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!

I really had high expectations for this place. I've always wanted to see petroglyphs so talked my…read morehusband into going. First, there's no signs showing you where you should be looking. It was at a rv camping site. No visible parking spots only a big dirt lot (I guess that's what you could call it) there was a picnic table and a bathroom. We just ended up parking in front of some bushes. Got out of the car and looked around. Saw a little sign and a path so figured that was it. Can't remember how long I walked but I think it was a big loop. I saw no petroglyphs at all, just a bunch of rocks and dirt. A few signs here and there telling about what's in that spot but didn't see a thing. It was a big disappointment. If there are truly petroglyphs there they need some kind of signs telling you where to go.

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.

in New Mexico i've visited the site on February twenty first and twenty second of this year , 2026…read more Established in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico was created to protect, restore, and provide a vital migratory stopover for sandhill cranes, geese, and ducks. Spanning 57,331 acres (30 000 are wilderness), the area has a deep history, having been a home to the Piro people and later named for the Apache tribes that used the riverside forest. The name means "woodland of the Apache" in Spanish, acknowledging the region's historical use by Prior to the 1600s, the Piro people lived in the area, with archeological sites like Qualu indicating substantial early settlements. The area was part of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Royal Road of the Interior Land), with Spanish caravans passing through the vicinity. It's not too far from the Salinas missions. The refuge was officially established in 1939 to conserve migratory birds, particularly after populations had dwindled due to habitat loss. It is famous for playing a critical role in the recovery of the sandhill crane population and serves as a winter home for thousands of waterfowl. It has become an income producer for the hotels. RV's parks and restaurants in the area. It helps rural New Mexico, like many parks in the country, help rural areas. Rep. Vasquez, a New Mexico Congressman stated the consequences of the cancellation of the annual Festival of the Cranes, a major cultural and economic event that typically brings $2 to $3 million in revenue to Socorro County and contributes to the refuge's broader $15.8 to $17 million annual economic impact to the rural area. Like most parks , it's hanging on having had its funding gutted by the recent federal government. Sadly , it's going from forty five staff to ten , which includes several volunteers. There's only two staff assigned to the water management of the wetlands now. They've been able to keep the Visitor Center open with volunteers and a staff member. as it helps provide information and some income from souvenirs. Quite frankly , it almost makes me weep with the amount of intentional destruction that the federal government caused. That's my opinion and I hope and pray that they'll survive to have some funding restored.

The park can see lot of snow geese and sandhill cranes. But at 7am, the temperature only 21degree…read more If you like to watching or taking pictures, you will not be disappointed in here. It is a good place to watch migration. Birds in February.

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.