New Mexico and surrounds in the fall, what to do?

[Phoedis]

After the Balloon Fiesta (our first) we will have a little over a month to explore NM and surrounding areas. We have done southwest NM, Carlsbad, White Sands, etc. in the past and were looking to spend some time in the northwest. Any suggestions, tips? We don't mind boondocking (actually prefer most of the time.)

A little concerned about weather and hunting season! Any advice?


We have a 29' Excella and tow with a BIG Ram 2500 diesel.

Thank you!

[JJMarks]

• Santa Fe has a great state park (Hyde) to use as a base for exploring SF. The spots are hard to get even in the fall. A day visit to 10,000 Waves spa after hiking or just lounging is beyond heaven.
• Visit the Georgio O'Keeffe museum; Palace of Governors; too numerous to count museums. Check to see if there are any special artists on tour.
• Visit Taos Pueblo. Drive the "High Road" one direction between Taos-Santa Fe and stop along the historic towns. (I have never pulled a trailer so you might want to check the route.)
• Spend an outrageous fortune on art/clothes/jewelry in Santa Fe and Taos or better just window shop.
• Visit the Ojo Calienta spa - not fancy!
• Visit O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch
• Boondock on BLM land along the Rio Grande.
• Explore the ruins at Chaco Canyon.
• Fly fish in pristine water.
• Explore the pueblos.
• We have also camped in Eagle's Nest and Sugarite State Parks in NE NM. You can't go wrong, just farther out.

That time of year at altitude will be chilly at night but delightfully sunny and dry.

There really is something for everyone's taste. Speaking of taste... enjoy New Mexican food. Ask the locals where to eat. In SF try Cafe Pasqal's for breakfast lunch or dinner; Tia Sophia's for extremely casual breakfast or lunch diner fare - sit alongside locals and Congressmen.

I'm certain others will have additional suggestions for you.

I 💓 NM!

[Doc Foster]

Originally Posted by JJMarks

• Santa Fe has a great state park (Hyde) to use as a base for exploring SF. The spots are hard to get even in the fall. A day visit to 10,000 Waves spa after hiking or just lounging is beyond heaven.
• Visit the Georgio O'Keeffe museum; Palace of Governors; too numerous to count museums. Check to see if there are any special artists on tour.
• Visit Taos Pueblo. Drive the "High Road" one direction between Taos-Santa Fe and stop along the historic towns. (I have never pulled a trailer so you might want to check the route.)
• Spend an outrageous fortune on art/clothes/jewelry in Santa Fe and Taos or better just window shop.
• Visit the Ojo Calienta spa - not fancy!
• Visit O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch
• Boondock on BLM land along the Rio Grande.
• Explore the ruins at Chaco Canyon.
• Fly fish in pristine water.
• Explore the pueblos.
• We have also camped in Eagle's Nest and Sugarite State Parks in NE NM. You can't go wrong, just farther out

Excellent suggestions, here are a couple others
http://www.mesaprietapetroglyphs.org/ Awesome tours, worth the $ even if you have to schedule a private tour
Acoma Pueblo - great tours and small museum, but pottery direct from the person that made the pottery right in their own home
Might be a little cold but Zipline Adventure Tours | Angel Fire Resort New Mexico We are pushing 60 but found this to be a great thing to do.
Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
Check out this site for info on hikes and camping Explore New Mexico
Petroglyph National Monument (U.S. National Park Service) nice hiking
a bit more remote Pueblitos of Dinetah

[unifreck]

Go to Gallup to do your Jewelry shopping, especially Al Zuni's wholesale store attached to the Days Inn motel in the WEST side of town on route 66. He is the supplier to many high end stores in major cities and buys directly from the Indian families that produce some really magnificent pieces. There is also a pawn shop downtown that has also been in Gallup for decades and has some great one of a kind jewelry and art, you will enjoy browsing for an hour or two. The Indian villages surrounding Gallup are very interesting, but more expensive than the other two places. We enjoy this area and stay, shop, and explore every 2 to 3 years. Hope you try it out.

[pappy19]

Taos, Red River, Chama, any of the towns in northern NM in the fall are the best. Just north of Santa Fe go eat at Angilina's in Espanola off Fairview. Best local New Mexican food in the state IMHO. My wife is a native NM and we go there every year for a month or so.

[Ampman]

If only passing thru Sante Fe with trailer in tow try Maria's Mexican restaurant. Parking available one block north on a side street in front of a party rental place. Wide street, plenty of room. Great food. Northern New Mexico has great campgrounds all over the place. Only one we had problems with was Villanueva State Park. Route 3 is very narrow near the park and for me was challenging with oncoming traffic especially climbing out of the valley. Most parks are easy on the wallet too.

[Len n Jeanne]

If you're at all interested in an active outdoor life and ancestral Puebloan ruins, there are several really neat ones in northern NM. We spent 5 nights in Bandolier NM (near Los Alamos) in 2007 and still didn't do most of the hiking trails. Chaco Canyon has some beautiful hikes, as well; although camping there is super-limited and it's a long ways to the next nearest places to camp.

We also visited the Vietnam War memorial in Angel Fire, NM, and found it very moving.

[Phoedis]

Originally Posted by unifreck

Go to Gallup to do your Jewelry shopping, especially Al Zuni's wholesale store attached to the Days Inn motel in the WEST side of town on route 66. He is the supplier to many high end stores in major cities and buys directly from the Indian families that produce some really magnificent pieces. There is also a pawn shop downtown that has also been in Gallup for decades and has some great one of a kind jewelry and art, you will enjoy browsing for an hour or two. The Indian villages surrounding Gallup are very interesting, but more expensive than the other two places. We enjoy this area and stay, shop, and explore every 2 to 3 years. Hope you try it out.

HI Unifreck,
We'll be in Gallup in about a week or so. Wondering of you know the name of the pawn shop you suggested. Was it Richardson's?

[eubank]

Richardson's is almost surely the one he's talking about. Downtown isn't that big, so it's easy to locate.

The main street leading through town is old Route 66; the Interstate was built somewhat north of the old road.

Most folks we know stay at USA RV Park, located on the main road at the west end. More toward the east end is El Rancho Hotel, which also has a pretty good restaurant. Worth a visit, if only because of its history of attracting talent!

– Alan Ladd
– Barbara Peyton
– Betty Grable
– Betty Hutton
– Bob Hutton
– Broderick Crawford
– Bruce Cabot
– Burt Lancaster
– Claude Akins
– Dale Robertson
– Dana Andrews
– Dean Jagger
– Dennis Morgan
– Doris Day
– Dorothy Malone
– Elizabeth Scott
– Errol Flynn
– Forrest Tucker
– Fred Mac Murray
– Gene Autry
– Gregory Peck
– Howard Newsom
– Humphrey Bogart
– Ida Lupino
– Irene Manning
– Jack Benny
– Jack Carson
– Jack Oakie
– Jackie Cooper
– James Cagney
– Jan Sterling
– Jane Fonda
– Jane Wyman
– Jean Harlow
– Jean Parker
– Jeanne Kelly
– Jimmy Stewart
– Joan Crawford
– Joel McCrea
– John Forsyth
– John Hodiak
– John Wayne
– Jose Ferrer
– Joseph Cotton
– Katherine Hepburn
– Kirk Douglas
– Lee Marvin
– Lee Remick
– Lorraine Day
– Lucille Ball
– Mae West
– Maria Montez
– Marilyn Maxwell
– Marx Brothers
– Mona Freeman
– Pat Wymore
– Paulette Goddard
– Peter Graves
– Richard Boone
– Rita Hayworth
– Robert Mitchum
– Robert Taylor
– Ronald Reagan
– Rosalind Russell
– Ruth Hussey
– Sidney Greenstreet
– Spencer Tracy
– Susan Hayward
– Susan Pleshette
– Tom Mix
– Troy Donahue
– Tyrone Power
– Virginia Mayo
– W.C. Fields
– Wallace Berry
– William Bendix
– William Bennett
– William Holden
– Zachary Scott


Lynn

Originally Posted by Phoedis

HI Unifreck,
We'll be in Gallup in about a week or so. Wondering of you know the name of the pawn shop you suggested. Was it Richardson's?