August/September

Hello,

I plan to visit NM in late August or early September of 2009 with two children. Can you please give me information about weather conditions and special events at that time of year? I understand that NM schools will be in session? Here on the east coast school doesn%26#39;t start up until after Labor Day. Is it likely that tourist-y things will be closed (e.g Cliff%26#39;s Amusement Park, etc.) once NM schools are back in session?

Thank you,

KatrinaPA

August/September

New Mexico is the fifth-largest state in the US. Can you be more specific as to where in the state you hope to visit? The weather in the north is often different from that of the south, and it is certainly cooler in the mountains than in the deserts. Heck, the nightly news on TV in Albuquerque often forecasts different weather for various neighborhoods!

August/September

I apologize. I expect that my home base will be either in Albuquerque or the outskirts (near Sandia Peak). We will want to visit Santa Fe and possibly Carlsbad.

Thank you.

OK, now we%26#39;re getting somewhere! :)

Santa Fe is a one-hour drive from Albuquerque; since you%26#39;re thinking about being based near Sandia Crest, you could take the Turquoise Trail to SF-- a little longer, but a nicer drive and lots to see and do. You might also add Taos to your list of places to go; it%26#39;s only another hour-and-a-half from SF.

Carlsbad is an example of what I meant in my earlier post about the size of the state. Carlsbad Caverns, the main attraction in the area, is located in the SE corner of NM, about 300 miles from ABQ-- at least 5 hours of driving. As you can imagine, this is not a day trip for most people, especially with kids, so you can expect to spend at least one night in the vicinity of Carlsbad. I recall that the Caverns close sometime in the late afternoon, so unless you get an early start from ABQ, you%26#39;ll want to visit the day after you arrive.

Yes, kids go back to school somewhere around the middle of August. Cliff%26#39;s Amusement Park will remain open through most of September, but the 2009 dates have not yet been published online (check it out at http://www.cliffs.net). Be advised that they are typically open Wednesday through Sunday during the summer months, so you%26#39;ll need to schedule your visit accordingly.

Hope this helps.

Any weather tips? We are a bit intimidated by heat. Is then end of the summer likely to be any cooler than high summer? How about rain?

The heat is not oppressive, certainly nothing like Tucson or Phoenix-- and with the Sandia Mountains on hand, it doesn%26#39;t take much to get to someplace cooler. Much of NM experiences the %26#39;monsoon%26#39; season in the summer and early fall: afternoon thunderstorms that are over quickly. All in all, summers in NM are easier to take than the muggy ones I used to suffer through back East.

We did a road trip in New Mexico in 2007 the week after Labor Day and the weather was fabulous. As I recall it was cool in the mornings and evenings and very comfortable during the day.

Late August and through September is one of my favorite times of year because the weather is so great. The summer heat starts to die down a bit (though it is still quite warm during the day) and mornings and evenings are pleasant and let you know that fall is on it%26#39;s way. As another poster stated, even at the height of summer, our temperatures are no where near those in say Phoenix or Tuscon.

Thank you so much for all of the information. We are probably traveling the last week of August and I am starting to get excited about it.

I read something in a guidebook about a rodeo in Santa Fe. Does anyone know anything about that? That would be a very different experience for my east coast kids.

not sure about Santa Fe Rodeo, but you might check nmrodeo.org That is the New Mexico Rodeo Association. I just looked and there%26#39;s not much on the schedule yet for 2009.

The State Fair isn%26#39;t until September, but many of the county fairs are in August and several of them have rodeos. There may be high school rodeos scheduled toward the end of August as well. Others may have more ideas.

If you are looking for ';western'; experiences for your children, I would recommend you also venture somewhere other than Albuquerque. No offense Albuq. fans...there%26#39;s lots of things to see and do there but it is a big city with city traffic and lots of people and doesn%26#39;t really give a picture of the wide open spaces and rural character of much of the state.

Carlsbad Caverns is amazing! Would definitely try to include it if you can.

You might also look up the Lincoln County Wars (try Southern New Mexico.com) and Billy the Kid. You would miss the Lincoln Days (first weekend in Aug) but still a great place to visit.

If you don%26#39;t south, you might try to include a ride on the Cumbres-Toltec railroad. cumbrestoltec.com

We start back to school before Labor Day, but many kid oriented places are still open. How old are your kids? What kind of things do they (and you) like to do? Cliffs is not that great for older kids.

Santa Fe Rodeo is in June and our county fair is in late July/early August. Visit www.santafe.org

Santa Fe temps are in the 80%26#39;s with low humidity during the day and down to 50%26#39;s at night. Rain usually does not happen late in August but each year is different. Last year we actually had some rain, but usually it does not last long and the sun comes back out.

Albuquerque usually is 5 to 10 degrees warmer. Visit www.itsatrip.org for more info.

My son has always enjoyed Carlsbad Caverns, but it will be very hot in the part of the state. The caverns will be nice and cool though.