From Sacramento To New Mexico

[shihtzumoma]

Hello;
My name is Jeanine , I am new. I am about to buy a travel trailer. I live in Roseville CA and I want to go to New Mexico this summer in June with my Mother and our three teacup dogs. Please share your experiences with this trip ! Which way should we go and what should we see. Thank you in advance
Sincerely,
Jeanine
1- 2014 F150 Truck
3 -DD (22,21,15)
3 - Shih Tzu pups (Teakeo, Ruby Scarlet and Lucy Poo Yee)
and 1 mystery trailer yet to be purchased before trip

[VegasBT]

As a native New Mexican (born at White Sands Missile Range!) I would recommend coming south of Santa Fe on the west side on Highway 14 (the Turquoise Trail). Definitely stop in Madrid, and eclectic old mining town taken over by artists in the 70s. Check out Albuquerque, then go south on I-25 to Socorro, Truth or Consequences, and Hatch. Eat lunch at the Pepper Pot in Hatch for some AMAZING green chile, then continue on to Las Cruces. Explore Mesilla (original capital of the New Mexico Territory), then go west on Highway 70 to White Sands National Monument. From Alamagordo, NM, climb up to Ruidoso, NM. Then take 380 back west across the malpais lava flows past the Trinity site and pick I-25 back up to return to Albuquerque. Go west on I-40 to Gallup, and head home through Flagstaff.

[DesertHawk]

For the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, you'll be in Santa Fe. A neat town with lots of arts to see.

Hyde Memorial State Park above Santa Fe (most of the state parks have free showers, but none here).

Find a Park Map. NM State Parks: $10 no hookup, $4 for electric, not entry fee on top of camping fee.

Cochiti COE Campground & Tent Rocks Nat'l Park in Northern New Mexico Off I-25: Near Santa Fe - Very Neat Area.

Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't area of New Mexico -A Trip Report 2012.

Los Alamos is a very neat small city in itself. Free bus system with very neat buses. Very pretty setting up in the high country. Somewhat of a gated community as well. We only drove through & stopped at a SuperMarket. A nice town. http://www.visit.losalamos.com/
http://www.losalamosnm.us/transit/Pages/default.aspx Between Santa Fe & Taos as well.

More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded & ABQ.

Above Santa Fe, theForest Service Black Canyon Campground is just before Hype SP. A nice one.

Just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, exit 242) in Bernalillo, is Coronado State Monument where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 300 soldiers and 800 Indian allies from New Spain—entered the valley while looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. Next to it: There is a Bernalillo city campground (used to be a state park) at the entrance to the State Monument. Wasn't a bad site some years ago, haven't been there in some time. Coronado Campground

Over by Grants (I-40 W from ABQ): El Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.

An old post Flagstaff - Gallup - Grants- Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Plus

Grand Canyon Plus

Just in case:

This was a neat place to camp and visit (have not been to in it many years), even with a museum nearby, all close to Gallup at Red Rock/Churchrock just off of I-40 east of town. It was a state park when we used it.
http://www.campingroadtrip.com/campgrounds/campground/campground/11212/new-mexico/red-rock-state-par...

Blue Water Lake State Park, by Grants, west of Albu'que on I-40. Bluewater not a bad area, but more of a fishing site. But not at all bad for an overnight, even some hiking trails. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/bluewaterlakestatepark.html

El Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.
http://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm

More on Santa Fe (Eating):
We had very good Asian from Jinja Bar & Bistro in Santa Fe last summer. Just stumbled onto it in a thunder/rain storm. We did carry out, but it was a very nice restaurant.

Someone at the AAA office recommended Tortilla Flats in Santa Fe; it prove to be very good as well.

Normally, we would eat on the Plaza, from Cart Vendors, such as Roque's Carnitas. Cart Cuisine, but they were not there that week-end. Due to the 'Santa Fe Indian Market', "a 91-year-old Native art market", we didn't find the normal street food venders on the Plaza. We did eat once at one of the 'Indian' vendors, but the lines were extremely long. Also at a roasted corn vendor.

A little on the Chama Area. The very neat Cumbres Toltec Steam Train runs from & to Chama & Antonito (Colorado); turns soon after Cumbres Pass Station & head cross country to Antonito. One can do a halfway trip (which we did a few years ago), a 'free' meal at halfway point (price included in tickets). Good food there & plenty of it.

Two neat stops, north of Abiquiu, worth a see would be the Echo Amphitheater, a Natural rock formation, and the Ghost Ranch Piedra Lumbre Education and Visitor Center, located on U.S. Highway 84 just one mile north of the main Ghost Ranch entrance, has exhibits and a gift shop. A very nice museum in "O´Keefe Country." The Echo Amphitheater is past the visitor center some miles.

I am assuming you'd be using I-40 to get to New Mexico.

[shihtzumoma]

Hello
Everyone, well my mom wants me to take her Taos and to the Georgia O'Keefe museum. So those places will be priority. I guess that is were we will go. Will do more reading. Just bought a new truck yesterday. I will be working a buying a trailer soon. Excited to start planning
Jeanine
3 girls ages (22,21 and 15)
3 Shihtzuz'z
one Mom
one FV8 5.0 L
and a unknown Trailer to come soon.

[Roy_Lynne]

We are also planning a NM tour for next year and have a "grand circle" pretty much mapped out. We are interested in birding, geology, Native American history/crafts/food, not necessarily in that order. So it's really a matter of what your interested in seeing and doing. We are going to take the most southern route because we plan to leave mid November, but you might want to try Hwy 40.
If I were you, I think I'd google the route to your entry point. It will usually give you a couple of alternatives and just pick which one you think you would be most comfortable driving. It appears 99 to 40 is your best bet. but 40 is long and boring, but if this is your first time towing, boring might be good. Bakersfield has a lot of nice campgrounds, Barstow now so much, If you detour a bit, Lake Havasu is a nice place to camp, you'll pass by the Petrified Forest.
Enjoy your trip and if you want to chat, just PM me.

[TyroneandGladys]

As a start a great place to stay while on the circle.

[eubank]

Jeanine, New Mexico is a big place, so your first task will be to narrow down the field! I'd suggest that you give the NM Tourism site a visit and start on deciding which area you want to focus on!

http://www.newmexico.org/

🙂
Lynn