The places, most named first
From the 6 guides that rank for "best places to visit in new mexico"
Named by 4 of 61. Santa FeFrommer's calls Santa Fe the center of northern New Mexico, an artsy city with 400 years of history.Santa Fe is grouped with Taos and Albuquerque as the best of New Mexico on a week-long program.Best time to visit Santa Fe
Named by 4 of 62. AlbuquerqueFrommer's calls it the big city, New Mexico style, where people from across the state come to trade.One writer visited for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul filming locations.Best time to visit Albuquerque
Named by 2 of 63. TaosA small arts town and ski center of about 5,000 people.It sits between the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Rio Grande Gorge.
Named by 2 of 64. Carlsbad Caverns National ParkThe park holds more than 119 caves formed when acid dissolved limestone.Reservations are needed to go into the caverns.
Named by 2 of 65. Madrid and the Turquoise TrailThe Turquoise Trail is a scenic drive between Albuquerque and Santa Fe through hills and artistic communities.
6. White Sands National ParkA gypsum sand field covering over 275 square miles in the desert.It closes at times because it sits in a military area, so check opening and closing times.
7. Las CrucesThe southernmost major city in the state and the jumping-off point for White Sands.The nearby Organ Mountains glow red at the right sunset.
8. Truth or ConsequencesA low-key hot spring town on the Rio Grande with a couple of well-known commercial springs.The writer saw lots of wildlife, especially birds, at a spring on the river.
9. Bandelier National MonumentProtects over 33,000 acres of canyon and mesa country with petroglyphs and cliff dwellings.
10. Chaco Culture National Historical ParkChaco was a regional center for the ancestral Pueblo people from 850 to 1250 CE.
11. Capulin Volcano National MonumentThe rim gives views of four states and one of the darkest night skies in the country.
12. El Malpais National MonumentA volcanic landscape of young lava flows, cinder cones, lava tubes and sandstone bluffs.
13. Gila Cliff Dwellings National MonumentMogollon people lived in the cliff dwellings in the late 1200s, building rooms and making pottery.
14. Aztec Ruins National MonumentHas some of the best-preserved Chacoan structures of its kind.
15. El Morro National MonumentA waterhole at the base of a sandstone bluff where travelers carved over 2,000 signatures and petroglyphs.
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When to go
Travel guides most often name September to October as the best time to visit New Mexico.
Questions people ask
- What cities to visit in New Mexico?
- Santa Fe, Taos and Albuquerque are grouped together as the best of New Mexico by one program.
- What is nicer, Albuquerque or Santa Fe?
- One writer found Albuquerque the least distinctive stop on a New Mexico road trip.
- How many days are enough for New Mexico?
- One writer toured the state on a two-week road trip.
