New Mexico, MD Road Trips

Understanding New Mexico starts with grasping the overpowering importance of two of its geological features: the Rio Grande, which bisects the state north to south, and the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains, southernmost range of the Rocky Mountains and a part of the same large-scale geological structure that produces the Rio, the "Rio Grande rift." The eastern third of the state is an extension of the Great Plains both geographically and culturally and has more in common with the western parts of Texas and Oklahoma than with the rest of New Mexico. The western third, beyond the Rio and the assortment of minor mountain ranges (Nacimientos, Magdalenas, and the not-so-minor Jemez Mountains) to its west, is part of the same "basin and range" geography as comprises much of Arizona and Nevada, with a little Utah canyon country thrown in toward the northwest corner. It's the area in between these two sparsely inhabited regions that gives the state much of its identity, houses the majority of its population, and contains many of its travel attractions. The "Rio Grande Corridor" starts at the Colorado state line and includes (from north to south) such well-known places as Taos, Los Alamos, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Las Cruces at the southern end of the state.

Santa Fe (and really the north central region in general, which includes the artist hotspot of Taos) has a high concentration of artists and is a major destination for art collectors. The central tourist districts of Santa Fe and Taos are home to a huge number of extremely high-end art galleries as well as a number of excellent art museums. Outside of Santa Fe and Taos, one is still likely to come across galleries in the rural, smaller towns of the north central region, which often take on a more folk art characteristic with a still decidedly New Mexico twist. Albuquerque, though lacking Santa Fe's world-renowned image, has plenty of art institutions in its own right and offers a greater mix between the traditional arts which define Santa Fe and more contemporary work. Also take some time to enjoy the wholly unique Pueblo Deco architecture style which merges the indigenous and Hispanic elements with Art Deco from the early 20th century. Some of the most notable (and most visited) art sites in New Mexico are Ghost Ranch - the former home and studio of artist Georgia O'Keefe - near Abiquiú and MEOW WOLF in Santa Fe. The High Road to Taos is littered with small art colonies and breathtaking vistas. And there are sizable galleries throughout the state that offer contemporary or traditional Native American art. New Mexican architecture styles are sure to please the visitor, especially in Santa Fe and Taos, where local ordinances require buildings be constructed in certain adobe styles.

Albuquerque is the host city for the International Balloon Fiesta, held each year during the first full week in October. This extravaganza of color and sound is a unique event, with participants from throughout the world bringing gaily colored and some unusual or "Special Shapes" hot air balloons. As many as 700 or 800 balloons have been registered with mass ascensions highlighting the mornings, balloon glows lighting up the night and competitions sprinkled in for the competitive and professional balloon pilots. And licensed pilots are required! This event draws tens of thousands of visitors to Albuquerque and New Mexico each year as participants, ground chase crew members and observers. New Mexico True, the state's official tourism agency, lists 25 scenic routes, such as the Enchanted Circle through Taos, in the state. All of these routes are destinations in their own right. Travelers who enjoy road trips should seriously consider driving one or more of these routes. Travel to the state's website to obtain more information about specific routes, including maps. A considerable portion of New Mexico is preserved in national parks and monuments, national forests, wildlife refuges, and other wild areas, and is available to the hiker/backpacker. The pronounced north-south elevation gradient means that one part or another of the state has satisfactory hiking weather throughout the year. Good places and times for hiking include: The Sangre de Cristo Mountains, highest and most important range in the state, include several wilderness areas.

A distinctive regional cuisine has developed in New Mexico. Do not call New Mexican food Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, or Mexican! Some New Mexicans can get offended by those names, since their cuisine is a strong sense of identity, and it is better to be safe than sorry. Often considered a subset of "Mexican" food, "New Mexican" cooking is characterized by: First and foremost, chile peppers ("Chile" is the appropriate spelling in New Mexico and is pronounced like "Chili"). New Mexico chiles, despite their reputation, are generally not nearly as hot as habañeros and some Asian peppers, although their spiciness can still come as quite a jolt to the palate unused to spicy foods. Chiles are green for most of their growing life but turn red and dry out as they mature, and can be picked and cooked either "red" or "green." When you order a New Mexican dish in a restaurant, you'll be asked whether you prefer red or green sauce, referring to the color -- maturity -- of the peppers used to prepare the sauce. Green is usually hotter than red, but it depends on the seasons it was grown. They both have distinctive flavors; try both while you're here (the term for "both" is "Christmas"). The difference between red and green chile can also refer to how the chile will be served. In some instances, red chile will come as a sauce while green chile will come chopped or whole.

Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces are the only cities large enough to have significant night life. However, several of the American Indian pueblos operate casinos that bring in name-brand entertainment. The casinos themselves are controversial locally because of problems with patrons with gambling addictions, but the entertainment can be reasonably good. There are a surprising number of acceptable wineries in New Mexico, concentrated mainly in the north central region, but there are several others in the middle Rio Grande valley, between Albuquerque and Socorro. The wine- and fruit-based beverage known as sangría, more commonly associated with Spain, is also widespread in New Mexico. Most restaurants with a liquor license that serve New Mexican cuisine will also serve sangría. One warning: small-town bars here, particularly in the northern part of the state, are not always good places for the out-of-state visitor to hang out. For one thing, northern New Mexico has significant problems with drunk driving, and the concentration of intoxicated drivers is high close to small-town bars. For another, there have been ethnic tensions intermittently in this part of the state that have led to serious bar fights, some of which have involved visitors. Tread carefully. And, as with anywhere else in the USA, be careful driving on New Year's Eve, Day, and the day after, since those days have an unusually high amount of drunk drivers on the road.

The state's only major (commercial) airport is in Albuquerque, in nearly the exact center of the state. Santa Fe has limited connector service, and a few of the state's minor cities, such as Farmington, Roswell, Taos and Hobbs have commuter air service. A lot of smaller towns (often resort towns) like Angel Fire have single-strip airfields that can handle private or charter planes; for air travel to these, it's best to contact the relevant town's air services to schedule flights. For travel to the southern part of the state, particularly the southwestern region, consider flying into El Paso in the extreme west of Texas. As an example, Las Cruces, the state's third-largest city, is only 45 miles from El Paso compared to 226 miles from Albuquerque. Interstate 10 and Interstate 40 cross the state east/west, the former entering between El Paso and Las Cruces and paralleling the southern border, and the latter following the route of historic Route 66 through the middle of the state. Interstate 25 enters the state from Colorado in its northeast corner near Raton, passes through the eastern plains, crosses the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at Glorieta Pass near Santa Fe, then follows the Rio Grande south through Albuquerque to its terminus at I-10 in Las Cruces. Although New Mexico has a fairly long border with Mexico, there are few ports of entry. Most traffic inbound from Mexico enters the United States at El Paso and then continues to Las Cruces and beyond.

The larger cities (Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Santa Fe) have some degree of public transportation, but this is still a state where you'll have to drive most of the time. Roads in New Mexico are generally well maintained and driving itself can be a pleasurable experience. Although only a few roads are designated scenic drives, most rural highways in the western two thirds of the state provide splendid vistas. However, if you are behind the wheel, please remain attentive to the road and the local driving habits. New Mexico has road conditions and situations that may be different than your own; use caution and drive defensively at all times. Speed limits on interstates are normally 75 miles per hour, except in urban and mountainous areas areas where the speed limit typically drops to 65. Multilane US and state highways have rural speed limits ranging from 45 to 75 miles per hour. Two-lane rural highways have speed limits in the range of 45-65 miles per hour. In urban areas and other communities speed limits can be as low as 15 and as fast as 55 miles per hour, and enforcement is more highly visible and heavy-handed than in rural areas. A number of state highways and most county roads, remarkably enough, are still unpaved and should be driven at reduced speeds. Between this, radar traps, and the fact that many of the roads through the mountains are more sinuous than is apparent on a map, you should expect intercity travel to take a bit longer than the distance would imply, except on the Interstates.

Albuquerque has a crime rate that is higher than average for an American city, but most of it is property crime that affects residents more than visitors. The "South Valley" and the region between the University of New Mexico and Kirtland Air Force Base (as well as the infamous "War Zone" near the state fairgrounds, the site of some nasty drug-related crime) are best avoided by solitary travelers after dark. Otherwise there are no specific violent-crime issues that unduly threaten the visitor. Illegal immigrants are common in the southern region of the state, although less so than in neighboring Arizona. There are checkpoints along major highways leading north, at which the Border Patrol checks vehicles for illegal passengers. Refer to this section for more information, and behave sensibly with them and you won't have any problems. There are some social problems associated with the drug trade that may create unpleasant situations for the unwary visitor in some areas. The world-wide cautions regarding packages from strangers apply here too, and, in addition, some caution is indicated in rural areas of the north central and northwestern regions. The former is a notorious "pipeline" for narcotics entering the country from Mexico, and you really don't want to blunder into a drug deal being transacted in the hinterlands. The main drug-related hazard in the rugged northwest is that it is a "drop zone" for contraband delivered by light plane.