Las Cruces to Las Vegas, NM

[Lauren]

For something a little different next summer to get to CO I was thinking to get off the I25 and try something new. At Las Cruces I would take 70 - 54 - 219/84 to the 25 --- maybe stop at Alamagordo or ????

Have not been on this road. Any thoughts on this route or places to stay?

Thanks........ happy new year.

Lauren

[trailertraveler]

Oliver Lee State Park has both water/electric and dry camping sites. There are two camp host sites with full hookups that if vacant are available to visitors. There is a dump station. The electric/water sites are fairly large, but many are not shaped for easy access by longer RVs and some are not very level. There are some very long dry camping backin sites. It has been mentioned a lot on the internet lately and this year in mid-October all the water/electric sites were taken by 1PM.

Valley of Fires and Three Rivers Petroglyphs have also been mentioned a lot. The two sites with hookups at Three Rivers have been full every time we have gone there the past couple of years (usually in October).

As a photographer, if you have not been there before you might want to consider visiting City of Rocks and Rockhound State Parks near Deming. Both have campgrounds with some electric sites. Just outside of Las Cruces is the Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument.

If you go through the Capitan area, there is the Smokey Bear Historical Site, Fort Stanton Historical Site and the Lincoln Historical Site.

[Lauren]

Happy New Year everyone.

[frizzen]

and if you're really lucky you can catch a full moon concert at the Monument.

[2gypsies1]

If your timing is right you can get beautiful photos during the 'full moon walk' with the rangers.

https://www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/full-moon-hike.htm

[frizzen]

Oliver Lee is a good campground. There is a short trail that goes up the creek for about half a mile. Their visitors center has a little bit of the history of the area and there is a tour of Oliver Lee's ranch house. The reserved sites do not have cabanas but the first come ones do.

If you are really adventurous and in good shape you can take the trail up the cliff. The first .6 mile involves a lot of steep trail and rocky areas. Then it levels out for the next mile.

[Lauren]

As a professional photographer I might look at the Sand Dunes a bit differently than ohhell...... and I will maintain my positive attitude in life as well.

[ohhell10339]

White Sands is. White. And there's a lot. Of sand. As in, white sand.

Whee!

For what it's worth, probably the best way to get through Southern New Mexico is a) grit your teeth and just rip along the interstate at 80 mph; b) deviate into the mountains and see places like Cloudcroft; go extremely slowly; arrive at your eventual destination after eating all the green chile you can stand.

Every time I've been heading north through that neck of the woods, I haven't stopped to see the scenery very often as I know it'll be much better in Colorado. But then, there's a bowl of green and some sopapillas...

[NMDriver]

White Sands dunes are not as big height wise as Great Sand Dunes but cover a larger area and you can drive into the dunes. People die hiking the trails in White Sands. If you are going to hike follow the advice to take 1 gallon of water per/person.

Oliver Lee state park is just south of Alamagordo and is reputed to be a good campground, although I have never stayed there. I did stop in Petroglyphs state Park 15 years ago but cannot say how it is today. Petroglyphs is north of Tularosa off of 54 and is a bit of a drive if you were planning to make that a HQ for your visit. Nice place to see though if you have time.

White Sands Missile Range HQ has a missile and atomic bomb museum that some find interesting. I would stop as you are driving between Deming and Alamagordo. It is about 5 minutes off of US70 to get to the main gate. The road is at the bottom of San Augustine pass and you can park outside the visitors center in the truck lot and walk (1/8 mile) to the museum, just inside the gate.

[Lauren]

Thanks.

We will be enroute to CO again this summer, God willing. Coming from south of Tucson I wanted to find some route different that just driving up the I25....done it lots. So thinking of first stop in Deming overnight and then Alamogordo for 2-3 nights (Boot Hill or KOA or whatever) mainly to see the Dunes (photography); have not seen them before and love the ones in CO so thought to check this out. Then Las Vegas, Raton and on up.

[NMDriver]

Your route has good roads and no significant hills or bad spots. Stay on your route and you will not have any problems.

The reasonably priced fuel opportunities on your route are few and then vanishing. Cortez Gas just north of the 54/70 bypass and 82 junction north of Alamagordo is the last cheap fuel point. After that it gets more expensive as you go north. There is no Diesel between Carrizozo and Vaughn and none I recall from Vaughn to Las Vegas. Getting fuel in Las Vegas is best for your rig at the 84 and I-25 junction south of Las Vegas, the only almost truck stop in the area. In Las Vegas it involves getting off of the interstate and maneuvering into stations that are not RV friendly.

Scenery along the route is not bad. For some parts you need to look to the mountains instead of the road side, but there are some grand vistas along the way.

As far as places to stay there is Storrie Lake State Park in Las Vegas, Valley of the Fires near Carrizozo, and RV parks in Alamagordo.

I have a similar rig to yours and it is a 7 hour, 5er in tow, drive from Las Cruces to Las Vegas. If you start the day in Las Cruces you may want to plan accordingly.

[Lauren]

Happy New Year, 2gypsies !

Well, we know CO well - lived there 8 years and been back many times since; even for about 6 weeks last summer and we are going back to about the same places. We lived in Estes Park and the crowds drove us out in 2003 - went back a couple of times and said never again. So we go other spots.

So we will be a month in Buena Vista where we have been a lot. And Westcliffe. And Carbondale. And Ouray. All are - re-visits.

One of the reasons we want to swing this way is White Sands in NM. Have not been there. Been to the one in CO and want to check this out. (I have an award winning photo from the one in CO). Have spent a lot of time all over CO and we still think it is the most beautiful state in the nation.

Looked at Ruidoso and nothing there of interest - we don't do casinos and horse racing.

I was not looking at this so much as to what is along the road - though important or we would not go this way - as to the roads. My guess is that they would be just fine.

Thanks again - some day our paths will cross.

[2gypsies1]

It a very easy drive but the beauty isn't there. You could tour White Sands Nat'l Mon., drive your truck up to Cloudcroft for a look-see, perhaps check out Ruidoso (Circle B RV) and Smokey Bear Hist. Park, casino or Horse racing in Ruidoso then take 380 back to 54. From there to I-25 at Las Vegas, NM there isn't much.

Where are you heading in Colorado? From I-25 at Bernalillo have your driven 550 to Hwy 4 and toured Bandelier Nat'l Mon or Los Alamos? Then you could continue on 84 to Abiquiu, Chama and to Pagosa Springs, CO.

I assume you've toured Santa Fe and Taos?

Can't help with RV parks as we would use public campgrounds or boondocking along the way.