National Park Sites in New Mexico

National Park Sites in New Mexico

New Mexico is called the land of enchantments for a reason.  The diversity of high mountains and deserts provide some great diversity to the activities available at the National Park Sites throughout the state.  While I have traveled to New Mexico for much of my life and have my favorite spots, there are still places I need to visit for the first time.  This is my ranking of the National Park sites located in New Mexico that I have visited and my bucket list to complete my exploration of all the National Park sites in the state.


#1 Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Explore the world that lies beneath the earth by going deep into Carlsbad Caverns.  You will stand in majestic great halls with mighty stalagmites and stalactites hanging tight to the ceiling.  Let your eyes adjust to the darkness and begin to see all the features of the cave while you listen to the water dripping into the cavern bring life fo the next formation.


Read More - Carlsbad Caverns - The Basics
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#2 White Sands National Monument

Visit this land where the wind has carried white gypsum sand into tall mounds and hills that roll our as far as your eye can see.  Explore the curves of what is an everchanging landscape as the wind erases it work from yesterday and creates the duce of tomorrow.  Pretend like this white sand is snow and sled or surf down its hills.  White Sands National monument will provide you with a great adventure unlike any others you have experienced.



Read More - Coming Soon
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#3 Bandelier National Monument

Home of the ancestral Pueblo people Bandelier National Monument protects ancient ruins from cliff dwellings to the remains of walled structures from a large village in the bottom of Frijoles Canyon.  With multiple sites to visit, Bandelier National Monument provides visitors with a look into the life of an early people and how they used the water from the stream in the canyon to farm and build their civilization.  Bandelier National Monument also provides a wide variety of hiking trails in 33,000 acres of rugged but beautiful canyon country.


Read More - Bandelier National Monument - The Basics
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#4 Manhattan Project National Historic Park Visitor Center

Los Alamos is a town that was built to be a secret.  Located on the fingers of a mesa the Manhattan Project brought together the brightest scientist in an effort to stop a war and changed the world forever.

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#5 Pecos National Historical Park

Pecos National Historical Park demonstrates how this part of New Mexico near Santa Fe has been an important part of history over the years.  The Pecos Pueblo is the ruins of a Native American village that was inhabited in this valley around 1100 AD.  It was believed to have over 2000 residents living in it at one time.  It's a complex structure which was five stories tall and ceremonial Kiva are available for you to explore via a well-marked walking path and tour pamphlet.

Glorietta Pass is also the sight of a Civil War battlefield where the Battle of Glorieta Pass was fought on March 26-28, 1862.  There are two parts of the battlefield that have been preserved for visitors.



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#6 Capulin Volcano National Monument

The Capulin Volcano cone serves as a landmark for travelers as they travel between Raton, NM, and Clayton, NM as it can be seen for miles before you arrive there.  The volcanic cone is a result of the significant volcanic activity in the area and provides a unique example of how it helped create the landscape.  The park road will take you up the cone in a spiral around the outside and let you look down in the crater and to see a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

Read More - Coming Soon
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Still on the bucket list:

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
El Malpais National Monument
El Morro National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument Visitor Center
Chaco Culture National Historic Park
Aztec Ruins National Monument
Fort Union National Monument

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