what to do in New Mexico from El Paso?

Will be in El Paso later this month, so what are some either daytrip or one-night trips from El Paso?

We like nature/scenery stuff, and also local culture/cuisine/unique stuff to do. Are Santa Fe, Albuquerque, or Roswell worth the drive to?

We%26#39;ve already been to white sands and carlsbad.

Also, how%26#39;s the weather in late January?

Thanks

what to do in New Mexico from El Paso?

Santa Fe is nice, but it%26#39;s almost 5 hours from El Paso; Albuquerque is about 4 hours drive. I haven%26#39;t been to Roswell, but the general consensus is that it might be OK for a day trip-- but it%26#39;s about 4 hours away as well.

On the other hand, Silver City is only 3 hours away and has both scenery and cultural stuff to do. We get a lot of visitors from El Paso. Weather in January is typically 40%26#39;s to 60%26#39;s during the day, 20%26#39;s to 40%26#39;s at night. There is occasionally some snow, but it usually evaporates pretty fast once the sun comes out.

what to do in New Mexico from El Paso?

What are some top things to do in silver city?

January is a tough time to visit, and you say you already have been to Carlsbad Caverns %26amp; White Sands. If it were summer, I%26#39;d suggest (along with possibly Silver City), you check out Cloudcroft and Ruidoso in the Sacramento Mountains past Alamogordo.

If you have an interest in ';nature,'; one of my favorite ';natural'; places in Winter is the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Socorro, NM. This would be approximately a 170 mile drive up I-25 from El Paso. There are thousands of snow geese, ducks, sandhill cranes, etc. wintering along side the Rio Grande River.

You would want to visit the refuge before sunset, then stay over in Socorro (the Motel 6 at the southern end of town is filled with birders, so you wouldn%26#39;t be alone leaving about 6:30am for the sunrise. With a couple exceptions, it%26#39;s as good as most in Socorro.) Try the El Camino Restaurant on the main drag, good food and good ';people watching.';

Dawn brings the best ';experience,';as the birds, who have over-nighted in the marshes for protection from coyotes, awake to fly off to feed in the grain fields scattered around the refuge. (The ';sounds'; of the pre-dawn are something special). There is a 15 mile, figure-8, gravel road through the refuge. If you might want to give it a go, get back to me, and I%26#39;ll tell you where you want to be both at sunset and sunrise for the best bird watching. Bring your binoculars! And yes, it will be cold, probably in the 20%26#39;s at dawn in the Rio Grande Valley, but 50%26#39;s by afternoon.

Top things to do in and around Silver City:

1. Walk around the historic Downtown area and check out the shops, galleries, restaurants, etc.

2. Visit the Silver City Museum and/or the Western New Mexico University Museum and its collection of Mimbres pottery.

3. Visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings (provided you have the time to do so-- it%26#39;s a 2-hour drive from Silver City).

4. Visit City of Rocks State Park.

5. The Gila Wilderness is 3.3 million acres of relatively unspoiled forest, with lots of hiking trails.

6. Walk on the Catwalk in nearby Glenwood (about an hour from Silver City).

How%26#39;s that for starters?

Visit Las Cruces (Farm and Ranching Heritage Museum, art galleries, Mexican food) and Old Mesilla. La Posta de Mesilla Restaurant gets mixed reviews these days but it%26#39;s always been one of the best IMO.

Maybe hike one of the Organ Mountains trails. Visit Stahmann Farms.

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