Favorite Day Trips in NM? (Albuquerque, Santa Fe: motels, home, live in)

[Julia2sf]

Or I should have titled this "Things I've Always Wanted to do in New Mex but Never Find/Make the Time."

1. See the cranes at Bosque del Apache
(Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge home page)

2. Go to White Sands

3. Pick raspberries in Mora

4. Take the tramway up to Sandia Peak

What would others suggest?

[jazzlover]

As posted elsewhere, ride the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, one of the most scenic and historically accurate train rides in the world.

[nmguy]

I live in the Albuquerque area, and my favorite place for replenishing the soul is the Jemez Valley.

[Towanda]

Three of my favorites:

1. Abiquiu, NM for the scenery.

2. El Santuario de Chimayo, Chimayo, NM

3. Acoma Pueblo

[GregW]

The Catwalk in Glenwood and the road to Mogollon.

The VLA radio facility west of Magdalena

Space Museum in Alamogordo.

[domino]

Easy day trips from 'Cruces:

City of Rocks State Park
White Sands
Cloudcroft
Gila Cliff Dwellings
Emory Pass
Elephant Butte
Aguirre Springs
Cd. Juarez

[mortimer]

Julia2sf wants to:

4. Take the tramway up to Sandia Peak

Alternatively, you can ride the (ski) chair life up the back side to
the same point. It is more private and you ride at mostly treetop
level. It is available during the warm season.

This can also be done at the Santa Fe Ski basin. I don't know
about the Taos Ski basin.

Adding another Day-Trip item:
----------------------------
On the way to the ski basin - just down the hill - there is a large parking
area as the road bends to the lef (the parking area is on the outside of
the curve on the right side of the road). There is a forest road that is
great all four seasons.

In the winter, you can X-country ski on it.
Summer/Fall -- walk it.

The road goes through a thick Aspen stand that extends for miles to the
left and right and all the way to about treeline where you get a bit of
fir trees and then open meadow.

It is an old burn area with 100+ year-old Aspens.

[DOUBLE H]

Jazzlover is right. The Cumbres-Toltec is one super train ride. It does not get the notoriety of the Durango Silverton but is every bit as scenic. A CLOSE SECOND is Carlbad Caverns. To me it is one of the top 5 national parks in the United States. It is not really a day trip, though. It is probably a 5 hour drive from Albuquerque. The motels down there I have found to be pretty reasonable.

[Julia2sf]

Never done the Cumbres-Toltec . . . at least not yet. Anyone ever been to the Blue Hole in Santa Rosa. Not that I plan on giving up my land lubber status anytime soon. Just one other place on my ever-growing list of New Mexico oddities.

[BrianH]

My fave thing to do is take a ride out to Capulin Volcano with the family and picnic.