A fun spot to come visit, with hike-able mountains near by, that overlook the Lincoln National…read moreForest You go up about 3 hills Murals painted throughout the area Can get to the last hilltop in about an hour if you're not stopping too long Was worth the visit, but there's only so many circles with dots in the middle that I can have fun admiring in a hike

This certainly isn't for everyone, but if you like outdoors and hiking, check this out. Certainly…read moregrab a bottle of water and the sunscreen. The views of the surrounding areas at the top of the hills is impressive. BTW, shout out to the worker who suggested we stop at The Owl in San Antonio, NM. Thank you!

New Mexico 01-2024 ABO Ruins Salina Misson in the Mountaire area of New Mexico. Medieval…read moreArchitecture looks like castle ruins. It was extremely cold with the wind whipping wildly. It was like 6 degrees !! It's located in the mountains and it's a beautiful drive up the ruins. It's Free to check it out. Check out all the photos, it's absolutely amazing there!

We visited Gran Quivira while passing through the area. I had never heard of the Salinas Pueblo…read moreMissions and didn't know much about it. In researching it, I got the impression all 3 sites were comparable. Unfortunately having visited Gran Quivira and seeing the pictures at the park headquarters, I think the other 2 sites were better. The have larger structures still standing. Gran Quivira may be the largest of the three, but outside of the main church, there's not much left. The ruins tend to be pretty low and largely overgrown. The main church has walls maybe 15 feet tall made with local stone. This site has not just ruins of the mission, but also of a village that sprouted up around it. We walked around it and saw it in maybe 30 minutes or less; would have been less if we'd used the ramp but it was closed due to the possibility of lightning. Gran Quivira was alright, but I'd check out Abo or Quarai instead if you get the chance. The fact that we saw the impressive ruins at Chaco Culture NHP the day before may have left me less impressed. Check these out if passing through, but I wouldn't go out of my was to see Gran Quivira.

This is my favorite place ever, In all of New Mexico -…read moreBirds Water Dog friendly And the Rio, Rio, Rio

I spent a week in New Mexico recently and I took a couple of hours to hike the Mesa View Trail…read more While the Visitor Center was closed, it was still staffed and a magenta-coiffed young woman was very helpful. The hummingbird feeders at the Visitor Center attracted numerous colorful hummingbirds. The Mesa View Trail was a moderate hike for me, but there are a couple steep inclines, including one with steps recently charred by a "controlled" burn. The views are spectacular. A recent rain had the wildflowers blooming. I highly recommend visiting Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge and hiking the Mesa View Trail.

I went for ham radio to operate from the park in an event we call POTA - parks on the air. This is…read morea fabulous place to visit and see nature at its pristine natural condition.

Amazing trip! We arrived on a Sat. around 3pm, in time for a walk around the arboretum, golden hour…read moreon the marsh boardwalk, and a drive around the south loop. Within hours, we'd already seen so many critters, but by end of the following day, we'd counted 46 different species! Bring your binoculars. Get up early and arrive 45-60m before sunrise (it's worthwhile), especially in the summer when so many of the animals hide from the sun. Really impressive birding. The vermillion flycatcher was my favorite, and my husband's was the great horned owl. Drive slow, so you don't miss a thing!

This was a 3 hour gem show that is a free entry and many…read morethings for sale. A couple C notes later and we think we have some very special ones for our collection. at home. If you like to look or buy , you will love it. Minerals from around the world and as local as Soccoro. We bought both.

This is a "must-stop" spot if you're in the area. I'm so amazed by the beautiful minerals, rocks,…read moreand materials mother Earth hid for us to uncover. New Mexico Tech is known for their mineral/materials/energetic/etc. research, so come see the materials they found for us! Although the museum is small, there is no admission fee. Everything is on display with the type of mineral and it's location. There are some categorized displays such as Minerals of the US, All Turquoise, or Minerals of North America. There was also a box by the entrance with a bunch of rocks. I took a few home as souvenirs. Extremely convenient because I actually love collecting rocks whenever I travel and hike in other places. Thank you NM! Definitely a place to check out, get some geology lessons, and see the beautiful rocks! Especially for those who are into "stones, quartz, etc."

Not much here. No services…read more Just raunchy homes and trailers. Yet surrounded by majestic natural beauty that is priceless. The sunsets are stunning.

Don't bother. The "pueblo" is just a bunch of mis-matched houses patched with modern materials like…read morevinyl windows, concrete blocks, bricks, and tar paper. Window air conditioning units abound. Cars are parked willy-nilly everywhere so there is no way to take a decent photo. The tour was supposed to be at least 45 minutes but the tour guide (not very informative) was shooing us back onto the bus at 25 minutes. The history of the pueblo is interesting but the present-day reality, not so much. Serious disappointment.

The most striking of the Pueblo villages, and perhaps the oldest continuously occupied community in…read morethe USA, is Acoma Pueblo, and more particularly, Sky City. 60 miles west of Albuquerque, N.M., the "People of the White Rock," first established their adobe homes atop this isolated butte 360 feet above the arid plain below sometime in the 12th Century, long before the invading Conquistadors in the 16th Century. A perfect fortress against marauders, the few thousand locals who worked the land below and maintained the hidden stairways and tunnels to the 70 flat acres above, were prosperous farmers and traders with indigenous groups as far away as the Aztec and Mayans in Central America, with established trails from ocean to ocean. For anyone who has visited Israel and climbed Masada overlooking the Dead Sea, Acoma Sky City feels like a brother citadel. The climb is not as long, but the sense of history and humanity is as powerful. You can now take a motorized vehicle to the summit, but that would be cheating you out of a most challenging and unique experience. Go on foot, from narrow stone step to the next; grabbing handholds where strategically placed, and duck down to squeeze through narrow vertical shafts to the next level, until emerging on top where ancient adobe homes and wide dusty plaza greet you. Walk around allowing your imagination to return you to the 14th Century when Acoma was a center of civilization, and you could see 100 miles in all directions from the rim.

Worth the drive if you take the tour up the hill. Visiting the center itself good to see the…read morehistory and culture.

As local New Mexico residents, we have driven by this exit so many times. Had a house guest from…read moreTaiwan and decided to take the short ride to Sky City and visit the Acoma Pueblo. It was amazing, our tour guide Gayle, was outstanding...so well informed and was able to relate the history and lifestyle on the pueblo. We all enjoyed the visit. Many vendors offer local goods and artworks. I highly recommend look for Gayle as your tour guide.