Traveler II
Places to See in New Mexico
- Thread starter Jeff_Tanner
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Enthusiast III
Most of our mountains will be or are already covered in snow. There is some BLM land near the cabazon peak area off of hwy 550 that is fun to explore in the winter. If u are doing some long term planning the mountains should be passable in the late spring time. Lifestyle overland has free routs available to do the "Enchanted Rockies Trail" in the maps section of the forums.
Enthusiast III
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We have white sands and the Gila national forest plenty of trails that need exploring. But you have to watch for those pesky sudden snow storms and that happen down there. Went to bed one night and got up to eight inches of snow. Also there is choke cherry canyon up by Farmington not bad spot to explore.
Following. Will be in the Albuquerque area later this month and would like to see some cool stuff. Plan is to ride the White Mesa mountain bike trails then explore the area afterwards. Then up to the San Juan for some trout fishing.
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Well right now I am watching a major winter storm heading out of California and straight to southern New Mexico, Please be careful on the white mesa trails and have lots of fun there is a lot to do here in our state.
And the food ain't bad either!!!!! Its should be a good time to fish the quality waters just below Navajo Dam the flows will be down and the water nice and cold.
And the food ain't bad either!!!!! Its should be a good time to fish the quality waters just below Navajo Dam the flows will be down and the water nice and cold.
Off-Road Ranger I
What greydog said.
New Mexico mud is slicker then deer guts on a doorknob. You can get lost in it.
New Mexico mud is slicker then deer guts on a doorknob. You can get lost in it.
Off-Road Ranger I
As noted in previous posts, there are a lot of beautiful places to explore in and around the Land of Enchantment. However, there will be some limitations during the winter months as NM is mostly high-desert and mountains. You can stay south (with White Sands and the Alamogordo area mentioned). The four corners around Farmington (near Durango for reference) has some great areas for wheeling if you can catch it between storms that hit the area. It is not mountainous, and has some amazing areas to wheel. The Rio Puerco, west of Albuquerque/Rio Rancho has some fun river bed trails than can be challenging. As mentioned, the Cabezon off of US 550, heading north from the metro area, is a beautiful desert exploration area. There are ruins, ghost towns, and you can venture into the mountains from here as well. You can also take the backroads to Grants and Mount Taylor in the western part of the state from this area. I have posted some old photos (I don't have the FJ anymore - run a T4R now) to help illustrate the areas, including a snow run in the Jemez Mountains. Enjoy our state, safe travels. If you need additional info on these areas, please let me know.
Paul
Paul
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There are interesting roads all around the Malpais area south of Grants....
Chcek out the lava flows, ice caves, and extensive lava tunnels in Malpais State Park.
This is Louis L'Amour territory... lots of historic sites and stories to be dug up.
Chcek out the lava flows, ice caves, and extensive lava tunnels in Malpais State Park.
This is Louis L'Amour territory... lots of historic sites and stories to be dug up.
Influencer III
Off-Road Ranger I
The areas I mentioned in the post are all accessible in the winter time. My suggestion would be the Jemez Mountains. This area is just north and west of Albuquerque and sees some heavy use pretty much all year. Hence, many of the Forest Service Roads tend to be somewhat travelled and packed down. If you hit them after a storm, then all bets are off and you might get mired in a deep snow bank. Sticking closer to Texas - you can't go wrong in the Gila mountains, north from Silver City, or near Ruidoso or Cloudcroft. All of these areas are incredibly beautiful and offer high-country adventure. Again, hitting between storms will determine if these areas are accessible. Hope this helps.
Member III
Plan your trip carefully due to NM having a 14 mandatory quarantine for out of state visitors and some/many/all? of the Indian Reservations having 57hr weekend lockdowns.
NM State Park camp grounds are closed and day use areas are restricted to NM residents only.
NM State Park camp grounds are closed and day use areas are restricted to NM residents only.
