Fort Union

Anyone been to Fort Union National Monument?

Is it worth seeing?

Is it hard to find?

Thanks!

Fort Union

I%26#39;ve been there many times. I find it interesting, out in the middle of nowhere and you can see ruts from the Santa Fe Trail. Very easy to find, north of Las Vegas to Watrous on I25. There is a sign indicating which exit and where to go from there. Visit www.nps.gov/foun/

Fort Union

Fort Union served as the largest supply base in the New Mexico Territory, distributing goods shipped down the Santa Fe Trail to many smaller forts, and camps.

There were actually three different Fort Union%26#39;s, two of which can be visited daily. The entry road from the northern exit at Watrous, to Fort Union, is approximately eight miles, and within the first mile or two miles from I-25, you can see some of the the finest remaining SFT ruts coming over a hill on the right. ';Isolated'; is too small a word for this remote post, and desertion was high at times. It was from here however, that U.S. Army regulars, and volunteers from Colorado, and New Mexico, turned back the Confederates who had marched westward from San Antonio, and captured El Paso, Albuquerque and Santa Fe. At the battles of Glorieta Pass, and Apache Canyon, east of Santa Fe, the South%26#39;s hopes for taking the gold mines of Colorado were destroyed forever, as were their plans to continue on to California.

With the exception of the jail, only adobe walls remain, mere shells you might say, but visitor%26#39;s are struck by the sheer size of this once strategic post. The two, split ';routes'; of the Santa Fe Trail came together once again at the Mora River, just NW of Watrous.

Along with the website already provided you, I would strongly recommend Marc Simmons book, ';Following the Santa Fe Trail'; if you are interested in ';details'; about the SFT%26#39;s various remaining historical sites. Knowing their history, brings them alive somehow. Fort Union has special celebrations where re-enactors camp, parade, and perform weapon demonstrations on occasion.

Thank you so much! Oh good I am excited to see it now! I couldn%26#39;t tell from the website if there was anything left to see. That is really cool about the ruts!

12/28 - 12/31 trip report

We had a wonderful time at Angel Fire with the exception of the lift lines and crowd (we heard it was the most crowded AF has EVER been). AF had great snow and the runs are wide and fun. My kids (7 and 4) did 2 days of ski school and enjoyed themselves AND obviously improved their skills. The %26#39;lodge%26#39; is smaller than other resorts I%26#39;ve visited - with many people milling around at noon to find a place to sit and eat. We rented a house through resort properties and it was a great house. I%26#39;d rather stay in a ski in-ski out location but the house was perfect. The steep driveway was not groomed when we arrived but the truck was there shortly after a call to the mgmnt office. I would visit Angel Fire again but maybe go the week before Christmas to avoid the after Christmas crowds. It%26#39;s an easy 9 hr drive from D/FW. We didn%26#39;t visit any shops or restaurants...just skiing and hanging out at our house.

12/28 - 12/31 trip report

Thank you for coming to New Mexico. So many think the snow ends in Colorado! LOL!

Help planning a trip for non-skiers

My fiancee and I are planning to honeymoon in Taos (or nearby). Neither of us ski, we just want to be in the snow. We are just looking for something quiet and cabin-like. Any suggetsions?

Help planning a trip for non-skiers

Wish I could help more but I don%26#39;t know of any cabins. Maybe a B%26amp;B somewhere. Check on this link... www.bedandbreakfast.com/taos-new-mexico.html

We enjoyed a stay at Taos Inn, but it is not a cabin.

Hopefully one of the local experts will post.

Help planning a trip for non-skiers

Unfortunately, Northern New Mexico is short on cabins, much to the chagrin of we locals, let alone visitors from out of state.

For anyone%26#39;s information: the area including Ruidoso, and Cloudcroft has the most cabins, especially the former.

All is not lost though: We have stayed at these cabins just 15 minutes outside of Taos twice, and found them to be ideal...';if'; you%26#39;re not into skiing (quite a ways from the Taos Ski Valley.)

http://www.taoscreekcabins.com/

Congratulations to you, and your fiancee.

April Roadtrip Weather?

Hi I am planning a roadtrip with stops by El Morro, Aztec Ruins, Bandelier, and Fort Union. I was wondering what the temperatures are like during the day the first week in April?

Thank you!

April Roadtrip Weather?

Weather varies but usually that first week in April in 40-50 degrees around Santa Fe. Could be warmer, could be colder, plus possible snow and wind. Aztec Ruins will be warmer, Bandelier probably colder. Fort Union most likely will be windy. El Morro, I%26#39;ve only been to during the summer and fall.

Visit each monument on www.nps.gov . They will have more info on seasons etc.

A few other places to see : El Malpais Nat Mon and Zuni Pueblo near El Morro, Salmon Ruin near Aztec with Chaco Canyon nearby as well, Pecos Nat Mon east of Santa Fe is on the way toward Ft Union.

In Bernalillo is Coronado State Monument and north of there is Jemez State Monument

April Roadtrip Weather?

Thank so much! Wow lots to see! I%26#39;ll have to see what else I can add to my trip!

If you are going to be taking in Aztec Ruins, you should also seriously consider both Mesa Verde National Park%26#39;s cliff dwellings, just east of Cortez, CO; and the Chaco Culture National Historic Park, with stone ruins of nine Anasazi villages. Most of the road from U.S.550 into Chaco is dirt (or clay, hard to tell) mixed with gravel, and should only be attempted when the weather is good...i.e. no rain, or snow on the ground. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you! I had looked at Chaco and really wanted to see it but I saw the roads are unpaved and I don%26#39;t have an SUV style car so I didn%26#39;t want to risk getting stuck. Thank you so much for all your help!

oil companies

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.

ittwit

February Weather

Howdy,

I%26#39;m planning a trip to New Mexico for the second week of February with my wife and 19 month old daughter. After flying into Albequerque I was thinking that we would head northwest (let%26#39;s say around Farmington) and then work our way to the southwest (Las Cruces). What kind of weather/temperatures can we expect heading north to south in February?

Thanks in advance.

February Weather

It will be winter and our weather varies so much that it is hard to tell what Feb will be like.

Farmington can be cold and just recently got some snow, though usually not a lot of snow there. Highs in 40/50%26#39;s and lows 20/30%26#39;s Not sure what you will be doing in Farmington in the winter, there is a nice aquatic center, rec center, some decent restaurants and a few museum type places including a children%26#39;s museum.

Also if you end up there during a warmish spell you could possibly golf at Pinon Hills. Nearby is Aztec National Monument, Navajo Lake and up in Colorado is Mesa Verde National Park and Durango. Chaco Canyon Nat Monument is south of there, but on a dirt road that I would not attempt in a rental car in the winter.

Las Cruces is much warmer, but not hot in Feb. Highs in the 60/70%26#39;s and lows in the 30/40%26#39;s. Visit Mesilla, White Sands in Alamogordo.

From Chama to Taos to Santa Fe it will be winter with possibly snow storms. Highs 20/40 ish. Most of the snow is in the mountains, but we can get snow here in Santa Fe often during the winter. Lots to do in Santa Fe, we have a great children%26#39;s museum, some interesting museums that even kids enjoy and much more.

February Weather

Shouldn%26#39;t have too many problems south of Albuquerque, but you never really know. Winter weather is pretty unpredictable around here. Definitely plan for the posibility of snow going north.

I too am going...Farmington? But, perhaps you have family in that area.

If not, I would go first see Albuquerque%26#39;s major attractions, number one being Old Town, and surrounding museums. Then head ';Northeast'; to Santa Fe, and Taos, and work my way back south through Albuquerque.

Winter is a great time to visit southern New Mexico. At White Sands National Monument this is especially true as it can easily go over 100F. in summer. Children of all ages can enjoy squishing their toes in the huge hills of white gypsum (not sand.) Enjoy!

Thank you to everyone for the responses. I think that we%26#39;ve decided to stick to Albequerque and points south.

Carlsbad Caverns is open year round and is quite an amazing experience.

Don%26#39;t skip Santa Fe... even if it is cold, beautiful place to visit. If you don%26#39;t feel like driving we have a new train between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Makes the trip so much easier.

Sights between Farmington and Taos?

We will be driving from Farmington to Taos. What interesting sights are there along the way?

Sights between Farmington and Taos?

What time of year? If during winter, one route may be closed and some attractions will be closed.

East of Farmington is Aztec Ruins Nat Mon and Navajo Lake. Some great fishing there. Dulce is on the Apache Reservation and in Chama is the Cumbres Toltec Train. US Hwy 64 between Tierra Amarillo and Tres Piedras is closed part of the winter. In Tierra Amarillo is a fun weaving shop. Between Tres Piedras and Taos is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

Sights between Farmington and Taos?

This would be in mid April. Perhaps the road would be open by then.

Thanks for the ideas!!!

Be sure to watch for the earthship community near Taos.