New Mexico with kids - not skiing

5,862 Views | 53 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by CanyonAg77
baldandbeautiful
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Was thinking about a quick trip to New Mexico mountains to let the kids (9 years old and under) see/experience snow. Most likely no skiiing, but other outdoor activities would be great. What are the places you'd recommend? Angel Fire, Red River, Taos, somewhere else? What are other things to do in January up there?
Mule_lx
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AG
Years ago there were a few snow sledding places that were pretty cheap. The one I recall had a little conveyor belt that you rode to the top of this little snow hill and then rode and intertube down.

IIRC pretty reasonable and fun for kids and adults.
breezecustomtravel
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It's been a few years but my family always loved Red River - very family friendly with small town charm. We went to Angel Fire a few years too but just to ski. We would always come back to Red River.

Lauren K '07
www.breezecustomtravel.com
@breezecustomtravel
wildcat08
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We live in Angel Fire, and I would second the Red River recommendation for what you're considering.
bigfooticus
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We just spent a week at the Retreat at Angel Fire, left yesterday. Plenty of snow on the ground for kids, sledding areas, and the deer walk through the village every day.
That was a sight to see for us and our 13 yo as they walk right up to the cabins.
She enjoyed the tubing activity at the actual AF resort also.
LGAggie
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We did cloudcroft last winter with a 3 and 5 year old.no skiing. It was fantastic. There are lots of national forest lands with easy road access. We sledded and had a blast. There was also ice skating and other winter activities.

White sands national park is about an hour drive. Really cool! It was ~30 in Cloudcroft and ~55 at white sands. They sell the round sledding disks at the gift shop which was super helpful because we couldn't find them anywhere else.

Cloudcroft is... Rustic. Think more diner than tapas. But it's still a cool little town.

Highly, highly recommend. We've been all over and it was one of our favorite trips.
atmtws
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+1 for Red River.

We were there last fall for my sister's ('11) wedding. It's a small town and def family friendly. Taos is a short drive away and has great touristy stuff.
CanyonAg77
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If Red River is unavailable, take a look at Sipapu. Definitely small scale and family friendly.

https://www.sipapu.ski/
dcAg
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Just go to Santa Fe.
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CanyonAg77
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dcAg said:

Just go to Santa Fe.
Why?

Red River is the most Texas Friendly, family resort in New Mexico. They've been doing this for 60+ years.

At Santa Fe, you still have to drive 10 miles up the mountain, and the town itself is not a family destination.
CanyonAg77
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CastleRock said:

Is the governor still sticking to her insane restrictions? Website says all visitors who don't quarantine are subject to involuntary quarantine.
No one is enforcing. Tourist dollars are needed.
Aggiemike96
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CanyonAg77 said:

No one is enforcing. Tourist dollars are needed.


Needed? Yes. Wanted? No (per the dictator, I mean governor).
wildcat08
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CanyonAg77 said:

CastleRock said:

Is the governor still sticking to her insane restrictions? Website says all visitors who don't quarantine are subject to involuntary quarantine.
No one is enforcing. Tourist dollars are needed.


Canyon is correct. Also agree with Red River over Santa Fe (for what you're wanting to do).
NoahAg
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CanyonAg77 said:

If Red River is unavailable, take a look at Sipapu. Definitely small scale and family friendly.

https://www.sipapu.ski/
Isn't there literally nothing to do BUT ski at Sipapu? No village, town, shops, restaurants, etc.
CanyonAg77
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NoahAg said:

CanyonAg77 said:

If Red River is unavailable, take a look at Sipapu. Definitely small scale and family friendly.

https://www.sipapu.ski/
Isn't there literally nothing to do BUT ski at Sipapu? No village, town, shops, restaurants, etc.
Yeah, it's small and limited. But not just skiing, they have sledding and tubing, snowshoing, etc.

Note I mentioned Red River as first choice.

But if you're dealing with youngsters, do you need much else? And it's a 30 minute drive to Taos, if you want to hit up a restaurant.
NoahAg
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Ah, makes sense. I didn't even know about Sipapu until we stumbled upon it on our way to RR last summer.
CanyonAg77
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NoahAg said:

Ah, makes sense. I didn't even know about Sipapu until we stumbled upon it on our way to RR last summer.
In the summer, there are several interesting little sites scattered near Sipapu. All the old Victorian homes in Las Vegas, Santa Fe Trail Swales, Cleveland Roller Mill, Salman Raspberry Ranch, Ft. Union, Picarus Pueblo, where you can fish without a NM license...
AggieSarah01
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Maybe all places aren't enforcing, but even kids as little as 2 are required to wear masks all the time, even playing outdoors. Just FYI.
Bluecat_Aggie94
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Ruidoso would be the alternate to Red River, but I agree with that assessment. Red River is the most family fun place to go with lots of non skiing to do.
jpb1999
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wildcat08 said:

We live in Angel Fire, and I would second the Red River recommendation for what you're considering.
Sorry, LOTS of questions to all familiar with this area if you don't mind spending a few minutes providing answers:

We will be staying in Angel Fire Feb 15-20. Hoping that is not too late to catch snow just around the house for sledding/snow man building/etc.? What are your thoughts on that from a locals perspective? I know it is all weather dependent, but what is the norm?

Also, a poster above said kids(everyone) have to wear a mask when outdoors... really!?! Even just outside playing at a private vrbo house?

How are the town restaurants and shops doing right now with the restrictions? Is anything open? OR is everything open with just limited capacity? Are restaurants outdoor only or takeout only?

What is there to do in Red River (non-skiing) that cannot be done in Angel Fire? We have 5 (almost 6) and 8 year old boys. I think I saw snowmobiling in Red River, but is that also available in Angel Fire? Is the sleigh ride in Angel Fire worth it? Which tubing place is better (and open), Angel Fire or Red River? We will be in the area for 4 full days so plan to drive around for activities, for sure to Red River and maybe to Taos if there is something different there to see/do with young boys.

Skiing: Not sure if we should do the group lessons for the kids (4-6 year old program and the 7-9 year old program) for a day or the private "2 person" lessons. The group lesson is all day but the private lesson is only 3 hours. Not even sure you can do private "2-person" lessons with a 5 and 8 year old so group might be only option. Yes, I tried calling for answers, but haven't been able to talk with anyone there yet. Was planning on doing a day of lessons for them (while the wife and I ski) and then one more day skiing as a family. We went to Cloudcroft/Ruidoso last Feb and tried to ski. We did the morning lesson thinking they would get it down and then be able to try skiiing with us in the afternoon. They got frustrated and didn't want to ski anymore but had a blast tubing there. So nervous this year and realize they need more/better lessons. Nervous about having to book the 2nd day lift tickets as it might be pulling teeth to get them back out there. Sorry for the rambling... hoping someone here as some experience with young kids and lessons, etc.

Anyone with any info is much appreciated?
AggieSarah01
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No masks outside on private property will be fine. Anywhere in public could be a problem. I have friends who put masks on their 2 year old when they bike around the neighborhood because they know someone will report them if they don't.

All indoor dining closed.
Bluecat_Aggie94
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What you have to understand is that there is an actual town in Red River. Angel Fire has a small base, and a few things scattered along the highway, but there isn't really a town, which is why everyone recommends Red River over Angel Fire. Doesn't mean you can't have fun and find things to do.

No, you won't have to wear a mask when playing outside at the VRBO. Last time we were there was in the summer and you could eat out at a few places but they shut things down a little tighter since then, so you might be looking at take out only.

Red River is about an hour away so it's definitely accessible to you for day trips.

jpb1999
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Thanks for info. So what types of things should I look into at Red River? I want to plan ahead as much as possible. Yes, we plan to just go, but don't want to show up and then finding out once there that is something fun to do but needed reservations or be there at 8AM instead of noon.

I remembered reading about this area on this board before and getting recs for Angel Fire being more kid friendly. Interesting that I am hearing the opposite now. Maybe it was the summer water slide down the slopes in Angel Fire that I am thinking of...

TIA!
CanyonAg77
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Try the website. RR has been doing the tourist thing for generations

https://redriver.org/
pasquale
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We did Ruidoso last Spring Break with our two boys 8 & 11 and we had a blast. There is the Winter Park in Ruidoso and we drove to ski Apache for one day. This is the place we stayed
http://www.cabinruidoso.net/
TRIDENT
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You might enjoy a stay in our family cabin:

https://hummingbird-cabins.com/cabin-rentals/cruthirds

and take the kids to:

https://www.ruidosowinterpark.com/

Whatever you decide, hope y'all have a safe and fun trip and make some great memories!

ChrisTheClassic
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Sending this back up to the top with a few questions. We are considering doing a quick spring break trip up to Red River in early March. It seems like there would still be active snow - is that true?

I have 2 girls aged 7 and 3 that would love to see snow. I checked out the website and it seems like there may not be all that much to do other than outdoors type stuff, which would be an issue if it was too cold for them. Is there much to do indoors there just in case? Is everything open?

Thanks!
AgLA06
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CanyonAg77 said:

dcAg said:

Just go to Santa Fe.
Why?

Red River is the most Texas Friendly, family resort in New Mexico. They've been doing this for 60+ years.

At Santa Fe, you still have to drive 10 miles up the mountain, and the town itself is not a family destination.


Ruidoso says hello.
AgLA06
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Did yall build or buy the cabin. We're looking to do something similar in Ruidoso and would love a cost reference.
TRIDENT
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Bought it for a bargain 15+ years ago and fixed it up over the years with a new metal roof, hot tub, flooring, HVAC, paint, deck, etc.
corndog04
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AgLA06 said:

Did yall build or buy the cabin. We're looking to do something similar in Ruidoso and would love a cost reference.


Stuff is pretty high here at the moment. We just moved out here full time and definitely had a bit of sticker shock when we started looking. We weren't wanting a project, but if you are patient and don't mind putting in some work you can still find some okay deals.

If you want a $ for reference, we were looking for minimum 3/2, 2500sf+, at least 1/3 acre, reasonably updated or newish and $500k was about the floor of anything that was remotely enticing to us. But, our standards were pretty high as we were looking for a full time home for a family of 4 w/ young kids.

AgLA06
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Yah, we don't have the budget to buy a house at the moment. Looking for a half acre or more near / next to national forest with a view we could eventually build something like this in 5 years.

I wish I could find something with utilities that would allow just a small cabin or trailer hookups until then, but we haven't found anything that wasn't in a sketchy area (yes I get it goes hand in hand).
jpb1999
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Heading to Angel Fire on the 15th of Feb. with 5 and 8 year old. We are skiing, tubing, snowmobiling (in Red River), sleigh riding... all the typical winter activities.

We still have one open day that I'm not sure what to do. Might try to find an easy winter hike? Anything else that would be family friendly? Anything nearby worth driving to see? Thought about Taos Pueblo but don't think it will hold the kids attention and heard that it is a little touristy...? Hot springs? Any other ideas? Don't want to drive all that way and miss something that was nearby.

Anyone that is familiar, any recs on nearby easy-ish hikes but with a view still? Or good wildlife watching?

Thanks!
_________________________________________

Spane Bohem


CanyonAg77
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I don't think the Pueblo is worth a trip. I can't really think of anything that's worth a full day trip, just some interesting little stops.

Things like the high bridge over the Rio Grande near Taos, St. James hotel - Cimarron, Ft. Union (long drive).
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