Ever wonder what it would be like to wander across seemingly infinite dunes of brilliant white sand? Then White Sands National Park is the place for you to satisfy that urge. The park protects an enormous field of white gypsum sand that doubles as a test range for missiles. Visitor Rating (write your own review […]
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Tag: New Mexico
Petroglyph
Volcanic activity near modern day Albuquerque, New Mexico produced canyons of black boulders that became the canvas for native Americans who inscribed these rocks with an amazing variety of petroglyphs. Many of these glyphs are preserved in the multiple units of Petroglyph National Monument, established in 1990 to protect these sites. Visitor Rating (write your […]
Salinas Pueblo Missions
New Mexico is full of history from many eras. The three ruins sites preserved by Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument offer the visitor a glimpse into the meeting of the Puebloan and Spanish cultures that dates to the 1600s. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Visit. I […]
Pecos
Pecos National Historical Park sits just a couple of miles from the busy I-25 corridor near Glorieta Pass, New Mexico, but it feels like a world apart. Surrounded by juniper forests and mountains, Pecos NHP is a beautiful place, but it’s not its beauty that makes it part of the National Park system. First declared […]
Fort Union
New Mexico is rich in history, and many of its National Park units protect this history, both Native American sites and sites which speak to the United States’ westward expansion. Fort Union was perhaps the most important fort in the Southwest because it not only protected the important Santa Fe Trail, but it was a […]
Route 66
Route 66 is an icon of the golden age of automobile travel in America. While US Highway 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985, it’s still easy to travel pieces of this route from Chicago to Los Angeles and revisit a bit of history along the way. While not officially a National Park, Route 66 […]
Aztec Ruins
Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico protects the site of a large Puebloan ruin. Established in 1923, this site is one of many that protect sites of the Chaco Culture, but it is certainly one of the most accessible sites of its kind. Despite the name given to it by American settlers, this site had […]
Capulin Volcano
Capulin Volcano National Monument in northern New Mexico protects a well-preserved cinder cone volcano from a field that erupted thousands of years ago. Established in 1916, it’s one of the older monuments in the National Parks System. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Weather. Clear but windy and 50 […]
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe National Historic Trail runs through five states, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico. The route was first scouted in 1792 and opened for trade in 1821. It crossed the vast plains to connect trade between the western U.S. settlements in Missouri and Santa Fe, the northern trade hub of Mexico at […]
Old Spanish Trail
Old Spanish National Historic Trail runs through six states, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. The National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management jointly protect sites of the Old Spanish Trail, a multi-branched trail which joined New Mexico and California via pack mule trains in the mid-1800s. Visitor Rating (write your own […]
Bandelier
Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico protects the ancient Anasazi Indian ruins found in the Frijoles Canyon near Los Alamos, New Mexico. Visitor Rating (write your own review below) ILNP Rating ILNP Park Review Our Visit We visited Bandelier NM on the way from Colorado to Carlsbad Caverns NP during March as part of our 8 […]
Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad Cavern National Park was established to protect the enormous caves under the southern New Mexico desert. While these caves are not the most ornate (“decorated” in spelunking terms) in the world or the largest, they are certainly some of the best caves in the world at combining size and beauty. The Park makes a […]