Advice for spring break please

We are going on our first trip to New Mexico march 15th. We are staying near Ruidoso at the Inn of the Mountain Gods. We have 3 children and were hoping for snow, is there any chance of that or where can we drive to? I know we can go to Ski Apache but we would like Real snow ! Can anyone comment on our hotel or give us some good suggestions what to do there. It would be greatly appreciated. Ive heard that its beautiful there, cant wait..

Advice for spring break please

The Inn of the Mountain Gods has been a magnet to the pine forests of the Sacramento Mountains for years, and especially for Texans. I%26#39;m enclosing the reviews on TripAdvisor.com, for the Inn / Resort, which I must admit are some of the most ';disagreeing'; opinions I%26#39;ve ever seen for a hotel/resort. Perhaps the differences of opinion may be attributable to pre-conceived expectations. It has me baffled. I haven%26#39;t stayed there personally in over five years, but our stay was quite enjoyable.

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g47113-d271963-…

The surrounding scenery, and resort are just gorgeous, winter or summer. The Casino is very popular. In summer, I know they have special activities for kids, (probably while the parents gamble) but I do not know if this is true in winter or not. Please check with them directly. (FYI: The Inn of the Mountain Gods is listed on T/A under ';Mescalero, NM,'; not Ruidoso, NM.) The latter is a few miles to the Northeast. Ruidoso has many diverse shops, and restaurants if you need to find something to do nearby. It also used to have an excellent putt-putt golf course, but I don%26#39;t know if it is still there, or open in March.

www.innofthemountaingods.com

Ruidoso: www.ruidoso.net

Cloudcroft: www.cloudcroft.com/index.html

SNOW! While northern New Mexico has received huge amounts of snowfall this Winter, the southern mountains have not been so fortunate. Your best chance for ';real'; snow would be down around the Cloudcroft area, which at 9,000ft. elevation, usually keeps their snow on the ground. You can drive the forty-miles from the IOTMG to Cloudcroft through the Mescalero Apache Reservation, on a good paved road. After visiting Cloudcroft, I%26#39;d also recommend you decend the twenty-miles to the desert floor, and take in the Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo. Better yet, White Sands National Monument is only another 15 or so miles west of the city...and the huge, white dunes of sand (actually Gypsum) provide a great place for kids to slide down the slopes. (Try to dig up some cardboard boxes before you arrive...folded, they make very good sleds! Also, there is no water inside the dunes, so be sure to bring liquids, sunscreen, and sun glasses.

I don%26#39;t know the age of your kiddos, but if younger, they might like to visit the Smoky Bear Museum and State Park just north of Ruidoso in Capitan. The ';original'; Smoky Bear is buried there, and it tells his history of becoming one of America%26#39;s most beloved symbols. Many Americans are still unaware that there was a ';real'; Smoky, not just a cartoon character.

Just east of Capitan is Lincoln, an historic old town where Billy the Kid made his last jailbreak from the old courthouse. The courthouse is still there and serves as a museum when open. I do not know their ';off season'; hours unfortunately.

The websites will provide you with many more ideas, and up to date information. Have a great trip, and thank you for visiting New Mexico!

Advice for spring break please

I spoke with a woman from Cloudcroft this weekend and she said they have little snow and have fire danger warnings already! Let%26#39;s hope for more snow!

If there is snow check out this snow play area: www.triplemsnowplay.com . The ski area has only 45% open right now.

Thank you so much for your informative reply. Ive heard of Cloudcroft and we were going to visit there but from the weather forecast it said there was no snow either !!

I have read the reviews and found them very mixed but we were unable to find another resort in that area that boasts the same ammenities, restaurants, pool, casino etc so we will give it a try and truely make the most of it. My hubby is in Iraq right now and will be coming home for 2 weeks then, one of which we will spend in New mexico. Our girls are 15,14 and 11. I had heard of the sand dunes so we will definately go there and also the tubing place in Ruidoso. We cant wait. Thanks again and if you please think of something else we should not miss let me know.

If you can book a room with a view of the lake and mountains it is well worth it. Just the view from the lobby of the IOTMG is breathtaking. A year or so ago we rented a suite overlooking the lake. It was gorgeous. It was over 1000 sq ft and had a large bedroom with a table to use as an office if needed. It also had a living room with fold out sofa. There were 3 TV%26#39;s, one in each room and another in the master bath. It also had a half bath by the entrance. It was a little pricey (About $200 per night), but worth it for just the one time. There are 2 smaller grocery stores in town (IGA and Thriftway) which will carry most of your supplies. There is also a Walmart Supercenter in Ruidoso Downs. One more thing, Ruidoso offers many other lodging ideas. There are many cabins and houses in all sizes for rent which include full kitchens and many have their own hot tubs. If you are interested check out the following websites for ideas. Ruidoso is very beautiful with all the rolling hills and canyons. You may have a hard time leaving.

www.ruidosoreservations.com/

www.ruidosovacationrentals.com/

www.casasderuidoso.com/

Casa Azul already passed on the bad news, but I%26#39;d also contacted the cloudcroft chamber of commerce people, and was told they had very little snow. Didn%26#39;t want you to go there on my advice, and find little or none. Rather amazing at 9,000ft. elevation in late Winter. It just goes to show how dry Southern New Mexico has been this Winter...and if things don%26#39;t pick up soon, Northern New Mexico will be joining them in the Spring.

The kids would still love the pseudo-snow of White Sands however. :-) As someone said, the area around the Inn of the Mountain Gods is still very beautiful. If you are driving, I hope you%26#39;ll take in Carlsbad Caverns on the way to Ruidoso.

I keep looking at the weather forecast and it seems to be rather warm! We had already been out and boughts hats,gloves, warm jackets ! I just cant believe it !

Where would be the closest place to drive to for snow now that cloudcroft has none?

You will likely need your warm jackets for morning and evening even if it warms up nicely during the day.

I just discovered that our Sandia Ski Area, behind the mountains here in Albuquerque, has closed for the season! At noon on Feb.27th it was 52F. in Sandia Park! Short sleeves in Albuquerque.

Santa Fe Ski Area, and its environs along the highway, would unfortuanately be the closest snow for you. It was 34F. at Santa Fe Ski Area at the same time, and they had over 50'; base, maybe 60';, compared to Sandia%26#39;a 23';, and many runs still open.

Question for Santa Fe Experts...';Does the Santa Fe Ski Area have a sledding area nearby?

At my last check, NM is supposed to get some more moisture, and colder weather (we are about 10-15F. above normal!) the weekend after this one. Perhaps that will bring some snow to the higher altitudes, such as around Cloudcroft. If you drive down to White Sands, it could be 85F. there by mid-day.

Planning trips is half the fun ,but the other half can go blooey when Mother Nature doesn%26#39;t cooperate.

I went to ski apache a couple of weeks ago, and the snow was actually quite good. We%26#39;ve had some warm weather since then, but there%26#39;s a storm on the way for this weekend, and I%26#39;ve got my fingers crossed. I%26#39;m afraid it%26#39;s as good as you%26#39;re going to get within driving distance anyway, so cross your fingers too.

Hey im back! Well on countdown now, we will be in Mescalero at the Inn of the mountain Gods on Sunday. Been hearing some good news that you are seeing some snow ? Is it true? whats Cloudcroft looking like. I cant wait to get there...

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