Best New Mexico Day Trips For Weekend Adventure

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad

The Cumbres & Toltec Railroad is a National Historic Landmark that takes visitors on a narrow-gauge steam train along the New Mexico-Colorado border. Ticket options include half-day and full-day trips. Half-day tickets are a three-hour line. Return to the station is via bus.

Full-day rides travel the 64-mile route starting in Chama, New Mexico, or Antonito, Colorado. The return trip is via bus. Whatever option you choose, you will not be disappointed. Website.

Taos Pueblo World Heritage Site

Taos Pueblo World Heritage Site is the high desert village of the Red Willow People. The main building is one of the most photographed buildings in the US and was initially built nearly 1000 years ago. Today visitors must pay an entrance fee to take a self-guided tour of the Pueblo and surrounding grounds.

Guided tours are also offered for about thirty minutes. Traditional arts and crafts are available for sale. The Tiwa Kitchen Restaurant at the Pueblo sells traditional New Mexican and Native American foods, including fry bed and fried squash. Website.

Pecos Historical Park

This park features ruins from the Pecos Pueblo and Spanish mission church. The Pueblo was once home to about 2,000 people and dates back over 900 years. In 1625 a Spanish mission church was built just outside of the Pueblo. The Spanish colonists tried to convert the natives, with little success, to the Christian religion.

Today visitors can take a one-mile exhibit trail and learn about the history and culture of the Pueblo. The park’s museum displays artifacts from the Indian and Spanish settlements at Pecos. Website.

Chaco Canyon, New Mexico

It takes a lot of effort to visit Chaco Culture National Historical Park, but it’s well worth visiting the Ancient Pueblo ruins. Located in a remote area of northwestern New Mexico, Chaco Canyon is 70 miles from Farmington. The final 14 miles to the canyon are on a bumpy dirt road.

You can easily see several ruins on a day trip. Pueblo Bonito, Pueblo del Arroyo, and Yellow House are all in the same area. The entrance fee is $25.00. Pay at the visitor center. Website.

Aztec Ruins National Monument

These ancient Pueblo ruins are easily accessible via paved roads. Located 12 miles northeast of Farmington, the ruins date back 900 years. Early settlers mistakenly believed the Aztecs built them, and the name stuck even though the Pueblo people made them. The main ruin here is the 400-room Pueblo Great House. There is also a reconstructed Great Kiva at the monument. Website.

Kokopelli’s Cave Farmington NM

With so many ancient cave dwellings in New Mexico, you might want to see what it is like to live in one. Kokopelli’s Cave looks like a Pueblo ruin; from the inside, it is more like a modern apartment. The Cave features a living room, bedroom, kitchen, shower, and jacuzzi tub. There is even a replica of a Native American kiva in the Cave. More information and reservations are available at Kokopelli’s Cave website: 87 Rd 1980, Farmington, NM.

Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument features spectacular cave dwellings that a 180-foot climb can only reach. Four wooden ladders range from 8 feet to 20 feet long. Dwellings here date back over 1000 years. A one-mile main Loop Trail lets visitors view most historic sites, including the ladder cave.

Bandelier is probably the most exciting ancient ruin in New Mexico, especially if you decide to climb the ladders. Visitors must ride a shuttle bus from the White Rock visitor during the summer.

White Sands National Monument

The sand here is so white it looks like snow. The sand is made up of gypsum crystals and is one of the few places in the world where these dunes occur. Your first stop should be the visitor center. From here, there is a 10-mile loop drive into the dunes where you can get out and climb up the dunes and take in the fantastic desert scenery. White Sands is midway between Alamogordo and Las Cruces, New Mexico, along Highway US-70. Website.

Wildlife West Nature Park

Thirty miles east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is an animal sanctuary zoo called the Wildlife West Nature Park. The critters here rescue animals that can no longer live in the wild. As you wander around the park, you will find coyotes, wolves, elk, deer, cougars, owls, and foxes. Unlike many small zoos, the grounds are natural, and the animals have room to move around.

On select weekends, the nature park features Chuckwagon Supper Shows, including a BBQ dinner and an animal show. Address 87 N Frontage Rd, Edgewood, NM. Website.

Gila Cliff Dwellings, New Mexico

Located in the South Western area of the state is the Gila Cliff Dwellings. From the visitor center, it is a half-mile hike to the entrance of the first dwelling. You can walk into the Cave and through a section of the ruins. Gila Cliff Dwellings are located about a 40-mile trip from Silver City, New Mexico, at an elevation of 6,000 feet near the headwaters of the Gila River. Website.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Situated 18 miles southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico, is beautiful Carlsbad Caverns, National Park. You can walk or take an elevator down 750 feet from the large visitor center to the show cave. Here you can follow a trail and view the many unique formations inside the cavern. Ranger-guided tours allow you to visit areas that are not accessible on the self-guided trail—address 3225 National Parks Highway Carlsbad, NM.

Arizona Day Trips – Nevada Day Trips

Lost City Museum Nevada