By Wren Propp
With 10 of its monuments, four parks and one preserve in New
Mexico, celebrating the year-long 100th anniversary of the National Park
Service beginning August 25 means you won’t have to go far to find the party.
You could go north to Aztec Ruins National Monument in the
northwest corner, or south to White Sands National Monument near Alamogordo. Or
find a common thread to explore over a set of two or three, such as following
your own “bat tour” between camping near Grants at the El Malpais National
Monument’s volcanic cones and the tourist-friendly bat flights at Carlsbad
Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico.
There’s also ancient culture –
from Chaco Culture National Historic Park near Nageezi to Bandelier National
Monument near Los Alamos to Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque – or
nature-made wonders like Capulin Volcano National Monument in the northeast
corner of the state and the Valles Caldera outside of Jemez Springs.
Explore
New Mexico’s military history at Fort Union National Monument near Watrous or
its world-changing contribution at the Manhattan Project National Historical
Park in Los Alamos.
Visitors interested in New Mexico’s inherent recognition of
the sacred may find it at the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument near
Mountainair. Or seeking the more down-to-earth? Try El Morro National Monument
near Ramah.
Nearly each one of the National Park Service properties in New Mexico features
walking or hiking trails in order for the visitor to fully enjoy the entire educational
aspect of each monument, park or preserve.
The celebration, which includes free admission to any fee
area included in the National Park Service from August 25 through August 28,
goes on for the entire year, so you’ve got time to complete your own ‘trail,”
be it holes in the ground created by volcanos or beautiful, human-touched
places, like Pecos National Historical Park outside of Pecos or the Gila Cliff
Dwellings National Monument outside of Silver City.
If you’ve already seen it, done it, and bought the t-shirt,
why not find one of the National Park Service national historic trails and hike for a bit,
weather permitting. It may get you wondering about the roads traveled by those
seeking broader landscapes and wider skies as New Mexico’s role in the West
predates statehood. The historic trails include the Old Spanish with locales
preserved in New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. And
then there’s the Santa Fe, with locales in New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma,
Kansas and Missouri. Finally, El Camino Real del Tierra Adentro sites will help
you understand how all roads apparently lead to Santa Fe.
Don’t forget your
hat, pilgrim.
Some of the trails mentioned above are part of the National
Park Service’s program of Heritage Travel – with itineraries to uncover the
interconnectedness of the national parks and history. Read about it at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/heritagetravel/discover-our-shared-heritage.htm
Here’s more information about each monument, park and
preserve in New Mexico:
Aztec Ruins National
Monument near Aztec has something for everyone, from the first-time ruin
visitor to the veteran looking for their next mind-blowing “wow.” Fishing,
hiking, camping nearby. Contact: nps.gov/azru.; 505-334-6174
Bandelier National
Monument near Los Alamos attracts locals and lots of tourists, domestic and
international. The reasons include that it’s accessible, beautiful and fun.
There are places in New Mexico where ruins must only be viewed from behind the
cordon. At Bandelier, however, you’ll have a chance to climb around the
landscape a bit. The history is right at your fingertips. There’s also camping,
ranger talks, dark skies appreciation. Contact: nps.gov/band; 505-672-3861
Capulin Volcano
National Monument near the tiny town of Des Moines in northeast New Mexico
offers hiking and the startling remains of a volcano. Contact: nps.gov/cavo;
575-278-2201
Carlsbad Caverns
National Park near Carlsbad never disappoints because every time you go, you
notice something else. Wildlife, desert landscape, the huge cave called Big
Room filled with well-lit geological wonders. Last time we were there, it was
the WPA-era stonework and architecture on the surface that caught our eye. If
you are there when the bats fly, don’t miss it. Contact: nps.gov/cave; 575-785-2232.
Chaco Culture
National Historic Park near Nageezi offers extensive viewing of sites
abandoned by the Anasazi thousands of years ago and wonderfully preserved in
the high desert plateau. Hiking, biking, ranger talks and dark skies
appreciation. Contact: nps.gov/chcu; 505-786-7014.
El Malpais National
Monument near Grants is one of our favorites because it’s like Carlsbad
Caverns, but without all the people. Caves, camping, dark skies appreciation.
Contact: nps.gov/elma; 505-876-2783.
El Morro National
Monument near Ramah is one of those places that we always visit when we’re in the neighborhood because it’s a
reminder of a common theme in New Mexico as a crossroads, where travelers and
locals left their mark through the eons. But, please, a selfie suffices for all
of us now. Contact: nps.gov/elmo; 505-783-4226.
Fort Union National
Monument near Watrous provides a look back at New Mexico’s role in the
expansion of the United States between 1851 to 1891. Ranger talks provide much
insight. Contact nps.gov/foun; 505-425-8025.
Gila Cliff Dwellings
National Monument near Silver City was an ancient settlement that
modern-day people can now appreciate. Camping, fishing, hiking are all nearby.
Contact nps.gov/gicl; 575-536-9461.
Manhattan Project
National Historical Park in Los Alamos is still in the development stage,
although there is a site in town that provides much of the history of how, when
and where the development of the atomic bomb during World War II occurred. The
once homey history museum is closed now, but locals are excited about the
forthcoming expansion. Hiking, camping, skiing in the winter, dark skies
appreciation. The Bradbury History Museum and a nature center are within easy
driving or walking distance of the town center. Contact: nps.gov/mapr;
505-661-6277.
Pecos National
Historical Park in Pecos presents the history of the intertwining of
Spanish Colonialism and Native American cultures in one spectacular locale. It
should be on the list of any newcomer or first-time visitor for a comprehensive
primer on important aspects of New Mexico’s colonial period. Camping, fishing,
hiking, nearby. Contact: nps.gov/peco; 505-757-7241.
Petroglyph National
Monument in Albuquerque on the West Side. If you want to know about
petroglyphs – images and symbols carved by humans hundreds of years ago – this
is the place. Nearby is heavily urbanized. Contact: nps.gov/petr; 505-899-0205.
Salinas Pueblo
Missions National Monument (Gran Quivira, Abo and Quarai) near Mountainair
is made up of three historic churches now beautifully open to the sky. The
sites offer an earthly awareness of New Mexico’s harsh conditions and strong
faith. This belongs on your list. We’re going back soon, ourselves. Contact
nps.gov/sapu; 505-847-2585.
Valles Caldera
National Preserve near Jemez Springs/Los Alamos is a beautiful bowl with a
stream running through it. In New Mexico, there are 50 ways to say “wow” and
Number 2 is “Valles Caldera,” (see Aztec Ruins for Number 1). Most entry is by reservation and prior
arrangement, but access is increasing. Elk, bear and other wildlife call this
place home, tread carefully. Contact: nps.gov/vall; 575-829-4100.
White Sands National
Monument near Alamogordo is a beach of white gypsum that just goes on and
on and on – without an ocean. The amazing sand will spark your imagination for
fun, including sledding and biking. This natural wonder could be part of a
“desert ellipsis” trail including Carlsbad Caverns and Salinas Pueblo Missions.
Heck, go to the Gila while you’re at it. Contact: nps.gov/whsa; 575-479-6124.
