I had gone here as a young child and was excited about coming back!…read more Beautiful drive to get there. Be sure to bring water, HIKING SHOES, more water, sunscreen, camera, snacks and plenty of time! It's well worth it! Very awe inspiring! The staff is super informative and friendly. Be sure to carry the map you're given so you don't miss anything! This is a must do adventure!

It definitely is an off the beaten path kind of place. It is not too far off the highway and the…read moregood part is the petroglyphs (at least some of them) are very easy to hike too. Part of the path is paved and the rest is a little rocky and tiny climb, but overall easy work to see several rocks with the ancient drawings. It is a cool little glimpse of history. Worth the side trip!

A fun historic site in the old west town of Lincoln. Not many options as far as food or drink, but…read morea very pleasant way to spend the day learning about cattle rustlers and the like!

Great fun for all ages. From bullet holes to babbling brook, a walk through Old Lincoln is a step…read moreinto the 1800s!

We came out yesterday, and had a wonderful time. So much so, that we came out again today! ‍…read more Bring shade! A tent, umbrella, some type of protection from the hot sun, because it is !! Parking is $10, by reservation only, on the weekends, and Monday-Thursday is first come first served, but also $10. If you have an established residence, second home, it's $10 for the entire season. Ignore the ticket taker's attitude as you drive in. We have been here three times, morning, and evening, and she's always here! Lol! She is extremely rude! She evidently hates her job because she is unfriendly and grills everyone to the third degree! Like I said, ignore her, and have fun! Registration is online at the Ruidoso Parks and Recreation website. The water park, known as The Wibit, is $20. This is a main attraction for family-fun. Life vests are required at all times while swimming, and using the water park, but they rent you one as part of the $20. Food and drinks are allowed, but of course, no alcohol is ever permitted. We most definitely will be returning, and highly recommend it!

Even though the wind harshed my picnic, making me retreat to inside my car to finish, still…read morefantastic.

This is Apache Summit on US-70 which has an elevation of 7591 feet. The road here is two lanes on…read moreeach side with a wide breakdown lane where you can stop to read the marker and maybe take a photo. The marker reads, "Sierra Blana, a complex ancient volcano, rises more than 7300 feet above Tularosa Basin to peak at 12,003 feet. Vertical geologic movement between ranges and basin is about 2 miles. San Andres Mountains on west side of Tularosa Basin are uplifted on east side and tilted westward. Elevation 4,670 feet." The majority of the Sierra Blanca range is within the Lincoln National Forest, and part of this is protected as the White Mountain Wilderness Area. Much of the southern half of the range, including the summit of Sierra Blanca Peak, is within the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation. The peak is sacred to the Mescalero Apache, and requires a permit from the tribe for access. Sierra Blanca is a massive complex of volcanic rocks, including pyroclastic materials, lava flows, and intrusions. An ancient and heavily eroded volcanic pile, it is the largest mid-Tertiary volcanic complex east of the Rio Grande, with an estimated volume of erupted products of 185 cubic miles. Eruptions began about 38 million years ago, and extended over a twelve-million-year period. [Review 17466 overall - 76 in New Mexico - 984 of 2022.]

Had a wonderful afternoon inside the "premium reserve" side of the Noisy Waters Winery. My best…read morefriend and I sat upstairs in the "Library" Balcony overlooking the Main Street. E had a couple glasses of out favorite, and a wonderful Charcuterie Board. Everyone we spoke to here were very friendly and helpful and fun to talk to. We had the most relaxing afternoon. If you park behind the establishment, there are a lot of stairs to get here

Very welcoming staff in a beautiful place. We tasted a few things at the bar, ordered a couple of…read moreglasses for the Hatch Chili Wine, and headed outside to the patio to sip and watch the world go by. When we went back in, we bought a bottle. Really enjoyed our afternoon and can't wait to taste this wine again!

Neat lil museum of Billy the kid. You can get a free map of local things to see including smokey…read morethe bear burial site and museum. Friendly and helpful staff, definitely stop on in for helpful info about the town

We stopped before driving the Byway, lots of pamphlets and things to do in the area. There's a map…read morethat you can actually walk inside of the byway itself, so you can get a sense of where you're going. We got there shortly before they opened, so checked out the park across the parking lot with the horses - really nice! The woman at the counter was nice, and very helpful. She was able to answer many of our questions. We drove the byway in about 2 hours with a couple of stops, and very much enjoyed the scenery, the Smokey the Bear monument etc... I would highly recommend both the visitor center and the drive!

4 Stars - A High-Desert Blackjack Fever Dream…read more There are casinos, and then there are casinos that feel like a mildly hallucinogenic roadside poem written at 7,500 feet above sea level. This is the latter. The blackjack tables here are loose in that beautiful way that makes a gambler feel briefly chosen by the gods. Chips slide, cards slap the felt, and the dealers and pit bosses carry a refreshing lack of casino stiffness. Nobody's breathing down your neck like a tax auditor of sin. The vibe is relaxed, almost conspiratorial--like the whole room knows we're all here for the same ridiculous dance with probability. Two dealers deserve special mention. Makaila runs a table like a jazz drummer--smooth, quick, unflustered. June, meanwhile, is a delightful menace. She enjoys tricking players into thinking she's pulled a blackjack. She'll pause, squint, grin, and for a brief moment the table collectively experiences a small existential crisis before she reveals the truth. It's performance art disguised as card dealing. The hotel itself sits out in Mescalero, right beside Ruidoso, overlooking the calm waters of Mescalero Lake--a high-desert lake that looks especially poetic when the mountain air hits your lungs like cold champagne. At 7,500 feet elevation, the place has that crisp alpine quiet that makes you feel like you've wandered into some strange mountain monastery... except the monks are holding blackjack chips. Inside, the casino is modern, comfortable, and easy to navigate. Outside? The parking lot is a bit ugly--like a sun-baked asphalt lizard. But it's shaded, which in the high desert counts as a civic virtue. The crowd is mostly reasonable. Sure, every casino has a few characters who appear to have been assembled from spare parts and bad decisions--but overall the patrons were friendly. I even noticed quite a few young women comfortably playing at the tables, which usually means the atmosphere hasn't drifted too far into creep territory. The rooms are spacious and many have great views of the lake, which adds a peaceful counterpoint to the card-table chaos downstairs. And if you're the adventurous type, there's a disc golf course nearby plus plenty of walking trails along the lake. It's a nice way to clear your head after battling the dealer and the laws of mathematics. One practical note: Hydrate like a camel preparing for a desert opera. The air here is dry enough to turn a raisin back into a grape. Would I come back? Absolutely. Between the mountain air, the laid-back blackjack, and the occasional theatrical dealer mind-game, it's a wonderfully strange little high-desert gambling outpost. Four stars. Bring water. Bring luck. And keep an eye on June's face when she peeks at that second card.

The hotel and room were very nice. Far exceeded our expectations. The views were lovely…read more The "blond haired witch" that evidently is the manager for the very upscale restaurant and bar was rude, condescending, and over the top. We were unaware of a private event being held in the bar. The bartenders fixed our drinks and she let us all know that a private event was starting. Why wasn't this advertised? Why was she screaming at everyone to leave. "Go outside!" "Finish your drinks there." Well, several of us did attempt that. Not only was there a LARGE oversized DOG on the patio (I'm extremely allergic and I doubt it was a service animal) but someone else was also SMOKING out there. Did she address either of those issues? So we took our pricey drinks to our room. When we came back down at 7 the area was packed, Smokey (?) and chaotic. The bars in the rest of the hotel/casino don't compare with this one. Why wasn't the extremely over priced restaurant opened to the private party instead of the bar which many of us wanted to utilize yet couldn't. The restaurant was nearly empty. The night prior when I inquired about reservations she told me to go to Open Table. "Do you utilize Open Table? Just go there." OK. I do. But why couldn't she take our reservation? What a piece of work. Our breakfasts and bar tenders in the Broken Arrow were fabulous! It was obvious they were locals and took pride in their job. Was interested in the spa but there were no price sheets available. Was told to "look online" but still couldn't access the information. So I didn't "spa it." We don't gamble but came for the ambience, the food and drinks, and the scenery. We will come back. Hopefully Blondie will be GONE! Y'all can do so much better. ###

We have been coming here for years and never have we ever been treated like we did this past…read moreweekend by the camp hosts. We had called and spoke to the owner to see if we could check in a bit early and be was completely ok with it. When we got there the camp host was extremely rude saying we were there too early being that no one was in our spot and there were so many other empty spots available. we then had our campfire on and eight at 10 she came and advised it was quiet time and the fire needed to be turned off due to "county law" which is complete BS mind you we were not even loud we were just hanging out and there are zero rules staring that fires need to be out at 10. The next night she again came rudely 3 minutes past 10 when we were already putting our fire out stating "REALLY 2 NIGHTS IN A ROW!!" we said we are putting our fire out and she said "well get your clocks fixed to be on time". we pay a lot of money to enjoy our time there. I feel the owner needs to look into this because the campground was not as full as it usually is and they may be running people out with that unnecessary attitude and rudeness.

I went camping here years ago with friends. We weren't smart and got in after dark and had a heck…read moreof a time trying to put tents up. There are some nice hiking areas around here.