Charette Lakes: Hilltop Hide-Away a Great Get-Away!

High on a windblown mesa overlooking the plains of New Mexico lies an unexpected oasis where visitors can camp and fish from the banks of a deep lake still thriving despite the long running drought.

“Charette Lake still holds plenty of water and fish,” says Clint Henson of the Department of Game and Fish’s northeast area office in Raton.”And not a lot of people get up there too often.”

The lakes are a great alternative for local anglers who have seen fishing opportunities in the area dwindle along with receding waters at popular spots such as Storrie, Morphy and Santa Rosa lakes.

Located about 15 miles off I-25 between Wagon Mound and Springer in northeast New Mexico the Charette Lakes refuge provides a remote haven for wildlife and humans alike.

Comprised of two lakes fed by ditch with water from nearby Ocate Creek the 2,000-acre refuge is owned and operated by the state Department of Game and Fish to benefit waterfowl and anglers.

The shallow, 100-acre upper lake has gone dry due to the drought but the much deeper and bigger lower lake has survived despite a lack of snowpack runoff and heavy summer rains over the past few years.

“It’s lower than I’ve ever seen it,” Henson says. “But it’s still in pretty good shape,”

The lower lake spans over 300 acres and is anywhere from 60 to 90 feet deep when at its fullest.

But Henson says the lake level looks like it has dropped about 30 feet over the last few years.

Recent monsoon rains should help bring it back up some, he adds.

The lower lake has always boasted a good population of trout, perch, and waterfowl while pronghorn and other wildlife have also made the refuge home.

During a recent mid-week overnight visit there was no one else to be found camping around the rocky shoreline where colorful cactus flowers bloomed and antelope grazed amid the grass.

Trees are few and far between here and visitors will need to bring their own shade. There is also no drinking water to be had so packing in a good supply is essential.

There are numerous concrete picnic tables, sturdy vault toilets and fairly level camp sites strategically situated around the lake for public use.

While taking in the views of the distant mountains and outlying plains a visitor might conclude that the mesa-top lakes would be a remarkable place to watch a far off thunderstorm as it launched lightning bolts across the sky.

But during the author’s visit it was a couple of rising trout in a cove at dusk that provided plenty of entertainment as they toyed with a fishing fly resembling a grasshopper I repeatedly cast out and danced across the surface.

According to the angler’s bible, “Fishing in New Mexico” by Ti Piper, fishing during the summer can be trying as the trout are holding in the deeper water and biting their best just at dawn.

Unfortunately the receding shoreline left the boat ramp out of the water and getting a small boat armed with a fish finder out onto the lake to get at them could be a problem.

But a canoe or float tube will still work well here under the current conditions and even fishing from the shore was fairly easy due to the lack of trees and other vegetation to foul up a cast.

Fly fishing anglers might want to try a damsel fly pattern or a stimulator trailing an ant on the surface or fishing bigger nymphs real deep.

Charette Lakes are best fished in the fall with a woolly booger or gray-hackled peacock fly suspended below a bubble and cast out onto the lake with a spinning rod, according to Piper.

But the real beauty of this place might be the lack of company and space to breath.

Even if you’re not catching fish you could be reading a good book under an awning while enjoying a cold beer and occasionally watching the antelope play. The weather alone here makes for good viewing.

Those who like to explore will find a deep canyon off the southeast corner of the lake through which the creek flows and the dry surface of the upper lake might be of interest to some, too.

It should be noted that this looks like rattlesnake country, so don’t go poking around under rocks. There’s also the very real threat of lightning strikes up on the exposed mesa but little to be done about it other than huddle in a vehicle.

Bring everything you will need when you go because it’s a long way back to town. You’ll also need to pack out what you brought in.

The refuge is open to fishing March 1 through October 31 and is free to use for those holding a current hunting, fishing or Gaining Access Into Nature (GAIN) permit.

The history behind the lakes is murky but some details were discovered during an online search.

The state Game Commission purchased the lakes and water rights in 1949 from an irrigation company apparently created by land speculators who were selling farms on the edge of the plains to settlers.

The settlers were being lured to the area by the promise of a rail line being built at the nearby town of Colmor and running straight out across the plains to Kansas.

The rail line would allow trains to save time and avoid the laborious climb over Raton pass to ship cattle and timber to the railheads in Kansas.

The railroad laid track to within about 35 miles of the town before World War II erupted and put an end to the ambitious plan. The tracks were then pulled up and melted down for scrap metal for the war effort.

The town of Colmor, so named due to its location straddling the Mora and Colfax county lines, is now a ghost town with its ruins on private land still visible off the frontage road between Wagon Mound and the Charette Lakes turnoff.

Charette Lakes may be named after a French trapper and trader as a mountain man-era pack trail ran within three miles of the lakes which are formed from natural depressions in the volcanic rock.

If You Go: Take I-25 about 60 miles north of Las Vegas to the St. Rd 569 exit located between Wagon Mound and Springer. The gravel road crosses private ranch land and then turns to pavement as it wends its way to the top of the mesa. Great views of the plains from the side of the road at the top of the mesa.

Take a Ride on the Rails into Historic Las Vegas NM this summer.

The railroad helped put Las Vegas on the map and visitors today can still experience the thrill of riding the rails into town and spending a weekend exploring this historic oasis on the edge of the plains.

And that's just what we did by boarding the daily Amtrak train at the lonely, windswept Lamy station just outside of Santa Fe to take a pleasant two hour rail ride to Las Vegas for an overnight visit and walking tour of the town.

Our trip began with pregnant storm clouds looming overhead and a biting wind stirring up dead leaves under the eves of the rustic Lamy railway station.

Lilia Holladay, 9 and her sister, Gredel, 6, wait for the train at Lamy for a trip to Kansas with their parents.

With New Mexico in the grip of a long running drought the prospect of a good spring storm was more than welcome and the station's warm inviting waiting room offered sanctuary if needed.

The storm waited until just as we boarded and then the hail beat a tattoo across the metal roof of the heavy passenger car.

As soon as the conductor assigned us a seat we abandoned it for the brighter, more inviting space of the observation deck in another car.

Seated before big windows that curved up to form the roof  we enjoyed the view as the train swayed gently while climbing Glorieta Pass.

We slowly made our way past thick stands of snow dusted Pinon and Juniper trees that dominate the ruddy, rural countryside.

They say trains run through America's backyard and here it is no different as we catch quick glimpses of remote homes tucked into secluded canyons or out amid the fields and trees.

Horses, dogs and livestock absently note our passing while the occasional person waves to the lonely wail of the train's horn.

Kevin Holladay and wife, Audrey, of Santa Fe play cards with their kids Lilia and Gredel on the Southwest Chief while traveling to Lawrence Kansas on April 9, 2013. 

In time the atmosphere inside the car takes hold and we find ourselves making acquaintance with fellow travelers like a hip, urban, black student traveling cross country from Los Angeles and a traditionally dressed, heavily bearded, Amish farmer from Maryland.

Train travel encourages one to socialize and the concession stand on the lower deck of the observation car helps by serving up beer and wine to its thirsty travelers. The stand also serves hot dogs and hamburgers and other snacks while the adjacent dining car features a much more upscale menu and elegant accommodations to those on longer trips.

This trip ended much too soon as is no time at all we were rolling into the outskirts of Las Vegas and  had to answer the conductor's call to depart the train on this blustery afternoon.

The handsomely restored train station at Las Vegas New Mexico.

We stepped off into a wind blown blast of snow and hurried into the wonderfully restored railway station where a very helpful and attractive young woman manning the city's visitors booth offered me information and directions to downtown.

The waiting room of the train station in La Vegas NM.

Las Vegas was a Spanish land grant settlement and trading center on the Santa Fe Trail long before the railroad brought explosive growth and an abundance of victorian architecture to this thriving outpost on the prairie.

This sign greets visitors to Las Vegas soon after departing from the train.

The city of about 14,000 now boasts of having nominated about 900 buildings for listing with the National Register of Historic Places and includes a landmark victorian era hotel off the historic downtown Plaza where Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders of Spanish American War fame held their first reunion back in 1899.

The city's museum/municipal court off Grand Ave. features exhibits and displays dedicated to Roosevelt and the all volunteer soldiers of the Rough Riders who were recruited from New Mexico and surrounding states for the war in Cuba.

The city's other attractions include a downtown state university campus which lends a small town, funky, college vibe to this community steeped in history.

After leaving the railroad station visitor's center we stroll across the street and stop in at the Rough Riders Antiques shop where many visitors just off the train stop to roam the aisles of antiques and other collectables on display inside.

"The question we get asked most here is where to go eat," owner Nancy Freeman says.

With many different vendors working the front counter of the shop on a revolving basis the town's abundance of great restaurants all receive equal billing, she assures me.

JC's New York Pizza Department on Bridge Street in Las Vegas offers pizza, beer, big screen TVs and a very cool  interior.

The sprawling antiques shop features a tall ceiling covered in shiny, decorative tin and hanging lamps with exposed wooden beams adding to its turn of the century ambiance.

But its the view outside the store's big glass windows that owner, Freeman, loves most.

Freeman gave up running a daily newspaper in Alaska to move "out to the country" to start a new business venture and she finds being in the same neighborhood as the train station with the old Castenada Hotel next door very promising.

 The vacant Castenada, one of the original Harvey House Hotels frequently found in western railroad towns during the grand old days of train travel may soon be revitalized under new ownership with a hotel, bar and artists studios included in the plan.

If the business deal materializes it will only add luster to what Freeman calls Las Vegas, a "diamond in the rough."

Roaming the streets of Las Vegas can be very entrancing, something many locals seem to appreciate as they show incredible tolerance for a tourist standing in the street taking a picture.

Looking up often will reveal wonderful architectural details on the many historic building a found downtown including the facade of the historic El Fidel where one can find recently remodeled and reasonably priced rooms as well as a highly recommended restaurant inside.

The El Fidel Hotel in Las Vegas New Mexico.

But it was the downtown shopping that these visitors found so appealing.

There's old fashioned pawn shops, art galleries, music stores and a great book store in Tome on the Range but it was Prices great selection of furniture and appliances housed in several storefronts along an entire block that intrigued this shopper.

We ended up buying a well built, solid wood, chest of drawers in honey pine with matching mirror at a very reasonable price and they delivered it for free to my northern New Mexico home. We'd been looking for such a piece and found the selection here far better than many of the big box stores that we've been in.

Saleswoman Jeannie Urioste says she's been working at Prices for 14 years and that she's seen lots of customers come from places like Taos, Santa Fe and Albuquerque because of they've heard about the great variety, reasonable prices and free delivery to anywhere within a 150-mile radius.

"And a lot say it's great to have a good excuse to visit our cool, little town," she added.

Another of Las Vegas' great gems is the Popular Dry Goods shop on Douglas Street leading to the Plaza where a customer can find a great selection of western wear including boots, jeans, shirts, hats and even underwear and socks.

Store manager Dennis Lujan says he started working at the store as a young clerk more than 50 years ago when Levi's were $3.99 a pair and he made .45-cents an hour.

In those days it wasn't unusual to see real working cowboys come to town and leave the store fully outfitted from head to toe, he said.

These days out of town tourists like a visitor from Finland can also be found looking through the racks of durable Carhartt clothing for a jacket to take home.

Brenda Manning, Dennis Lujan and Veronica Lujan are  always on hand to help customers make a great selection at  Popular Dry Goods on Bridge Street in Las Vegas New Mexico.

An old-school, dry goods store like this, stocked to the rafters with straw and felt hats, cowboy boots, button-down shirts, work and hunting wear and racks of belts is a real find in today's homogenized retail market.

It was well worth the visit.

Just across the street from the dry goods store visitors will find the offices of the Las Vegas Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation where information about walking tours and other great ideas can be had between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

And a short stroll up the block visitors will find Plaza Park with its gazebo, lawns and towering shade trees. Surrounding the park are stores, restaurants, office buildings and the monumental, landmark Plaza Hotel.

The Plaza at Las Vegas NM with it's landmark hotel in the background.

A clerk at the front desk of the Plaza allowed me to check out a guest room on the second floor where the king sized bed seemed tiny amid this huge, elegant guest room. Sweeping aside the draperies covering the tall windows afforded a wide view of the busy street below.

Back downstairs the hotel's bar is a busy, locals favorite where one is just as likely to run into a movie star as much as a neighbor.

Las Vegas has been playing host to movie makers for years now and treats these celebrities with remarkable indifference we're told.

It's a little over a mile's walk from the train station to the plaza and there is much to see including the new student union and other attractive buildings found on the campus of New Mexico Highlands University.

And then perhaps a stop for lunch at the world famous Charlie's Spic and Span restaurant where the taco plate is to die for.

Elizabeth and Charlie Sandoval, owners and operators of the world renowned Spanish/American restaurant "Charlies" in Las Vegas NM. 

But for all of Las Vegas' historic buildings and railroading history what these visitors found most compelling about Las Vegas was the many genuine friendly people  we met who expressed great pride in their town and welcomed us with sincerity and warmth.

Retired Army veteran Albert Gallegos, 64, of Cedar Hill outside of Ls Vegas NM proudly poses by his beautifully restored 1969 Pontiac Firebird that he bought new upon eturning from the war in Vietnam.

Amtrak's Southwest Chief runs between Los Angeles and Chicago with stops in New Mexico at Gallup, Albuquerque, Santa Fe (Lamy), Las Vegas and Raton. It runs daily with the southbound train scheduled to stop in Las Vegas around half past noon while the northbound arrives at around 3 p.m. Riders can arrange for reliable, affordable shuttle service between Santa Fe and Lamy by reservation. See Amtrak's website atwww.amtrak.com for more information.

The Las Vegas Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation website is loaded with great information about Las Vegas including a variety of walking tours that can be enjoyed. Check it out atwww.lvcchp.org.

Downtown accommodations can be had at the historic El Fidel and Plaza hotels while numerous other good motels can be found a short distance along Grand Ave. See thewww.lasvegasnewmexico.com for more info about lodging, dining and other amenities in Las Vegas New Mexico..

A room in the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas NM.

Visitors to the Northern New Mexico will find plenty to do in and around Las Vegas with plenty to be found just off the highway.

New Mexico's Amazing History:

Get the lowdown on New Mexico's fascinating history at one of the state's best little museums found inside the visitors center at the Pecos National Historical Park. Features a complete and easily absorbed collection of interpretive displays including artifacts, paintings, photos and dioramas. The park grounds outside also feature the ruins of what was once a great Indian pueblo, a spectacularly preserved Spanish church and great views of the surrounding valley.

The auditorium at the Pecos National Historical Park.

Take a Hike:

Villanueva State Park may be just off the highway but once you're there it seems more like you're a million miles away.  The park features a great little hike across a bridge spanning the Pecos River and then on up to an overlook that provides great views of the surrounding countryside. Follow the trail along the rim for a longer trip back down and then enjoy a picnic under the shade trees found alongside the river.

Discover the Santa Fe Trail:

At one time settlers flooded into the west along the Santa Fe Trail and many found refuge at the Army's biggest fort at the time, Fort Union, where the tracks from wagon trains can still be seen and the stroll among the ruins of the sprawling fort spurs one's imagination. A visit to the fort comes cheap, its free if you still have your receipt from your stop at the Pecos National Historical Park.

Take a Dip:

Soak your road weary bones in one of the many natural hot springs pool found along the banks of the Rio Gallinas in the shadow of the Montezuma Castle located on the grounds of the United World College. The hot springs are just five miles out of town on a stretch of two lane blacktop that snakes it's way up into the back side of Santa Fe National Forest. Expect to find locals mixing it up with all sorts of visitors from all over the world here.

Camp Out:

A trip to Mill's Canyon on the Canadian River out on the plains outside of the farming and ranching community of Roy is a unique experience after crossing the vast plains where the clouds seem as big as mountains and the grass never seems to end. But tucked down in a hard to find lush canyon is a splendid little US Forest Service campground on the banks of the river where visitors can stay after a day of exploring the ruins of what was once a bustling farming, ranching operation including a hotel and fruit orchards. Bring plenty of water and enjoy the solitude.

Take a Drive:

The drive from Roy to Mosquero and down to Trementina before circling back through Trujillo to Las Vegas may be one the most awe inspiring rides in the state.  It's a lonely, scenic trip where one might find cows milling in the road, buzzards pecking away at something in the ditch and other motorists a rarity. The trip cuts through huge swaths of deserted countryside but a stop at the remote post office in Trementina might reveal a local hanging out under the shade tree who's willing to chat. The scenic views on this road are to die for if you're a true New Mexico fan.

Originally published in the Las Vegas's Optic's summer 2013 Destinations summer guide. Reprinted with permission.

Some tips for spring fishing on New Mexico's waters.

The late Sarge Wethington, father of longtime New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Fisheries Biologist on the San Juan river at Navajo Dam, Marc Wethington, shows how it was done on the San Juan back in the day. Photo courtesy of the Wethington family. 

It's spring in New Mexico and the uptick in temps should bring out the fish so now's a good time to unpack your angling gear and get out there.

Here are a few tips for fishing this time of year.

Do your homework by checking the fishing report first. The N.M. Department of Game and Fish's statewide fishing report can be found here http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/fishing/weekly-report/.

Check the weather too. Excellent forecasts and current weather conditions from the federal government can be found at the https://www.weather.gov/abq/.

Stream flow information also can be helpful. Look on the US Geological Service website at http://nm.water.usgs.gov/ for that kind of data. Look at historical stream levels to try and gauge when snowpack runoff is high which will affect water and angling conditions.

For fishing on New Mexico’s rivers and streams anything flowing below 150 cubic-feet-per-second (CFS) is probably going to be fine to fish. 

Watch the peak high and low water flows to determine the best time of day to fish your favorite water.  This time of year it’s usually from 10 a.m. to about 3 p.m. on a stream like the Jemez which typically is “on” long before any others in northern New Mexico. 

Consider fishing waters in southern New Mexico this time of year too as they’ve already warmed up down there. 

And don’t be put off if you arrive at a favorite stream or river to find to find it off-color. Put that to work to your advantage instead as it’s much easier to get close to your work without spooking fish.

Fish areas methodically under murky water conditions and use high visibility patterns like a prince nymph with a gold bead head or a black woolly bugger laced with crystal flash. 

Spinners are notoriously effective this time year too and single, barbless, blades can be had from http://www.fisher-chick.com/.

A Fisher-Chick barbless, single hook, spinning lure at work on a Rainbow trout.  

Work the edge of currents, up close to the banks and in spots where trout may be resting and the current brings food to them. 

Trout won’t waste a lot of time chasing food this time of year so it’s important to put your fly, lure or bait right in front of them.

And remember to fish open areas of water that have been exposed to the sun as fish may be more active in these warmer waters.

Those fishing with bait such as worms and salmon eggs have an added advantage when fishing murky water as trout and other fish rely more on their powerful sense of smell to detect food under those conditions.

Those who prefer to fish our many ponds, lakes and reservoirs will find that the last few years of drought have brought the water down at many popular fisheries. Lake and reservoir levels can be checked here https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/basin.html.

This has in some cases proven to be a boon for bank fisher men and women as the fish are more concentrated and easier to get at. Conchas Lake has been fishing good despite the drought for the past several years and a visit is highly recommended. 

 
Fishing waters at many tribal and private operations are also good places to try during the spring time as stocking is well under way.

The lake at San Ildefonso Pueblo is usually well stocked and an enjoyable place to visit this time of year. 

The key to successful early spring fishing is to do some homework, take a day off and get out there!