $
( 505-471-9298; www.sanmarcosfeed.com; 3877 Hwy 14; mains $7-10; 8am-2pm) About 10 minutes’ drive south on Hwy 14, this spot is well worth the trip. Aside from the down-home feeling and the best red chile you’ll ever taste, turkeys and peacocks strut and squabble outside and the whole place is connected to a feed store, giving it some genuine Western soul. The pastries and desserts – especially the bourbon apple pie – sate any sweet tooth. Make reservations on weekends.
Tune-Up Café INTERNATIONAL $$
( 505-983-7060; www.tuneupcafe.com; 1115 Hickox St; mains $7-14; 7am-10pm Mon-Fri, 8am-10pm Sat & Sun) Santa Fe’s newest favorite restaurant is casual, busy and does food right. The chef, from El Salvador, adds a few twists to classic New Mexican and American dishes, while also serving Salvadoran pupusas (stuffed corn tortillas), huevos and other specialties. The fish tacos and the mole colorado enchiladas (flavored with a red chile and a hint of chocolate) are especially tasty.
Horseman’s Haven NEW MEXICAN $
(4354 Cerrillos Rd; mains $6-12; 8am-8pm Mon-Sat, 8:30am-2pm Sun) Hands down the hottest green chile in town! (The timid should order it on the side). Service is friendly and fast, and the enormous 3-D burrito might be the only thing you need to eat all day.
Cowgirl Hall of Fame BARBECUE $$
(www.cowgirlsantafe.com; 319 S Guadalupe St; mains $8-18; 11am-midnight Mon-Fri, 10am-midnight Sat, 10am-11pm Sun, bar open later) Two-step up to the cobblestoned courtyard and try the salmon tacos, butternut-squash casserole or the BBQ platter – all served with Western-style feminist flair. Youngsters are welcomed, with an outdoor play yard and buckets of coloring crayons to draw on the lengthy kids’ menu. It also has a perennially popular bar with live music.
Geronimo MODERN AMERICAN $$$
( 505-982-1500; 724 Canyon Rd; dishes $28-44; 5:45-10pm Mon-Thu, 5:45-11pm Fri & Sat) Housed in a 1756 adobe, Geronimo is among the finest and most romantic restaurants in town. The short but diverse menu includes fiery sweet chile and honey-grilled prawns and peppery elk tenderloin with applewood-smoked bacon.
Other good choices:
Tia Sophia’s NEW MEXICAN $
(210 W San Francisco St; mains $7-10; 7am-2pm Mon-Sat) Arguably the best New Mexican food around the plaza.
Café Pasqual’s INTERNATIONAL $$$
( 505-983-9340; www.pasquals.com; 121 Don Gaspar Ave; breakfast & lunch $9-17, dinner $20-30; 8am-3pm, 5:30-9pm) Sante Fe’s most famous breakfast, for good reason.
Cleopatra Café MIDDLE EASTERN $
(418 Cerrillos Rd; mains $5-12; 6am-8pm Mon-Sat, 6am-6pm Sun; ) Makes up for lack of ambience with taste and value – big platters of delicious kebabs, hummus, falafel and other Middle Eastern favorites. It’s inside the Design Center.
Coyote Café MODERN AMERICAN $$$
( 505-983-1615; www.coyotecafe.com; 132 W Water St; mains $28-56; 5:30-9:30pm) Simply legendary for its innovative cuisine and all-star kitchen.
Drinking & Entertainment
You’ll also find live music and good drinking most nights at the Cowgirl Hall of Fame (Click here).
Santa Fe Brewing Company BREWERY, LIVE MUSIC
(www.santafebrewing.com; 35 Fire Pl) Santa Fe’s original microbrewery covers the full beer spectrum, from pilsner to porter to stout. Big-name bands perform here surprisingly often.
Evangelo’s BAR, LIVE MUSIC
(200 W San Francisco St) There’s foot-stompin’ live music nightly at Evangelo’s and the sounds of rock, blues, jazz and Latin combos spill into the street.
Lensic Performing Arts Center PERFORMING ARTS
( 505-988-1234; www.lensic.org; 211 W San Francisco St) For live performances and movies, see what’s doing at the Lensic Performing Arts Center. This beautifully renovated 1930s movie house is the city’s premier venue for performing arts. Continuing its film history, it also holds $5 classic-movie screenings.
Santa Fe Opera OPERA
( 800-280-4654; www.santafeopera.org; tickets $26-188; Jul & Aug) You can be a decked-out socialite or show up in cowboy boots and jeans; it doesn’t matter. Opera fans (and those who’ve never attended an opera in their lives) come to Santa Fe for this alone: an architectural marvel, with views of wind-carved sandstone wilderness crowned with sunsets and moonrises, and at center stage internationally renowned vocal talent performing masterworks of aria and romance.
Bell Tower Bar BAR
(100 E San Francisco St) At La Fonda hotel, ascend five floors to the Bell Tower and watch one of those patented New Mexico sunsets.
El Farol BAR, LIVE MUSIC
(www.elfarolsf.com; 808 Canyon Rd) As much a restaurant as a bar; the specialties are tapas ($8), live music and the ambience of Santa Fe’s oldest cantina.
Shopping
Offering carved howling coyotes, turquoise jewelry and fine art, Santa Fe attracts shoppers of all budgets. Head to the sidewalk outside the Palace of the Governors to buy Indian jewelry direct from the craftspeople who make it.
Santa Fe Farmers Market MARKET
(www.santafefarmersmarket; 1607 Paseo de Peralta; 7am-noon Sat mid-Apr–Oct, 9am-1pm Sat Nov–mid-Apr, 7am-noon Tue mid-May–Oct) Don’t miss this market at the redeveloped rail yard. Free samples and a festive mood make for a very pleasant morning.
Pueblo of Tesuque Flea Market MARKET
(Hwy 84/285; 8am-4pm Fri-Sun Mar-Nov) This outdoor market a few minutes’ drive north of Santa Fe at Tesuque Pueblo offers deals on high-quality rugs, jewelry, art and clothing.
Travel Bug MAPS, BOOKS
(www.mapsofnewmexico.com; 839 Paseo de Peralta; 7:30am-5:30pm Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun; ) A huge selection of guidebooks, maps and travel gear, plus travel slide shows on Saturdays.
Information
Emergency & Medical Services
Police ( 505-428-3700; 2515 Camino Entrada)
St Vincent’s Hospital ( 505-983-3361; 455 St Michael’s Dr; 24hr emergency)
Internet Access
Santa Fe Public Library ( 505-955-6781; 145 Washington Ave) Reserve up to an hour of free access.
Travel Bug ( 505-992-0418; www.mapsofnewmexico.com; 839 Paseo de Peralta; ) Free wi-fi and internet access from on-site terminals.
Internet Resources
New Mexican (www.santafenewmexican.com) Daily paper with breaking news.
SantaFe.com (www.santafe.com) Listings for upcoming concerts, readings and openings in northern New Mexico.
Santa Fe Information (www.santafe.org) Official online visitors guide.
Santa Fe Reporter (www.sfreporter.com) Free alternative weekly; culture section has thorough listings of what’s going on.
Post
Post office (120 S Federal Pl)
Tourist Information
New Mexico Tourism Department ( 505-827-7400; www.newmexico.org; 491 Old Santa Fe Trail; 8:30am-5:30pm; ) Has brochures, a hotel reservation line, free coffee and free internet access.
Public Lands Information Center ( 505-438-7542; www.publiclands.org; 301 Dinosaur Trail; 8:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) Tons of maps and information. Just south of the intersection of Cerillos Rd and I-25.
Getting There & Around
American Eagle ( 800-433-7300; www.aa.com) flies in and out of Santa Fe Municipal Airport (wwwsantafenm.gov; 121 Aviation Dr) with three daily flights to/from Dallas (DFW) and one daily flight to/from Los Angeles (LAX).
Sandia Shuttle Express ( 505-242-0302; www.sandiashuttle.com) runs between Santa Fe and the Albuquerque Sunport ($27). North Central Regional Transit (www.ncrtd.org) provides free shuttle bus service to Espanola, where you can transfer to shuttles to Taos, Los Alamos, Ojo Caliente and other northern destinations. Downtown pickup/drop-off is on Sheridan St, a block northwest of the plaza.
The Rail Runner (www.nmrailrunner.com) commuter train has multiple daily departures for Albuquerque – with connections to the airport and the zoo. The trip takes about 1½ hours. Weekend service may be discontinued. Amtrak ( 800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com) stops at Lamy; buses continue 17 miles to Santa Fe.
Santa Fe Trails ( 505-955-2001; www.santafenm.gov) provides local bus service (adult/senior & child $1/50¢ per ride, day pass $2/1). If you need a taxi, call Capital City Cab ( 505-438-0000).
If driving between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, try to take Hwy 14 – the Turquoise Trail – which passes through the old mining town (now art gallery town) of Madrid, 28 miles south of Santa Fe.
Around Santa Fe
Don’t get too comfy in Santa Fe, because there’s lots to see nearby.
PUEBLOS
North of Santa Fe is the heart of Puebloan lands. Eight Northern Pueblos (www.enipc.org) publishes the excellent and free Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Visitors Guide, available at area visitor centers. Its annual arts-and-crafts show is held in July; check the ENIPC website for exact dates and location.
Eight miles west of Pojoaque along Hwy 502, the ancient San Ildefonso Pueblo ( 505-455-3549; per vehicle $7, camera/video/sketching permits $10/20/25; 8am-5pm daily, visitor center closed Sat & Sun winter) was the home of Maria Martinez, who in 1919 revived a distinctive traditional black-on-black pottery style. Several exceptional potters (including Maria’s direct descendants) work in the pueblo; stop at the Maria Poveka Martinez Museum (admission free; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri), which sells the pueblo’s pottery.
Just north of San Ildefonso, on Hwy 30, Santa Clara Pueblo is home to the Puye Cliff Dwellings ( 888-320-5008; www.puyecliffs.com; tours adult/child $20/18; hourly 9am-5pm Apr-Sep, 10am-2pm Oct-Apr) where you can visit Ancestral Puebloan cliffside and mesa-top ruins.
CHIMAYO
Twenty-eight miles north of Santa Fe is the so-called ‘Lourdes of America’ – El Santuario de Chimayo (www.elsantuariodechimayo.us; 9am-5pm Oct-Apr, 9am-6pm May-Sep), one of the most important cultural sites in New Mexico. In 1816, this two-towered adobe chapel was built where the earth was said to have miraculous healing properties – even today, the faithful come to rub the tierra bendita – holy dirt – from a small pit inside the church on whatever hurts; some mix it with water and drink it. During holy week, about 30,000 pilgrims walk to Chimayo from Santa Fe, Albuquerque and beyond, in the largest Catholic pilgrimage in the USA. The artwork in the santuario is worth a trip on its own. Stop at Rancho de Chimayo ( 505-984-2100; www.ranchodechimayo.com; County Rd 98; mains $7-15; 11:30am-9pm daily, 8:30am-10:30am Sat & Sun, closed Mon Nov-Apr) afterward for lunch or dinner.
LAS VEGAS
Not to be confused with the glittery city to the west in Nevada, this Vegas is one of the loveliest towns in New Mexico and one of the largest and oldest towns east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Its eminently strollable downtown has a pretty Old Town Plaza and some 900 historic buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its architecture is a mix of Southwestern and Victorian.
Built in 1882 and carefully remodeled a century later, the recently expanded Plaza Hotel ( 505-425-3591, 800-328-1882; www.plazahotel-nm.com; 230 Plaza; r/ste incl breakfast from $79/139; ) is Las Vegas’ most celebrated and historic lodging. The elegant building now offers 72 comfortable accommodations. Choose between Victorian-style, antique-filled rooms in the original building or bright, monochromatic rooms in the new adjoining wing.
Indulge in a good New Mexican meal at Estella’s Café (148 Bridge St; mains $6-12; 11am-3pm Mon-Wed, 11am-8pm Thu & Fri, 10am-3pm Sat). Estella’s devoted patrons treasure the homemade red chile, menudo (tripe and grits) and scrumptious enchiladas.
From the plaza, Hot Springs Blvd leads 5 miles north to Gallinas Canyon and the massive Montezuma Castle; once a hotel, it’s now the United World College of the West. Along the road there, you can soak in a series of natural hot-spring pools. Bring a swimsuit and test the water – some are scalding hot! Don’t miss the Dwan Light Sanctuary (admission free; 6am-10pm) on the school campus, a meditation chamber where prisms in the walls cast rainbows inside.
Ask for a walking-tour brochure from the visitor center ( 800-832-5947; www.lasvegasnewmexico.com; 500 Railroad Ave; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat & Sun Oct 15–Apr, longer hours May–Oct 14).
LOS ALAMOS
The top-secret Manhattan Project sprang to life in Los Alamos in 1943, turning a sleepy mesa-top village into a busy laboratory of secluded brainiacs. Here, in the ‘town that didn’t exist,’ the first atomic bomb was developed in almost total secrecy. Today you’ll encounter a fascinating dynamic in which souvenir T-shirts emblazoned with atomic explosions and ‘La Bomba’ wine are sold next to books on pueblo history and wilderness hiking.
You can’t actually visit the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where lots of classified cutting-edge research still takes place, but you can visit the well-designed, interactive Bradbury Science Museum (www.lanl.gov/museum; cnr Central Ave & 15th; admission free; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, 1-5pm Sun & Mon; ), which covers atomic history. A short film traces the community’s wartime history and reveals a few fascinating secrets. The small but interesting Los Alamos Historical Museum (www.losalamoshistory.org; 1050 Bathtub Row; admission free; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm Sat, 1-4pm Sun) is on the nearby grounds of the former Los Alamos Ranch School – an outdoorsy school for boys that closed when the scientists arrived.
BANDELIER NATIONAL MONUMENT
Ancestral Puebloans dwelt in the cliffsides of beautiful Frijoles Canyon, now preserved within Bandelier (www.nps.gov/band; admission per vehicle $12; 8am-6pm summer, 9am-5:30pm spring & fall, 9am-4:30pm winter). The adventurous can climb four ladders to reach ancient caves and kivas used until the mid-1500s. There are also almost 50 sq miles of canyon and mesalands offering scenic backpacking trails, plus camping at Juniper Campground (tent & RV sites $12), set among the pines near the monument entrance.
ABIQUIU
The tiny community of Abiquiu (sounds like ‘barbecue’), on Hwy 84 about 45 minutes’ drive northwest of Santa Fe, is famous because the renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe lived and painted here from 1949 until her death in 1986. With the Chama River flowing through farmland and spectacular rock landscape, the ethereal setting continues to attract artists, and many live and work in Abiquiu. O’Keeffe’s adobe house is open for limited visits, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum (Click here) offers one-hour tours ( 505-685-4539; www.okeeffemuseum.org) on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from March to November ($35), and also on Saturdays from June to October ($45), often booked months in advance.
A retreat center on 21,000 Technicolor acres that obviously inspired O’Keeffe’s work (and was a shooting location for the movie City Slickers ), Ghost Ranch ( 505-685-4333; www.ghostranch.org) has free hiking trails, a dinosaur museum ( 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 1-5pm Sun) and offers horseback rides (from $40), including instruction for kids as young as four years ($20). Basic lodging (tent sites $19, RV sites $22-29, dm incl breakfast $50, r without/with bath incl breakfast from $50/80) is available, too.
The lovely Abiquiú Inn ( 505-685-4378; www.abiquiuinn.com; Hwy 84; RV sites $18, r $140-200, ste $170, 4-person casitas $190; ) is a sprawling collection of shaded faux-adobes; spacious casitas have kitchenettes. Wi-fi is available in the lobby and the on-site restaurant, Cafe Abiquiú (breakfast mains $5-9, lunch & dinner mains $10-20; 7am-9pm). The lunch and dinner menu includes numerous fish dishes, from chipotle honey-glazed salmon to trout tacos.
OJO CALIENTE
At 140 years old, Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa ( 505-583-2233; www.ojospa.com; 50 Los Baños Rd; r $139-169, cottages $179-209, ste $229-349; ) is one of the country’s oldest health resorts – and Pueblo Indians were using the springs long before then! Fifty miles north of Santa Fe on Hwy 285, the newly renovated resort offers 10 soaking pools with several combinations of minerals (shared/private pools from $18/40). In addition to the pleasant, if nothing special, historic hotel rooms, the resort has added 12 plush, boldly colored suites with kiva fireplaces and private soaking tubs, and 11 New Mexican–style cottages. Wi-fi is available in the lobby. The on-site Artesian Restaurant (breakfast mains $5-10, lunch $9-12, dinner $11-28; 7:30am-10:30am, 11:30am-2:30pm & 5-9pm Sun-Thu, 5-9:30pm Fri & Sat) prepares organic and local ingredients with aplomb.
Taos
Taos is a place undeniably dominated by the power of its landscape: 12,300ft snowcapped peaks rise behind town; a sage-speckled plateau unrolls to the west before plunging 800ft straight down into the Rio Grande Gorge; the sky can be a searing sapphire blue or an ominous parade of rumbling thunderheads so big they dwarf the mountains. And then there are the sunsets…
Taos Pueblo, believed to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States, roots the town in a long history with a rich cultural legacy – including conquistadors, Catholicism and cowboys. In the 20th century it became a magnet for artists, writers and creative thinkers, from DH Lawrence to Dennis Hopper. It remains a relaxed and eccentric place, with classic adobe architecture, fine-art galleries, quirky cafes and excellent restaurants. Its 5000 residents include Bohemians, alternative-energy aficionados and old-time Hispanic families. It’s rural and worldly, and a little bit otherworldly.
Sights
The Museum Association of Taos offers a five-museum pass for $25 to the four museums listed below.
Harwood Museum of Art MUSEUM
(www.harwoodmuseum.org; 238 Ledoux St; adult/senior & student $8/7; 10am-5pm Tue-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) Housed in a historic mid-19th-century adobe compound, the Harwood Museum of Art features paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and photography by northern New Mexico artists, both historical and contemporary.
Taos Historic Museums MUSEUM
(www.taoshistoricmuseums.com; adult/child individual museums $8/4, both museums $12; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) Taos Historic Museum runs two houses: Blumenschein Home (222 Ledoux St), a trove of art from the 1920s by the Taos Society of Artists, and Martínez Hacienda (708 Lower Ranchitos Rd), a 21-room colonial trader’s former home from 1804.
Millicent Rogers Museum MUSEUM
(www.millicentrogers.org; 1504 Millicent Rogers Museum Rd; adult/child $10/6; 10am-5pm, closed Mon Nov-Mar) Filled with pottery, jewelry, baskets and textiles, this has one of the best collections of Native American and Spanish Colonial art in the US.
Taos Art Museum & Fechin Institute MUSEUM
(www.fechin.com; 227 Paseo del Pueblo Norte; admission $8; 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) The longtime home of Russian-born artist Nicolai Fechin, the house itself is worth just as much of a look as the collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures.
TAOS PUEBLO
Built around AD 1450 and continuously inhabited ever since, the streamside Taos Pueblo ( 575-758-1028; www.taospueblo.com; Taos Pueblo Rd; adult/child/under 11yr $10/5/free, photography or video permit $6; 8am-4pm, closed for 6 weeks around Feb & Mar) is the largest existing multistoried pueblo structure in the US and one of the best surviving examples of traditional adobe construction.
San Francisco de Asís Church CHURCH
(St Francis Plaza; 9am-4pm Mon-Fri) Four miles south of Taos in Ranchos de Taos, the San Francisco de Asís Church, famed for the angles and curves of its adobe walls, was built in the mid-18th century but didn’t open until 1815. It’s been memorialized in Georgia O’Keeffe paintings and Ansel Adams photographs.
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge BRIDGE, CANYON
At 650ft above the Rio Grande, the steel Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is the second-highest suspension bridge in the US; the view down is eye-popping. For the best pictures of the bridge itself, park at the rest area on the western end of the span.
Earthships NEIGHBORHOOD
(www.earthship.net; Hwy 64; adult/under 12yr $5/free; 10am-4pm) Just 1.5 miles west of the bridge is the fascinating community of Earthships, with self-sustaining, environmentally savvy houses built with recycled materials that are completely off the grid. You can also stay overnight in one.
Activities
During summer, white-water rafting is popular in the Taos Box, the steep-sided cliffs that frame the Rio Grande. Day-long trips begin at around $100 per person; contact the visitor center for local outfitters, where there’s also good info about hiking and mountain-biking trails.
Taos Ski Valley SKIING
( 866-968-7386; www.skitaos.org; lift ticket adult/teen 13-17 & senior/child $71/60/42) With a peak elevation of 11,819ft and a 2612ft vertical drop, Taos Ski Valley offers some of the most challenging skiing in the US and yet remains low-key and relaxed. The resort now allows snowboarders on its slopes.
Sleeping
Earthship Rentals BUNGALOW $$
( 575-751-0462; www.earthship.net; Hwy 64; r $120-160) Experience an off-grid overnight in a boutique-chic, solar-powered dwelling. A cross between organic Gaudí architecture and space-age fantasy, these sustainable dwellings are put together using recycled tires, aluminum cans and sand, with rain catchment and gray-water systems to minimize their footprint. Half-buried in a valley surrounded by mountains, they could be hastily camouflaged alien vessels – you never know.
Historic Taos Inn HISTORIC HOTEL $$
( 575-758-2233; www.taosinn.com; 125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte; r $75-275; ) Even though it’s not the plushest place in town, it’s still fabulous, with a cozy lobby, a garden for the restaurant, heavy wooden furniture, a sunken fireplace and lots of live local music at its famed Adobe Bar. Parts of this landmark date to the 1800s – the older rooms are actually the nicest.
Abominable Snowmansion HOSTEL $
( 575-776-8298; www.snowmansion.com; 476 State Hwy 150, Arroyo Seco; tent sites $15, dm $20, tipis $35, cabins $37, r with/without bath $59/45; ) About 9 miles northeast of Taos, this well-worn and welcoming hostel is a cozy mountainside alternative to central Taos. A big, round fireplace warms guests in winter, and kitschy tipis are available in summer. There’s a $3 discount on dorms and private rooms for Hostelling International (HI) members.
Sun God Lodge MOTEL $
( 575-758-3162; www.sungodlodge.com; 919 Paseo del Pueblo Sur; r from $55; ) The hospitable folks at this well-run two-story motel can fill you in on local history as well as the craziest bar in town. Rooms are clean – if a bit dark – and decorated with low-key Southwestern flair. The highlight is the lush green courtyard dappled with twinkling lights, a scenic spot for a picnic or enjoying the sunset. Pets can stay for $20. Located 1.5 miles south of the plaza, the Sun God is a great budget choice.
Eating
Trading Post Cafe INTERNATIONAL $$$
( 575-758-5089; www.tradingpostcafe.com; Hwy 68, Ranchos de Taos; lunch $8-14, dinner $16-32; 11:30am-9:30pm Tue-Sat, 5-9pm Sun) A longtime favorite, the Trading Post is a perfect blend of relaxed and refined. The food, from paella to pork chops, is always great. Portions of some dishes are so big, think about splitting a main course – or if you want to eat cheap but well, get a small salad and small soup. It’ll be plenty!
Love Apple ORGANIC $$
( 575-751-0050; www.theloveapple.net; 803 Paseo del Pueblo Norte; mains $13-18; 5-9pm Tue-Sun) Housed in the 19th century adobe Placitas Chapel, the understated rustic-sacred atmosphere is as much a part of this only-in-New-Mexico restaurant as the food is. From the posole with shepherd’s lamb sausage to the grilled trout with chipotle cream, every dish is made from organic or free-range regional foods. Make reservations!
Taos Pizza Out Back PIZZERIA $$
(712 Paseo del Pueblo Norte; slices $3.50-7, whole pies $13-27; 11am-10pm daily May-Sep, 11am-9pm Sun-Thu, 11am-10pm Fri & Sat Oct-Apr) Warning: these pizza pies may be cruelly habit-forming. Located behind another business, this place uses organic ingredients and serves epicurean combos such as a Portabella Pie with sun-dried tomatoes and camembert. Slices are the size of a small country.
Taos Diner DINER $
(908 Paseo del Pueblo Norte; mains $4-12; 7am-2:30pm) It’s with some reluctance that we share the existence of this marvelous place, a mountain-town diner with wood-paneled walls, tattooed waitresses, fresh-baked biscuits and coffee cups that are never less than half-full. This is diner grub at its finest, prepared with a Southwestern, organic spin. Mountain men, scruffy jocks, solo diners and happy tourists – everyone’s welcome here. We like the Copper John’s eggs with a side of green chile sauce.
Michael’s Kitchen NEW MEXICAN $
(304 Paseo del Pueblo Norte; mains $7-16; 7am-2:30pm) Great breakfasts, freshly made pastries and tasty New Mexican fare.
El Gamal MIDDLE EASTERN $
(12 Dona Luz St; mains $6-10; 9am-5pm; ) Vegetarians rejoice! Here’s a great meatless Middle Eastern menu. There’s a big kids’ playroom in back, plus a pool table and free wi-fi.
Drinking & Entertainment
Adobe Bar BAR, LIVE MUSIC
(Historic Taos Inn, 125 Paseo del Pueblo Norte) Everybody’s welcome in ‘the living room of Taos.’ And there’s something about it: the chairs, the Taos Inn’s history, the casualness, the tequila. The packed streetside patio has some of the state’s finest margaritas, along with an eclectic lineup of great live music and never a cover.
KTAO Solar Center BAR, LIVE MUSIC
(www.ktao.com; 9 Ski Valley Rd; from 4pm) Watch the DJs at the ‘world’s most powerful solar radio station’ while hitting happy hour at the solar center bar. It’s also the home of the best live-music venue in town; you could catch a grooving local or big-name band.
Alley Cantina BAR, LIVE MUSIC
(121 Teresina Lane) It’s a bit-cooler-than-thou, but maybe ’tude happens when you inhabit the oldest building in town. Catch live rock, blues, hip-hop or jazz almost nightly.
Shopping
Taos has historically been a mecca for artists, demonstrated by the huge number of galleries and studios in and around town. Indie stores and galleries line the John Dunn Shops (www.johndunnshops.com) pedestrian walkway linking Bent St to Taos Plaza. Here you’ll find the well-stocked Moby Dickens Bookshop and the tiny but intriguing G Robinson Old Prints & Maps – a treat for cartography geeks.
Just east of the Plaza, pop into El Rincón Trading Post (114 Kit Carson Rd) and Horse Feathers (109 Kit Carson Rd) for classic Western memorabilia.
Information
Taos Vacation Guide (www.taosvacationguide.org) Great resource with lots of easy-to-navigate links.
Visitor center ( 575-758-3873; 1139 Paseo del Pueblo Sur; 9am-5pm; )
Wired? (705 Felicidad Lane; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-6pm Sat & Sun) Funky coffee shop with computers ($7 per hour). Free wi-fi for customers.
Getting There & Away
From Santa Fe, take either the scenic ‘high road’ along Hwys 76 and 518, with galleries, villages and sites worth exploring, or follow the lovely unfolding Rio Grande landscape on Hwy 68.
North Central Regional Transit (www.ncrtd.org) provides free shuttle-bus service to Espanola, where you can transfer to Santa Fe and other destinations. Twin Hearts Express ( 800-654-9456) will get you to Santa Fe ($40) and the Albuquerque airport ($50).
Northwestern New Mexico
Dubbed ‘Indian Country’ for good reason – huge swaths of land fall under the aegis of the Navajo, Pueblo, Zuni, Apache and Laguna tribes – this quadrant of New Mexico showcases remarkable ancient Indian sites alongside modern, solitary Native American settlements.
FARMINGTON & AROUND
The largest town in New Mexico’s northwestern region, Farmington makes a convenient base from which to explore the Four Corners area. The visitors bureau ( 505-326-7602; www.farmingtonnm.org; Gateway Park, 3041 E Main St; 8am-5pm Mon-Sat) has more information.
Shiprock, a 1700ft-high volcanic plug that rises eerily over the landscape to the west, was a landmark for the Anglo pioneers and is a sacred site to the Navajo.
An ancient pueblo, Salmon Ruin & Heritage Park (adult/child $3/1; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat & Sun) features a large village built by the Chaco people in the early 1100s. Abandoned, resettled by people from Mesa Verde and again abandoned before 1300, the site also includes the remains of a homestead, petroglyphs, a Navajo hogan and a wickiup (a rough brushwood shelter). Take Hwy 64 east 11 miles toward Bloomfield.
Fourteen miles northeast of Farmington, the 27-acre Aztec Ruins National Monument (www.nps.gov/azru; adult/under 16yr $5/free; 8am-5pm Sep-May, 8am-6pm Jun-Aug) features the largest reconstructed kiva in the country, with an internal diameter of almost 50ft. A few steps away, let your imagination wander as you stoop through low doorways and dark rooms inside the West Ruin. In summer, rangers give early-afternoon talks at the c-1100 site about ancient architecture, trade routes and astronomy.
About 35 miles south of Farmington along Hwy 371, the undeveloped Bisti Badlands & De-Na-Zin Wilderness is a trippy, surreal landscape of strange, colorful rock formations, especially spectacular in the hours before sunset; desert enthusiasts shouldn’t miss it. The Farmington BLM office ( 505-599-8900; www.nm.blm.gov; 1235 La Plata Hwy; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) has information.
The lovely, three-room Silver River Adobe Inn B&B ( 505-325-8219; www.silveradobe.com; 3151 W Main St, Farmington; r incl breakfast $115-175; ) offers a peaceful respite among the trees along the San Juan River.
Managing to be both trendy and kid-friendly, the hippish Three Rivers Eatery & Brewhouse (101 E Main St, Farmington; mains $8-26; 11am-10pm; ) has good steaks and pub grub and its own microbrews.
CHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK
Featuring massive Ancestral Puebloan buildings set in an isolated high-desert environment, intriguing Chaco (www.nps.gov/chcu; admission per vehicle $8; 7am-sunset, visitor center 8am-5pm) contains evidence of 5000 years of human occupation. In its prime, the community at Chaco Canyon was a major trading and ceremonial hub for the region – and the city the Puebloan people created here was masterly in its layout and design. Pueblo Bonito is four stories tall and may have had 600 to 800 rooms and kivas. As well as taking the self-guided loop tour, you can hike various backcountry trails. For stargazers, there’s the Night Skies program offered Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings April through October.
The park is in a remote area approximately 80 miles south of Farmington. Gallo Campground (tent sites $10) is 1 mile east of the visitor center; no RV sites.
CHAMA
Nine miles south of the Colorado border, Chama’s Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railway ( 575-756-2151; www.cumbrestoltec.com; adult/child $91/50; late May–mid-Oct) is the longest (64 miles) and highest (over the 10,015ft-high Cumbres Pass) authentic narrow-gauge steam railroad in the US. It’s a beautiful trip, particularly in September and October during the fall foliage, through mountains, canyons and high desert.
Northeastern New Mexico
East of Santa Fe, the lush Sangre de Cristo Mountains give way to vast rolling plains. Dusty grasslands stretch to infinity and further – to Texas. Cattle and dinosaur prints dot a landscape punctuated with volcanic cones. Ranching is an economic mainstay, and on many roads you’ll see more cows than cars.
The Santa Fe Trail, along which pioneer settlers rolled in wagon trains, ran from New Mexico to Missouri. You can still see the wagon ruts in some places off I-25 between Santa Fe and Raton. For a bit of the Old West without a patina of consumer hype, this is the place.
CIMARRON
Cimarron once ranked among the rowdiest of Wild West towns; it’s name even means ‘wild’ in Spanish. According to local lore, murder was such an everyday occurrence in the 1870s that peace-and-quiet was newsworthy, one paper going so far as to report: ‘Everything is quiet in Cimarron. Nobody has been killed in three days.’
Today, the town is indeed quiet, luring nature-minded travelers who want to enjoy the great outdoors. Driving here to or from Taos, you’ll pass through gorgeous Cimarron Canyon State Park, a steep-walled canyon with several hiking trails, excellent trout fishing and camping.
You can stay or dine (restaurant mains $5 to $20) at what’s reputed to be one of the most haunted hotels in the USA, the 1872 St James ( 888-376-2664; www.exstjames.com; 617 S Collison St; r $70-120; 7am-9pm) – one room is so spook-filled that it’s never rented out! Many legends of the West stayed here, including Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Wyatt Earp and Jesse James, and the front desk has a long list of who shot whom in the now-renovated hotel bar. The authentic period rooms make this one of the most historic-feeling hotels in New Mexico.
CAPULIN VOLCANO NATIONAL MONUMENT
Rising 1300ft above the surrounding plains, Capulin (www.nps.gov/cavo; admission per vehicle $5; 8am-4pm) is the most accessible of several volcanoes in the area. From the visitor center, a 2-mile road spirals up the mountain to a parking lot at the crater rim (8182ft), where trails lead around and into the crater. The entrance is 3 miles north of Capulin village, which itself is 30 miles east of Raton on Hwy 87.
Southwestern New Mexico
The Rio Grande Valley unfurls from Albuquerque down to the bubbling hot springs of funky Truth or Consequences and beyond. Before the river hits the Texas line, it feeds one of New Mexico’s agricultural treasures: Hatch, the so-called ‘chile capital of the world.’ The first atomic device was detonated at the Trinity Site, in the bone-dry desert east of the Rio known since Spanish times as the Jornada del Muerto – Journey of Death.
To the west, the rugged Gila National Forest is wild with backpacking and fishing adventures. The mountains’ southern slopes descend into the Chihuahuan Desert that surrounds Las Cruces, the state’s second-largest city.
TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES & AROUND
An offbeat joie de vivre permeates the funky little town of Truth or Consequences, which was built on the site of natural hot springs in the 1880s. A bit of the quirkiness stems from the fact that the town changed its name from Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences (or ‘T or C’) in 1950, after a popular radio game show of the same name. Publicity these days comes courtesy of Virgin Galactic CEO Richard Branson and other space-travel visionaries driving the development of nearby Spaceport America, where wealthy tourists will launch into orbit sometime soon.
Spaceport tours ( 505-897-2886; www.ftstours.com; adult/under 12yr $59/29; 9am & 1pm Fri-Sun) include a look at the launch site and mission control.
In T or C, wander around the hole-in-the-wall cafes, pop into a gallery, check out the engaging mishmash of exhibits at the Geronimo Springs Museum (www.geronimospringsmuseum.com; 211 Main St; adult/child $5/2.50; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) and definitely enjoy a soak in a hot-spring spa. The visitor center ( 575-894-1968; www.truthorconsequenceschamberofcommerce.org; 211 Main St; 9am-4:30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat, noon-5pm Sun) has local listings.
About 60 miles north of town, sandhill cranes and Arctic geese winter in the 90 sq miles of fields and marshes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge (www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/newmex/bosque; admission per vehicle $5; State Hwy 1; refuge sunrise-sunset, visitor center 7:30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm Sat & Sun). There’s a visitor center and driving tour. The Festival of the Cranes is held in mid-November.
Sleeping & Eating
Many local motels double as spas.
Riverbend Hot Springs BOUTIQUE HOTEL $
( 575-894-7625; www.riverbendhotsprings.com; 100 Austin St; r from $70; ) Former hostel Riverbend Hot Springs now offers more traditional motel-style accommodations – no more tipis – from its fantastic perch beside the Rio Grande. Rooms exude a bright, quirky charm, and several units work well for groups. Private hot-spring tubs are available by the hour (guest/nonguest $10/15 for the first hour then $5/10 per additional hour), as is a public hot-spring pool (guest/nonguest free all day/$10 for the first hour then $5 per hour or $25 per day).
Blackstone Hotsprings BOUTIQUE HOTEL $
( 575-894-0894; www.blackstonehotsprings.com; 410 Austin St; r $75-125; ) Blackstone embraces the T or C spirit with an upscale wink, decorating each of its seven rooms in the style of a classic TV show, from the Jetsons to the Golden Girls to I Love Lucy. Best part? Each room comes with its own hot-spring tub or waterfall. Worst part? If you like sleeping in darkness, quite a bit of courtyard light seeps into some rooms at night.
Happy Belly Deli DELI $
(313 N Broadway; mains $2-8; 7am-3pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat, 8am-noon Sun) Draws the morning crowd with fresh breakfast burritos.
Café BellaLuca ITALIAN $$
(www.cafebellaluca.com; 303 Jones St; lunch $6-15, dinner $10-34; 11am-9pm Sun-Thu, 11am-10pm Fri & Sat) Earns raves for its Italian specialties; pizzas are amazing.
IF YOU HAVE A FEW MORE DAYS
Past the town of Magdalena on Hwy 60 is the Very Large Array (VLA; www.vla.nrao.edu; admission free; 8:30am-dusk) radio telescope facility, a complex of 27 huge antenna dishes sprouting like giant mushrooms in the high plains. At the visitor center, watch a short film about the facility and take a self-guided walking tour with a window peek into the control building. It’s 4 miles south of Hwy 60 off Hwy 52.
LAS CRUCES & AROUND
The second-largest city in New Mexico, Las Cruces is home to New Mexico State University (NMSU), but there’s surprisingly little of real interest for visitors.
Sights
For many, a visit to neighboring Mesilla (aka Old Mesilla) is the highlight of their time in Las Cruces. Wander a few blocks off Old Mesilla’s plaza in to gather the essence of a mid-19th-century Southwestern town of Hispanic heritage.
New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum MUSEUM
(www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org; 4100 Dripping Springs Rd, Las Cruces; adult/child $5/2; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun) This terrific museum in Las Cruces has more than just engaging displays about the agricultural history of the state – it’s got livestock! There are daily milking demonstrations and an occasional ‘parade of breeds’ of beef cattle, along with stalls of horses, donkeys, sheep and goats. Other demonstrations include blacksmithing (Friday to Sunday), spinning and weaving (Wednesday), and heritage cooking (call for schedule).
White Sands Missile Test Center Museum MUSEUM
(www.wsmr-history.org; 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun) About 25 miles east of Las Cruces along Hwy 70 (look for the White Sands Missile Range Headquarters sign), has been a major military testing site since 1945, and it still serves as an alternative landing site for the space shuttle. Look for the crazy outdoor missile park. Since it’s on an army base, everyone entering over the age of 18 years must show ID, and the driver must present car registration and proof of insurance.
Sleeping
Lundeen Inn of the Arts B&B $$
( 575-526-3326; www.innofthearts.com; 618 S Alameda Blvd, Las Cruces; r incl breakfast $79-125, ste $99-155; ) In Las Cruces, Lundeen Inn of the Arts, a large turn-of-the-19th-century Mexican territorial-style inn, has seven guest rooms (all wildly different), genteel hosts, an airy living room with soaring ceilings (made of pressed tin) and a 300-piece fine-art gallery.
Eating
La Posta NEW MEXICAN $$
(www.laposta-de-mesilla.com; 2410 Calle de San Albino, Old Mesilla; mains $9-15; 11am-9pm Sun-Thu, 11am-9:30pm Fri & Sat) The most famous restaurant in Old Mesilla, in a 200-year-old adobe, may at first raise your doubts with its fiesta-like decor and touristy feel. But the New Mexican dishes are consistently good, portions are huge, and service is prompt.
Nellie’s Cafe NEW MEXICAN $
(1226 W Hadley Ave, Las Cruces; mains $6-10; 8am-2pm) A favored local New Mexican restaurant, great for breakfast and lunch. Cash only.
Information
Las Cruces Visitors Bureau ( 575-541-2444; www.lascrucescvb.org; 211 N Water St, Las Cruces; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri)
Getting There & Away
Greyhound ( 575-524-8518; www.greyhound.com; 390 S Valley Dr) has buses traversing the two interstate corridors (I-10 and I-25), as well as daily trips to Albuquerque ($27, 3½ hours), Roswell ($49, four hours) and El Paso ($11.25, one hour).
SILVER CITY & AROUND
The spirit of the Wild West still hangs in the air here, as if Billy the Kid himself – a former resident – might amble past at any moment. But things are changing, as the mountain-man/cowboy vibe succumbs to the charms of art galleries, coffeehouses and gelato. (One word of caution when strolling through downtown Silver City – look carefully before you step off the sidewalk. Because of monsoonal summer rains, curbs are higher than average, built to keep the Victorian and the brick and cast-iron buildings safe from quick-rising waters.)
Silver City is also the gateway to outdoor activities in the Gila National Forest, which is rugged country suitable for remote cross-country skiing, backpacking, camping, fishing and other activities.
Two hours north of Silver City, up a winding 42-mile road, is Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument (www.nps.gov/gicl; admission $3; 8:30am-5pm Jun-Aug, 9am-4pm Sep-May), occupied in the 13th century by Mogollons. Mysterious and relatively isolated, these remarkable cliff dwellings are easily accessed from a 1-mile loop trail and look very much as they would have at the turn of the first millennium. For pictographs, stop by the Lower Scorpion Campground and walk a short distance along the marked trail.
Weird rounded monoliths make the City of Rocks State Park (www.emnrd.state.nm.us/prd/cityrocks.htm; Hwy 61; day use $5, tent/RV sites $8/10) an intriguing playground, with great camping among the formations; there are tables and fire pits. For a rock-lined gem of a spot, check out campsite 43, the Lynx. Head 24 miles northwest of Deming along Hwy 180, then 3 miles northeast on Hwy 61.
For a smattering of Silver City’s architectural history, overnight in the 22-room Palace Hotel ( 575-388-1811; www.silvercitypalacehotel.com; 106 W Broadway; r incl breakfast from $51; ). Exuding a low-key, turn-of-the-19th-century charm (no air con, older fixtures), the Palace is a great choice for those tired of cookie-cutter chains. On the corner, the lofty Javalina (201 N Bullard St; pastries $2-4; 6am-9pm Mon-Thu, to 10pm Fri & Sat, to 7pm Sun; ) offers coffee, snacks and wi-fi in a comfy, come-as-you-are space.
Downtown offers a variey of restaurants, including the gourmet Mediterranean-themed Shevek & Co Restaurant ( 575-534-9168; www.silver-eats.com; 602 N Bullard St; mains $20-30; 5-8:30pm Sun-Tue & Thu, 5-9pm Fri & Sat) and the vegetarian sandwich-and-salad shop Peace Meal Cooperative (601 N Bullard St; mains $5-8; 9am-3pm Mon-Sat). For a real taste of local culture, head 7 miles north to Pinos Altos and the Buckhorn Saloon ( 575-538-9911; Main St, Pinos Altos; mains $10-35; 4pm-10pm Mon-Sat), where the specialty is steak and there’s live music most nights. Call for reservations.
Information
The visitor center ( 575-538-3785, www.silvercity.org; 201 N Hudson St; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat & Sun) and the Gila National Forest Ranger Station ( 575-388-8201; www.fs.fed.us/r3/gila; 3005 E Camino Del Bosque; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) have area information. To learn about the town’s contentious mining history, watch the blacklisted 1954 movie Salt of the Earth.
Southeastern New Mexico
Two of New Mexico’s greatest natural wonders are tucked down here in the arid southeast – mesmerizing White Sands National Monument and magnificent Carlsbad Caverns National Park. This region is also home to some of the state’s most enduring legends: aliens in Roswell, Billy the Kid in Lincoln and Smokey Bear in Capitan. Most of the lowlands are covered by hot, rugged Chihuahuan Desert, but you can escape to cooler climes by driving up to higher altitudes around the popular forested resort towns such as Cloudcroft and Ruidoso.
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Slide, roll and slither through brilliant, towering sand hills. Sixteen miles southwest of Alamogordo (15 miles southwest of Hwy 82/70), gypsum covers 275 sq miles to create a dazzling white landscape at this crisp, stark monument (www.nps.gov/whsa; adult/under 16yr $3/free; 7am-9pm Jun-Aug, 7am-sunset Sep-May). These captivating windswept dunes are a highlight of any trip to New Mexico. Don’t forget your sunglasses – the sand is as bright as snow!
Spring for a $15 plastic saucer at the visitor center gift store then sled one of the back dunes. It’s fun, and you can sell the disc back for $5 at day’s end (no rentals to avoid liability). Check the park calendar for sunset strolls and occasional moonlight bicycle rides (adult/child under 16 years $5/2.50), the latter best reserved far in advance. Backcountry campsites, with no water or toilet facilities, are a mile from the scenic drive. Pick up one of the limited permits ($3, issued first-come, first-served) in person at the visitor center at least one hour before sunset.
ALAMOGORDO & AROUND
Alamogordo is the center of one of the most historically important space- and atomic- research programs in the country. The four-story New Mexico Museum of Space History ( 877-333-6589; www.nmspacemuseum.org; Hwy 2001; adult/senior/4-12yr $6/5/4; 9am-5pm) has excellent exhibits on space research and flight. Its Tombaugh IMAX Theater & Planetarium (adult/senior/child $6/5.50/4.50) shows outstanding science-themed films on a huge wraparound screen.
Numerous motels stretch along White Sands Blvd, including Best Western Desert Aire Motor Inn ( 575-437-2110; www.bestwestern.com; 1021 S White Sands Blvd; r from $78; ), with standard-issue rooms and suites (some with kitchenettes), along with a sauna. If you’d rather camp, hit Oliver Lee State Park (www.enmrd.state.nm.us/prd/oliver lee.htm; 409 Dog Canyon Rd; tent/RV sites $8/14), 12 miles south of Alamogordo. Grab some grub at the friendly Pizza Patio & Pub (2203 E 1st St; mains $7-15; 11am-8pm Mon-Thu & Sat, to 9pm Fri) with pizzas, pastas, big salads and pitchers or pints of beer on tap.
CLOUDCROFT
Pleasant Cloudcroft, with turn-of-the-19th-century buildings, offers lots of outdoor recreation, a good base for exploration and a low-key feel. Situated high in the mountains, it provides welcome relief from the lowlands heat to the east. For good information on hiking trails, free maps of forest roads, and topo maps for sale, go to the Lincoln National Forest Ranger Station (4 Lost Lodge Rd; 7:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri). High Altitude (310 Burro St; rentals per day from $30; 10am-5:30pm Mon-Thu, 10am-6pm Fri & Sat, 10am-5pm Sun) rents mountain bikes and has maps of local fat-tire routes.
The Lodge Resort & Spa ( 800-395-6343; www.thelodgeresort.com; 1 Corona Pl; r from $79; ) is one of the Southwest’s best historic hotels. Rooms in the main Bavarian-style hotel are furnished with period and Victorian pieces. Within the lodge, Rebecca’s ( 575-682-3131; breakfast & lunch $8-15, dinner $28-36; 7-10:30am Mon-Sat, 7-10am Sun, 11:30am-2pm & 5:30-9pm, slightly longer hr summer), named after the resident ghost, offers by far the best food in town.
RUIDOSO
Downright bustling in summer and big with racetrack bettors, resorty Ruidoso (it means ‘noisy’ in Spanish) has an utterly pleasant climate thanks to its lofty and forested perch near Sierra Blanca (12,000ft). It’s spread out along Hwy 48 (known as Mechem Dr or Sudderth Dr), the main drag.
Sights & Activities
To stretch your legs, try the easily accessible forest trails on Cedar Creek Rd just west of Smokey Bear Ranger Station (901 Mechem Dr; 7:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri & Sat summer). Choose from the USFS Fitness Trail or the meandering paths at the Cedar Creek Picnic Area. Longer day hikes and backpacking routes abound in the White Mountain Wilderness, north of town. Always check fire restrictions around here – it’s not unusual for the forest to close during dry spells.
Ski Apache SKIING
( 575-464-3600, snow report 575-257-9001; www.skiapache.com; all-day lift ticket adult/child $39/25; 9am-4pm) The best ski area south of Albuquerque, 18 miles northwest of Ruidoso on the slopes of beautiful Sierra Blanca Peak (about 12,000ft). To get there, take exit 532 off Hwy 48.
Flying J Ranch WILD WEST SHOW
( 575-336-4330; www.flyingjranch.com; Hwy 48 N; adult/child $24/14; from 5:30pm Mon-Sat late May–early Sep, plus Sat Sep & early Oct; ) Circle the wagons and ride over about 1.5 miles north of Alto, for a meal. This ‘Western village’ stages gunfights and offers pony rides with its cowboy-style chuckwagon.
Ruidoso Downs Racetrack HORSE RACING
( 575-378-4431; www.ruidownsracing.com; Hwy 70; grandstand seats free, boxes $35-55; races Fri-Mon late May–early Sep, casino 10am-midnight year-round) Serious horse racing happens here.
Hubbard Museum of the American West MUSEUM (WWW.HUBBARDMUSEUM.ORG; 841 HWY 70 W; ADULT/SENIOR/CHILD $6/5/2; 9am-5pm; ) Displays Western-related items, with an emphasis on Old West stagecoaches, Native American artifacts and, well, all things horse.
Sleeping & Eating
Numerous motels, hotels and cute little cabin complexes line the streets. There’s plenty of primitive camping along forest roads on the way to the ski area.
Sitzmark Chalet HOTEL $
( 800-658-9694; www.sitzmark-chalet.com; 627 Sudderth Dr; r from $60; ) This ski-themed chalet offers 17 simple but nice rooms. Picnic tables, grills and an eight-person hot tub are welcome perks.
Upper Canyon Inn LODGE $$
( 575-257-3005; www.uppercanyoninn.com; 215 Main Rd; r/cabins from $79/119; ) Rooms and cabins range from simple good values to rustic-chic luxury.
Rickshaw ASIAN $$
( 575-257-2828; 601 Mechem Dr; www.rickshawnewmexico.com; lunch $7-9, dinner $11-22; 11am-9pm Thu-Tue) The best Asian food south of Albuquerque, with selections inspired by but not slavish to the cuisines of Thailand, China and India. Finish with the ginger-pear crumble over homemade cinnamon ice cream.
Cornerstone Bakery BREAKFAST $
(359 Sudderth Dr; mains under $10; 7:30am-2pm Mon-Sat, 7:30am-1pm Sun) Stay around long enough and this eatery may become your touchstone. Everything on the menu, from the omelets to croissant sandwiches, is worthy, and the piñon-flavored coffee is wonderful.
Café Rio PIZZERIA $$
(2547 Sudderth Dr; mains $5-25; 11am-9pm) Friendly service isn’t the first description that leaps to mind at this scruffy pizza joint, but oh…take one bite of a pillowy slice and all will be forgiven.
Information
The chamber of commerce ( 575-257-7395; www.ruidosonow.com; 720 Sudderth Dr; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat) has visitor information.
LINCOLN & CAPITAN
Fans of Western history won’t want to miss little Lincoln. Twelve miles east of Capitan along the Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway (www.billybyway.com), this is where the gun battle that turned Billy the Kid into a legend took place. The whole town is beautifully preserved in close to original form and the main street has been designated the Lincoln Town Monument; modern influences (such as neon-lit motel signs, souvenir stands, fast-food joints) are not allowed.
Buy tickets to the most historic buildings at the Anderson Freeman Visitors Center & Museum (Hwy 380; admission to 5 sites adult/child $5/free; 8:30am-4:30pm), where you’ll also find exhibits on Buffalo soldiers, Apaches and the Lincoln County War. Make the fascinating Courthouse Museum your last stop; this is the well-marked site of Billy’s most daring – and violent – escape. There’s a plaque where one of his bullets slammed into the wall.
For overnighters, the Ellis Store Country Inn ( 575-653-4609; www.ellisstore.com; Mile 98, Hwy 380; r incl breakfast $89-119) offers three antique-filled rooms (complete with wood stove) in the main house; five additional rooms are located in a historic mill on the property. From Wednesday to Saturday the host offers an amazing six-course dinner ($75 per person), served in the lovely dining room. Perfect for special occasions; reservations recommended.
A few miles west on the road to Capitan, Laughing Sheep Farm and Ranch ( 575-653-4041; www.laughingsheepfarm.com; mains $11-36; 11am-3pm Wed-Sun, 5-8pm Fri & Sat) raises sheep, cows and bison – along with vegetables and fruits – then serves them for lunch and dinner. The dining room is comfortable and casual, with a play-dough table and an easel for kids and live fiddle music on weekend nights.
Like Lincoln, cozy Capitan is surrounded by the beautiful mountains of Lincoln National Forest. The main reason to come is so the kids can visit Smokey Bear Historical State Park (www.smokeybearpark.com; adult/7-12yr $2/1; 9am-5pm; ), where Smokey (yes, there actually was a real Smokey Bear) is buried.
ROSWELL
If you believe ‘The Truth Is Out There’, then the Roswell Incident is already filed away in your memory banks. In 1947 a mysterious object crashed at a nearby ranch. No one would have skipped any sleep over it, but the military made a big to-do of hushing it up, and for a lot of folks, that sealed it: the aliens had landed! International curiosity and local ingenuity have transformed the city into a quirky extraterrestrial-wannabe zone. Bulbous white heads glow atop the downtown streetlamps and busloads of tourists come to find good souvenirs.
Believers and kitsch-seekers must check out the International UFO Museum & Research Center (www.roswellufomuseum.com; 114 N Main St; adult/child $5/2; 9am-5pm), displaying documents supporting the cover-up as well as lots of far-out art and exhibitions. The annual Roswell UFO Festival (www.roswellufofestival.com) beams down over the July 4 weekend, with an otherworldly costume parade, guest speakers, workshops and concerts.
Ho-hum chain motels line N Main St. About 36 miles south of Roswell, the Heritage Inn ( 575-748-2552; www.artesiaheritageinn.com; 209 W Main St, Artesia; r incl breakfast $104; ) in Artesia offers 11 Old West–style rooms and is the nicest lodging in the area.
Superhero-themed Farley’s (1315 N Main St; mains $7-13; 11am-11pm Sun-Thu, to 1am Fri & Sat) has 29 beers on tap as well as pub food and pizza in a huge industrial space. For simple, dependable Mexican fare downtown, try Martin’s Capitol Café (110 W 4th St; mains $7-15; 6am-8:30pm Mon-Sat).
Pick up local information and have your picture snapped with an alien at the visitors bureau ( 575-624-0889; www.roswellmysteries.com; 912 N Main St; 8:30am-5:30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat & Sun; ).
The Greyhound Bus Depot ( 575-622-2510; www.greyhound.com; 1100 N Virginia Ave) has buses to Carlsbad ($28, 1½ hours) and El Paso, TX, via Las Cruces ($54, five hours).
CARLSBAD
Travelers use Carlsbad as a base for visits to nearby Carlsbad Caverns National Park and the Guadalupe Mountains. The Park Service office ( 575-885-8884; 3225 National Parks Hwy; 8am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) on the south edge of town has information on both.
On the northwestern outskirts of town, off Hwy 285, Living Desert State Park (1504 Miehls Dr; adult/7-12yr $5/3; 8am-8pm late Jun–Aug, 9am-5pm Sep-May; ) is a great place to see and learn about desert plants and wildlife. There’s a good 1.3-mile trail that showcases different habitats of the Chihuahuan Desert, with live antelopes, wolves, roadrunners and more.
Most Carlsbad lodging consists of chain motels on S Canal St or National Parks Hwy. The top value is the Stagecoach Inn ( 575-887-1148; 1819 S Canal St; r from $40; ), with clean rooms, a pool, and a good on-site playground for kids. The best accommodation in town is the new, luxurious Trinity Hotel ( 575-234-9891; www.thetrinityhotel.com; 201 S Canal St; r $129-199; ), a historic building that was originally the First National Bank; the sitting room of one suite is inside the old vault! The restaurant here is Carlsbad’s classiest.
The perky Blue House Bakery & Cafe (609 N Canyon St; mains under $10; breakfast 6am-noon Mon & Sat, breakfast & lunch 6am-2pm Tue-Fri) brews the best coffee in this quadrant of New Mexico. Get there before 10am for the full selection of pastries. Locals and visitors crowd Lucy’s (701 S Canal St; mains $7-16; 11am-9pm Mon-Thu, 11am-9:30pm Fri & Sat), where you can scarf down cheap New Mexican meals.
For other in-the-know advice, visit the chamber of commerce ( 575-887-6516; www.carlsbadchamber.com; 302 S Canal St; 9am-5pm Mon, 8am-5pm Tue-Fri year-round, 9am-3pm Sat May-Sep).
Greyhound ( 575-628-0768; www.greyhound.com; 3102 National Parks Hwy) buses depart from the Shamrock gas station inside Food Jet South. Destinations include El Paso, TX ($49, three hours), and Albuquerque ($49, 4½ hours).
CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK
Scores of wondrous caves hide under the hills at this unique national park ( 575-785-2232, bat info 505-785-3012; www.nps.gov/cave; 3225 National Parks Hwy; adult/child $6/free; caves 8:30am-4pm late May–early Sep, 8:30am-3:30pm early Sep–late May), which covers 73 sq miles. The cavern formations are an ethereal wonderland of stalactites and fantastical geological features. You can ride an elevator from the visitor center (which descends the length of the Empire State Building in under a minute) or take a 2-mile subterranean walk from the cave mouth to the Big Room, an underground chamber 1800ft long, 255ft high and more than 800ft below the surface. If you’ve got kids (or are just feeling goofy), plastic caving helmets with headlamps are sold in the gift shop.
Guided tours of additional caves are available (adult $7 to $20, child $3.50 to $10), and should be reserved well in advance (call 877-444-6777 or visit www.recreation.gov). Bring long sleeves and closed shoes; it gets chilly.
The cave’s other claim to fame is the 300,000-plus Mexican free-tailed bat colony that roosts here from mid-May to mid-October. Be here by sunset, when they cyclone out for an all-evening insect feast.