New Mexico/ Arizona Driving Vacation?

1,808 Views | 17 Replies | Last: 1 yr ago by jja79
CS78
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Planning to take the family second half of June. Kids, 11, 10, and 6. We have a place to stay in Red River for free. Western most point of the trip will be Grand Canyon. Will also spend a day at Mesa Verde. Short roadside stops to include petrified forest, the meteor crater, monument valley, antelope canyon, and Roswell.

Questions-

How long do we want to spend in each area? We have a 2 week timeframe but I was thinking around 9-10 days for everything, including drive? Red River is free but how much is there to do for kids?

I dont mind paying for private tours or a local guide if the experience is worth it.

Anything else worth seeing along our path? We like random obscura, adventure, history. Not the types to spend a day just hiking trails.

Things Id like to add to the trip-

A hands on observatory that is kid friendly.
River rafting that is fun but also kid friendly.
A chuck wagon cookout with music, etc.
Need to work in some dinosaur something for the 6yo.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
txags92
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AG
CS78 said:

Planning to take the family second half of June. Kids, 11, 10, and 6. We have a place to stay in Red River for free. Western most point of the trip will be Grand Canyon. Will also spend a day at Mesa Verde. Short roadside stops to include petrified forest, the meteor crater, monument valley, antelope canyon, and Roswell.

Questions-

How long do we want to spend in each area? We have a 2 week timeframe but I was thinking around 9-10 days for everything, including drive? Red River is free but how much is there to do for kids?

I dont mind paying for private tours or a local guide if the experience is worth it.

Anything else worth seeing along our path? We like random obscura, adventure, history. Not the types to spend a day just hiking trails.

Things Id like to add to the trip-

A hands on observatory that is kid friendly.
River rafting that is fun but also kid friendly.
A chuck wagon cookout with music, etc.
Need to work in some dinosaur something for the 6yo.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Take them down to Angelfire and go downhill mountain biking. They have a lesson package that comes with a bike rental and lift ticket. They will take you up and teach you the techniques for cornering, how to deal with other riders on the trails, etc. and then turn you loose for the rest of the day to have fun.

For a fun quick stop on the way up towards Mesa Verde, stop at Echo Amphitheatre. It is a very short hike up into a bowl shaped area on a cliff and it acts as a natural reflector for sound. When you are up in the viewing platform area, you can hear every conversation from people coming up from the parking area. For adults it is probably not that exciting but for kids that age, it will be fun and a nice break from what can otherwise be a boring drive for them.

Another thing you can do depending on what time of day you go through is stop and watch the steam train come into Chama. It is pretty much an all day thing to ride it, and might get old for the kids after less than that. But seeing it come in to the station and stop is free and can be pretty cool to watch.
CanyonAg77
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AG
Forget Roswell. Nothing to see, way too much driving. Will add more later
Lavender Gooms
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AG
We took our 2 kids (9 and 4) on the Bobcat Pass UTV tour last year and had a blast. Quite a few stops where the guide talked a good amount about the history of the area. They also put on a chuck wagon dinner with a live singer. That was also very fun. Not sure about other kid-friendly stuff in Red River. We usually go out hiking in the forest.

There's river rafting on the Rio Grande south of Taos. We did the calmer float trip with our kids. It's about an hour south of Red River.
CanyonAg77
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AG
One hard day of driving (12 hours) just to get to Red River, or two lighter days. Then you want to add another 18 hours to GC and back. Not my thing, but some folks are road warriors.

Assuming you're coming from College Station, Google Maps tells me you're only adding a little over an hour to see Roswell, which surprises me. Unless you are just a huge fan of the Kitsch, I still wouldn't bother. Mainly because there is a lot of NOTHING for 150 miles either side of Roswell.

Assuming the Amarillo route to Red River, Palo Duro Canyon and the Museum in Canyon are always options, and bucket list for any Texan. Understand if you want to do those another time.

Clayton, the Eklund Hotel used to have a good restaurant, and was an interesting place. Dinosaur trackway at Clayton Lake state park.

St. James Hotel in Cimarron, Santa Fe Trail crossing.

If you go to Angel Fire as suggested above, go to the Vietnam War Memorial

Red River has been the playground of West Texans since the 1940s. Jeep tours, Jeep rentals, ATV rentals, horseback riding, stream fishing, kid's fishing pond, gold mine ghost towns, fishing in mountain lakes. Kids often like the fish hatchery at Questa.

Taos isn't far, take in the high bridge (and low bridge) see the downtown plaza, maybe go out to the Pueblo, though it's a bit of a tourist trap. Good food.


If you insist on going to Grand Canyon, your stops imply a loop of one direction through ABQ and back up through Shiprock.

The drive through Chama is pretty for about 50 miles either side of Chama, and desolate past that. Agree with the above that the train yard at Chama is cool, and you should watch the train leave or arrive. I also think the train is worth a ride, but that is a full day.

Good food at Rancho de Chimayo in Chimayo, see the old chapel built in the 1700s.

If you're into Manhattan Project history, Los Alamos is a short, pretty drive through the Bandelier ash fall. Valles Caldera is among the prettiest places in NM.

Albuquerque has the National Nuclear Museum which is also great for MP, and also has a ton of planes on display.


Bottom line: I think you'd enjoy spending the entire time in Red River and close by. But I can give you more on Los Alamos, Santa Fe, and ABQ, if you want to extend time there.
wildcat08
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AG
There's a ropes course and a tubing run at the Red River ski area that our grandkids absolutely love. They would do it every summer if they could.
Aggies76
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AG
Ttt for trip planning
Caladan
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Since Canyonag77 can handle NM quite well, I will just cover from Mesa Verde to Monument Valley to Grand Canyon. From Mesa V, you will probably go through Cortez and catch 491 south, then 160 to 4 Corners and Tec Nos Pos. Cortez has a number of restaurants along the main drag - I would definitely *not* recommend El Grande Cafe. The Ute Mountain Casino on 491 has a good restaurant, but I don't know about the ability to take kids there. Will probably be ok.

You have two choices to get to Monument Valley - the northern route to Bluff UT and then 163 to Mexican Hat, or the southern route through Tec Nos Pos/160/Kayenta. The northern route is much more scenic. Bluff has a nice little restaurant called Twin Rocks (the reason for the name is very apparent once you pull up), and Bluff Fort is a decent place to stop and stretch the legs and find a bathroom (cleanest in all of S.E. UT). Free admission there, and the Mormons who run the place are as nice as can be.

From Bluff you will pick up 163 to Mexican Hat. You will also pass the entrance road to Valley of the Gods. Research this before you go, as it is a great scenic drive. Just don't do it if it has rained recently. In Mexican Hat there is a decent little restaurant at the hotel/trading post situated right at the river crossing. Once you cross the river, you are now on the Navajo Reservation. Continue to Monument Valley, and consider stopping at the numerous pull-outs such as Forrest Gump Point. You will often find Navajo vendors selling their home-made items at these pull-outs. In Monument Valley, definitely stay at the View Hotel if possible. Goulding's hotel is historic as well, and has a restaurant and very large gift shop too.

From Monument Valley to Grand Canyon National Park, you will go through Kayenta and pick up 160 to Tuba City. Both cities have a few restaurants and fast-food places. If you want a restaurant in Tuba City, find the Hogan Restaurant on Main St., just past the Taco Bell. Don't go on Friday afternoon. Between Monument Valley and Kayenta, be on the lookout for volcanic remants, which are easy to spot as they are a different color than the surrounding landscape.

On 89 south to Cameron is the historic Cameron Trading Post. A bit of a tourist trap, but your kids will have fun roaming the place, and it's not a bad place to stop for a drink. From there, catch 64 to the east entrance to GCNP. The east entrance has a lot less traffic than the south entrance.

When you leave GCNP via the south entrance, you will probably go through Flagstaff and catch I-40 to Meteor Crater and Petrified Forest NP. In Winslow you will find the historic La Posada Hotel and their restaurant called the Turquoise Room. This is the best restaurant in that entire area. Holbrook has a fair number of restaurants, but the best one there we have found is called Bienvenidos, which although sounds like a Mexican restaurant, actually has a large variety. They do a very good job there, and is the only place we eat at in Holbrook.

From Holbrook you can catch 180 east to the south entrance to PFNP. Both entrances have visitors centers, but the south has more to see. From there you will make your way up to the north entrance, which sits right on I-40. There are a number of places to stop and gawk/hike, but we like the Blue Mesa area a lot. From there you can go east on I-40 to Gallup and the rest of New Mexico, which btw isn't new or Mexico. Gallup tip: don't eat at any Chinese restaurants there. The casino on the eastern side of town called Fire Rock does have a pretty decent restaurant.

A few more tips on AZ:
Four Corners is more of a tourist trap than anything else. Stop if it's a bucket list item, but otherwise I don't think it is worth it. However, the Navajo people there are quite friendly.

Don't drive at night on the Navajo Reservation. The Navajo do not keep their dogs or horses penned. Also don't let your gas get low as you drive around the place, as it can sometimes be difficult to find gas there.

Between Holbrook and PFNP you will see signs for a place called Knife City, which is right next to the interstate. Biggest knife shop I've ever seen, and the people there are friendly. Great selection, but most at list prices.

AZ does not follow daylight saving time, but the Navajo Rez does. Can't remember if the Hopi does too.

Lots of low-water crossings on the Navajo Rez. Be very careful if it is thunderstormy when you drive through. Don't leave you car unattended if yours is the only car around, particularly if you have non-AZ or NM plates.

hth,
C
AggieOO
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Roswell, just keep on driving and see something else.
MasonB
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AG
Dinosaur tracks outside of Tuba City. Just tip one of the local Navajo guides.

Some impressive tracks, eggs, and rib fossils.
jja79
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AG
I discovered two weeks ago the Quality Inn & Suites in Deming, NM has a solid bar and grill. Who would have thought?
Wicked Good Ag
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Did we assume they are coming from CS?

Are we not thinking of a northern and southern route to and from ?

Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands would be great as well
CanyonAg77
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Wicked Good Ag said:

Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands would be great as well

Great stops, but I always recommend checking how long the drives are. You can do Southern NM and northern NM in one trip, but prepare for a lot of driving and empty space between the two. Also a lot of empty Texas to get to southern NM
CanyonAg77
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Great info. And thanks, I do know Eastern New Mexico fairly well, but very little west of Albuquerque.
gggmann
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Make sure you book a tour in advance for Antelope Canyon. You can only access it via a tour, and they book up, especially the upper canyon.
jja79
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AG
Beautiful drives.
CanyonAg77
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AG
jja79 said:

Beautiful drives.

Maybe.

Not everyone loves the desert.
jja79
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Raised in Fort Stockton and just got back to Houston on a driving trip to and from Phoenix so count me in.
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