Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We are not like Texas as we have an abundance of Public Lands that are open to anyone who wants to use them. Make the most of it, no land owner permissions needed
Thanks for the replies. We will be driving in a car (Not an RV or truck) so we will have some basic camping equipment. Sleeping bags, tent, cooler etc. Since it is high altitude we will need to get acclimated for hiking. We are really looking forward to it.
It's usually a little warmer in winter in Ruidoso than Santa Fe... but not much. Figure highs in the 40s and lows in the teens on average... with sub zero rare but possible (and 70s too!). And also the possibility of lots of snow and wind.
Wow, so much stuff to see and do in both areas that don't involve skiing. I almost don't know where to begin...
Ruidoso
First of all camping and hiking, my two favorite things. Ruidoso is surrounded by The Lincoln National Forest (birthplace of Smokey Bear) which is a bona fide outdoor alpine paradise. Because dispersed camping is allowed anywhere on public forest lands, camping opportunities are essentially limitless. But if you want developed camping, there are numerous Forest Service campgrounds in the area. The same is true for Cloudcroft, about 45 miles away via the Mescalero reservation (a MUST DO drive), so consider checking it out as well.
I would to love to recommend to you the Bonito Lake/Southfork area but unfortunately the entire area was devastated by fire this past spring. I camped there one week before. I still can't bring myself to look at the pictures.
Also check out the 2 Three Rivers nearby. Three Rivers Petroglyph Site (BLM) and down the road the Three Rivers campground (Forest Service).
The hiking is, as mentioned before, amazing. You can't go wrong picking just about any trail but I recommend the Trestle Trail and Bridal Veil Falls.
Things to do and see:
Hubbard Museum of the American West
Smokey Bear Historical Park
White Sands National Monument
Museum of Space History
Tunnel Overlook (between Alamogordo and Cloudcroft)
Sunspot Highway
National Solar Observatory (open to the public and extremely interesting)
Valley Of Fires lava flow
Santa Fe camping and hiking:
I have a special place in my heart for Santa Fe because the first time I ever went camping was at Hyde Memorial State Park in the Santa Fe National Forest less than ten miles from downtown. It is a stunningly beautiful area and a wonderful park. Right next door is Black Canyon campground (Forest Service) which is newly renovated, sparkling clean, and so gorgeous that your knees will get weak. Up the road is Big Tesuque campground where you can camp free of charge. And, like the Lincoln NF, dispersed camping is available anywhere on public forest lands.
Also, you MUST take a side trip up into the Pecos River Valley. This is by far my favorite area of New Mexico (and I've been all over the state). Trust me, it will become your favorite place as well.
What can I say about the hiking? Simply put, the Sangre De Cristo mountains (a sub-range of the Rockies) offer some of the best trails to be found anywhere in the Southwest. The glacial mountain lakes that dot the upper reaches of the Sangres are as stunning as anything you will find in the High Sierras or the Rocky Mountains proper.
(A note about camping and hiking around Santa Fe: these are high-altitude campgrounds and trails, well above the threshold for symptoms of Altitude Sickness to occur. Cerebral and/or Pulmonary Edema are to be taken very seriously. Read-up on them before you go, know your own sensitivities and take all precautions.)
Things to do and see:
Historic downtown Santa Fe
Canyon Road
State Capitol (The Round House)
St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral
Turquoise Trail scenic byway
Enchanted Circle scenic byway
High Road to Taos scenic byway
Santuario De Chimayo
Nambe Falls
Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River
Rio Grande Gorge and the Gorge Bridge
Abiquiu Lake
The Ghost Ranch...
...and so, so much more! This is just a starter.
Where are you guys coming from? How far afield from both places are you willing to travel?
Unfortunately our time is limited. We will be there a total of 5 days between the two places. So if you had to pick the top five places to see what would they be?, or maybe we can squeeze in two or more on the same day.. Our hiking abilities will be limited ( we are not youngsters anymore) maybe 5 miles at a time at most and that is at sea level. Who knows how we will handle the altitude. If we could drive from place to place that would be ideal.
You need to keep some flexibility in your schedule and check the weather carefully before your trip. Even Ruidoso can present afternoon temperatures in the 50s in January....or it can be 10 degrees with snow. Ruidoso afternoon temperatures hit 70 degrees in January an average of once per 10 years. Hiking trails in the mountains will usually have snow on them and you can pretty much count on it (snow on the trails) if you are around Santa Fe.
Have you considered camping in lower elevations...desert camping? If so, you might check out the parks around Alamagordo and also the southwest section of the state...such as "City of Rocks." That's pretty remote but you do have White Sands and Oliver Lee Park near Alamagordo...and the space museum.
Even Ruidoso can present afternoon temperatures in the 50s in January...
With an average high of 49.5F, that happens roughly half the time...
I agree that if you want to spend a lot of time outdoors, and you don't want to be skiing or hiking in snow, the lower elevation desert areas are best. But not even the southern part of the state is very warm in winter. Once you go north of Albuquerque it is universally pretty cold.
White Sands and swing around to stay in a hot-spring hotel in TorC sounds good to me.
Actually I am very flexible on the dates. I plan on checking the forecast and deciding when it would be best to go. It doesn't even have to be in January. I would like to see snow in the mountains but at the same time would like to be able to drive around safely and camp in relative comfort. I will not be able to go too far off road since it will be a a car (no 4x4) but I think most campsites will do fine. Will also stay at least a couple of nights at a hotel. May go to the casino in Ruidoso. So I will mix it up a bit.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
