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New Mexico’s Prettiest Places

April 15, 2020

Known as the Land of Enchantment, New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the United States at 121,967 square miles. If you get the opportunity to explore this vast and absolutely gorgeous state, you’ll find that its territory is unexpectedly diverse. The eastern third, for instance, is an ultra-flat pastoral swath that seems to stretch into an otherworldly Great Plains dimension. But much of the central and western sections are made up of national forests, high mountain peaks, curious volcanic landscapes, and geological surprises that show just how much your environment can drastically change in less than one tank of gas.

Tip: Fuel up. If you’re traveling anywhere outside of the urban centers of Santa Fe, Albuquerque or Taos, get gas when you can and as often as you can. Seriously, you may not see another pump for well over a hundred miles.

 1. carlsbad caverns national park

Situated in Southeastern New Mexico in the Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a world heritage site of 120 caves formed between four and six million years ago when sulfuric acid from hydrogen-sulfide-rich rainwater dissolved limestone between fractures and crevices in the surface rock.

The largest cave in the park, Lechuguilla Cave, is 140 miles long and 1,604 feet deep. Its vast network of chambers was discovered more recently in 1986, and it’s regarded as one of the 10 longest in the world and the second deepest in the United States. As it’s closed to the public—access is only granted to approved researchers and survey or exploration teams—the only way to get a glimpse is through the NPS website.

The biggest draw to Carlsbad Caverns is the Big Room. The largest single cave chamber by volume in North America, this 8.2-acre limestone cavern contains a 1.25-mile trail that’s mostly flat with sections that are wheelchair accessible.

Admission: $15 per adult 16 and older; children ages 15 and under are free

A valid America The Beautiful annual pass covers entry for up to four adults in your group.

2. white sands national park

White Sands National Park was established as a National Park in 2019 but has been a National Monument since 1933, and it’s currently the most-visited National Park Service site in all of New Mexico. The dune field is less than 10,000 years old, the leftovers of an evaporated lake that once held gypsum runoff long after the last Ice Age. Strong winds kicked up and polished the crystalline pieces, ultimately forming the dunes that are present today.

The site is surrounded by military operations and testing facilities, including NASA’s White Sands Test Facility, White Sands Missile Range, Holloman Air Force Base, and White Sands Space Harbor. In 1945, the first atomic bomb was tested 60 miles to the north.

Spring to Summer months are busiest, so if you’re looking for solitude try the October-February timeframe. Sand sledding, nature photography and hiking are just a few of the things to do while visiting this unique landscape.

Admission: $25 per vehicle or $15 per adult over 16; children ages 15 and under are free.

A valid America The Beautiful annual pass covers your entry. There’s also a White Sands Annual Pass for $45.

3. Bisti Badlands

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is a rugged landscape of fantastically strange rock formations in the Four Corners Region of New Mexico. Visitors can an up close look at how time and nature have shaped these curious hoodoos in a variety of ways.

While this is a vast territory of 45,000 acres, hikers can visit some of the area’s noted features, including fossils, natural arches and hoodoos, within around 1 to 4 miles after trekking out from the main parking lot. The city of Farmington’s website is a great place to begin for directions, area highlights and preparing for your wilderness adventure.

Admission: Free

4. Taos Pueblo

The Taos Pueblo is a truly special site, quietly located on the edge of Taos. The village has been inhabited by its ancestral people for over 1,000 years. According to their website, 150 people still live within the Pueblo village full-time, and there are over 1,900 Taos Indians living across the greater Taos Pueblo lands.

Visitors can opt for a guided tour featuring the culture and history of the settlement, which occurs every 20-30 minutes on the hour, but it’s not required. What is required is a sincere sense of respect. There are strict guidelines around resident privacy and photography. The Taos Pueblo also closes for about 10 weeks during the late winter to early spring.

Admission: $16 per adult; $11 per student (ages 11+ with valid ID); Free for children 10 and under

5. kasha-katuwe tent rocks

On the Cochiti Pueblo between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Moment is a fascinating geological area known for its curious conical spires and hoodoos, formed 6-7 million years ago when volcanic ash spewed from the nearby Valles Caldera.

These formations tower overhead as you wander along a gravelly path and through slot canyons on one of the site’s more popular trails. There’s a longer, 3.1-mile loop that rises to the top of the mesa overlooking the formations, which is a must-see, in my opinion, if you can manage the rugged, uphill climb. It’s fairly easy in most spots, maybe a few boulders to climb up and over, but all in all, well worth it.

Admission: $5 per vehicle

6. cloudcroft

High up in the Lincoln National Forest is the quiet historic mountain town of Cloudcroft, that, frankly, is a welcomed sight after traveling through the flat and arid expanse that makes up much of southern New Mexico. Sitting at almost 9,000 feet in elevation, it’s a tourist draw in the summer for those looking to escape the heat, and it’s been that way for over 100 years. In 1898, construction began on the Alamogordo-Sacramento Mountain Railroad that carried passengers starting in 1900 out of the hot desert and into the pine-rich terrain. Cloudcroft reports on average temperatures that are consistently 20 degrees cooler than the valley below.

After the first highway was built in the mid-1940s, the train service to the village was discontinued, but the old railroad trestle still remains, and is one of the scenic highlights within the town. There’s also a Trestle Recreation Area which allows for hiking to the trestle but not over it.

We loved our stay at Dusty Boots Motel and Cafe, which has newly renovated rooms that are clean and unexpectedly unique.

Admission: Free

7. canyon road arts district, santa fe

Among the reasons to visit the gorgeous downtown Santa Fe corridor is Canyon Road, an arts district packed with over a hundred galleries, boutiques and restaurants, all within a half-mile area. Lovely and walkable, you really can’t believe the impressive and amazing diversity of art on display until you’re passing among them, one after the next, after the next. On of my favorites is the curious and explorative work of Kelly Dale Moore at Dark Bird Palace, which you pretty much can’t miss if you start on the eastern end of Canyon Road and work your way west. The whole gallery is a collection of shack-like structures covered with Moore’s art, skeletons, paintbrushes, and plenty of creepy doll heads, a bonus in our book.

Admission: Free

8. Bandelier National Monument

Banderlier National Monument is a vast and rugged territory where over 33,000 acres of land and evidence of the Ancestral Pueblo, including their dwellings and petroglyphs, are protected within. Artifacts collected at the site, such as Clovis arrowheads, are approximately 12,000 years old and help shape a timeline of when Paleoindian hunters first arrived to the Pajarito Plateau. While there are more than 70 miles of trails within the park, among the most popular is a 1.2-mile loop through the main archeological sites, including the Long House cliff dwellings built into the rock face as seen above.

Admission: $25 per vehicle or $15 per adult over 16; children ages 15 and under are free.

A valid America The Beautiful annual pass covers your entry. Or there’s Bandelier annual pass for $45.

9. blue hole

The Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico is a deep well and a popular draw for tourists and scuba divers arriving from around the world. The clear water is 62 degrees Fahrenheit, and it’s entirely replenished daily by a constant inflow from one of seven underground lakes. Cool.

Admission: $5 per vehicle.

10. Valles Caldera National Preserve

Located just to the north of Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument and northwest of Bandelier National Monument is Valles Caldera National Preserve. Over 1 million years ago a volcanic eruption created a 13-mile basin known today as the Valles Caldera. The US Geological Survey reports that the caldera is the oldest of three similar calderas in the United States, the other two being in Yellowstone, Wyoming and Long Valley, California. Visitors can hike numerous trails, mountain bike, backcountry camp, fish, hunt with a special use permit, along with various winter activities like snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

Admission: $25 per vehicle; $15 per person for those who arrive by foot, horse, bicycle or non-commercial bus.

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