The wife and I are considering a trip to New Mexico in Late September\Early October. Not knowing the weather, we would be open to ideas of where to go and what to see. We have talked about Carlsbad and White Sands, but we would be open to anything at this point.

Our only experience with Carlsbad has been with the KOA...about 12-15 miles north of Carlsbad itself. First class, a little on the high ($) side but in our opinion worth it. BIG sites, level and you can order food delivered to your site. Only bad part was (when we were there) wind. Advised to NOT put out the awning unless we were "right there". Smart move.Not far from the Caverns (south) not far from Roswell (north) and a nice day trip (or even overnighter in your toad...to White Sands in Alamagordo. A sun observatory on the way. Beautiful mountains, too. For a afternoon in your toad, ask about getting to "Sitting Bull Falls"...and follow that road all the way to "Dog Canyon"...in TEXAS!...then on the way back stop at Queen, NM for a great lunch.

Do a Google search for `New Mexico tourism' and read what the experts recommend. Don't know how to limit responses to October.

Early October is probably okay. The Alburqurque Balloon Festival is almost always near the third week of the month. Check the state online website for tourism to check other events during your stay.

The thing that we liked the best in NM was the Sky City Pueblo we stayed at the tribes campground at the casino in Acoma New Mexico. The guided tour was wonderful and we brought home some of their wonderful art work

You're planning to be in NM at a great time of the year weather-wise. The weather is fantastic and there is sooo much to see and do in NM.In early October there is the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, which is really awesome.Up north in Chama is the Cumbres and Toltec Narrow-Gauge Railroad which offers a great trip through the mountains.If you're planning to be in the state for 2 weeks, you should consider the NM Annual Parks Pass. It makes stays in NM's many wonderful state parks very affordable.Have a great trip!wxToadYou can find other articles about our NM travels as well as picture reviews of all the campgrounds we have stayed at on our website: Toad Hall.

Looking for parks and things to do in New Mexico in October

littlemo
Explorer
Dec 25, 2015
My husband and I just spent the month of October in New Mexico. We bought the State Parks pass ($225) and more than got our money's worth. The State Parks in NM are awesome.

You didn't say how long you would be traveling. Are you camping?

If you like hiking and scenic drives the northeast corner around Taos is beautiful. Taos is really neat little town. Chama area is Pretty.
The area around Silver City in the Southwest is also lovely. The Gila Cliff Dwellings are very interesting. City of Rocks State Park is a "must-see" even if you don't camp there.

The following State Parks are the ones we stayed in and can review.

City of Rocks Loved it. Has hookups but no dump station though.
El Vado Lake
Beautiful Views/Sunrises/Sunsets.
Caballo Lake Nice views/sunsets/sunrises/ Windy.
Leasburg Dam Small/ nice.
Sugarite Canyon Small/ wildlife wanders through campsite/ Beautiful drive up to top of canyon.
Navajo Lake (New Mexico) very crowded sites.
Monzano Mountainssmall/electric. water at spigots. Neat for summer.
Bluewater State Park Park is neat. Horses wandering around in park. Park not close to many things we were interested in but pretty park.
Hyde Memorial Very few sites with hookups. Non hookup sites are very tight. Convenient to Santa Fe.
Cimarron Canyon SP Small mountain CG. No hookups but near beautiful drives and Taos.

Didn't stay here but drove through and they look very nice.
Elephant Butte
Rockhound
frizzen
Explorer
Dec 25, 2015
If you are in Carlsbad you aren't far from Lincoln.
rbtglove
Explorer
Dec 25, 2015
White Sands is a must see, nothing like it any place else (you could also jump the fence and look for the gold at Victoria peak but don't get caught). The space new museum in Alamogordo also worth seeing. There may still be a monthly tour to the Trinity site that is also a great experience.
wxtoad
Explorer
Dec 25, 2015
trailertraveler wrote:
wxtoad wrote:
...If you're planning to be in the state for 2 weeks, you should consider the NM Annual Parks Pass. It makes stays in NM's many wonderful state parks very affordable...
A non-resident annual camping pass for New Mexico State Parks is $225. Thus, the break even point is reached after 22 days of camping. Maybe a few less if you visit additional State Parks that have an entrance fee (usually $5).

You are correct - my bad.

WxToad
NEOK
Explorer
Dec 25, 2015
Red River and Chama are beautiful areas in October. Highway 64 between Taos and Chama has some great scenery. The Sky Mountain RV Resort in Chama is an excellent place to stay. Be aware that many of the RV parks and national forest campgrounds start closing in early October.
DesertHawk
Explorer
Dec 24, 2015
Should be a very good time to visit in most places. Could be less good in a few, depends on weather, like anytime, anyplace. Higher elevations could be a problem if some weather pops up.

Here's an old post on the Four Corner's Area
jerseyjim
Explorer
Dec 24, 2015
Carlsbad Caverns....get a "Golden Age Passport" if you're old enough. $10. Gets you into any national park free. One time fee.
DinTulsa
Explorer
Dec 24, 2015
Thank you for the ideas....I will have hours of research ahead!
trailertraveler
Explorer
Dec 24, 2015
wxtoad wrote:
...If you're planning to be in the state for 2 weeks, you should consider the NM Annual Parks Pass. It makes stays in NM's many wonderful state parks very affordable...
A non-resident annual camping pass for New Mexico State Parks is $225. Thus, the break even point is reached after 22 days of camping. Maybe a few less if you visit additional State Parks that have an entrance fee (usually $5).
PenMan
Explorer
Dec 24, 2015
Mr. Camper wrote:
Early October is probably okay. The Alburqurque Balloon Festival is almost always near the third week of the month. Check the state online website for tourism to check other events during your stay.

The Balloon Fiesta is actually the first full week of October every year and runs for 10 days. It is a nice destination. I like to head up to the northern mountains for some beautiful scenery. I like the Chama area or anywhere around the Taos or Red River areas. You can't go wrong anywhere in NM in October. The state parks in the southern part of the state are also nice. Rockhound State Park, Bottomless Lakes State Park, and others are excellent that time of year.