So the spouse has a business meeting coming up in Albuquerque on a Monday. And another on the following Thursday. So we have a couple of dead days in between.

We've spent lots of time in ABQ, and to the South of ABQ. And we've been all over eastern NM, including Santa Fe, Los Alamos, Abiquiu, and Chama.

We've never spent any time to the west and northwest of ABQ.

How about some suggestions for Don't Miss places in that direction. We're open to either taking day trips out of ABQ, or getting a place to stay, not too far out.

Northeastern Arizona is a possibility, too. But keep in mind that we have to drive 300 miles to ABQ, and 300 back, don't want to drive a lot more than that.

Thanks in advance!

NW New Mexico makes me think of Farmington and Aztec.

Aztec has the really nice, albeit little Aztec Ruins National Monument. Certainly worth a trip. They also have a ton of sandstone arches that you can seek out.

• http://www.aztecnm.com/arches/index.html
• https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1jVQWKH5gwfh1as1wtmjtsHLCyDE&ll=36.79828502035775%2C-107.86943329072159&z=14

Farmington has more in the way of food. Francisca's and the Chile Pod are good picks. Lauderbrew is a very fun brewery/tap room.

Drive west and you'll see the iconic Shiprock. Four Corners is not worth the drive.

Angel's Peak is south and there are some really nice badlands lookouts there depending on how far off the highway you want to venture. Those roads are TERRIBLE.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is high on my to do list up there, but I've not made the trip.

Durango is a fun town and it's not too far north from Aztec. It's a pretty drive too, along the river.

I-40 west of town leads to some nice hikes. El Malpais National Monument has some nice hikes and overlooks of the volcanic badlands. The Continental Divide Trail also picks up north of Grants and there some nice hikes up there, though I've not done Mount Taylor. I'm not sure if the Sky City Cultural Center and the Acoma Pueblo are still closed to visitors.

Not what you asked, but SW you have the Large Array Visitors Center which might be worth a trip, depending on your interests. There's not a lot else down there. Socorro is a sleepy college town, but San Antonio does have those iconic green chile cheeseburgers.

EDIT: Alright, that should be everything after the accidental false start.

If you golf Pinon Hills is excellent and great value in Farmington area

Have certainly considered the Indian ruins in various places. Wife and I both enjoy geology so the lava flows are on the list of things we are considering.

Probably not going as far as Durango. We've been to that area a lot, and are trying to not drive constantly. We've been to Chama, Pagosa Springs, etc. Haven't ruled out return trip to that area, but we wanted to see new things.

Acoma still COVID closed.

We have been to the VLA, I have some photos posted and commentary on my report about the Trinity Site.

https://texags.com/forums/49/topics/2171551

Thanks!

Wicked Good Ag said:

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If you golf Pinon Hills is excellent and great value in Farmington area

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Appreciate it.

Definitely NOT a golfer.

I was going to suggest the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, on the off chance you hadn't been there, but it doesn't matterit's closed for a while.

This probably isn't news either, but make sure you don't leave any valuables in your car overnight. Thievery is one of the top economic industries in Albuquerque.

Thanks, we have been to Tent Rocks. Wife has lots of business in ABQ and Los Alamos, so we have been all over the Santa Fe area, and pretty much all of NM, except the far Northwest. That's why we are looking to that area.

If you like that area, go to Plaza Blanca in Abiquiu. It's private land, owned by a Mosque, but they allow hiking.

Haven't had theft, but wife got confronted by some woman who was driving around a motel parking lot begging money for "gas". I was with her two weeks later, same woman stops me with the same story. I call out to my wife, "Hey, is this the same woman who was asking you for money a couple of weeks ago?"

For someone who needed gas, she sure sped out of the parking lot in a hurry.

I can attest to the thievery. I've had my car broken into and my identity stolen in ABQ. There was a warrant out for my arrest at one point and I'm banned from multiple casinos that I've never actually been to.

I still like the city though.

Chaco Canyon is pretty neat but it's definitely off the beaten path. It is down the longest and roughest dirt road I've ever seen.

You also have the Valles Caldera NW of ABQ. I'm not sure what you'd do there other than see the scenery and visit the Longmire cabin (if you liked that show).

Bisti Badlands out off 371 north of Grants is a fun place to venture out to. As the other poster mentioned, it's a pretty rough dirt road to get out there.

A little further than El Malpais is El Morro National Monument. Smaller, but it has 2 neat hikes to go on. Easily doable in a day trip.

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You also have the Valles Caldera NW of ABQ

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I guess you missed that we've been all over Santa Fe and the Los Alamos area. Valles is the most beautiful place in the Santa Fe area. Absolutely stunning.

We are in NW NM a lot, since we live in NE AZ. To be honest, there's only a few places that I would recommend in that whole area. If you do end up around Farmington, then consider going to the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, which is located south of Farmington, off Hwy 371. Bring a good camera, as the landscape photo opportunities are amazing. From there, it's not too far to Chaco Canyon. We haven't been there yet, so can't help there.

Shiprock (not the town), which is just south of (oddly enough) Shiprock (not the rock) is worth seeing if you happen to be in the area. But don't make a special trip to see it though, since you can't really explore the place. It is on Navajo land, and they will not allow anyone to just roam around. There is a small parking area next to the lava dike that goes across Indian Route 13 that you can stop at and take a few pictures.

Once you are in the town of Shiprock, you are on the Navajo Reservation. Remember that they have their own rules about Covid restrictions, and their rules are much more restrictive than those of the three states the Rez sits on. At any rate, there's nothing much to see or do in Shiprock, other than get gas and fast food. For any decent restaurants, you will need to go on to Farmington.

Halfway between Shiprock (the town) and Farmington is the Rez border, so Covid restrictions in Farm. is the same as the rest of NM, which means not much. Between Shiprock and Farm. you will find a small and crummy Indian casino and a few trading posts, but none of these are worth recommending. Farmington is actually a decent little city, and has all the restaurants you could possibly want. We always stop at a downtown restaurant called The Olive Tree, where they have an excellent Gyro sandwich/plate. There is also a store that has a large amount of high-end Indian artwork on Broadway. It is called Fifth Generation Trading Co. or something like that. Nice people there, but I think there prices are a bit high. Still not as high as Santa Fe though. Bilasaana on Main St. also has some nice Navajo jewelry too, but is a much smaller store. If you happen to own an Apple watch and happen to actually make it all the way up to Farmington, stop at Bilasaana and check out the silver/leather Apple watch straps made by a Navajo artisan. They are fantastic.

Other than that, there isn't much to recommend about NW NM, especially since the Acoma and Zuni Pueblos are closed. I might recommend the area to someone who is going to Mesa Verde National Park and then on to Cortez and Durango, but TBH, if I were in Albuquerque, I would just stay in that area or the central northern area of NM and explore what you haven't already seen.

C

Thanks, it's a long way from ABQ, but I'm kind of tempted to go all the way to Petrified Forest NP. Any opinions, or anything in that area?

And I'm beginning to think we might just replay some our previous north central NM visits. I like that area, but I was thinking we might shoot for something different.

Doesn't look encouraging.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Thanks, it's a long way from ABQ, but I'm kind of tempted to go all the way to Petrified Forest NP. Any opinions, or anything in that area?

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Not much between ABQ and PFNP, other than a few casinos and crappy trading posts/gas stations. Fire Rock casino on the eastern edge of Gallup and right off Hwy 40 has a pretty decent restaurant. It is about the only place we eat when in Gallup. There is supposed to be some very good cafes in the downtown Gallup area, but they are always too busy for us to stay. Gallup does have some good places to shop for Native American artwork/jewelry in the downtown area. Gallup is essentially the epicenter of SW Native American life. If you like old and historic hotels, the El Rancho hotel in Gallup is a neat place to kill fifteen minutes.

Between Gallup and PFNP, there's a whole lot of nothing, other than a few crummy tourist trap trading posts. The late summer thunderstorms in this area can be quite interesting though. Be very careful in the winter however, as much of the route between ABQ and Gallup is pretty high, and there can be significant snowstorms that aren't discussed on ABQ weather reports, and that can shut down the interstate. I once got stuck in Grants for a night because of this.

The main entrance to PFNP is right on I-40. The main park road goes north, then loops back south and under the interstate. The park north of the interstate is just mainly viewpoints. The great hiking areas are in the portion south of the interstate. There is also another visitor center at the south entrance too, with a museum and gift shop. If you go there, definitely check out the Blue Mesa area for viewpoints and hiking.

Once you exit the south entrance, take a right on Hwy 180 and you get back to Holbrook and the interstate quite easily. There is a large petrified wood shop on the left just before you get to Holbrook that is worth seeing, but their prices are rather high. Still though, the wood they have there is amazing.

In Holbrook, there is only one restaurant I would recommend. It is on Business 40, aka Navajo Blvd., next to some hotels. It is called Bienvenidos, which would make you think it was a Mexican restaurant. But it really isn't. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the place is clean, and the food and service is actually quite good. It is the only restaurant in Holbrook that we will patronize. Other than to fill up you or the car, there isn't any reason to stop in Holbrook. The nearest Walmart is 33 miles away in Winslow.

You could do ABQ/PFNP/ABQ in one long day. But a lot of the drive is pretty boring......

C

Thanks!

I lived in Farmington for a number of years and my last child was actually born there. Lots of good suggestions. I would add eating at El Bruno in Cuba on the way from ABQ as there aren't many stops. If you like to fish then I would check that out as well with world class fly fishing on the San Juan or check out Navajo Dam and the lake. Don't go to the 4 corners monument and personally wouldn't recommend really anything to west of Farmington like Shiprock. If you cross the border check out Mesa Verde National Park.

Respecting your not wanting to drive, but welcome to NM. As an alternative to going to the PFNP - which we have been to a couple of times - you might want to look at this route....In Glenwood NM there are the Catwalks, North of Silver City are the Gila Cliff Dwellings. There are endless hiking trails, etc. The drive across the Black Range from Silver to T or C is really pretty country. Hopefully the map loads. If you decide to go to the PFNP, you might want to stop at the meteor crater. Might want to just map it out and look at images from Google Maps. Some very good elk hunting around Reserve.



One other random thought. Look at NMRoads.com the map had good info on closures around the reservations throughout the state. There are a number that are still listed as closed due to Covid even though the state is open.

Gila National Forest is beautiful. I really want to spend time there doing something other than just driving through

PM me if coming to the Gila. We should have good suggestions, and yes, to truly enjoy the area would take awhile.

I would avoid Newer Mexico.

Newest Mexico is much nicer.

I do want to visit Gila NF sometime.

Thanks to all for the suggestions, I'll have to file them away for later. As it turned out, more meetings were added to wife's business trip, which killed any time for getting out of ABQ.

wildcat08 said:

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I was going to suggest the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, on the off chance you hadn't been there, but it doesn't matterit's closed for a while.

This probably isn't news either, but make sure you don't leave any valuables in your car overnight. Thievery is one of the top economic industries in Albuquerque.

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Tent Rocks is reopening. $25 per car

https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-cochiti-pueblo-announce-reopening-kasha-katuwe-tent-rocks-national-monument