Its enchanting, impressive national parks, cultural, beautiful landscapes, and unique cities make New Mexico one of the best destinations to visit in the USA. In this guide I will be breaking down all the must not miss places we saw on our 5 day road trip across New Mexico.
Welcome to New Mexico!
Albuquerque
Are you ready to dive into all the must see places in New Mexico? Most likely you will fly into Albuquerque so lets start our adventuring here.
Albuquerque has many little places to explore. Here are my top spots:
Stay – I stayed at Hotel Chaco and I felt this was not only an incredibly gorgeous hotel, it was perfectly situated making our other areas to explore walkable.
Eat – This one I only scratched the surface with so many options. I found I loved the food in New Mexico and you most certainly cannot leave without trying authentic New Mexican cuisine. Here are my top picks:
Saw Hill Market – This place has it all!
Farm & Table – Great atmosphere and food!
Cocina Azul – Time to try that New Mexico cuisine
What to do –
- Explore old town and visit the Breaking Bad store
- Hike the La Luz trail
Bisti Badlands & Aztec Ruins
Continuing on our expiration two places you cannot miss are the Bisti Badlands and the Aztec Ruins.
A great place to stay while you check these areas out is Farmington. We stayed in adorable air bnb but there are many options.
STAY – Farmington
- This is the Air Bnb we stayed in
- Home 2 suites are also always a good option and this one has laundry!
What to do –
- Bisti Badlands – Make sure you download your trail on All trails. I am so glad I did this as there are no markers and its very easy to get turned around and lost in this open area. This is the trail I hiked. Dont miss the rocks that are shaped like little hatched alien eggs!
- Aztec Ruins National Monument – This is such a fun little spot and a great place to learn about native American history.
- Ship Rock – Located about 45 minutes from Farmington lies a jagged large rock that you cant miss! Take in the sunset with this rock in the background!
Taos New Mexico
Did you know that New Mexico has a great area to ski? Yes you heard me.. Taos is a little ski town that is a great place to check out. I only stayed one night but really enjoyed my time here.
Stay – Star gaze in this little Air bnb
Eat –
What to do –
- Black Rock Hot springs
- Ojo Spa
Sante Fe & Rosewell
Now I wish I could tell I spent more time in Santa Fe, but the truth is we only drove through to get to Carlsbad and White Sands national park.
One thing I would certainly not miss is Meow Wolf in Sante Fe.
Likely you will drive through Rosewell on your way to the other locations (saving the best for last here!) so make sure to stop at
UFO museum and the Space walk. Also grab a bite at the McDonalds its shaped like an alien spaceship.
Carlsbad Caverns & White Sands National Monument
Our last two stops are the best!
Carlsbad Caverns – Imagine walking through a mysterious giant cave deep underground. This is what you will encounter while visiting Carlsbad Caverns.
Make sure you book your tickets in advance as they do timed entry. You can find the link here
White Sands National Monument – I would call this the gem of New Mexico. This is the only place where you will find white sand dunes. This sand is made from Gypsum which in fact does not look or feel like sand at all!
Be on the lookout for wildlife too! They have many species including the Oryx, which I desperately wish we came across.
Make sure you stay for Sunset. There is nothing more magical watching the shadows dance across the dunes.
I hope I have convinced you to make the journey to the enchanting state of New Mexico!
xoxo
Jacqueline
