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Get a copy of the Benchmark "New Mexico Road and Recreation Atlas". Find some place interesting or simply pick a direction drive for an hour or so and enjoy wherever you wind up.
As you call yourself "BeantownJoe" I assume you know how to drive in snow.
I go on day trips and short over night trips all the time here in New Mexico, I like to go through little forgotten places and take two lane roads in the middle of nowhere just to do it. I have found that if you like that sort of thing and the contrasts of changing landscape and scenery, New Mexico is full of that. If you are just looking for specific activities to do when you get to a particular place, there are lots of those too, but you can do that anywhere...
Indeed, CountryCarr. We (my wife and I) drove north on 54 to Tularosa yesterday afternoon and kept going left at the 'Y' of 54/70. We drove to 3 Rivers Petroglyphs and hiked up the hill ta take a look at the ancient wonders. Fascinating study of a time gone by. They could tap out with rocks some pretty cool pictures on rocks. Foxes, coyotes, hawks, etc., looked ta be represented in their art. Plus, ya look east and Sierra Blanca rises up above the Sacramento Mountains for your viewing pleasure. Ya look west and the vast Tularosa Basin stretches for miles and miles and miles until your eyes meet the mountains to the west. The Organ Mountains with Las Cruces on the other side of them lay way, way off to the SW of the 3 Rivers Petroglyphs.
Wow, incredible little trip that only took us about 30-40 minutes ta drive to from Alamogordo.
I do not recommend just picking spots on the map. You can miss a lot just riding around (but we have done that also, I use to have a motorcycle.). If nothing else, we might just go to the Bosque or parks for a walk, with or without the dogs...
What sort of thing are you into? Are you outdoorsy and looking to hike and camp? Do you want to take in all the culture and art? Is shopping your thing? Photography? What specifically are you looking to do?
Indeed, CountryCarr. We (my wife and I) drove north on 54 to Tularosa yesterday afternoon and kept going left at the 'Y' of 54/70. We drove to 3 Rivers Petroglyphs and hiked up the hill ta take a look at the ancient wonders. Fascinating study of a time gone by. They could tap out with rocks some pretty cool pictures on rocks. Foxes, coyotes, hawks, etc., looked ta be represented in their art. Plus, ya look east and Sierra Blanca rises up above the Sacramento Mountains for your viewing pleasure. Ya look west and the vast Tularosa Basin stretches for miles and miles and miles until your eyes meet the mountains to the west.
A great place, I was actually on that same road Wednesday, drove into the T valley from Ruidoso and went north on 54 from Tularosa. Too bad there was all that road work going on. Went up to Carrizozo, which is an oddly interesting place I have been to a few times, and then headed west. If you want to really see New Mexico, a person only needs to get in their car and go!
Not the most scenic time of year..... do you prefer scenery, cultural, or activity?
Day trip in NM more or less assumes a 2-3 hour drive there and back.
But there is the VLA site about an hour west of Socorro. Self guided walking tour.
Valles Calderas (nicer in the summer, I think)
El Malpais just west of Carrizozo
Bosque del Apache south of Socorro
The various ruins of Salinas Pueblo, Abo is probably closest to Albuquerque (I haven't been to that one, just Gran Quivira)
White Sands is a long haul for one day, but might be doable, bit over 3 hours, maybe 3 and a half. Try the Tulie Cafe if you go through Tularosa. Decent lunch spot in a nice old building.
OP here. I recently took a scouting trip to ABQ/SF. One of the things I came away with was a "perception" of isolation, that I was in an oasis of civilization in a vast desert, that there was nothing out there but sand and stone. I 'll be the first to admit that this is just a perception and doesn't necessarilly reflect reality.
So I guess what i am trying to do is reassure myself that there is plenty to do and to get some ideas.
Good day trips?
What about for long weekends (Labor Day, etc.)?
My general preference is outdoorsy stuff (hiking, biking, skiing, etc.) but I am also fine with just seeing interesting things.
(P.S. Thanks to all those that have contributed ideas already.)
Your perception is, for the most part, correct. New Mexico is indeed a big state with a small population. Many people, among them I suppose folks from crowded eastern cities, think that New Mexico is vast, empty and lacking features. Nothing but tedious ribbons of road across an unending blue and brown sameness. They come looking for solitude in the real West and think that maybe a place like New Mexico crosses the fine line between pleasant isolation and unnerving desolation. But those that take the time to explore the state come to realize that is only half the story. Get to know The Land of Enchantment and you will see there is a natural or civilized setting to suit every spirit. Within the space of one day you can find yourself up in the big mountains surrounded by tall tress; or down in the big city dwarfed by even taller buildings; or out in the middle of the great big nowhere, where YOU are the tallest thing around. All this and more is exactly what makes New Mexico so special, so unlike any other state in the country. New Mexico has it all. Or, if you prefer, it has nothing.
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