Hdg East across NM and OK on route 40. Suggestions?

[John_S2]

Any suggestions for attractions and things to enjoy on our travel East through New Mexico and then Oklahoma on INT 40?

In Gallup now but will be heading to ALB soon.

Enjoyed the painted desert and petrified forest NP today.

TIA. John S

[Dave_s_Wife]

We visited the Palo Duro Canyon park outside Amarillo,left there and went to Red Rock Canyon state park in Hinton, OK to dodge severe storms and had a blast what a treasure, the museum in Hinton is great. In OKC we went to the National Cowboy Museum and the Banjo Museum. We missed the Oklahoma Bombing Memorial though.

Sheila aka....

[John_S2]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions.

John S

[loggenrock]

Just south of Grants is Acoma Pueblo - "Sky City". Continuously inhabited for something like 1200 years. VERY cool place to visit! In Santa Fe go to lunch at the "La Fonda" restaurant - WONDERFUL New Mexican buffet, and visit the Loretto Chapel to see the story of the mysterious staircase!!! Look it up on Google to understand!!! Cool! ST

[Major_Dad]

When staying or going through Amarillo, try the Big Texan Steakhouse. Yes, it's unabashedly over-the-top touristy in the tradition of roadside attractions, but if you have a sense of humor it is darn fun...and the steaks are great! If you stay in an RV park, they'll send an old caddie limo with a set of longhorns on the hood to pick you up gratis (camp host will arrange it for you); just tip the driver. You don't have to be a Yankee or Canadian or German to enjoy it. Shoot, we're as Texan as they come (TexaSecede!) and we love going there too.

[DesertHawk]

Oh, Yes, In West Texas, Near Amarillo: Never been to the state park, but have read about it & would like to make it over there someday. Palo Duro Canyon State Park as well as Caprock Canyons State Park, from what I have read, seem like very neat areas to see.

Southeast of Amarillo & Southwest of Quanah: Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway would make a neat place to check out. One I would like to see. Has a Bison herd I have read.

Ditto, Copper Breaks State Park near Quanah sounds pretty cool (as in neat to see).

[ClaireOKC]

Hopefully you've done the Gallop Flea Market - if not, do that.

Santa Fe and area are great to wander around.

Coming into OK there's a great little state park about 1 hour west of OKC Red Rock Canyon State Park. Then staying on I-40 another great little state park, Greenleaf State Park which is close to Tenkiller Dam - Greenleaf is just a prettier little park, where as Tenkiller is more of a hub bub area. Make reservations both places to get a FH site.

Off I-40 if you want to explore a little more here are some suggestions.

Whichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is a great area to hike in and around. The same geological events that formed the Davis Mountains in Texas, formed these, only these are older so more worn down by time and weather. Lots of buffalo, birds, a nature center and electric hook-up campground (Doris).

Osage Hills State Park is up further north in the foothills of the Ozarks. Great hiking and close to the Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve which hosts one of the purest buffalo herds in the US. Next door is Bartlesville where the Price Tower (by Frank Lloyd Wright) is still in operation (go to the bar and have a drink and watch the sunset).

In the very SE part of the state are Talimena State Park, Robber's Cave State Park, Lake Wister State Park, with the grand daddy of all OK state parks, Beavers Bend State Park, which hosts fabulous RV sites. Check with each state park for reservations, but you can easily use Beavers Bend as your home base to visit all these parks. Fall and spring are primo times at Beavers Bend, but the summer is good too.

One last park, during the 1st two weeks of November, western OK is a major migration for birds and a lot of them are at the Great Salt Plains State Park. This is a great place during the fall.

In the OKC area check out, Cattleman's Cafe in Stock Yards, Bricktown in downtown (if there's a Red Hawk game, those are fun), the OKC Zoo houses one of the best zoos in the country, the downtown OKC Art Museum houses extensive Dale Chilhuly glass collection. South to Norman has the Sam Noble Museum of History as well as the OU Museum of Art.

I teach classes for out-of-state students and set up a page of places to go and things to see in OKC here.

[CloudDriver]

From Gallup take route 602 south to route 53 east to El Morro National Monument then continue on route 53 through El Malpias National Monument to join I40 again at Grants. There is an Ice Cave in a lava tube as well as a trail to look down into the cone of a volcano on private land just off route 53. There is an entry fee there. A few miles past that is a short dirt road on the right that was suitable for our 24ft class C. From the parking lot at the end there were some lava tubes you can get into. Lots of fallen rock on the bottom, so can't go far, but kinda neat.

[padredw]

I "second" most heartily the possibility of a visit to Santa Fe, and if you can spend a few days, include a trip up to Taos. If you leave your RV in Santa Fe, take the "High Road to Taos" and visit Chimayo, and the other villages (Cordova, Truchas, Trampas) along that historic route.

[DesertHawk]

Over by Grants (I-40 E toward 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.

Sites & Sights I-40, ABQ, Plus Santa Fe Area.

The ABQ Aquarium is really neat, small but excellent.

Santa Fe, not on I-40, but easy detour to the area, then drop down US 285 S to I-40 again.

Here's an old post of one of our more recent visits to a National Park in New Mexico as well as a State Park (even a BLM Campground). 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

More on the Area

Longer detour back to I-40, Off I-25 between Santa Fe & Las Vegas, Villanueva State Park. It is off the 25 a bit. Somewhat off the beaten path. However, one can use NM 3 to cut down to the I-40 from Villanueva. We did that one visit.

Off of US 550, Just minutes North of Albuquerque (off of I-25, exit 242) in Bernalillo:
The Coronado Campground is a Bernalillo city campground (used to be a state part) at the entrance to the State Monument. Wasn't a bad site some years ago, haven't been there in some time as I mentioned. It was a state park when we had spent time there. Sets off the Hwy a little.

Cochiti Lake COE campground, between ABQ & Santa Fe: Cochiti Lake CG