Sun-drenched mesas, arroyos cutting through high desert basins within view of even higher alpine peaks, vibrant cities filled with adobe architecture, enormous tracts of unspoiled conifer forests stretching to the horizon. This is New Mexico -- a place of rich history, bountiful natural treasures and Southwestern cultural delights. And one of the West's most famed waterways, the Rio Grande, runs right through the heart of this landscape, which often seems alien. Who knows, maybe that's why extraterrestrials are fond of the place -- because it reminds them of home. The best of the Land of Enchantment is a varied list that includes cities that define the word "Southwestern," campy attractions, and vistas that instill a sense of awe and mystical wonder in all travelers, no matter their interests.
The names of New Mexico's largest cities sound like they belong in a song -- Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces. Albuquerque is the largest city in the state and home to a rich arts and cultural scene. It's also where the hit TV series "Breaking Bad" was set and filmed, which has boosted tourism in the city significantly. The state capital, Santa Fe, has an Old Southwest look and feel on its streets, which are accented with timber and adobe buildings. You'll find numerous historic sites here, many of them older than the U.S. Las Cruces is a crossroads city in the southern part of the state known for its hybrid of Southwestern cultures that influence everything from its dynamic culinary scene to the arts.
In the high Rocky Mountains of the northern part of the state, the Enchanted Circle scenic byway forms a ring around Mount Wheeler, New Mexico's highest peak at 13,161 feet. The isn't a route to be done in just a day or two. You could easily spend days exploring all the sights along the circle. Taos is home to the Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage site where the Pueblo people have been living for 1,000 years; visitors are welcome. Red River is an idyllic old-school mountain resort town cut through by its namesake waterway. The Enchanted Circle is a year-round destination; winter brings skiers and snowboarders to hit the slopes at a handful of alpine resorts along the loop, including the expert terrain at Taos Ski Valley and Angel Fire Resort, both widely considered among the top ski resorts in the state.
New Mexico is brimming with natural treasures. The best of them are protected as national parks, forests and monuments. The only full-fledged national park in the state is Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Lonely Planet and Fodor's each consider this deep and mammoth cave system one of the top New Mexico attractions, if not the top. Also worth a drive out into the desert, White Sands National Monument is a surreal-looking wide expanse of blinding, pristine sugar-white sand dunes covering 275 square miles. At more than 3 million acres, the Gila National Forest contains the Gila Wilderness Area, designated in 1924 as the first federal wilderness area. The forest is larger than many states and contains some of New Mexico's most pristine and remote hiking and camping opportunities.
Outer space and New Mexico seem closely connected. Not only is the Land of Enchantment home to Roswell's many alien-related attractions, such as the International UFO Museum and Research Center, the state has other more credible attractions related to science and outer space. The Very Large Array in Socorro is a field of giant radio telescopes often seen in popular science-fiction films. It's a working facility, but there's a free visitors center and walking trail. Spaceport America, outside of Truth or Consequences, is an airport for commercial suborbital space flights. Even if you can't afford the small fortune required for a suborbital flight, you can still tour this one-of-a-kind facility. The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo and the Space Murals Museum in Organ provide more outer space related enlightenment and fun in the desert.
