Chapter 9: Northwestern New Mexico

Northwestern New Mexico

Exotic adventure awaits you in New Mexico’s “Indian Country.” At Acoma, you may peek through a hole in the wall of an ancient cemetery on a mesa hundreds of feet above the ground. It’s there so that the spirits of some children who were taken from the pueblo can return. In Grants (pop. 8,806), a former uranium-mining boomtown, travel deep into a mine. In Gallup (pop. 20,209), self-proclaimed “Indian capital of the world” and a mecca for silver jewelry shoppers, you can cruise along Route 66 and pick up some authentic “pawn.” In Farmington (pop. 43,573), center of the fertile San Juan valley and gateway to the Four Corners region, you might sleep in a cave. And in Chama (pop. 1,199), ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad—the longest and highest narrow-gauge steam railroad in the country.

Each is an adventure in its own right, but what really makes them special is the people you’ll encounter along the way. The biggest presence here is the Native American culture, old and new. Each time I travel to this area, I’m pleasantly surprised by the number of Pueblos, Navajos, and Apaches who inhabit it. Truly, they are the majority, and they set the pace and tone of the place. The Zuni, Acoma, and Laguna pueblos are each within a short distance of I-40. Acoma’s “Sky City” has been continually occupied for more than 9 centuries. A huge chunk of the northwest is taken up by a part of the Navajo Reservation, the largest in America; and the Jicarilla Apache Reservation stretches 65 miles south from the Colorado border. All share their arts and crafts as well as their distinctive cultures with visitors, but they ask that their personal privacy and religious traditions be respected.

The past lives here, too. The Pueblo people believe that their ancestors’ spirits still inhabit the ruins. Chaco Culture National Historical Park, with 12 major ruins and hundreds of smaller ones, represents the development of ancient Puebloan civilization, which reached its peak in the 11th century. Aztec Ruins National Monument and the nearby Salmon Ruins are similarly spectacular Pueblo preservations.

Two other national monuments in northwestern New Mexico also speak of the region’s history. El Morro is a sandstone monolith known as Inscription Rock, where travelers and explorers documented their journeys for centuries; El Malpais is a volcanic badland with spectacular cinder cones, ice caves, and lava tubes.

Northwestern New Mexico’s Great Outdoors

Like the rest of New Mexico, the northwestern region offers much in the way of outdoor recreation. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, you could spend months here.

Biking Mountain biking is permitted in parts of Cíbola National Forest ( 505/346-2650; www.fs.fed.us/r3/cibola), which, in this region, is on both sides of I-40 in the Grants to Gallup area. The national forest has six districts; call the number above for a referral to the district you want to visit. Some of the best biking is in Farmington, which is where the “Durangatangs” come during the winter to train and ride (Durango is a mountain-biking mecca). Cottonwood Cycles, 4370 E. Main in Farmington ( 505/326-0429; www.cottonwoodcycles.com), will give directions to trails. Cottonwood also rents bikes. Be sure to check out the Lions Wilderness Park, where you’ll find its renowned Road Apple Trail on the north end of town. Bikers are also welcome at the Bureau of Land Management Conservation Area just off NM 117 near El Malpais National Monument (see “Acoma & Laguna Pueblos & Grants,” below). At Chaco Canyon, check out the Wijiji Ruin trail, nice and easy but through beautiful country leading to an Anasazi ruin.

Boating If you’re towing a boat, good places to stop are Bluewater Lake State Park ( 505/876-2391), a reservoir between Gallup and Grants, and Navajo Lake State Park ( 505/632-2278), about 25 miles east of Bloomfield. Both of these state parks have boat ramps, and Navajo Lake has several marinas (from which visitors can rent boats), picnic areas, a visitor center, and groceries for those who plan to make a day of it. To find information on New Mexico state parks, go to www.nmparks.com. Zuni Lakes, six bodies of water operated by the Zuni tribe, also offers opportunities for boating, although you’re not allowed to use gasoline motors and you must obtain a permit ( 505/782-5851) before setting out.

Fishing Bluewater Lake State Park is one of the best places to fish in the area. In fact, some people believe it has the highest catch rate of all New Mexico lakes. Look to catch trout here. A world-renowned fishing destination, the San Juan River ★★, just below Navajo Dam, made Field & Stream’s 2008 list of top fishing spots in the Rocky Mountain West.

The scenery is outstanding and excellent guides in the area can help you find the choicest spots. Navajo Lake State Park (see “Boating,” above) features about 150 miles of shoreline where fishers go to catch trout, bass, catfish, and pike. Navajo Lake is one of the largest lakes in New Mexico, and the park is very heavily trafficked, so if crowds aren’t your thing, look for another fishing hole. Just 4 miles south of Kirtland is Morgan Lake, a quiet spot for largemouth bass and catfish. If you need fishing gear or want to hire a guide while in the area, contact Abe’s Motel and Fly Shop, 1791 US 173, Navajo Dam ( 505/632-2194). In Farmington, contact Dad’s Boat Parts and Backyard Boutique, 210 E. Piñon St. ( 505/326-1870), or Zia Sporting Goods, 500 E. Main ( 505/327-6004; www.ziasportinggoods.net).

Golf In 2002, Golf Digest rated Piñon Hills Golf Course, 2101 Sunrise Pkwy., in Farmington ( 505/326-6066; www.fmtn.org), the “best municipal course” in the United States. Also in Farmington is the Civitan Golf Course, 2100 N. Dustin ( 505/599-1194). In Kirtland (approx. 7 miles west of Farmington), your golf option is Riverview Golf Course, on US 64 ( 505/598-0140). In Grants, tee off at the 18-hole Coyote del Malpais Golf Course, at the base of Mount Taylor ( 505/285-5544; www.coyotedelmalpaisgolfcourse.com).

Hiking This part of the state has some great hiking trails. You’ll get to see ancient archaeological ruins in places such as Aztec Ruins and Chaco Canyon. In Cíbola National Forest ( 505/346-2650; www.fs.fed.us/r3/cibola), the hike to the summit of Mount Taylor is excellent. In cooler months, but not winter, try hiking around El Malpais National Monument ( 505/783-4774; www.nps.gov/elma). Two good hikes to try in El Malpais are the Zuni-Acoma Trail (this one is extremely taxing, so if you’re not in shape, don’t expect to make the 15-mile round-trip hike) and the Big Lava Tubes Trail (1 mile round-trip). My favorite hike in the region is to the top of El Morro National Monument ★★ ( 505/285-4641; www.nps.gov/elmo), which takes you to some Anasazi ruins. For quiet hiking on fairly level ground, head to Bluewater Lake State Park ( 505/876-2391), Red Rock Park ( 505/722-3839), or Angel Peak Recreation Area ( 505/599-8900).

Sporting goods stores where you can get hiking gear include REI-Albuquerque, 1550 Mercantile Ave. NE, in Albuquerque ( 505/247-1191; www.rei.com); Frontier Sports, 300 NE Aztec Blvd., in Aztec ( 505/334-0009); and Zia Sporting Goods, 500 E. Main, in Farmington ( 505/327-6004; www.ziasportinggoods.net).

Rafting & Kayaking The Chama River Canyon Wilderness begins just below El Vado Dam and runs past the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, usually an overnight trip, though some last up to 3 nights. Half- and one-day trips are also available on the lower portion. The river snakes through one of the most spectacular canyons I’ve ever seen, at one point rising 1,500 feet above your head. Rapids are mostly class II (on a scale from I to VI), but there are some big waves. Water is released on most weekends throughout the summer, so you can count on enough to make the trip exciting. Full-day trips are $115 for adults, $104 for children 6 to 11. Contact Far Flung Adventures, P.O. Box 707, El Prado, NM 87529 ( 800/359-2627 or 505/758-2628; www.farflung.com).

Skiing Some of the best cross-country skiing in the state is in the Chama area. Lots of broad bowls make the area a favorite of backcountry skiers as well as day-touring skiers. If you’re up for an overnight adventure, contact Southwest Nordic Center ( 575/758-4761; www.southwestnordiccenter.com), a company that rents yurts (Russian-style huts). Skiers trek into them, carrying their clothing and food in backpacks. Guide service is provided, or you can go in on your own, following directions on a map. The yurts are rented by the night and range from $70 to $125 per group. Call for reservations as much in advance as possible as they do book up. The season is from mid-November to April, depending on snow conditions.

Some like to ski the old logging roads of Mount Taylor, which go all the way to the summit in Cíbola National Forest near Grants. Contact the ranger station in Grants at 505/287-8833 for more information. If you need to rent ski equipment, try Chama Ski Service ( 575/756-2492), which also offers snow reports and trail information.

Swimming Good swimming is available at Navajo Lake State Park ( 505/632-2278). Before diving in at other lakes in state parks, make sure swimming is permitted.

Acoma & Laguna Pueblos & Grants

Your best base for exploring the Acoma and Laguna pueblos, as well as the El Malpais and El Morro National Monuments (see “El Malpais & El Morro National Monuments,” below), is the town of Grants, 1 1/4 hours west of Albuquerque on I-40 west.

Acoma Pueblo ★★★

This spectacular “Sky City,” a walled adobe village perched high atop a sheer rock mesa 365 feet above the 6,600-foot valley floor, is believed to have been inhabited at least since the 11th century—the longest continuously occupied community in the United States. Native legend claims that it has been inhabited since before the time of Christ. Both the pueblo and San Estevan del Rey Mission are National Historic Landmarks. In 2006, the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak’u Museum opened below Acoma, showcasing pottery, textiles, baskets, and other art from the tribe.

The Keresan-speaking Acoma (Ack-oo-mah) Pueblo boasts 6,005 inhabitants, but only about 50 people reside year-round on the 70-acre mesa top. They make their living from tourists who come to see the village, the large church containing examples of Spanish colonial art, and to purchase the pueblo’s thin-walled white pottery with polychrome designs. Many Acomas work in Grants, 15 miles west of the pueblo; in Albuquerque; or for one of Acoma’s business enterprises, such as Sky City Casino. Others are cattle ranchers and farm individual family gardens.

Essentials

Getting There To reach Acoma from Grants, drive east 15 miles on I-40 to McCartys, and then south 13 miles on paved tribal roads to the visitor center. From Albuquerque, drive west 55 miles to the Acoma–Sky City exit (102), and then 15 miles southwest.

Visitor Information For additional information, contact the Sky City Cultural Center and Pueblo of Acoma ( 888/747-0181; www.acomaskycity.org).

Admission Fees & Hours Admission to the village is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (60 and over) and military, $10 for children 6 to 17, and free for children 5 and under, with discounts for students and Native American visitors. The charge to take still photographs is $10; be aware that there are other restrictions on photography. The tours run daily in the summer 9am to 5pm; daily in the spring, fall, and winter 10am to 3pm. The 1-hour-and-20-minute tours begin every 45 minutes, depending on the demand. The pueblo is closed to visitors on Easter weekend (some years), June 24 and 29, July 10 to 13, the first or second weekend in October, and the first Saturday in December. It’s best to call ahead to make sure that the tour is available when you’re visiting.

Seeing the Highlights

You absolutely cannot wander freely around Acoma Pueblo, but you can start your tour at the 40,000-square-foot museum, which gives a good look into this culture, and peruse their gallery, offering art and crafts for sale. You can even have a meal at the Yaak’a Café. Then board the tour bus, which climbs through a rock garden of 50-foot sandstone monoliths and past precipitously dangling outhouses to the mesa’s summit. There’s no running water or electricity in this medieval-looking village; a small reservoir collects rainwater for most purposes, but drinking water is transported up from below. Wood-hole ladders and mica windows are prevalent among the 300-odd adobe structures. As you tour the village, you’ll have many opportunities to buy pottery and other pueblo treasures. Pottery is expensive here, but you’re not going to find it any cheaper anywhere else, and you’ll be guaranteed that it’s authentic if you buy it directly from the craftsperson. Along the way, be sure to sample some Indian fry bread topped with honey.

Dances & Ceremonies

The annual San Esteban del Rey feast day is September 2, when the pueblo’s patron saint is honored with an 8am Mass, a procession, an afternoon corn dance, and an arts-and-crafts fair, which includes homemade games of chance and food stalls. A Governor’s Feast is held annually in February, and 4 days of Christmas festivals run from December 25 to 28.

Where to Stay & Dine

The Sky City Hotel & Casino, off I-40 at exit 102 ( 888/759-2489; www.skycity.com) offers good basic accommodations with prices ranging from $79 to $129 double. The hotel has a restaurant, snack bar, night club, casino, and RV park.

An Attraction near Laguna

Seboyeta, the oldest Hispanic community in western New Mexico, is 3 1/2 miles north of Paguate, outside Laguna Pueblo. Still in view are ruins of adobe fortress walls built in the 1830s to protect the village from Navajo attack. The Mission of Our Lady of Sorrows was built in the 1830s, as was the nearby Shrine of Los Portales, built in a cave north of town.

Grants

If you’ve ever wondered what a “boom-and-bust town” looks like, come to Grants and find out. Grants first boomed with the coming of the railroad in the late 19th century, when 4,000 workers descended on the tiny farm town. When the railroad was completed, the workers left, and the town was bust. Next, Grants saw high times in the 1940s, growing carrots and sending them to the East Coast, but when packaging became more advanced, Grants lost its foothold in the market and busted again. Then came the 1950s, when a Navajo sheep rancher named Paddy Martinez discovered some strange yellow rocks near Haystack Mountain, northwest of town. The United States needed uranium, and his find led to the biggest boom in the area. By the early 1980s, demand for uranium had dropped, and so went the big wages and big spenders that the ore’s popularity had produced. However, recent demand may just revive that industry once again. Today, the city on a segment of Route 66 is a jumping-off point for outdoor adventures.

The city is the seat of expansive Cíbola County, which stretches from the Arizona border nearly to Albuquerque. For more information, contact the Grants/Cíbola County Chamber of Commerce at 100 N. Iron Ave. (P.O. Box 297), Grants, NM 87020 ( 800/748-2142 or 505/287-4802; www.grants.org). It’s in the same building as the New Mexico Mining Museum.

An Attraction in Grants

New Mexico Mining Museum ★ This enormously interesting little museum primes you for the underground adventure of traveling into a re-creation of a mine shaft by showing you, on ground level, some geology, such as a fossilized dinosaur leg bone and a piece of Malpais lava. The world’s only underground uranium-mining museum also gives you a sense of the context within which uranium was mined, through photos of the uranium-mining pioneers. Thus, the stage is set for your walk into a mine-shaft-like doorway adorned with rusty metal hats. An elevator takes you down into a spooky, low-lit place with stone walls. You begin in the station where uranium was loaded and unloaded and travel through the earth to places defined on wall plaques. While exploring, you get a sense of the dark and dirty work that mining can be. Those with claustrophobia may have to content themselves with visiting the exhibits above ground.

100 N. Iron Ave., at Santa Fe Ave. 800/748-2142 or 505/287-4802. www.grants.org. Admission $3 adults, $2 seniors 60 and over and children 7–18; free for children 6 and under. Mon–Sat 9am–4pm.

Northwest New Mexico Visitor Center ★ East of Grants, this center sits within an expansive Pueblo-style building with a broad atrium showing off views of the Malpais. It offers fliers and films on the region’s parks, forests, and Indian country. A real treat here is a series of suggested driving tours displayed with large color photos and free cards describing the routes. One tour takes visitors along the volcanoes of the Malpais, another through the abandoned logging communities of the Zuni Mountains Historical Loop, and another to the stunning geologic formations of the Cabezon and Rio Puerco area. A fun shelf of Southwest book titles is worth perusing.

1900 Santa Fe Ave. 505/876-2783. Free admission. Daily 9am–6pm during daylight saving time; 8am–5pm during Mountain Standard Time.

Where to Stay in Grants

Grants hotels are all on or near Route 66, with major properties near I-40 interchanges, and smaller or older motels nearer downtown.

Best Western Inn & Suites Built in 1976 with remodeling ongoing, this hotel provides spacious rooms and good amenities, though you have to like to walk. Rooms are built around a huge quadrangle with an indoor pool in a sunny, plant-filled courtyard at the center. Request a room at one of the four corner entrances to avoid trudging down the long hallways. Also, request a room that faces outside rather than in toward the courtyard, where noise from the pool carries. Though not as up-to-date as the Holiday Inn Express (see below), more amenities are provided here. Rooms are bright, with comfortable beds, and decorated in floral prints with Aztec trim. Bathrooms are medium-size and clean.

1501 E. Santa Fe Ave. (I-40 exit 85), Grants, NM 87020. 800/528-1234 or 505/287-7901. Fax 505/285-5751. www.bestwestern.com. 126 units. $75–$89 double. Rates include full breakfast. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Pets welcome. Amenities: Exercise room; Jacuzzi; indoor pool; men’s and women’s saunas. In room: A/C, TV, fridge (some rooms), hair dryer, Wi-Fi.

Holiday Inn Express ★ This new hotel opened in 2010 and provides quiet, well-conceived lodgings just off the interstate. Rooms are medium size and comfortable, with a desk and some with views out across meadows. Suites have fold-out couches, a good option for families. Bathrooms have granite countertops. Service here is courteous and efficient.

1512 E. Santa Fe Ave., Grants, NM 87020. 800/465-4329 or 505/287-9252. Fax 505/285-6998. www.hiexpress.com. 76 units. $139 double; $149–$179 suite. Rates include hot breakfast. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Pets welcome. Amenities: Jacuzzi; indoor pool. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, hair dryer, microwave, Wi-Fi.

Camping

Grants has three decent campgrounds with both tent and RV facilities. All range in price from $12 to $17 for tent camping and $15 to $20 for full hookups. Blue Spruce RV Park ( 505/287-2560) has 25 sites and 16 full hookups and is open year-round. It has enough trees to block the wind, some grass, and the roads and parking spaces are gravel, so dust is minimized. Cable television hookups are available, as are laundry facilities and a recreation room. To reach the park, take I-40 to exit 81 and then go 1⁄4 mile south on NM 53.

Route 66 Gallery Stop

To see local and regional art, stop by the Cíbola Arts Council’s Double Six Gallery ★, 1001 W. Santa Fe Ave. ( 505/287-7311), a community space featuring photos, sculpture, and paintings. As well, the gallery houses the Cíbola Art and Artifacts Museum, which mounts shows related to regional history and invites artists to display related works. Recent exhibitions include a homestead show and railroading show.

Where to Dine in Grants

In general, you won’t find much to eat at pueblos or national monuments, so you’re best off looking for a restaurant in Grants.

El Cafecito AMERICAN/MEXICAN This real locals’ spot serves up tasty food in a relaxed atmosphere. At mealtime, the brightly lit space with Saltillo tile floors bustles with families eating huevos rancheros (eggs over tortillas, smothered in chile) for breakfast, and enchiladas, stuffed sopaipillas, and burgers for lunch and dinner. All meals are large and inexpensive. Kids enjoy their own menu selections.

820 E. Santa Fe Ave. 505/285-6229. Main courses $4–$8 breakfast, $6–$12 lunch or dinner. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Fri 7am–9pm; Sat 7am–8pm.

La Ventana NEW MEXICAN/STEAKS Grants locals come here for a special lunch or dinner out. With one large room that seats about 50 people, the restaurant has a Southwestern decor, with a two-horse sculpture and some dancing katsinas. Ironically, the place is dark, with windows blinded, despite its name, which means “the window,” referring to the natural arch south of town. If you can catch Grants on a nonwindy day, opt for the patio. Service is friendly but varies in its efficiency. Recommended dishes include chicken fajita salad and prime rib. You’ll also find sandwiches such as turkey and guacamole served on seven-grain bread. You can order from a full bar.

110 1/2 Geis St., Hillcrest Center. 505/287-9393. Reservations recommended. Main courses $5–$12 lunch, $8–$20 dinner. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11am–11pm.

Wow Diner ★ DINER/NEW MEXICAN This new cafe offers tasty food in a flashy stainless steel and tile building on the west side of town in Milan. Comfortable booths lining the walls and a soda fountain with stools create a classic Route 66 diner ambience. You might start your day with French toast stuffed with cream cheese and strawberries. For lunch you could try pork carnitas—pulled pork that you fold into corn tortillas—with Spanish rice and beans on the side. A good dinner offering is pan-fried trout, with beurre blanc and almond sauce and a potato, rice, or fries. Finish with a hot chocolate brownie with ice cream. The restaurant also serves some Asian dishes, steaks, and salads. Chase it all down with beer or wine. Kids have their own menu options. The diner is located across the street from the Petro Truck Stop.

1300 Motel Dr., Milan. 505/287-3801. Main courses $6–$22. AE, DISC, MC, V. Tues–Sun 6am–midnight.

El Malpais & El Morro National Monuments

Northwestern New Mexico has two national monuments that are must-sees for anyone touring this region: El Malpais and El Morro. The region is also home to the Cíbola National Forest, with its stately Mount Taylor, visible from miles away and an excellent place to hike and backcountry ski.

El Malpais: Exploring the Badlands ★

Designated a national monument in 1987, El Malpais (Spanish for “badlands”) is an outstanding example of the volcanic landscapes in the United States. El Malpais contains 115,000 acres of cinder cones, vast lava flows, hundreds of lava tubes, ice caves, sandstone cliffs, natural bridges and arches, Anasazi ruins, ancient Native American trails, and Spanish and Anglo homesteads.

Essentials

Getting There You can take one of two approaches to El Malpais, via NM 117 or NM 53. NM 117 exits I-40 7 miles east of Grants; NM 53 exits I-40 on the west end of Grants (it’s right on the edge of town).

Visitor Information Admission to El Malpais is free (unless you’re visiting the privately owned Ice Caves), and it’s open to visitors year-round. The visitor center, off NM 53 between mile markers 63 and 64, is open daily from 8:30am to 4:30pm. Here you can pick up maps of the park, leaflets on specific trails, and other details about exploring the monument. For more information, contact El Malpais National Monument, NPS, P.O. Box 939, Grants, NM 87020 ( 505/783-4774; www.nps.gov/elma).

Seeing the Highlights

From Sandstone Bluffs Overlook (10 miles south of I-40 off NM 117), many craters are visible in the lava flow, which extends for miles along the eastern flank of the Continental Divide. The most recent flows are only 1,000 years old; Native American legends tell of rivers of “fire rock.” Seventeen miles south of I-40 is La Ventana Natural Arch, the largest accessible natural arch in New Mexico.

From NM 53, which exits I-40 just west of Grants, visitors have access to the Zuni-Acoma Trail, an ancient Pueblo trade route that crosses four major lava flows in a 7 1/2-mile (one-way) hike. A printed trail guide is available. El Calderon, a forested area 20 miles south of I-40, is a trail head for exploring a cinder cone, lava tubes, and a bat cave. (Warning: Hikers should not enter the bat cave or otherwise disturb the bats.)

The largest of all Malpais cinder cones, Bandera Crater is on private property 25 miles south of I-40. The National Park Service has laid plans to absorb this commercial operation, known as Ice Caves Resort ( 888/423-2283 or 505/783-4303; www.icecaves.com). For a fee ($10 for adults and $5 for children 5–12), visitors hike up the crater or walk to the edge of an ice cave. It’s open daily from 8am to 6pm in summer, and from 8am to 4pm in winter.

Perhaps the most fascinating phenomenon of El Malpais is the lava tubes, formed when the outer surface of a lava flow cooled and solidified. When the lava river drained, tunnel-like caves were left. Ice caves within some of the tubes have delicate ice-crystal ceilings, ice stalactites, and floors like ice rinks.

Hiking & Camping

El Malpais has several hiking trails, including the above-mentioned Zuni-Acoma Trail. Most are marked with rock cairns; some are dirt trails. The best times to hike this area are during spring and fall, when it’s not too hot. You’re pretty much on your own when you explore this area, so prepare accordingly. Carry plenty of water with you; do not drink surface water. Carrying first-aid gear is always a good idea, as the lava rocks can be extremely sharp and inflict nasty cuts. Never go into a cave alone. The park service advises wearing hard hats, boots, protective clothing, and gloves, and carrying three sources of light when entering lava tubes. The weather can change suddenly, so be prepared; if lightning is around, move off the lava as quickly as possible.

Primitive camping is allowed in the park, but you must first obtain a free backcountry permit from the visitor center.

El Morro National Monument ★★

Travelers who like to look history straight in the eye are fascinated by “Inscription Rock,” 43 miles west of Grants along NM 53. Looming up out of the sand and sagebrush is a bluff 200 feet high, holding some of the most captivating messages in North America. Its sandstone face displays a written record of the many who inhabited and traveled through this land, beginning with the ancestral Puebloans, who lived atop the formation around 1200. Carved with steel points are the signatures and comments of almost every explorer, conquistador, missionary, army officer, surveyor, and pioneer emigrant who passed this way between 1605, when Gov. Don Juan de Oñate carved the first inscription, and 1906, when it was preserved by the National Park Service. Oñate’s inscription, dated April 16, 1605, was perhaps the first graffiti any European left in America.

A paved walkway makes it easy to walk to the writings, and a stone stairway leads up to other treasures. One entry reads: “Year of 1716 on the 26th of August passed by here Don Feliz Martinez, Governor and Captain General of this realm to the reduction and conquest of the Moqui.” Confident of success as he was, Martinez actually got nowhere with any “conquest of the Moqui,” or Hopi, peoples. After a 2-month battle, they chased him back to Santa Fe.

Another special group to pass by this way was the U.S. Camel Corps, trekking past on their way from Texas to California in 1857. The camels worked out fine in mountains and deserts, outlasting horses and mules 10 to 1, but the Civil War ended the experiment. When Peachy Breckinridge, fresh out of the Virginia Military Academy, came by with 25 camels, he noted the fact on the stone here.

El Morro was at one time as famous as the Blarney Stone of Ireland: Everybody had to stop by and make a mark. But when the Santa Fe Railroad was laid 25 miles to the north, El Morro was no longer on the main route to California, and from the 1870s, the tradition began to die out.

If you like to hike, be sure to take the full loop to the top of Inscription Rock. It’s a spectacular trip that takes you along the rim of this mesa—offering 360-degree views—culminating in an up-close look at Ancestral Puebloan ruins, which occupy an area 200 by 300 feet. Inscription Rock’s Zuni name, Atsinna, suggests that carving one’s name here is a very old custom indeed: the word means “writing on rock.”

Essentials

Getting There El Morro is 43 miles west of Grants on NM 53.

Visitor Information For information, contact El Morro National Monument, HC61, Box 43, Ramah, NM 87321-9603 ( 505/783-4226; www.nps.gov/elmo). Admission to El Morro is $3 per person 16 and older. Self-guided trail booklets are available at the visitor center (turn off NM 53 at the El Morro sign and travel approximately 1⁄2 mile), open year-round from 9am to 5pm. Trails are also open year-round; check with the visitor center for hours. A museum at the visitor center features exhibits on the 700 years of human activity at El Morro. A 15-minute video gives a good introduction to the park. Also within the visitor center is a bookstore where you can pick up souvenirs and informational books. It takes approximately 2 hours to visit the museum and hike the trails. The park is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Camping & Lodging

Though it isn’t necessary to camp here in order to see most of the park, a nine-site campground at El Morro is open year-round, with a fee of $10 per night charged from approximately April to November. No supplies are available within the park, so if you’re planning on spending a night or two, be sure to arrive well equipped.

One nearby private enterprise, El Morro RV Park, Cabins & Cafe, HC 61, Box 44, Ramah, NM 87321 ( 505/783-4612; www.elmorro-nm.com), has cabins, RV and tent camping, and a cafe (see below). The cabins are well appointed, and the baths clean.

For a unique place to stay, check out Cimarron Rose Bed & Breakfast ★★, 30 miles southwest of Grants on NM 53 ( 800/856-5776; www.cimarronrose.com). This ecofriendly inn offers three suites, a good place for families or a romantic getaway. The atmospheric country lodgings range in size from the Cimarron, with a 1930s mountain cabin feel, to the Zuni Mountain, with two cozy bedrooms and a living room with a wood-burning stove. All have full kitchens, with Mexican tile and generous food supplies in case you don’t want to eat out. Prices range from $125 to $195 per night.

Dining

A fun stop while exploring this part of New Mexico is the Ancient Way Café ★, near mile marker 46 on NM 53 ( 505/783-4612). Amid knotty pine walls, comfortable booths, and local art, this place serves imaginative food using such treats as free-range chicken and eggs, hormone-free beef, and seasonal vegetables. For breakfast you might have huevos rancheros along with house-made muffins. Lunch or dinner might bring a burger or salad or a grilled veggie wrap with Anasazi beans. On a recent visit I had their special: chicken and vegetable pesto over chile/tomato linguine, which was excellent. Follow it up with a piece of apple piñon-nut chile pie. Prices for main courses range from $10 to $20. It’s open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (closed Wed). Dinner is served Friday and Saturday 5 to 8pm by reservation only.

Exploring the Area: Cibola National Forest

Cíbola National Forest is actually a combination of parcels of land throughout the state that total more than 1.6 million acres. Elevation varies from 5,000 to 11,301 feet, and the forest includes the Datil, Gallinas, Bear, Manzano, Sandia, San Mateo, and Zuni mountains.

Two major pieces of the forest flank I-40 on either side of Grants, near the pueblos and monuments described above. To the northeast of Grants, NM 547 leads some 20 miles into the San Mateo Mountains. The range’s high point, and the highest point in the forest, 11,300-foot Mount Taylor, is home of the annual Mount Taylor Winter Quadrathlon in February. The route passes two campgrounds: Lobo Canyon and Coal Mine Canyon. Hiking and enjoying magnificent scenery and wildlife are popular in summer, cross-country skiing in winter.

Just the Facts For more information about this section of Cíbola National Forest, contact the Mount Taylor Ranger District, 1800 Lobo Canyon Rd., Grants, NM 87020 ( 505/346-2650). For general information about all six districts of the National Forest, contact Cíbola National Forest, 2113 Osuna Rd. NE, Suite A, Albuquerque, NM 87113-1001 ( 505/346-3900; www.fs.fed.us/r3/cibola).

A modern road stop on I-40 heading west, 17 miles before Gallup, is the Pilot Travel Center ( 505/722-6655). This is my idea of what a space station would be like. Not only can you get gas here, you also can also fill up at a Subway restaurant. There’s also a restaurant with a salad bar and hot food bar. The center has plenty of pay phones, clean bathrooms, a post office, and a video arcade.

Gallup: Gateway to Indian Country ★

For me, Gallup has always been a mysterious place, home to many Native Americans, with dust left from its Wild West days, and with an unmistakable Route 66 architectural presence; it just doesn’t seem to exist in this era. The best way to get a sense of the place is by walking around downtown, wandering through the trading posts and pawnshops and by the historic buildings. In doing so, you’ll probably encounter many locals and get a real feel for this “Heart of Indian Country.”

Gallup began as a town when the railroad from Arizona reached this spot in 1881. At that time, the town consisted of a stagecoach stop and a saloon, the Blue Goose. Within 2 years, coal mining had made the town boom, and some 22 saloons (including the Bucket of Blood) and an opera house filled the town, most of which was inhabited by immigrants from mining areas in eastern Europe, England, Wales, Germany, and Italy.

When the popularity of the railroads declined, Gallup turned briefly to the movie business as its boom ticket. The area’s red-rock canyons and lonely desert were perfect for Westerns of the era, such as Big Carnival, with Kirk Douglas; Four Faces West, with Joel McCrea; and The Bad Man, starring Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, and Ronald Reagan. These stars and many others stayed in a Route 66 hotel built by R. E. Griffith in 1937. Today, the El Rancho Hotel is one of Gallup’s most notable landmarks and worth strolling through (see “Where to Stay in Gallup,” and “Where to Dine in Gallup,” below). Gallup now relies on trade and tourism, due to its central location within the Navajo Reservation and the Zuni lands, as well as its proximity to the ancient ruins at Chaco.

Gallup’s most notable special event is the Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial held every August. Native Americans converge on the town for a parade, dances, and an all-Indian rodeo east of town, at Red Rock State Park. It’s a busy time in Gallup, so make reservations far in advance. If you’re not in town for the Ceremonial, try visiting on a Saturday, when many Native Americans come to town to trade. Best of all on this day is the flea market, north of town just off US 491. Here you can sample fry bread, Zuni bread, and Acoma bread, eat real mutton stew, and shop for anything from jewelry to underwear. After the flea market, most Gallup-area residents, native and nonnative alike, go to Earl’s (see “Where to Dine in Gallup,” below) to eat.

Fetishes: gifts of Power

According to Zuni lore, in the early years of human existence, the Sun sent down his two children to assist humans, who were under siege from earthly predators. The Sun’s sons shot lightning bolts from their shields and destroyed the predators. For generations, Zunis, traveling across their lands in western New Mexico, have found stones shaped like particular animals. The Zunis believe the stones to be the remains of those long-lost predators, still containing their souls or last breaths.

In many shops in Santa Fe, you too can pick up a carved animal figure called a fetish. According to belief, the owner of the fetish is able to absorb the power of that creature. Many fetishes were long ago used for protection and might in the hunt. Today, a person might carry a bear for health and strength, or an eagle for keen perspective. A mole might be placed in a home’s foundation for protection from elements underground, a frog buried with crops for fertility and rain, a ram carried in the purse for prosperity. For love, some locals recommend pairs of fetishes—often foxes or coyotes carved from a single piece of stone.

Many fetishes, arranged with bundles on top and attached with sinew, serve as an offering to the animal spirit that resides within the stone. Fetishes are still carved by many of the pueblos. A good fetish is not necessarily one that is meticulously carved. Some fetishes are barely carved at all, as the original shape of the stone already contains the form of the animal. When you have a sense of the quality and elegance available, decide which animal (and power) suits you best. Native Americans caution, however, that the fetish cannot be expected to impart an attribute you don’t already possess. Instead, it will help elicit the power that already resides within you. A good source for fetishes is Keshi, 227 Don Gaspar Ave. ( 505/989-8728; www.keshi.com). Expect to pay $25 to $50 or more for a good one.

Essentials

Getting There From Albuquerque, take I-40 west (2 1/2 hr.). From Farmington, take US 64 west to Shiprock, and then US 491 south (2 1/2 hr.). From Flagstaff, Arizona, take I-40 east (3 hr.). Gallup is not served by any commercial airlines at this time.

Visitor Information The Gallup–McKinley County Chamber of Commerce, 103 W. US 66, Gallup, NM 87301 ( 800/380-4989 or 505/722-2228; www.thegallupchamber.com), is just south of the main I-40 interchange for downtown Gallup.

What to See & Do

Exploring Gallup

Gallup has 20 buildings that are either listed on or have been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. Some hold trading posts worth visiting. A good place to start is at the Santa Fe Railroad Depot, which also houses the Gallup Cultural Center ★, at East 66 Avenue and Strong Street ( 505/863-4131). Built in 1923 in modified Mission style, it has been renovated into a community transportation and cultural center, with a museum worth visiting, as well as a gift shop and diner. Note especially the exhibits on regional history and the Master’s Exhibit of paintings, pottery, and basketry from area Native Americans (for more activities see “Sunset Dances,” below). The center is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm, often with extended hours in the summer. Across the street, the Drake Hotel (later the Turquoise Club, but now vacant), built of blond brick in 1919, had the Prohibition-era reputation of being controlled by bootleggers, with wine running in the faucets in place of water.

The 1928 White Cafe, 100 W. 66 Ave., is an elaborate decorative brick structure that catered to the early auto tourist traffic. Now it’s a jewelry store. Down the street, the Eagle Café, 220 W. 66 Ave. ( 505/722-3220), open since 1920, serves diner food in an authentic atmosphere. A few doors down, Richardson’s Trading Company, 222 W. 66 Ave. ( 505/722-4762; www.richardsontrading.com), has been selling good Native American arts and crafts since 1913.

The Rex Hotel, 300 W. 66 Ave., constructed of locally quarried sandstone, was once known for its “ladies of the night.” It’s now the Rex Museum ( 505/863-1363), a somewhat random display of items from the Gallup Historical Society Collection, but fun for history buffs. It’s open daily but with unpredictable hours. Call before setting out.

Other architectural gems include the Chief Theater, 228 W. Coal Ave. This structure was built in 1920; in 1936, it was completely redesigned in Pueblo-Deco style, with zigzag relief and geometric form, by R. E. “Griff” Griffith (who also built the El Rancho Hotel), brother of Hollywood producer D. W. Griffith. Now this is City Electric Shoe Shop ( 505/863-5252; www.cityelectricshoe.com), where Native Americans go to buy feathers, leather, and other goods to make ceremonial clothing. It’s known to locals simply as City Electric, so called because it was the first shop in town to have an automated shoe-repair machine. It also has a good selection of moccasins and hats. Also visit the 1928 El Morro Theater, 207 W. Coal Ave., built in Spanish colonial revival style with Spanish baroque plaster carving and bright polychromatic painting; it’s where locals come to see movies and dance performances.

Getting Outside: A Nearby Park

Six miles east of downtown Gallup, Red Rock Park, NM 566 in Church Rock ( 505/722-3839, or 505/722-3839 for campground; www.ci.gallup.nm.us/rrp/00182_redrock.html), has a natural amphitheater set against elegantly shaped red sandstone buttes. It includes an auditorium/convention center, a historical museum, a post office, a trading post, stables, and modern campgrounds.

The 8,000-seat arena is the site of numerous annual events, including the Intertribal Indian Ceremonial in mid-August. Red Rock Convention Center accommodates 600 for trade shows or concert performances.

A nature trail leads up into these stone monuments and makes for a nice break after hours on the road. See “Where to Stay in Gallup,” below, for camping information. The park also has a playground, horseback riding trails, and a sports field.

The Red Rock Museum has displays on prehistoric Anasazi and modern Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo cultures, including an interesting collection of very intricate katsinas. A gallery features changing exhibits, often locally made crafts such as prayer and dancing fans, pottery, or weavings. It’s open year-round Monday through Friday 8am to 4:30pm. There’s a suggested donation of $2 for adults, $1 for seniors, and 50¢ for children.

Also at this site, in early December, is the Red Rock Balloon Rally, a high point on the sporting balloonist’s calendar. For information, call the Gallup–McKinley County Chamber of Commerce (see “Visitor Information,” above).

Shopping

Nowhere are the jewelry and crafts of Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi tribes less expensive than in Gallup. The most intriguing places to shop are the trading posts and pawnshops, which provide a surprising range of services for their largely Native American clientele and have little in common with the pawnshops of large U.S. cities.

Pawnbrokers here are essentially bankers, at least from the Navajo and Zuni viewpoint. Pawnshops provide safekeeping of valuable personal goods and make small-collateral loans. The trader will hold on to an item for months or even years before deeming it “dead” and putting it up for sale. Fewer than 5% of items ever go unredeemed, but over the years traders do accumulate a selection, so the shops are worth perusing.

Most shops are open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 5pm. For a look at everything from pawn jewelry to Pendleton robes and shawls to enamel and cast-iron kitchenware, visit Ellis Tanner Trading Company ( 505/863-4434; www.etanner.com), Hwy. 602 Bypass, south from I-40 on NM 602 about 2 miles; it’s at the corner of Nizhoni Boulevard. Also try Perry Null-Tobe Turpen’s Indian Trading Company, 1710 S. Second St. ( 505/863-5249; www.perrynulltrading.com), farther out on Second Street; it’s a big free-standing brick building full of jewelry, rugs, katsinas, and pottery.

Sunset Dances ★

Every evening Memorial Day to Labor Day, dancers from a variety of area tribes sing, drum, and twirl in a stunning display of ritual from 7 to 8pm. The dances take place at the Gallup Cultural Center on East 66 Avenue and Strong Street ( 505/863-4131). Admission to the center and dances is free.

Where to Stay in Gallup

Virtually every accommodation in Gallup is somewhere along Route 66, either near the I-40 interchanges or on the highway through downtown.

El Rancho Hotel ★ On the National Register of Historic Places, this hotel was built in 1937 by R. E. “Griff” Griffith, brother of movie mogul D. W. Griffith. It became the place for film companies to set up headquarters when filming here. Between the 1940s and 1960s, a who’s who of Hollywood stayed here: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Burt Lancaster, Gene Autry, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Henry Fonda, the Marx Brothers—the list goes on and on.

Rooms differ and are named for the stars that stayed in them. Most are medium-size, with wagon-wheel headboards and dark, heavy pine furniture. The beds are comfortable. The bathrooms can be small, some with showers, others with tub/shower combos. All have lovely white hexagonal tiles. Many rooms have balconies. Two suites with kitchenettes are also available. My favorite rooms are on the ground floor, which is the quietest part of the hotel. Light sleepers should be aware that the train can be heard from rooms in the upper stories.

1000 E. 66 Ave., Gallup, NM 87301. 800/543-6351 or 505/863-9311. Fax 505/722-5917. www.elranchohotel.com. 99 units. $82–$97 double; $138 suite. AE, DISC, MC, V. Pets welcome. Amenities: Restaurant ; lounge; outdoor pool (in summer); Wi-Fi (in lobby). In room: A/C, TV.

La Quinta ★ The challenge in Gallup is to find a quiet place to sleep. With busy train tracks running right through town, most accommodations stay noisy through the night. Sitting east of town, this is one of the quietest places I’ve found, but you’ll have to reserve carefully. The trick here is to ask for a room on the side of the hotel that faces away from the tracks and you’ll get a good night’s sleep. Rooms are medium-size, with high ceilings and the calming green decor for which this chain is known. The rooms have comfortable beds and fairly spacious bathrooms. A hot breakfast adds to the appeal. On a recent visit I met a couple of professionals who work each month in Gallup and they said this is their choice of lodgings.

675 Scott Ave., Gallup, NM 87401. 800/531-5900 or 505/327-4706. Fax 505/325-6583. www.laquinta.com. 106 units. $70–$100 double; $105–$125 suite. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, DISC, MC, V. Amenities: Outdoor pool. In room: A/C, TV, fridge upon request, hair dryer, Wi-Fi.

Camping

As in the rest of the state, the Gallup area offers plenty of places to pitch a tent or hook up your RV. USA RV Park ( 505/863-5021; www.usarvpark.com) has 130 sites, 91 full hookups (cable TV costs extra), and cabins, as well as grocery and laundry facilities. Recreation facilities include arcade games, a seasonal heated swimming pool, and a playground. An outdoor dinner is served at an extra cost. Sites range from $21 for tents to $28 for full hookups. Cabins are $32. To reach the campground, take I-40 to the US 66/Business I-40 junction (exit 16); go 1 mile east on US 66/Business I-40.

Red Rock Park campground ( 505/722-3839) has 106 sites—50 with no hookups and 56 with water and electricity. Tent sites are available. Sites range from $10 for tents to $20 for full hookups. The sites are right against the buttes, though in the spring they will surely be dusty because of little protection from the wind. Also accessible are a convenience store, picnic tables, and grills. For more information on Red Rock Park, see “Getting Outside: A Nearby Park,” above.

Where to Dine in Gallup

Coal Street Pub ★ AMERICAN In the center of downtown, this restaurant serves tasty food in a fun atmosphere full of Gallup memorabilia. Though the owners don’t brew their own beer, they do a good job of creating a brewpub atmosphere. Hardwood floors and booths set the tone here along with ceiling fans and a curved bar at the back. Service is good. The big draw is the appetizers and sandwiches. You might start with fried zucchini strips or buffalo chicken wings. For a main course, half-pound burgers are popular, but the big winner is the Monte Cristo—ham, turkey, Swiss, and American cheese on bread, lightly battered and fried golden, served with raspberry preserves. At dinner, try the grilled chicken with a salad, sautéed veggies, and baked potato or fries. The pizzas are also good. For dessert, try the cheesecake. Beer and wine accompany the menu.

303 W. Coal Ave. 505/722-0117. www.coalstreetpub.com. Reservations accepted. Main courses $8–$17. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11am–10pm.

The Coffee House ★ BAKED GOODS/SANDWICHES This cafe in a historic building in the center of town offers a little big-city flair. Sparse decor with wood tables under an old copper ceiling is accented by local art shows. The espresso and cappuccino are delicious, as are the homemade cookies and muffins. For lunch or dinner, try the turkey and Swiss sandwich, the Waldorf chicken salad, or the chicken gyro. Wireless Internet is available.

203 W. Coal Ave. 505/726-0291. All menu items under $9. DISC, MC, V. Mon–Fri 7am–9:30pm; Sat 8am–3pm; closed Sun.

Earl’s ★ AMERICAN/NEW MEXICAN This is where the locals come to eat, particularly on weekends, en route to and from trading in Gallup. The place fills up with a variety of clientele, from college students to Navajo grandmothers. A Denny’s-style diner, with comfortable booths and chairs, the restaurant allows Native Americans to sell their wares to you while you eat; however, you have the option of putting up a sign asking not to be disturbed. Often on weekends, vendors set up tables out front, so the whole place takes on a bustling bazaar atmosphere. And the food is good. I recommend the New Mexican dishes such as huevos rancheros, the enchilada plate, or the smothered grande burrito. Earl’s offers a kids’ menu and half-portion items for smaller appetites, as well as some salads and a “baked potato meal.” Open since 1947, Earl’s continues to please.

1400 E. 66 Ave. 505/863-4201. Reservations accepted except Fri–Sat. Most menu items under $10. AE, MC, V. Mon–Sat 6am–9pm; Sun 7am–9pm.

El Rancho ★ AMERICAN/NEW MEXICAN Set in the historic El Rancho Hotel (see above), this restaurant has fans all across the Southwest. They come to experience the Old West decor—with well-spaced, heavy wooden furniture and movie memorabilia on the walls—and the sense of the many movie stars who once ate here. The food is fine-diner-style, with dishes such as steak and eggs or hot cakes for breakfast, as well as regional delights such as atole (hot blue-corn cereal) or a breakfast taco. At lunch you can always count on a good burger here or select from a cast of sandwiches, such as the Doris Day (sirloin steak on French bread), or salads. At dinner, steaks are a big hit, as is the grilled salmon, both served with soup or salad, vegetable, and your choice of potato or rice. The New Mexican food is also good. Kids can select from the “little buckaroos” menu. A full bar is available.

In the El Rancho Hotel, 1000 E. 66 Ave. 800/543-6351 or 505/863-9311. www.historicelranchohotel.com. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $5–$12 breakfast, $8–$13 lunch, $9–$20 dinner. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6:30am–10pm.

Jerry’s Cafe AMERICAN/NEW MEXICAN This is where the locals go to eat New Mexican food. It’s a narrow and cozy space with booths on both walls and dark-wood paneling. Usually it’s packed with all manner of people, especially Native Americans, filling up on big plates of food smothered in chile sauces. You can’t go wrong with any of the New Mexican dishes; I like the scrambled eggs with chile for breakfast. For lunch or dinner, try the flat enchiladas topped with an egg and served with a flour tortilla and sopaipilla; or the stuffed sopaipilla, with guacamole, beans, and beef, smothered in chile. Jerry’s has a children’s menu as well as burgers and basic sandwiches. Alcohol isn’t served.

406 W. Coal Ave. 505/722-6775. Reservations not accepted. Main courses $4–$7 breakfast, $8–$12 lunch and dinner. MC, V. Mon–Sat 8am–9pm.

Zuni Pueblo & the Navajo Reservation

Zuni Pueblo

The largest of New Mexico’s 19 pueblos, encompassing more than 600 square miles and home to over 12,000 people, Zuni still clings to its traditional language and culture, a great part of which includes art. It’s estimated that 80% of its families are involved in creating art, most notably intricate stone inlay jewelry, carved stone animal fetishes, and katsina figures. Visitors to Zuni will encounter a place that’s just beginning to welcome travelers, with a new roster of tours available. This is new to the pueblo, so be patient with the process. Tours include visits to the Middle Village, Zuni Mission, artists’ studios, archaeological sites, as well as the experience of a Zuni meal. For details check with the Zuni Arts and Visitor Center (see below).

Zuni has a rich history. When the Spanish first arrived in the area, approximately 3,000 Zunis lived in six different villages, and they had occupied the region since at least the year 700. One of the main villages amid the high pink-and-gold sandstone formations of the area was Hawikuh. It was the first Southwestern village to encounter Europeans. In 1539, Fray Marcos de Niza, guided by Esteban the Moor (who had accompanied Cabeza de Baca in his earlier roaming of the area), came to New Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Cíbola, which Baca had said were made of gold, silver, and precious stones. Esteban antagonized the inhabitants and was killed. De Niza was forced to retreat without really seeing the pueblo, although he described it in exaggerated terms on his return to Mexico, and the legend of the golden city was fueled.

The following year Coronado arrived at the village. Though the Zunis took up arms against him, he conquered the village easily, and the Zunis fled to Towayalane (Corn Mountain), a noble mile-long sandstone mesa near the present-day pueblo, as they would later do during the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.

At the time, the Zunis had a sophisticated civilization, with a relationship to the land and to each other that had sustained them for years. Today, the tribe continues efforts to preserve its cultural heritage. It has recovered valuable seed strains once used for dry farming, it’s teaching the Zuni language in schools, and it’s taking measures to preserve area wildlife that’s critical to the Zuni faith.

The Zunis didn’t fully accept the Christianity thrust upon them. Occasionally, they burned mission churches and killed priests. Though the Catholic mission, dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, sits in the center of their village, clearly their primary religion is their own ancient one, and it’s practiced most notably during the days of Shalako, an elaborate ceremony that takes place in late November or early December, reenacting the creation and migration of the Zuni people to Heptina, or the “Middle Place,” which was destined to be their home.

Traditional Native American Bread Baking

While visiting the pueblos in New Mexico, you’ll probably notice outdoor ovens (they look a bit like giant ant hills), known as hornos, which Native Americans have used to bake bread for hundreds of years. For Native Americans, making bread is a tradition that links them directly to their ancestors. Usually in the evening, the bread dough (made of white flour, lard, salt, yeast, and water) is made and kneaded, the loaves are shaped, and in the morning placed in the oven heated by a wood fire. They bake for about an hour. If you would like to try a traditional loaf, you can buy one at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, at the Gallup Flea Market, and from vendors on the Zuni Reservation.

Essentials

Getting There Zuni Pueblo is about 38 miles south of Gallup via NM 602 and NM 53.

Visitor Information For information, contact the Zuni Arts and Visitor Center, on 1239 NM 53 ( 505/782-7238; www.zunitourism.com). This is the place to buy photography permits and inquire about pueblo tours and directions to sites. As at all Indian reservations, visitors are asked to respect tribal customs and individuals’ privacy. No sketching or painting, photography or filming is allowed. Although the pueblo is never completely closed to outside visitors, certain areas may be off-limits during ceremonies, and no photography is allowed without a permit. At the website above you can download a brochure listing sites at the pueblo.

Admission Fees & Hours Admission is free, and visitors are welcome daily from dawn to dusk.

Seeing the Highlights

As you make your way around, you’ll find a mix of buildings—modern ones, along with traditional adobes, and 100-year-old structures made from red carved sandstone. The Old Zuni Mission (Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission), on Old Mission Drive ( 505/782-7238), was first built in 1629, then destroyed during the Pueblo Revolt, and rebuilt in 1699. It was renovated in 1966, but currently is in need of a major restoration. It’s most famed for life-size murals of katsinas by Zuni Alex Seowtewa, which are now at the center of controversy over how to restore them. It’s fronted by a picturesque cemetery. Contact the number above to see if a tour of the interior is available.

In addition, some Native American archaeological ruins on Zuni land date from the early 1200s, but you must obtain permission from the Visitor Center to see them. The A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, 1222 NM 53 ( 505/782-4403), offers a glimpse into traditional Zuni culture. An exhibit under the auspices of the museum, “Echoes from the Past,” set in a building in the heart of Zuni, presents artifacts from Hawikuh (on loan from the Smithsonian Institute). The main museum is open weekdays, year-round, from 9am to 5:30pm (same hours on Sat during the summer). Admission is free. Call first to be sure it is open and to ask for directions.

Today, Zuni tribal members are widely acclaimed for their jewelry, made from turquoise, shell, and jet, set in silver in intricate patterns called “needlepoint.” The tribe also does fine beadwork, carving in shell and stone, and some pottery. Jewelry and other crafts are sold at Turquoise Village, on NM 53 ( 800/748-2405). At this writing, it is open Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 5pm. Another good option is the Zuni Craftsman Co-op, on NM 53 ( 888/926-1842 or 505/782-4521). At both shops, look especially for the hand-carved fetishes as well as the acclaimed needlepoint jewelry.

If you’re planning your visit for late August, call ahead and find out if you’re going to be around during the pueblo’s annual fair and rodeo.

Where to Stay in Zuni

Inn at Halona Situated in the center of Zuni, this inn provides a peek into Zuni life. The inn itself fills two homes—one built in 1920, the other in 1940. I recommend the main house (built in 1920) as it’s the brighter of the two and was remodeled in 1998. Both are filled with local art and decorated with handcrafted furniture. Most rooms are fairly small, and some rooms share bathrooms, so you’ll want to reserve accordingly. All rooms have good linens and comfortably firm beds. My favorite, the Penthouse Room, is small but very sunny and quaint. Over a full and delicious breakfast served family-style in the dining room or out on the lovely patio, the innkeepers Roger Thomas and Elaine Dodson Thomas will delight you with stories of living at Zuni, where Elaine’s Dutch family started the first trading post in 1903. Basic food is available in the trading post store.

23B Pia Mesa Rd. (P.O. Box 446), Zuni, NM 87327-0446. 800/752-3278 or 505/782-4547. Fax 505/782-2155. www.halona.com. 8 units. $84 double. $10 for each extra person. Rates include full breakfast. MC, V. In room: No phone.

Navajo Indian Reservation

Navajos comprise the largest Native American tribe in the United States, with more than 298,215 members. Their reservation, known to them as the Navajo Nation, spreads across 26,000 square miles of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. The New Mexico portion, extending in a band 45 miles wide from just north of Gallup to the Colorado border, comprises only about 15% of the total area.

Until the 1920s, the Navajo Nation governed itself with a complex clan system. When oil was discovered on reservation land, the Navajos established a tribal government to handle the complexities of the 20th century. Today, the Navajo Tribal Council has 88 council delegates representing 110 regional chapters, some two dozen of which are in New Mexico. They meet at least four times a year as a full body in Window Rock, Arizona, capital of the Navajo Nation, near the New Mexico border, 24 miles northwest of Gallup.

Coal, oil, gas, and uranium earn much of the Navajo Nation’s money, as does tourism, especially on the Arizona side of the border, which contains or abuts Grand Canyon National Park, Petrified Forest National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monuments, Wupatki National Monuments, Navajo National Monument, and Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park; and in Utah, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Rainbow Bridge National Monuments, Hovenweep National Monument, and Four Corners Monument.

The Navajos, like their linguistic cousins the Apaches, belong to the large family of Athapaskan Indians found across Alaska and northwestern Canada and in parts of the Northern California coast. They are believed to have migrated to the Southwest around the 14th century. In 1864, after nearly 2 decades of conflict with the U.S. Army, the entire tribe was rounded up and forced into internment at an agricultural colony near Fort Sumner, New Mexico—an event still recalled as “the Long March.” Four years of near starvation later, the experiment was declared a failure, and the Navajos returned to their homeland.

During World War II, 320 Navajo young men served in the U.S. Marine Corps as communications specialists in the Pacific. The code they created, 437 terms based on the extremely complex Navajo language, was never cracked by the Japanese. Among those heroes was artist Carl Gorman, coordinator of the Navajo Medicine Man Organization and father of internationally famed painter R. C. Gorman. The 2002 movie Windtalkers, starring Nicholas Cage, was based on their story.

Although Navajos express themselves artistically in all media, they are best known for their work in silversmithing, sand painting, basketry, and weaving. Distinctive styles of hand-woven rugs from Two Grey Hills, Ganado, and Crystal are known worldwide.

Essentials

Getting There From Gallup, US 491 goes directly through the Navajo Indian Reservation up to Shiprock. From there you can head over to Farmington (see “Farmington & Environs,” below) on US 64. Warning: US 491, previously labeled US 666, running between Gallup and Shiprock, has been called America’s “most dangerous highway” by USA Today. In hopes of changing the fate of what many called the “Devil’s Highway,” the name was changed to a more benign set of numbers. Even with the new designation, you’ll want to drive carefully!

Visitor Information For information before your trip, contact the Navajo Tourism Department, P.O. Box 663, Window Rock, AZ 86515 ( 928/810-8501; www.discovernavajo.com).

What to See & Do

Attractions in Window Rock, Arizona, include the Navajo Nation Council Chambers; the Navajo Nation Arts and Crafts Enterprise; the Navajo Museum, Library, and Visitors Center; and Window Rock Tribal Park, containing the natural red-rock arch after which the community is named.

Nearby attractions include Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site ( 928/755-3475; www.nps.gov/hutr), on Arizona 264, 1⁄2 mile west of AZ 191, at Ganado, 30 miles west of Window Rock, and Canyon de Chelly National Monument ( 928/674-5500; www.nps.gov/cach), 39 miles north of Ganado on U.S. 191, at Chinle.

In early September, the annual 5-day Navajo Nation Fair ( 928/871-6647; www.navajonationfair.com) attracts more than 100,000 people to Window Rock for a huge rodeo, parade, carnival, Miss Navajo Nation contest, arts-and-crafts shows, intertribal powwow, concerts, country dancing, and agricultural exhibits. It’s the country’s largest Native American fair. A smaller but older and more traditional annual tribal fair is the early October Northern Navajo Nation Fair ( 505/368-3727; www.shiprocknavajofair.org), held 90 miles north of Gallup in the town of Shiprock.

Five Hunnerd, Six Hunnerd, Sold!

The Crownpoint Rug Weavers Association ★ holds 12 public auctions a year, normally on Friday evening, about 5 weeks apart. Travelers come from all over the world to sit in the stuffy Crownpoint Elementary School gymnasium (drive 20 miles north of I-40 on NM 371, turn west on Indian Rte. 9, and drive 1⁄2 mile) and bid on lovely rugs made throughout the Southwest. Prices are good, and the bidding can get exciting. Indian tacos and sodas are offered for sale outside. For more information, call 505/786-7386; www.crownpointrugauction.com.

Where to Stay & Dine on the Navajo Indian Reservation

The place to stay on the reservation is the Quality Inn Navajo Nation Capital, 48 W. Hwy. 264 (P.O. Box 2340), Window Rock, AZ 86515 ( 928/871-4108). The modern guest rooms are comfortable and moderately priced (a double costs $72), and the restaurant offers Navajo specialties.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park ★★★

A combination of a stunning setting and well-preserved ruins makes the long drive to Chaco Culture National Historic Park, often referred to as Chaco Canyon, worth the trip. Whether you come from the north or south, you drive in on a dusty (and sometimes muddy) road that seems to add to the authenticity and adventure of this remote New Mexico experience.

When you finally arrive, you walk through stark desert country that seems perhaps ill suited as a center of culture. However, the ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) people successfully farmed the lowlands and built great masonry towns, which connected with other towns over a wide-ranging network of roads crossing this desolate place.

What’s most interesting here is how changes in architecture—beginning in the mid-800s, when the Ancestral Puebloans started building on a larger scale than they had previously—chart the area’s cultural progress. The Ancestral Puebloans used the same masonry techniques that tribes had used in smaller villages in the region (walls one stone thick, with generous use of mud mortar), but they built stone villages of multiple stories with rooms several times larger than in the previous stage of their culture. Within a century, six large pueblos were underway. This pattern of a single large pueblo with oversize rooms, surrounded by conventional villages, caught on throughout the region. New communities built along these lines sprang up. Old villages built similarly large pueblos. Eventually there were more than 75 such towns, most of them closely tied to Chaco by an extensive system of roads. Aerial photos show hundreds of miles of roads connecting these towns with the Chaco pueblos, one of the longest running 42 miles straight north to Salmon Ruins and the Aztec Ruins. It is this road network that leads some scholars to believe that Chaco was the center of a unified society.

This progress led to Chaco becoming the economic center of the San Juan Basin by a.d. 1000. As many as 5,000 people may have lived in some 400 settlements in and around Chaco. As masonry techniques advanced through the years, walls rose more than four stories in height. Some of these are still visible today.

Chaco’s decline after 1 1/2 centuries of success coincided with a drought in the San Juan Basin between a.d. 1130 and 1180. Scientists still argue vehemently over why the site was abandoned and where the Chacoans went. Many believe that an influx of outsiders may have brought new rituals to the region, causing a schism among tribal members. Most agree, however, that the people drifted away to more hospitable places in the region and that their descendants are today’s Pueblo people.

This is an isolated area, and there are no services available within or close to the park—no food, gas, auto repairs, firewood, lodging (besides the campground), or drinking water (other than at the visitor center) are available. Overnight camping is permitted year-round. If you’re headed toward Santa Fe after a day at the park and looking for a place to spend the night, one nice option is the Cañon del Rio Retreat & Spa, 16445 NM 4, Jemez Springs, NM 87025 ( 505/829-4377; www.canondelrio.com; ).

Essentials

Getting There To get to Chaco from Santa Fe, take I-25 south to Bernalillo and then US 550 northwest. Turn off US 550 at CR 7900 (3 miles southeast of Nageezi and about 50 miles west of Cuba at mile 112.5). Follow the signs from US 550 to the park boundary (21 miles). This route includes 8 miles of paved road (CR 7900) and 13 miles of dirt road (CR 7950). The trip takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Farmington is the nearest population center, a 1 1/2-hour drive away. The park can also be reached from Grants via I-40 west to NM 371, which you follow north to Indian Route 9, east, and north again on NM 57 (IR 14), with the final 19 miles ungraded dirt. This route is rough to impassable and is not recommended for RVs.

Whichever way you come, call ahead to inquire about road conditions ( 505/827-5100; www.nmroads.com) before leaving the paved highways. The dirt roads can get extremely muddy and dangerous after rain or snow, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in late summer. Roads often flood when it rains.

Visitor Information Ranger-guided walks and campfire talks are available in the summer at the visitor center where you can get self-guided trail brochures and permits for the overnight campground (see “Camping,” below). If you want information before you leave home, contact the Superintendent, Chaco Culture National Historical Park, 1808 County Rd. 7950, Nageezi, NM 87037 ( 505/786-7014; www.nps.gov/chcu).

Admission Fees & Hours Admission is $8 per car; a campsite is $10 extra. The visitor center is open daily from 8am to 5pm. Trails are open from sunrise to sunset.

Seeing the Highlights

Exploring the ruins and hiking are the most popular activities here. A series of pueblo ruins stands within 5 or 6 miles of each other on the broad, flat, treeless canyon floor. Plan to spend at least 3 to 4 hours here driving to and exploring the different pueblos. A one-way road from the visitor center loops up one side of the canyon and down the other. Parking lots are scattered along the road near the various pueblos; from most, it’s only a short walk to the ruins.

You may want to focus your energy on seeing Pueblo Bonito, the largest prehistoric Southwest Native American dwelling ever excavated. It contains giant kivas and 800 rooms covering more than 3 acres. Also, the Pueblo Alto Trail is a nice hike that takes you up on the canyon rim so that you can see the ruins from above—in the afternoon, especially when thunderheads are building, the views are spectacular. If you’re a cyclist, stop at the visitor center to pick up a map outlining ridable trails.

Where to Stay & Dine

If you’re driving from the northwest, your best bet is to stay in the Farmington/Aztec area (see below). If you’re driving on US 550 from Albuquerque, the town of Cuba (pop. 600) boasts El Bruno’s Restaurante y Cantina ★★, 6453 Main St. (US 550; 575/289-9429). Within an adobe building with ceiling vigas and Mexican leather furniture, and with a lovely patio, this place serves tasty New Mexican food and steaks. It’s open daily 11am to 10pm. Diners can order from a full bar. The lodging situation in this little town isn’t quite so bright. Your only option is the Frontier Motel, on US 550 ( 505/289-3474). Straddling both sides of the highway, it at least offers clean rooms to travelers. Be sure to get one on the south side of the highway, which is more upscale. Rooms have decent furnishings, fairly comfortable beds, and small bathrooms. Most have a fridge and microwave. Prices range from $45 to $60.

Camping

Gallo Campground, within the park, is quite popular with hikers. It’s about 1 mile east of the visitor center; fees are $10 per night. The campground has 49 sites (group sites are also available), with fire grates (bring your own wood or charcoal), central toilets, and nonpotable water. Drinking water is available only at the visitor center. The campground cannot accommodate trailers over 30 feet.

As I said above, there’s no place to stock up on supplies once you start the arduous drive to the canyon, so if you’re camping, make sure you’re well supplied, especially with water, before you head out.

Farmington & Environs

Farmington has historic and outdoor finds that can keep you occupied for at least a day or two. It sits at the junction of the San Juan, Animas, and La Plata rivers. Adorned with arched globe willow trees, it’s a lush place by New Mexico standards. A system of five parks along the San Juan River and its tributaries is its pride and joy. What’s most notable for me, however, is the quaint downtown area, where century-old buildings still house thriving businesses and some trading posts with great prices. It’s also an industrial center (coal, oil, natural gas, and hydroelectricity) and a shopping center for people within a 100-mile radius.

For visitors, Farmington is a takeoff point for explorations of the Navajo Reservation and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. For outdoors lovers, it’s the spot to head to the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness; world-class fly-fishing on the San Juan River; lovely scenery at the Angel Peak Recreation Area; and even a trip up to Durango to enjoy some rafting, kayaking, skiing, and mountain biking. The nearby towns of Aztec and Bloomfield offer a variety of attractions as well.

Essentials

Getting There From Albuquerque, take US 550 (through Cuba) from the I-25 Bernalillo exit, and then head west on US 64 at Bloomfield (45 min.). From Gallup, take US 491 north to Shiprock, and then head east on US 64 (2 1/4 hr.). From Taos, follow US 64 all the way (4 1/2 hr.). From Durango, Colorado, take US 500 south (1 hr.).

All commercial flights arrive at busy Four Corners Regional Airport on West Navajo Drive ( 505/599-1395; www.fmtn.org). The principal carrier is Great Lakes Airlines ( 800/554-5111; www.flygreatlakes.com).

Car-rental agencies at Four Corners Regional Airport include Avis ( 800/331-1212 or 505/327-9864), Budget ( 505/327-7304), and Hertz ( 800/654-3131 or 505/327-6093).

Visitor Information The Farmington Convention and Visitors Bureau, 3041 E. Main St. ( 800/448-1240 or 505/326-7602; www.farmingtonnm.org), is the clearinghouse for tourist information for the Four Corners region. For more information, contact the Farmington Chamber of Commerce, 100 W. Broadway ( 505/325-0279; www.gofarmington.com).

Seeing the Sights in the Area

In Farmington

E3 Children’s Museum & Science Center ★ In downtown Farmington, kids can lose themselves in interactive fun at this expansive museum while they explore a range of exhibits on science, math, engineering, and art. Dinosaur puzzles the size of a car teach about ancient anatomy, a Bernoulli Ball explores how air moves over an object, and changing exhibits offer a chance to build a robot, learn about bats, or juggle. Plan to spend an hour to half-day here.

302 N. Orchard Ave. 505/599-1425. www.farmingtonmuseum.org. Free admission. Tues–Sat 10am–5pm.

Farmington Museum at Gateway Park ★ Small-town museums can be completely precious, and this one and its neighbor in Aztec (see below) typify a tiny part of the world, but the truths they reveal span continents. Here you get to see the everyday struggle of a people to support themselves within a fairly inhospitable part of the world, spanning boom and bust years of agriculture, oil and gas production, and tourism. Located in the slick Gateway Visitor Center, exhibits vary, utilizing over 7,000 objects. You may walk through displays of a 1930s trading post with an old enameled scale, cloth bolts, and vintage saddles. Next, you can tour the Dinosaurs to Drill Bits exhibit, exploring the region’s rich oil and gas history, including a 7-minute ride in the Geovator, which simulates a trip 7,285 feet into an oil well. Kids enjoy this! Excellent changing exhibits rotate through as well. A gift shop sells fun local art and some nice New Mexico–made crafts.

3041 E. Main St. 505/599-1174. Fax 505/326-7572. www.farmingtonmuseum.org. Free admission. Mon–Sat 8am–5pm.

Natural Fun

In the center of Farmington, a dirt road leads through Animas River bosque to the Riverside Nature Center, in Animas Park off Browning Parkway ( 505/599-1422; www.farmingtonmuseum.org). This jumping-off spot to the 3-mile long Riverwalk—a series of paved trails that contour and cross over the river—gives families up-close encounters with the wild. In the Center itself, a glassed-in viewing area allows kids to watch ducks and deer frolic. The Center also offers changing exhibits of nature-related art and photography and lots of hands-on learning exhibits. Meanwhile, special programs offered weekly take families on adventures: “Moonlight Stars and Stories” explores constellations and their accompanying myths, while “Making Tracks” helps participants identify animal tracks along the river. The Center is open Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 1 to 4pm. Admission is free.

In Nearby Aztec

Visitor Information The Aztec Chamber of Commerce, 110 N. Ash St. ( 505/334-9551; www.aztecchamber.com), is a friendly place with a wealth of information about the area.

Aztec Museum and Pioneer Village A real treat for kids, this museum and village transport visitors back over a century to a little frontier town. The museum has lots of memorabilia, but the outer Pioneer Village of replicas and real buildings, with all the trimmings, is what will hold interest. You’ll walk through the actual 1912 Aztec jail—nowhere you’d want to live—into the sheriff’s office. The blacksmith shop has an anvil and oddly shaped burro shoes. You’ll see an authentic 1906 church and a schoolhouse. New additions include a farmhouse and historic drilling rigs. The second Saturday in September the museum celebrates Founders’ Day, with living exhibits, food, and games.

125 N. Main Ave., Aztec. 505/334-9829. www.aztecmuseum.org. Admission $3 adults, $1 children 12–17, free for children 11 and under. Summer Tues–Sat 10am–4pm; winter Thurs–Sat 10am–4pm.

In Nearby Bloomfield

Salmon Ruins ★ What really marks the 150 rooms of these ruins 11 miles west of Farmington near Bloomfield is their setting on a hillside, surrounded by lush San Juan River bosque. You’ll begin in the museum, where a number of informative displays range from one showing the variety of types of ancestral Puebloan vessels, from pitchers to canteens, to wild plants. Two strong architectural influences are visible here. First the Chacoan, who built the village around the 11th century, with walls of an intricate rubble-filled core with sandstone veneer. The more simple San Juan occupation masonry was added in the 12th century. A trail guide will lead you to each site.

Built in 1990, Heritage Park, on an adjoining plot of land, comprises a series of reconstructed ancient and historic dwellings representing the area’s cultures, from a paleoarchaic sand-dune site to an Ancestral Puebloan pit house, from Apache wickiups and tepees to Navajo hogans, and an original pioneer homestead. Visitors are encouraged to enter the re-creations.

In the visitor center, you’ll find a gift shop and a scholarly research library. Ask about their excellent guided tours to nearby ruins.

6131 US 64 (P.O. Box 125), Bloomfield, NM 87413. 505/632-2013. Fax 505/632-8633. www.salmonruins.com. Admission $3 adults, $1 children 6–16, $2 seniors, free for children 5 and under. Mon–Fri 8am–5pm; Sat–Sun 9am–5pm; Sun noon–5pm (winter only). Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Aztec Ruins National Monument ★

These ruins offer an exciting and rare glimpse of a restored kiva, which visitors can enter and sit within, sensing the site’s ancient history. The ruins of this 450-room Native American pueblo, left by the ancestral Puebloans 7 centuries ago, are 14 miles northeast of Farmington, in the town of Aztec on the Animas River. Early Anglo settlers, convinced that the ruins were of Aztec origin, misnamed the site. Despite the fact that this pueblo was built long before the Aztecs of central Mexico lived, the name persisted.

The influence of the Chaco culture is strong at Aztec, as evidenced in the preplanned architecture, the open plaza, and the fine stone masonry in the old walls. But a later occupation shows as well. This second group of settlers remodeled the old pueblo and built others nearby, using techniques less elaborate and decorative than those of the Chacoans. Aztec Ruins is best known for its Great Kiva, the only completely reconstructed Anasazi great kiva in existence. Visiting Aztec Ruins National Monument will take you approximately 1 hour, even if you take the .25-mile self-guided trail and spend some time in the visitor center, which displays some outstanding examples of Anasazi ceramics and basketry. Add another half-hour if you plan to watch the video that imaginatively documents the history of native cultures in the area.

Essentials

Getting There Aztec Ruins is approximately 1⁄2 mile north of US 550 on Ruins Road (CR 2900) on the north edge of the city of Aztec. Ruins Road is the first street immediately west of the Animas River Bridge on NM 516 in Aztec.

Visitor Information For more information, contact Aztec Ruins National Monument, 84 CR 2900, Aztec, NM 87410-0640 ( 505/334-6174, ext. 30; www.nps.gov/azru).

Admission Fees & Hours Admission is $5 for adults; children 16 and under are admitted free. The monument is open daily from 8am to 6pm Memorial Day through Labor Day and 8am to 5pm the rest of the year; it’s closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Camping

Camping is not permitted at the monument. However, it is available at Navajo Lake State Park ( 505/632-2278).

Nearby Parks & Recreation Areas

Shiprock Peak

This distinctive landmark, on the Navajo Indian Reservation southwest of Shiprock, 29 miles west of Farmington via US 64, is known to the Navajo as Tse bidá hi, “Rock with wings.” Composed of igneous rock flanked by long upright walls of solidified lava, it rises 1,700 feet off the desert floor to an elevation of 7,178 feet. There are scenic viewing points off US 491, 6 to 7 miles south of the town of Shiprock. You can get closer by taking the tribal road to the community of Red Rock, but you must have permission to get any nearer to this sacred Navajo rock. Climbing is not permitted.

The town named after the rock is a gateway to the Navajo reservation and the Four Corners region. There’s a tribal visitor center here.

From Shiprock, you may want to make the 32-mile drive west on US 64 to Teec Nos Pos, Arizona, and then north on US 160, to the Four Corners Monument ( 928/871-6647; www.navajonationparks.org). A concrete slab here sits astride the only point in the United States where four states meet: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Kids especially like the idea of standing at the center and occupying four states at once. There’s no view here, but vendors sell crafts and food. Some people find a visit here not worth the trip or cost. The monument is open daily 7am to 8pm Memorial Day to Labor Day and 8am to 5pm the rest of the year. The cost is $3 per person for all ages.

Navajo Lake State Park

The San Juan River, Pine River, and Sims Mesa recreation sites, all with camping, fishing, and boating, make this the most popular watersports destination for residents of northwestern New Mexico. Trout, northern pike, largemouth bass, and catfish are caught in lake and river waters, and the surrounding hills attract hunters seeking deer and elk. A visitor center at Pine River Recreation Area has interpretive displays on natural history and on the construction and use of the dam.

Navajo Lake, with an area of 15,000 acres, extends from the confluence of the San Juan and Los Pinos rivers 25 miles north into Colorado. Navajo Dam, an earthen embankment, is 3⁄4 mile long and 400 feet high. It provides Farmington-area cities, industries, and farms with their principal water supply. It’s also the main storage reservoir for the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project, designed to irrigate 110,000 acres.

Anglers come from all over the world to fish the San Juan River ★★ below the dam, a pastoral spot bordered by green hills, where golden light reflects off the water. Much of the water is designated “catch and release” and is teeming with rainbow, brown, and cutthroat trout. Experts will be heartily challenged by these fish that are attuned to the best tricks, while amateurs may want to hire a guide. With a guide I’ve pulled as many as 30 fish in a day from these waters; without a guide my experience was zip. For more information, see “Northwestern New Mexico’s Great Outdoors,” earlier in this chapter. The park is 40 miles east of Farmington on NM 511. For more information, call 505/632-2278.

Not far from the park, Wines of the San Juan, 233 NM 511 at Turley ( 505/632-0879; www.winesofthesanjuan.com), offers wine tastings and sells bottles of wines ranging from merlot to malvasia bianca. Call ahead to find out about the Sunday programs offered spring through fall, which might include flamenco guitar. The last weekend in September, the winery holds a festival featuring several bands and arts-and-crafts booths. The tasting room is open Monday to Saturday 10am to 6pm and Sunday noon to 6pm. Closed Tuesday.

Angel Peak Recreation Area

The distinctive pinnacle of 6,991-foot Angel Peak can often be spotted from the hillsides around Farmington. The area offers a short nature trail and a variety of unusual, colorful geological formations and canyons to explore on foot. The Bureau of Land Management has developed a primitive campground with nine campsites and provided picnic tables in a few spots, but no drinking water is available here. The park is about 35 miles south of Farmington on US 550; the last 6 miles of access, after turning off US 550, are over a graded dirt road. For more information on the park, call 505/599-8900.

Wet & Wild

If hiking through ruins and across desert sand has left you parched, head to the Farmington Aquatic Center, 1151 N. Sullivan ( 505/599-1167; www.fmtn.org). Serious swimmers can do laps in an Olympic-size pool, while the kids play in their own large one, with slides and jungle-gym type games. It’s open daily 1 to 4pm and Monday to Saturday 4:30 to 7:30pm in summer; Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 4:30 to 7:30pm and Wednesday 1 to 4pm in winter. Admission costs $5 for adults, $4.50 for teens 13 to 18, $3.25 for kids 3 to 12, and free for those 2 and under.

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Often referred to as Bisti Badlands (pronounced Bist-eye), this barren region may merit that name today, but it was once very different. Around 70 million years ago, large dinosaurs lived near what was then a coastal swamp, bordering a retreating inland sea. Today, their bones, and those of fish, turtles, lizards, and small mammals, are eroding slowly from the low shale hills.

Kirtland Shale, containing several bands of color, dominates the eastern part of the wilderness and caps the mushroom-shaped formations found there. Along with the spires and fanciful shapes of rock, hikers may find petrified wood sprinkled in small chips throughout the area, or even an occasional log. Removing petrified wood, fossils, or anything else from the wilderness is prohibited.

Hiking in the Bisti is fairly easy; from the small parking lot, follow an arroyo east 2 or 3 miles into the heart of the formations, which you’ll see on your right (aim for the two red hills). The De-Na-Zin Wilderness to the east requires more climbing and navigational skills. It has no designated trails, bikes and motorized vehicles are prohibited, and it has no water or significant shade. The hour just after sunset or, especially, just before sunrise is a pleasant and quite magical time to see this starkly beautiful landscape. Primitive camping is allowed, but bring plenty of water and other supplies.

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is just off NM 371, 37 miles south of Farmington. For more information, call the Bureau of Land Management at 505/599-8900.

Where to Stay in Farmington & Aztec

Courtyard by Marriott ★ This hotel provides elegant rooms and all the amenities of a full-service inn, with the consistency you’d expect from Marriott. The expansive lobby looking out over Riverwalk Park is decorated in a Southwestern style. Just off it is a quiet lounge and a restaurant. The style carries into the rooms. They are spacious with comfortable beds and medium-size bathrooms with outer vanities. Southwestern landscape paintings adorn the walls. The suites are large and contain one bedroom and a living room with a foldout couch, wet bar, and microwave—a good choice for small families.

560 Scott Ave., Farmington, NM 87401. 800/228-9290 or 505/325-5111. Fax 505/325-5588. www.marriott.com. 125 units. $89–$119 double; $134–$144 suite. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; exercise room; Jacuzzi; indoor pool w/sun deck; room service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi.

Soaring Eagle Lodge ★ This lodge offers basic and clean cabins on a poetic bend of the San Juan River. It’s mostly a place for fishing enthusiasts, who come to ply these world-renowned waters, but those seeking to escape to the quiet of a lovely river will like it too. Each cabin has a kitchenette, partitioned-off bedroom space, and a front room with two easy chairs. Beds are comfortable and bathrooms very clean. A restaurant on-site serves tasty breakfasts and dinners. Be sure to reserve a cabin on the river edge where the views couldn’t be finer. The lodge can set you up with a guide, and you may fish for free from shore on the lodge’s private waters.

48 CR 4370, off NM 511, Navajo Dam, NM, 87419. 800/866-2719 or 505/632-3721. www.soaringeaglelodge.net. 11 units. $155 per person, double. Price includes a full breakfast and fishing privileges. MC, V. Amenities: Restaurant; guide service; Wi-Fi (in conference room). In room: A/C, TV, fridge, microwave.

Step Back Inn ★ This inn imparts a bit of Victorian charm to its fairly standard rooms. It’s a friendly place offering iced tea and lemonade in their parlor throughout the day. Rooms are well planned and functional, with comfortable beds and medium-size bathrooms, as well as plenty of quiet. They also have pretty touches such as wallpaper, a recliner, and early American antique replica armoires, which hold the televisions. Each is named after a pioneer family of the area, some of whom are the ancestors of the hotel’s owner, and each room includes a small booklet that tells their stories. Breakfast brings a warm, delicious cinnamon roll as large as a plate, served in a tearoom.

123 W. Aztec Blvd., Aztec, NM 87410. 800/334-1255 or 505/334-1200. 39 units. $78 double. Rates include cinnamon roll, juice, and coffee. AE, MC, V. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, Wi-Fi.

Bed & Breakfasts

Casa Blanca ★★★ This B&B offers such nice rooms, it’s a travel destination. In a quiet residential neighborhood just a few blocks from the shops and restaurants of Main Street, this inn, built in the 1940s, was once the home of a wealthy family that traded with the Navajos. In 2004, new owners expanded it, adding patios and fountains, creating a lovely oasis. The large rooms, decorated in an elegant Southwestern style, have original artwork and plenty of amenities. My favorite room is the Chaco, with red-brick floors, authentic Navajo rugs, and antique furnishings. Also of note is the Vista Grande, a large upstairs room with views in every direction. Travelers with disabilities are treated especially well here (there are two large suites especially for them), as are business travelers (there’s high-speed and wireless Internet, a courtesy computer, and a meeting room). The full breakfast is always gourmet. Ask about their lovely two-bedroom, two-bathroom cottage, with a full kitchen—a great place for families, marked by the same elegance as the rest of the inn.

505 E. La Plata St., Farmington, NM 87401. 800/550-6503 or 505/327-6503. Fax 505/326-5680. www.casablancanm.com. 8 units. $125–$255 double. Rates include full breakfast. AE, MC, V. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, hair dryer, microwave, Wi-Fi.

Kokopelli’s Cave ★★ Retired geologist Bruce Black wanted to build a cave, so he gave some laid-off Grants miners $20,000 to bore as deeply as they could into the side of a cliff face. This apartment was the result. Built in a semicircle, both the entry hall and the bedroom have wide sliding glass doors leading to little balconies beyond which the cliff face drops hundreds of feet below. This really is a cliff dwelling, and you must hike a bit down to it, though good guardrails guide you. The apartment is laid out around a broad central pillar, and the ceilings and walls are thick, undulating stone. A grill is outside, as are chairs where you can relax in the mornings and evenings. Fruit, juice, coffee, and pastries make up a self-serve breakfast.

3204 Crestridge Dr., Farmington, NM 87401. 505/326-2461. Fax 505/325-9671. www.bbonline.com/nm/kokopelli. 1 unit. $260 double; $300 for 3–4 people. Closed Dec–Feb. AE, MC, V. Amenities: Jacuzzi. In room: TV/DVD, hair dryer, kitchen.

Camping

Mom and Pop RV Park ( 505/327-3200) has 36 sites, 35 of them with full hookups, tent sites, a bathhouse, and a toy soldier shop. The sites are a bit desolate, around an asphalt central area, but a little grassy spot at the office has an incredible electric train set that Pop runs at certain times during the day. Mom and Pop RV Park is at 901 Illinois Ave., in Farmington (just off US 64).

Where to Dine in Farmington & Aztec

Expensive

The Bluffs ★★ SANDWICHES/SEAFOOD/STEAKS Ten minutes east of Farmington’s town center, the Bluffs serves inventive food with attention to detail. A large room is sectioned off by wooden partitions crowned with elegantly glazed glass shaped like the bluffs prominent in the surrounding area. It’s a comfortable atmosphere with roomy booths and stacked sandstone accents. Service is decent. The outdoor patio is a nice spot on not-so-hot days. For lunch, my pick is the turkey-bacon club, served on ciabatta bread. The Thai beef salad is also tasty. At dinner, try your favorite steak cut of Angus beef or one of many daily specials. Most recently, I had Scottish salmon with crispy spinach, and garlic mashed potatoes. Dinners come with salad and a choice of vegetable or potato. A full bar and carefully selected wine list accompanies the menu. For dessert, indulge in the chocolate mousse.

3450 E. Main St., Farmington. 505/325-8155. Reservations recommended on weekend nights. Main courses $7–$12 lunch, $15–$33 dinner. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Fri 11am–2pm; Mon–Sat 5–9pm; lounge daily 4–9 or 10pm.

Moderate

Rubio’s ★ NEW MEXICAN Set in the center of Aztec, this restaurant and bar offers a festive dining experience. Amid brightly painted walls, with comfy booths, the restaurant portion provides a relaxing atmosphere for families. Meanwhile, the bar next door, with ceiling fans and a beach mural, gets livelier. Service is friendly and eager to please. Meals start with chips and salsa, followed by such tasty fare as breakfast burritos or French toast in the morning. Lunch and dinner might start with nachos or guacamole and move on to their “Sopaipilla el Grande,” a favorite—sopaipilla topped with taco meat, cheese, guac, and sour cream. Grilled burgers, chicken, and steak also dress the menu here, as do a variety of combo plates. Kids have their own menu and adults a full bar. Live music, ranging from rock to country, plays on most Saturday nights.

116 S. Main St., Aztec. 505/334-0599. Main courses $4–$8 breakfast, $5–$20 lunch and dinner. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Thurs 11am–9pm; Fri–Sat 11am–10pm.

Three Rivers Eatery & Brewhouse ★ AMERICAN This brewpub on an elegant corner in the center of downtown Farmington serves some of the region’s best food and beer. After my first sip of their Arroyo Amber Ale, I was sold. The restaurant is set in a big two-story brick building that once housed the Farmington Drug Store and the Farmington Times-Hustler newspaper. Hardwood floors and vintage items, such as period bottles and posters found in the renovation, complete the experience. It’s a comfortable place where the owner might just sit down in one of the comfy booths with you and chat about his passion, beer brewing. I recommend the burgers, which come in a variety of flavors, from grilled onion and Swiss to jack and green chile. You’ll also find barbecue pork ribs, steaks, and seafood. A popular dish is the Cajun boil, with crawfish, andouille sausage, crab legs, and corn on the cob. Families enjoy the spacious booths in the back and a kid’s menu.

If you’re traveling with your brood, head next door to Three Rivers Pizzeria, 107 E. Main St. ( 505/325-0308). Under the same ownership, this place offers kids many of their favorite toppings, while adults can savor a crust made with Papa Bear’s Golden Honey Ale from the accompanying brewery.

101 E. Main St., Farmington. 505/324-2187. www.threeriversbrewery.com. Main courses $6–$25. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Thurs 11am–10pm; Fri–Sat 11am–11pm; Sun 11am–9pm.

Inexpensive

Main Street Bistro ★ BAKERY/CAFE This imaginative little cafe in Aztec, with brightly colored floors and walls, offers tasty house-made breakfasts, sandwiches, soups, and salads. Order at the counter and the friendly waitstaff will bring your food to the table. Be aware that the place bustles during peak hours; so if you want quiet time, go midmorning or later in the afternoon. At breakfast, you might order the egg-centric—two eggs, hash browns, English muffin, and fruit. For lunch, you can’t go wrong with the daily soup special, a salad, or sandwich (try the cordon bleu—ham and Swiss on ciabatta, grilled), or the frittata quiche, made fresh daily. Wash it all down with a full range of coffee drinks or their delicious raspberry iced tea.

122 N. Main St., Aztec. 505/334-0109. All menu items under $9. DISC, MC, V. Mon–Fri 7am–4pm; Sat 7–noon.

Shopping in Farmington

Downtown Farmington shops are generally open from 10am to 6pm Monday through Saturday. Native American arts and crafts are best purchased at trading posts, either downtown on Main or Broadway streets, or west of Farmington on US 64 toward Shiprock. You may want to check out the following stores: One of the best in the city is Fifth Generation Trading Company ★, 232 W. Broadway ( 505/326-3211; www.southwestshowrooms.com). Trading since 1875, the Tanner family offers jewelry, Navajo rugs, pottery, alabaster sculptures, old pawn, and katsinas. Bob French Navajo Rugs, on US 64, 18 miles west of Farmington ( 505/598-5621; www.bobfrenchnavajorugs.com), sells silver and turquoise jewelry and a range of antique and new rugs. Hogback Trading Company, 3221 US 64, Waterflow, 17 miles west of Farmington ( 505/598-5154), has large displays of Indian jewelry, rugs, and folk art. And Navajo Trading Company, 126 E. Main St. ( 505/325-1685), is an actual pawnshop, with lots of exquisite old jewelry; you can peruse bracelets and necklaces while listening to clerks speaking Navajo.

Historic Art Stroll

Northwestern New Mexico’s lush green fields and mild (mostly) climate are attracting more and more artists. A great place to sample some of the lively work is Artifacts Gallery, 302 E. Main St. ( 505/327-2907; www.artifacts-gallery.com), in Farmington. Set in a Victorian-style lumber building is a collection of art studios whose artists are often on hand to discuss their work. Just down the street, step into Andrea Kristina’s Bookstore & Kafé, 218 W. Main St. ( 505/327-3313). This lively place, in a historic building with tables set amid bookshelves, has a great selection of books and offers live music, poetry, and films most Thursday through Saturday nights from 7 to 9pm. A range of coffee drinks and soups, salads, sandwiches, and pizza dress the menu. It’s open Monday to Friday 7am to 9pm and Saturday 8am to 10pm. In nearby Aztec, stop in at Feat of Clay, 107 S. Main St. ( 505/334-4335). A cooperative gallery, it holds the work of 14 local artists and has great prices. Look for “Molten Treasures,” glass jewelry by Jinx Bolli. While in Aztec be sure to take some time to stroll through the town’s newly renovated 19th-century historic district.

Farmington After Dark

Sandstone Production’s Summer Outdoor Theater ★ stages two fun shows each year. Presented in the Lions Wilderness Park Amphitheater (off College Blvd.) against a sandstone backdrop, the offerings are usually a dramatic piece and a musical. For information and advance ticket sales, contact 505/599-1148; www.fmtn.org/sandstone. Shows are Thursday through Saturday from mid-June through July, with dinner at 6:30pm and the performance at 8pm.

If you’re looking for a pub, Three Rivers Tap & Game Room, 113 E. Main St. ( 505/325-6605; www.threeriversbrewery.com), is a big hit with locals. This brewpub/game room has the feel of the bar from the television show Cheers, with wood floors, high ceilings, and lots of laughter and brew flowing. Pool tables, foosball, and shuffleboard fill patrons’ time while they munch on popcorn and peanuts, and, some nights, listen to live music. Patrons can order food from the next-door brewpub/restaurant of the same name (see above).

The Jicarilla Apache Reservation

About 2,755 Apaches live on the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation along US 64 and NM 537. Its 768,000 acres stretch from the Colorado border south 65 miles to US 550 near Cuba, New Mexico.

The word jicarilla (pronounced hick-ah-ree-ah) means “little basket,” so it’s no surprise that tribal craftspeople are noted for their basket weaving and beadwork. See their work, both contemporary and of museum quality, at the Jicarilla Apache Arts and Crafts Shop and Museum, a green building along US 64 west of the central village on the reservation ( 575/759-1343; www.jicarillaonline.com). In the back rooms here, I found women listening to 1950s rock while weaving baskets and stringing beads. Two isolated pueblo ruins, open to the public, are found on the reservation: Cordova Canyon ruins on tribal Road 13 and Honolulu ruins on Road 63.

Though the area is lovely, there’s not much else to do unless you’re interested in hunting and fishing. Tribe members guide fishers and trophy hunters, most of whom seek elk, mule deer, or bear, into the reservation’s rugged wilderness backcountry. Highlights of the Jicarilla calendar are the Little Beaver Celebration (mid-July), which features a rodeo, a 5-mile run, a draft-horse pull, and a powwow. The Stone Lake Fiesta (Sept 14–15 annually) includes a rodeo, ceremonial dances, and a footrace.

Admission to Jicarilla Apache Reservation is free, and visitors are welcome year-round. For information on outdoor activities and for general information, contact the Tribal Office at P.O. Box 507 ( 575/759-3242).

The Best Western Jicarilla Inn and Casino on US 64 (P.O. Box 233), Dulce, NM 87528 ( 800/742-1938 or 575/759-3663; www.bestwesternnewmexico.com), offers decent rooms and slot-machine play, though you’ll find better accommodations in Chama (see below).

Chama & Its Scenic Railroad

Some of my best outdoor adventuring has taken place in the area surrounding this pioneer village of 1,250 people at the base of the 10,000-foot Cumbres Pass. With backpack on, I cross-country skied high into the mountains and stayed the night in a yurt (Mongolian hut), the next day waking to hundreds of acres of snowy fields to explore. Another time, I headed down Rio Chama, an official wild-and-scenic river, on rafts and in kayaks following the course that Navajos, Utes, and Comanches once traveled to raid the Pueblo Indians down river. The campsites along the way were pristine, with mule deer threading through the trees beyond our tents. In a more recent visit to the village, it was summertime, and I’d just come from Durango, which was packed with tourists, to hike, raft, and ride the train. Chama was still quiet, and I realized Chama is New Mexico’s undiscovered Durango, without the masses.

Bordered by three wilderness areas, the Carson, Rio Grande, and Santa Fe national forests, the area is indeed prime for hunting, fishing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and hiking.

Another highlight here is America’s longest and highest narrow-gauge coal-fired steam line, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, which winds through valleys and mountain meadows 64 miles between Chama and Antonito, Colorado. The village of Chama boomed when the railroad arrived in 1881. A rough-and-ready frontier town, the place still maintains that flavor, with lumber and ranching making up a big part of the economy.

Landmarks to watch for are the Brazos Cliffs and waterfall and Heron and El Vado lakes. Tierra Amarilla, the Rio Arriba County seat, is 14 miles south, and is at the center—along with Los Ojos and Los Brazos—of a wool-raising and weaving tradition where local craftspeople still weave masterpieces. Dulce, governmental seat of the Jicarilla Apache Indian Reservation, is 27 miles west.

Essentials

GETTING THERE From Santa Fe, take US 84 north (2 hr.). From Taos, take US 64 west (2 1/2 hr.). From Farmington, take US 64 east (2 1/4 hr.).

VISITOR INFORMATION The New Mexico Visitor Information Center, P.O. Box 697, Chama, NM 87520 ( 575/756-2235), is at 2372 US 17. It’s open daily from 8am to 6pm in the summer, from 8am to 5pm in the winter. At the same address is the Chama Valley Chamber of Commerce ( 800/477-0149 or 575/756-2306; www.chamavalley.com).

All Aboard the Historic C&T Railroad

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad ★★ If you have a passion for the past and for incredible scenery, climb aboard America’s longest and highest narrow-gauge steam railroad, the historic C&T. It operates on a 64-mile track between Chama and Antonito, Colorado. Built in 1880 as an extension of the Denver and Rio Grande line to serve the mining camps of the San Juan Mountains, it is perhaps the finest surviving example of what once was a vast network of remote Rocky Mountain railways.

The C&T passes through forests of pine and aspen, past striking rock formations, and over the magnificent Toltec Gorge of the Rio de los Pinos. It crests at the 10,000-foot Cumbres Pass, the highest in the United States used by scheduled passenger trains.

Halfway through the route, at Osier, Colorado, the New Mexico Express from Chama meets the Colorado Limited from Antonito. They stop to exchange greetings, engines, and through passengers. A lunch of roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and other offerings is served in a big, barnlike dining hall in Osier. From there, through passengers continue on to Antonito and return by van, while round-trip passengers return to their starting point. Be aware that both trips are nearly full-day events. Those who find it uncomfortable to sit for long periods may instead want to opt for hiking or skiing in the area. Ask about their Parlor Car, a more luxurious alternative to coach seating.

A walking-tour brochure, describing 23 points of interest in the Chama railroad yards, can be picked up at the 1899 depot in Chama. These yards are a living, working museum, which fascinates history buffs. A registered National Historic Site, the C&T is owned by the states of Colorado and New Mexico. Special cars with lifts for people with disabilities are available with a 7-day advance reservation.

500 Terrace Ave., Chama, NM 87520. 888/286-2737 or 575/756-2151. Fax 575/756-2694. www.cumbrestoltec.com. Lunch included with all fares. Round-trip to Osier: adults $75, children age 11 and under $38. Through trip to Antonito, return by van (or to Antonito by van, return by train): adults $91, children $50. Reservations highly recommended. Memorial Day to mid-Oct trains leave Chama daily at 10am; vans depart for Antonito at 8:30am.

Steam Power Shopping

After sitting on the steam train, you may want to stroll for a while, hitting a few of the shops in Chama. One of note is the Local Color Gallery, 567 Terrace Ave. ( 888/756-2604 or 575/756-2604) in the center of town. Here you’ll find all kinds of locally made arts and crafts, from pottery to moody candles painted with petroglyph symbols to picturesque watercolors of the Chama area. Nearby, the Trackside Emporium, 611 Terrace Ave. ( 575/756-1848), offers train books and videos and model cars.

Where to Stay in Chama

Most accommodations in this area are found on NM 17 or south of the US 64/84 junction, known as the “Y.”

Hotels/Lodges

Chama Station Inn ★ Set in downtown Chama, right across the street from the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad station, this inn offers clean, atmospheric rooms in a 1920s building. Wood floors, high ceilings, and quilts on the comfortable beds create a cozy atmosphere. Bathrooms are small, with only a shower, but functional. A portal on the two-story building allows a nice place to lounge next to an elaborate garden. Best of all, you can climb out of bed and walk to the train. Two of the rooms have kiva fireplaces. The only drawback here is that the inn is only open from late May to mid-October, when the train is running. Next door, a coffee shop offers breakfast. I’d give its name but it seems to change hands every year, so your guess is as good as mine.

423 Terrace Ave. Chama, NM 87520. 888/726-8150 or 575/756-2315. www.chamastationinn.com. 9 units. $75–$85 double. AE, DISC, MC, V. Closed late May to mid-Oct. In room: TV, hair dryer.

River Bend Lodge Set on a bend of the Chama River, this lodging offers the best cabins in town and clean motel rooms. Though they’re prefab cabins, they’re better than some of the more authentic and overly rustic ones at nearby lodgings. If you can reserve cabin no. 40, 50, or 60 at the back of the property, you’ll have a sweet riverside stay. Some of these are split level, with a queen-size sleeping loft and a bedroom—not great for privacy, but good for a family that doesn’t mind sharing space. Others are similar, but without the loft. Every cabin has a fold-out futon in the living room, an efficient little kitchen, and a small bathroom. The motel rooms are medium-size, with basic furnishing and a long portal to relax on in the afternoons.

2625 US 84/64, Chama, NM 87520. 800/288-1371 or 575/756-2264. Fax 575/756-2664. www.chamariverbendlodge.com. 21 units. Motel rooms $68–$89 double; cabins $115–$135 double. Children 12 and under stay free in parent’s room. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Pets accepted with $10 fee. Amenities: Jacuzzi; river for fishing and wading. In room: A/C, TV, fridge, hair dryer, Wi-Fi.

Camping

At Rio Chama RV Campground ( 575/756-2303), you’re within easy walking distance of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad depot. This shady campground with 100 sites along the Rio Chama is ideal for RVers and tenters who plan to take train rides. The campground also offers great photo opportunities of the old steam trains leaving the depot. Hot showers, a dump station, and complete hookups are available. It’s open from May to mid-October only. The campground is 2 1/4 miles north of the US 84/64 junction on NM 17.

Twin Rivers Trailer Park ( 575/756-2218) has 50 sites and 40 full hookups; phone hookups are offered. Tent sites are available, as are laundry facilities and ice and picnic tables. River swimming and fishing are popular activities; other sports facilities include basketball, volleyball, badminton, and horseshoes. Twin Rivers is open from April 15 to November 1 and is 100 yards west of the junction of NM 17 and US 84/64.

Where to Dine in Chama

High Country Restaurant and Saloon ★ STEAKS/SEAFOOD/NEW MEXICAN This is definitely a country place, with functional furniture, orange vinyl chairs, brown carpet, and a big stone fireplace. But it’s the place innkeepers recommend. The steaks are a big draw here. More sophisticated appetites may like the trucha con piñon, trout dusted in flour and cooked with pine nuts, garlic, and shallots. Meals are served with a salad and choice of potato. The New Mexican food is also good. Sunday brunch offers a buffet with biscuits and gravy as well as egg dishes, and pancakes. The attached saloon has a full bar and bustles with people eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the floor.

Main St. (1⁄10 mile north of the Y), Chama. 575/756-2384. Main courses $5–$20 lunch, $7–$20 dinner; Sun breakfast buffet $10. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11am–10pm; Sun 8am–10pm. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas.

What to See & Do on US 84 South

Distinctive yellow earth provided a name for the town of Tierra Amarilla, 14 miles south of Chama at the junction of US 84 and US 64. Throughout New Mexico, this name is synonymous with a continuing controversy over the land-grant rights of the descendants of the original Hispanic settlers. But the economy of this community of 1,000 is dyed in the wool—literally.

The organization Ganados del Valle (Livestock Growers of the Valley) is at work to save the longhaired Spanish churro sheep from extinction, to introduce other unusual wool breeds to the valley, and to perpetuate a 200-year-old tradition of shepherding, spinning, weaving, and dyeing. Many of the craftspeople work in conjunction with Tierra Wools ★, 91 Main St. Los Ojos, NM 87551 ( 575/588-7231), which has a showroom and workshop in a century-old mercantile building just north of Tierra Amarilla. One-of-a-kind blankets and men’s and women’s apparel are among the products displayed and sold.

Just down the street, across from the Los Ojos General Store, is an interesting little art studio worth checking out. Yellow Earth Studio ( 575/588-7807) the passion of Paul Trachtman, the resident artist, is a great place to see and purchase enchanting scenes of the Los Ojos area in the form of paintings and monotype, woodcut, and metal engraving prints. His work is part of the permanent collection of the New Mexico State Capitol. Paul will likely be working away in his studio in back, and if you’re fortunate, he’ll guide you through some of his techniques.

Two state parks are a short drive west from Tierra Amarilla. El Vado Lake State Park, 14 miles southwest on NM 112 ( 575/588-7247; www.nmparks.com), offers boating and water-skiing, fishing, and camping in summer; cross-country skiing and ice fishing in winter. Heron Lake State Park, 11 miles west on US 64 and NM 95 ( 575/588-7470; www.nmparks.com), has a no-wake speed limit for motor vessels, adding to its appeal for fishing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, and swimming. The park has an interpretive center, plus camping, picnic sites, hiking trails, and cross-country skiing in the winter. The 5.5-mile Rio Chama trail connects the two lakes.

East of Tierra Amarilla, the Rio Brazos cuts a canyon through the Tusas Mountains and around 11,403-foot Brazos Peak. Just north of Los Ojos, NM 512 heads east 7 1/2 miles up the Brazos Box Canyon. High cliffs that rise straight from the valley floor give it a Yosemite-like appearance—which is even more apparent from an overlook on US 64, 18 miles east of Tierra Amarilla en route to Taos. El Chorro, an impressive waterfall at the mouth of the canyon, usually flows only from early May to mid-June. Several resort lodges are in the area.

About 37 miles south of Tierra Amarilla on US 84, and 3 miles north of Ghost Ranch, is Echo Canyon Amphitheater ( 575/684-2486), a U.S. Forest Service campground and picnic area. The natural “theater,” hollowed out of sandstone by thousands of years of erosion, is a natural work of art with layers of stone ranging from pearl-color to blood red. The walls send back eerie echoes and even clips of conversations. It’s just a 10-minute walk from the parking area. The fee is $2 per car. Some 13 miles west of here, via the dirt Forest Service road 151 into the Chama River Canyon Wilderness, is the isolated Monastery of Christ in the Desert (www.christdesert.org), built in 1964 by Benedictine monks. The brothers produce crafts, sold at a small gift shop, and operate a guesthouse.

Along the same road (FS 151) is access to the Chama River, a good place to hike, mountain bike, kayak, and camp. The Rim Vista Trail will take you to the top of the rim, with vast views out across Abiquiu Lake and Ghost Ranch. Primitive campsites can be found all along the river.

A 3-mile drive from there is Ghost Ranch, a collection of adobe buildings that make up an adult study center maintained by the United Presbyterian Church. A number of hauntingly memorable hikes originate from this place, which gets its name from the brujas, or witches, said to inhabit the canyons. Most popular among the hikes is spectacular Chimney Rock, but even more notable in my opinion is Kitchen Mesa. Directions for the hikes can be obtained at the visitor center. World-renowned painter Georgia O’Keeffe spent time at Ghost Ranch painting these canyons and other land formations. Eventually she bought a portion of the ranch and lived in a humble adobe house there. The ranch now offers seminars on a variety of topics, ranging from art to literature to religion, that are open to all. For information, contact Ghost Ranch, 401 Old Taos Hwy., Santa Fe ( 877/804-4678 or 505/982-8539; www.ghostranch.org).

As a part of Ghost Ranch, the Florence Hawley Ellis Museum of Anthropology has interpretative exhibits of a Spanish ranch house and Native American anthropology, and the Ruth Hall Paleontology Museum ( 505/685-4333 both museums; www.ghostranch.org) displays fossils of the early dinosaur named coelophysis found on the ranch. A lightly built creature, it was very fast when chasing prey. It roamed the area 250 million years ago, making it the oldest dinosaur found in New Mexico.

Many dinosaur skeletons have been found in rocks along the base of cliffs near Abiquiu Reservoir ( 505/685-4371), a popular boating and fishing spot formed by the Abiquiu Dam.

A good place to stay and dine in the area is the Abiquiu Inn ★, a small country inn, restaurant, art gallery, and gift shop, 1⁄2 mile north of the village of Abiquiu ( 505/685-4378; www.abiquiuinn.com). The casitas are especially nice. Rates are $139 to $199.

Heading south from Abiquiu, watch for Dar al Islam ( 505/685-4515), a spiritual center with a circular Middle Eastern–style mosque made of adobe; the small community of Mendanales is the home of renowned weaver Cordelia Coronado; and Hernandez, the village immortalized in Ansel Adams’s famous 1941 photograph Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico. Rancho de San Juan is a wonderful nearby place to stay and dine.

If you’re in the area and need gas, a snack, or goodies for a picnic, stop in at Bode’s, on US 84 in Abiquiu ( 505/685-4422). The general store for the area, this place has shovels and irrigation boots, and better yet, cold drinks, gourmet sandwiches, and other deli items—even Frito pies and a hearty green chile chicken stew.