New Mexico Adventure Guide

Introduction 

In the 1990s, adventure travel has come into its own. It is no longer considered the province only of daredevils seeking the classic hang-by-your-teeth-over-the-jaws-of-death-type adventure, although that sort of trip is available in abundance in New Mexico. You won't have to cheat death unless you choose to, but if you try a sampling of this book's activities, you will certainly raise your chances of having a life-affirming experience. Adventure doesn't need to be a death march expedition but it does need to get the juices flowing. At the least it should provide attainable challenges that any reasonably fit and active participant with an open mind can enjoy. 

Inside this book you'll find information on a range of activities, many of which will provide challenges relating to climate, altitude, remoteness, and physical fitness. Others may be less physically stressful, while challenging your cultural perceptions. From easy-to-accomplish soft adventures, family and seniors' trips, to daredevil capers that will really get your adrenaline pumping, you can find them here. There are activities you can pursue for a day, a week, or a month. Whatever your inclination may be, the pay-off is in the remarkable regenerative power of a classic river trip, a cattle drive, an Indian ceremony, or an archaeological dig. New Mexico offers thousands of miles of maintained trails for you to hike, bike, and ride on horseback. If you're a water-lover, a river trip might lure you into a canoe, kayak, or whitewater raft. You can fly-fish for trout or troll for stripers. There are evocative back roads for you to explore by jeep and mammoth vistas to gaze upon from a glider or the gondola of a hot-air balloon. You can visit historic and modern Indian and cowboy sites. You can ski in the winter, photograph wild flowers in springtime, climb cool mountains in summer, and explore canyons and high desert in fall, when mornings and evenings are cool, days warm, and changing leaves enhance the countryside with a radiant glow. 

Cane cholla flower, a symbol of New Mexico

Assuming that you're ready to experience the special nature of New Mexico, to learn new things about unusual places and to get out and do things, this book is meant for you. It provides nuts and bolts information you need to plan and undertake an informed trip, as well as specific information on a variety of adventurous things to do. 

The true essence of New Mexico, however, is discovered in the way being here makes you feel about yourself, on the historic turf of cowboys, Indians, mountain men and desert rats, amid powerful geology that is testing and undeniably attractive. It's a hard country, open to all comers but resistant to easy change. That is exactly what makes it irresistibly challenging. 

Forever known as the Land of Enchantment because of its scenic beauty and rich history, New Mexico is a veritable paradise for the adventure-seeking traveler. Covering an enormous 121,593 square miles, it is the nation's fifth largest state. Only Alaska, Texas, California and Montana have a greater area. And with a population of just 1.6 million people, there's plenty of room to roam without feeling crowded. 

The state's physical grandeur - which ranges from Chihuahuan desert basins to sweeping plains and snow-capped alpine peaks - is well-chronicled. But few visitors realize that New Mexico is as much a cultural experience as it is a great place to hike, bike, ski or fish. New Mexico has a higher percentage of Indian and Hispanic residents than any other state - roughly 45% - and the influence of both groups is strikingly evident in terms of place names, art and architecture, foods and customs. One could make a pretty good case for New Mexico being the most foreign of all states. 

Multicultural diversity is the cornerstone of the American epic, so what's the big deal about New Mexico's Indian, Hispanic and Anglo mix? The answer can be found in the collision and co-mingling of cultures that has for more than 450 years dominated New Mexico's history. The state's tri-culturalism is quite simply older than in the rest of the country. The Spanish explorer Coronado was combing New Mexico in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540 - 192 years before the birth of George Washington and nearly seven decades before the English laid the foundations of Jamestown in 1607. 

Although they never found the fabled cities of gold, the Spanish stayed. Dedicated primarily to converting Indians to Christianity, they established their first mission colony at San Juan Pueblo near the confluence of the Chama and Rio Grande Rivers in 1598. In 1610 the colonial capital was moved to Santa Fe. Still the capital of present-day New Mexico, Santa Fe is the oldest seat of government in the United States. Actually, Spain governed New Mexico almost 80 years longer than it's been part of the United States. For nearly 225 years Hispanic colonists, mostly Franciscan missionaries, toiled here, imposing their culture on the rugged land and the Indians occupying it. The legacy of their work survives to this day and, perhaps more than anything else, endows the modern state with an exotic, foreign flavor. 

Others will say that New Mexico's persistent and vital Indian cultures, healthier than perhaps anywhere in the country, have contributed most toward defining the state's unique character. Certainly the Indians were here before anyone else - and in this instance we are not speaking of the Anasazi, whose cliff dwellings and many-storied apartments of stone we can still visit today. 

Thousands of years earlier, nomadic hunters were tracking down woolly mammoths, giant bison and saber-toothed tigers on the plains of New Mexico. In fact, the continent's oldest known Indian sites have been discovered here. At Folsom the remains of Folsom man, dating back 10,000 years, were uncovered. Later, near Clovis, remnants of the Clovis culture pushed back the antiquity of human occupation in New Mexico to more than 11,000 years. More recently, researchers from the Massachusetts-based Andover Foundation for Archaelogical Research discovered artifacts in Pendejo Cave on the Army's Fort Bliss firing range near Orogrande in Southern New Mexico that establish human presence in the area at least 25,000 years ago. There may be evidence, in fact, to place Orogrande man - America's oldest, without a doubt - here as long as 40,000 years ago. 

Eventually Anglos began making their imprint as well. Not, however, while the Spanish retained power. Insular and protective of its New World dominion, Spain refused to allow its New Mexican colonists to trade with foreigners, especially French and British trappers and traders who were swarming westward from the upper Mississippi and Missouri Valleys. But, once Mexico wrested its independence from Spain in 1821 and made New Mexico a province, the pipeline was opened at last. Settlers and traders poured into New Mexico along the Santa Fe Trail. Braving the rigors of a harsh land and beset by hostile Indians, miners and ranchers struggled to develop and utilize the area's rich resources. Inevitably, too, they were soon caught up in a conflict with Mexico. In a one-sided affair known as The Mexican War of 1846, the United States prevailed and in 1850 Congress declared New Mexico a US territory, then including Arizona and part of Colorado. 

The arrival of the railroads in the 1870s brought on an economic boom, with cattle and ores being shipped to the north and east where there was a ready market for them. Fortunes were made and many lives were lost during those lawless and violent days of the Wild West. Groups of cattlemen and merchants fought for economic and political control of Lincoln County, the largest county in the nation at the time. The bitterness burst into open violence with the murder of merchant John Tunstall. Notorious outlaw Billy the Kid took sides as a mercenary in the fighting that came to be known as the Lincoln County War. 

Violence and the lack of law and order persisted in New Mexico Territory right into the 20th century, dissuading the federal government from granting statehood until 1912. Lawlessness - some would call it frontier independence - seemed destined to remain the Anglo's most notable contribution to the tri-cultural equation until World War II. It was then that New Mexico became the epicenter of America's weapons research and development program. Shrouded in secrecy, the world's first atomic bomb was developed at Los Alamos Laboratory and on July 16, 1945, it was detonated in dramatic fashion at Trinity Site, near Alamogordo. In August, 1945, US planes dropped two of the bombs on Japan, bringing an end to the War in the Pacific. To this day, New Mexico remains at the forefront in research and development for the defense industry. 

To help you get your geographic bearings, it is useful to remember that New Mexico has four main land regions: the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains, the Basinand Range, and the Colorado Plateau. 

These physical regions correspond rather closely to the chapter divisions in this book. For example, the North Central chapter, which includes Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos, pretty much overlays the Rocky Mountains. The Northeast chapter covers the Great Plains region from the Rockies east to the borders of Texas and Oklahoma. It was this section of the plains that was crossed by two of the West's most historic byways, the Santa Fe Trail and Route 66. The area addressed in the Southeast chapter is almost evenly divided between the Great Plains on the eastern side of the Sacramento and Guadalupe Mountains and Basin and Range country to the west. The Southwest chapter deals entirely with Basin and Range topography, featuring the rugged mountains of the Gila National Forest (the state's largest) and the GilaWilderness, near SilverCity, which was the first area in the country to be set aside as a national wilderness. Steve Cohen's Northwest New Mexico chapter takes place on the Colorado Plateau, home to many of the state's most outstanding remains of ancient Indian civilizations. 

The Rocky Mountains, according to most geographers, penetrate north-central new Mexico to a point near Santa Fe. Others suggest the Rockies run to the borders of Texas and Mexico and that the Salinas, San Mateo, Mimbres, Mogollon, Organ, Guadalupe and Sacramento Mountains in the southwest and central part of the state are really a continuation of the great cordillera. 

While New Mexico's tallest mountain, Wheeler Peak (13,161 feet), is situated in the north-central area near the Colorado border, one of the state's highest elevations is 12,003-foot Sierra Blanca Peak in the Sacramento Mountains near Ruidoso - more than 250 miles south of Wheeler Peak. 

Almost 100 miles due west of Sierra Blanca, Whitewater Baldy rises 10,895 feet in the Mogollons. So, whether you consider them part of the Rockies or Basin and Range, there are some big mountains in Southern New Mexico. There are also some splendid examples of broad desert basins lying between the southern mountain ranges. The two largest areJordanadel Muerto (Journey of the Dead) and the Tularosa Basin, which is home to the magnificent gypsum dunes of White Sands National Monument. 

Intersecting New Mexico's mountainous backbone like a vital nerve, the Rio Grande River flows down from Colorado, providing water for crops in the fertile Rio Grande Valley and for the state's best water sports and recreation. A section of the river known as Taos Box offers spectacular whitewater sport and, to the south, where the Rio Grande feeds Elephant Butte Lake, you'll find some of the finest fishing waters in the Southwest. The Rio Grande served for centuries as the source of life to both Indians and Spaniards, so much of the state's colorful history unfolded in its valley. 

Chief Ouray of New Mexico's Ute tribe (c. 1870)

Part of the vast interior plain that carpets the country's mid-section from Canada to Mexico, the Great Plains covering the eastern third of New Mexico are not, for the most part, awave with tall grass as you might picture them. Long committed to ranching and dry farming - and severely overgrazed in the past - most of the eastern plains appear to be barren. This is particularly true of the high plains or Llano Estacado along the eastern edge of the state, south of the Canadian River. Dramatic skies and sunsets, however, lend a special beauty to these plains. The entire southern border of the state fringes the great Chihuahuan Desert. This high desert landscape is especially evident and accessible around Carlsbad Caverns National Park. What lies beneath the scrubby surface here is, of course, another story entirely. 

The Colorado Plateau in northwestern New Mexico is a broken country of high, wide valleys, deep canyons, jagged cliffs and rugged mesas. Sitting atop the most famous of these mesas, Acoma Pueblo, has been occupied by Anasazi and later Pueblo Indians for more than 1,000 years. Some say it is America's oldest continuously inhabited community. The plateau is home as well to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, southwest of Farmington. At one time, Chaco was the epicenter of the Anasazi culture and remains perhaps the best-preserved of all ancient environments in the Southwest. Other important features in Northwest New Mexico include a 40-mile strip of extinct volcanoes and lava beds known as the Malpais (Spanish for badlands) and Shiprock, a classic example of a volcanic neck, which is the result of a tremendous upswelling of molten rock magma from the earth's core. Known to the Navajo as Tse Bi Dahi, the Rock With Wings, Shiprock is an improbably steep hill that rises 1,678 feet out of surrounding flatlands and distinctly resembles the bow of a ship.

Shiprock

Preserving a page from more recent history is the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. Daily, from June to October, it chugs passengers between Chama and Antonito, Colorado, making it the longest (64 miles) and highest (over 10,015-foot-high Cumbres Pass) narrow-gauge steam railroad in the United States. 

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

How To Use This Book 

This book divides New Mexico into regions - North-Central, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest. The order of these chapters describes a large circle, presuming that you will likely begin your journey through the major gateway of Albuquerque. 

Each chapter starts with an introduction to the region. This covers climate, history, and culture, along with the main sites and activities. It is followed by a section called Touring, which outlines the main roads and transportation options as well as the general route the chapter will follow. Each region is then broken down into touring sections listed in the same order as they appear on the selected route. These sections provide information and useful contact numbers such as chambers of commerce, regional US Department of Agriculture Forest Service offices, Bureau of Land Management offices, National Park Service offices, and airline and rental car services. 

After the general touring sectionr, a separate section detailing specific adventures within each region follows. These include options for independent travelers or those seeking guided tours. There are many activities to choose from and many more limited only by your imagination. For example, you can generally experience an enjoyable hike on a listed bike trail, or bike on a jeep road. 

The following is a brief description of the range and nature of activities covered under the Adventure categories. 

ON FOOT 

(Hiking/Backpacking/Rock Climbing)

Whether you want to go it on your own or with a guided tour, this category will show you where to go and how to do it. There are hundreds and hundreds of miles of hiking trails in New Mexico. Some are strenuous, requiring specialized rock climbing skills and equipment; others are more like a walk in the park. It is impossible to list them all, but you will find a cross-section of the hikes for all levels of ability, from short walks over easy trails to multi-day routes through rugged mountain or canyon country. 

When hiking in backcountry, the more popular short trails are usually well worn and marked, but it's still remarkably easy to get lost. Don't head out into the wilds on your own without some preparation. Figure out where you want to go, then consult the Forest Service, BLM, or Park Service for up-to-date topographical maps and information. Discuss with them the difficulty of various trails and technical climbing skills or specialized equipment that may be required. USGS (US Geological Service) maps can be purchased for around $3 each. They show contour lines that indicate the relative steepness of the terrain. Some adventures in this area can be accomplished easily alone, while others require special gear, permits, and expertise. If you're short on equipment or in doubt about your skills, seek help from the professionals before attempting a demanding adventure. The USDA Forest Service suggests that all users of the backcountry remember the following: 

Take no chances. Assistance can take hours or days. 

Be aware of conditions. Varied terrain exposes you to hypothermia, dehydration, and lightning hazards on exposed ridges. There can be snow fields in early summer. 

Start hiking early in the day - mornings are generally clear. Later in the afternoon you may encounter storms of varying intensity. An early start gives you time to get to your destination and set up your camp in comfort,  not while fighting the elements. 

Travel with a companion. File a hiking plan with someone who is staying behind and check in with revisions so you can be found if something goes wrong. 

Be in shape. Don't push past your limits. Allow time to acclimate toaltitude. 

Alwaystake fresh water with you, especially in the desertwhere heatcan be deceiving and water may not be available. Agallon ofwater per person, per day, is recommended for summertime desert travel. 

Pack extra food just in case something goes wrong and you're out there longer than you planned.  

TRAVEL WITH LLAMAS OR HORSES 

Let's say you want to get out on your own two feet but you don't want to lugheavy gear. An alternative if you'd rather not be burdenedwith packs but want to travel into some of the most improbableterrain imaginable is hiking with packstock. Llamas are employed by a few operators. They're not strong enough to carry the weight of an adult human but they are prodigious hikers and can easily tote 75 pounds or so of food and equipment in speciallydesigned packs. Other hiking trips are run with horses or mulesto carry the gear. Without weight restrictions imposed by the strength of your own back, you can experience deep backcountry with a case of beer or a few bottles of wine, an extra pair of dry shoes, and other heavy and awkward items to make your trip more enjoyable. 

Harder on your bottom than your feet is the venerable primary modeof transportation - horseback riding. Horses are still common out here and trips on well-trained, tractable mounts or high-spirited animals are easily arranged for an hour, a day, or overnight. A number of guest ranches and resorts also offer horseback riding. These are listed under accommodations. 

ON WHEELS 

(Railroads/Jeeps/Bicycles) 

There is a steam train trip offered in New Mexico on one of the most scenically compelling and historic rail lines in the world. We're not talking about Amtrak here, though one of its trains does make several stops along the I-40 corridor. 

A jeep or other four-wheel-drive may sometimes be the only motorized vehicle able to negotiate the hundreds of miles of remote, minimal roads that are among the most scenic in the Southwest. Please stay on established roads and don't chew up the backcountry by carving your own route. 

Mountain biking has really blossomed as a mainstream activity throughout New Mexico. New high-tech bikes, with 18, 21, or more speeds, make it possible for just about anyone who can ride to negotiate at least some of the terrain. Mountain bikers move faster than hikers, and knobby tires can transport you into certain regions where motorized vehicles cannot go. 

Throughout the region, the topography for biking is testing and picturesque. The assortment of logging roads, jeep routes, and single-track trails on public lands is immense, offering something for everyone, from easy paved bikeways to world-class backcountry excursions. 

Again, it's impossible to include all the great biking routes here. The selection offered in this book will suit varying skills and abilities. Guided bike tours suggested here will generally handle logistical arrangements. On a tour or on your own, every rider needs to carry extra food and water, a head lamp, maps, and rain gear. Of course, a helmet is essential. 

Local bike rental operators, repair shops, and tour resources are included throughout the text. An excellent single source of detailed information on bike routes throughout this region is The Mountain Biker's Guide to New Mexico by Sarah Bennett, Falcon Press, 1994. Other valuable sources of information are the experts in local bike shops who know the terrain. 

Although bike riding is generally supported in New Mexico, continuing access to backcountry trails is partly dependent on the goodwill you and other outdoor folk inspire. The International Mountain Biking Association has established rules of the trail to help preserve mountain bikers' trail rights: 

Ride on opentrails only. Respect trail and road closures, private property, and requirements for permits and authorization. Federal and state wilderness areas are closed to cyclists and some park and forest trails are off-limits. 

Leave no trace. Don't ride on certain soils after a rain, when the ground will be marred. Never ride off the trail, skid your tires, or discard any object. Strive to pack out more than you pack in. 

Control your bicycle. Inattention for even a second can cause disaster. Excessive speed frightens and injures people, gives mountain biking a bad name, and results in trail closures. 

Always yield. Make your approach known well in advance to others using the trail. A friendly greeting is considerate and appreciated. Show respect when passing by slowing to walking speed or even stopping, especially in the presence of horses. Anticipate that other trail users may be around corners or in blind spots. 

Never spook animals. Give them extra room and time to adjust to you. Running livestock and disturbing wild animals is a serious offense. Leave ranch and farm gates as you find them, or as marked. 

Plan ahead. Know your equipment, your ability, and the area in which you are riding and prepare accordingly. Be self-sufficient at alltimes, keep your bike in good condition, carry repair kits, and supplies for changes in weather. Keep trails open by setting an example of responsible cycling for all to see.  

As for the terrain, even routes classified as easy by locals may be strenuous for a flat-lander. Most downhill routes will include some uphill stretches. Pay particular attention to your personal limits if you're onyour own. 

ON WATER 

(Whitewater Rafting/Canoeing/Kayaking/Boating/Fishing) 

From around mid-May to mid-June rivers rise dramatically and the flows are at their highest, fastest, and coldest. Sometimes by August things are pretty sluggish. It all depends on the winter's snowfall, spring rains, and summer thunderstorms. 

In general, at high or low water levels, it takes an experienced hand to negotiate the rivers of New Mexico. Unless you really know what you are doing, it is highly recommended that you considera river tour rather than an independent river trip. Tour operatorsalso handle any permits that may be necessary for certain popularstretches. A number of operators offer half-day and full-day whitewater trips through the famous Taos Box section of the Rio Grande and multi-day float trips on the Chama River. You also can raft, canoe or kayak independently on the Gila River in southwest New Mexico. 

For any river trip, the smaller the vessel, the bigger the ride. Be sure to inquire about the size of a raft and how many people it holds. Ask if you'll need to paddle or simply ride along while guides do the work. Listings that mention paddleboats mean you will have to paddle. Oar boats mean a guide does the work. Kayaks accommodate one person, who will obviously do all the paddling. 

CLASSIFYING WHITEWATER RAPIDS

Class I - Easy 

Class II - Intermediate 

Class III - Difficult 

Class IV - Very Diffcult 

Class V - Exceptionally Difficult 

Class VI - Impossible 

Lakes and reservoirs throughout New Mexico offer boat ramps for your vessel. Larger bodies of water feature marinas offering boat rentals where you can probably secure a rowboat, a canoe, a motorboat, a windsurfer, or other equipment. 

If you're seeking fishing waters rather than rapids, lakes and reservoirs are suitable for canoe and boat excursions. In addition, there are innumerable places to fish from the shores of streams, rivers, and alpine lakes. Many waters are well-stocked with a variety of fish including several species of trout, striped, large and smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, walleye and catfish. 

ON SNOW 

(Downhill & Cross-Country Skiing/Snowmobiling/Dog Sledding) 

You'll find New Mexico's most reliable and sophisticated downhill skiing operations at Taos in the north and Ski Apache, near Ruidoso, in the south. There are other areas, too, notably at Santa Fe, Sandia Peak, Red River, Angel Fire and Snow Canyon (Cloudcroft) where, when the snow is good, skiing is great. Winter skies here are often sunny and temperatures generally run 10 to 15° warmer than at Colorado ski areas. 

There are a few cross-country skiing areas as well, offering a more peaceful and less crowded experience than at downhill areas. But you should stick to groomed trails unless you know what you are doing. You can ski the backcountry for an