The state of New Mexico turns 100 years old in 2012. The earliest known inhabitants of New Mexico were the Clovis people — their artifacts have been dated to 10,000 years ago. Later Native American people settled the area in pueblo dwellings. In the 1500s, the Spanish settlers followed what they believed was a trail [...]

Located high on a cliff in Las Huertas Canyon, Sandia Man Cave is a unique slice of history in New Mexico. First discovered in 1936 by a University of New Mexico anthropology student, the cave was excavated from 1937 – 1941. Scientists and students found the skeletal remains if Ice Age animals like mastadons in [...]

The Cibola National Forest covers more than 1.6 million acres in the top half of the state of New Mexico, and extends into Texas and Oklahoma, with elevations ranging from 5,000 feet to over 11,300 feet. The mountains in the forested area include Mt. Taylor; the Datil, Gallinas, Magdalena, Bear, Manzano, Sandia, San Mateo, and [...]

Fort Stanton, New Mexico, has been an integral part of the history of the American Southwest for many years. Built along the Bonito River in the Capitan Mountains, the Fort also has views of the Sacramento Mountains and Sierra Blanca Peak so bring your camera for some outstanding photographs. With good water and arable land, [...]

Pinos Altos means “tall pines” in Spanish, and the town of the same name is a fantastic place to enjoy soaring pines and the beauty of the continental divide in New Mexico. The town got its start in 1860 when three frustrated gold miners stopped for a drink in nearby Bear Creek and discovered gold. [...]

Around 5,000 years ago, a volcano known today as Little Black Peak, erupted filling the Tularosa Basin with molten rock. The resulting lava flow was 44 miles long and 6 miles wide and, in many places, 160 feet thick. Only a ridge of Dakota sandstone overlooks the lava, extending to low hills over 10 miles [...]

Sometimes called “The Land of Fire and Ice,” Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave is in a unique location in New Mexico. 10,000 years ago, Bandera Volcano erupted in a violent explosion. It poured out about 20 miles of lava flow through a lava tube system over 17 miles long. One of the finest examples of [...]

Known as “the Santa Fe,” the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway came to Santa Fe in 1880 and has remained in nearly continuous operation since then. Today, a part of the line remains as a wonderful piece of history. The Santa Fe Southern Railway is still carrying passengers through high-desert scenery as well as [...]

Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the Museum of Natural History and Science offers a wonderful journey of exploration and learning. Meet New Mexico’s giant dinosaurs, walk through a volcano or explore the solar system. The core of the museum’s exhibits is called Time Tracks. Time Tracks offers a journey through billions of years of New [...]

Spectacular palisade cliffs and mountain streams dominate Cimarron Canyon State Park located in New Mexico’s high country. Cimarron is Spanish for wild and untamed. The word originally referred to the bighorn sheep that roam the north-central mountains and has been adopted name the park. Cimarron Canyon State Park is part of the 33,116-acre Colin Neblett [...]