An Afternoon Well Spent !!…read more It has been many years since I've been to the Raton area and typically whenever I was in the area it was just a quick to use the bathroom or get gas. On this visit, it was on a Friday afternoon and I had a few hours to kill and wanted to actually see some of the area. I remembered from years past that there were some lakes up in the mountains that I had always wanted to see and now was my chance. The Park is only about 20 miles from Raton and the roads were not that busy. The drive up is really nice as you see mountains, hills ranches, and some great scenery. On the way to Lake Maloya I stopped at one of the smaller lakes, Lake Alice and spent about half an hour checking it out. There really isn't access to that lake but you can tell its frequented by anglers. It is a nice small scenic lake. I then made my way up to Lake Maloya which is a reservoir for the area and right on the Colorado border. The lake is magnificent!! On a nice warm summer day, there was a nice breeze and no bugs. There were boaters on the lake, some people canoeing and some campers but it was not that busy at all. I spent a good two hours stopping and driving farther up the lake until I came to the gate that takes you to Dorothy Lake ( for another time). The views are just amazing, I suggest bringing a canoe or kayak and spending a good day there. I'm not sure if there is swimming since I didn't see anyone swimming in the water. Next up was Sugarite Canyon, and when you stop at the main entrance they use the honour system where you pay, so please pay!!! I made my way to the visitors center and got a map of the trails. The canyon is a great place to hike and I saw no one else on the trail and felt like I had the place to myself. I can't describe how nice it was walking through the canyon, and all there is to see. I highly recommend hiking with a buddy since it is in a remote area and I saw a few different animal tracks as I made my way through the trails. In short, this area is worth a visit, you can spend a few hours there or a few days, its truly part of the magnificence that is New Mexico.

Google know all about this place but not yelp? We are fixing…read morethat right now. As the parks service says "The nature enthusiast will appreciate the abundance of wildlife, birds, butterflies, and wildflowers among the lakes, creeks, forests, and meadows. Nearly all outdoor recreation activities are possible: Fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, hunting, and camping." All true. This is a huge park. Full of lakes, trails & wildlife. We took a 6 mile loop trail starting at the dam yesterday and saw NO ONE else. Lots of scat indicate there lots of moose and bear around, so be aware. There are numerous other trails as well add the aforementioned activities. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

I flew from San Francisco to Albuquerque then drove from Albuquerque to Trinidad Lake State Park…read more That's how much I wanted to see this place. I came for the KT boundary and it did not disappoint. Use the long canyon trail entrance. There is a very convenient parking lot 0.25 miles from the KT boundary exposures. In fact, the entire Cliff face has KT boundary exposures. There are even exposures on county road 18.3 before you enter the park. The park scenery is beautiful. It would be great for mountain biking or even some relatively simple bicycle riding. If I lived in this area this would be one of my favorite Hangouts. Don't forget to bring $9 in cash. To pay for parking and park entrance you deposit $9 in cash in an envelope then drop it in a slot.

Campground is nice. Entry to campground was less than pleasant as Office staff were not plesant at…read moreall. If you don't like your job or can't help people Get OUT of the people business. Traveled all day 90s heat made good time and arrived just over an hour early. The site we booked was vacant. You REALLY couldn't let us in early? It seemed only about power nothing else. The were oblivious to any customer concerns. I Guess common Sense isn't so common here.

So it's a dry camp. No water. No showers. Gray water dump by hand only. No black water dump. No…read moreelectrical. It's still way better than most RV campgrounds with full hookups. This is why I go camping. Scenery, ample space between the campsites, nice cool weather. It would be a bargain for 5 times the nightly rate. Just don't tell the state of New Mexico.

My family enjoyed the scenery in this park. Driving along, there were places to stop and take in…read morethe view. Tried unsuccessfully to do some fishing, but that didn't stop us from having a nice time. Sat in the shade, enjoyed the sound of the water, and ate a picnic lunch from our cooler. Would come here again!

Has been on my NM bucket list, kept putting it off because there it isn't on the way to or from…read moreanywhere really. The tracks are about a half mile walk from the lake with limited shade, so come prepared. The lake is beautiful and peaceful. We had a day trip up and back from Albuquerque, but it would be a nice weekend trip at the lake.

I had no idea what a dinosaur dork I was until I seen the footprints smashed into the earth…read more Eeekks, super cool!! A rainy morning had the walk fragrant and refreshing. I wished I could've bottled the pine smell! The deer and bunnies were happy to grace us with their presence also. Always a bonus to see animals. Not a very busy lake early in the morning had us walking the short path by ourselves and spending plenty of time reading signs and taking in the scenery. What a neat stop. So glad someone had the mind to preserve parts of our history, makes my imagination and appreciation skyrocket.

My husband and I came here to look at the Kit Carson grave because we had extra time on our hands…read more Plus, I have a thing for old cemeteries. First off, it was very confusing as to how to get into the cemetery. We had to pass through the park, which is under construction and just looked very rundown. We had to use the porta potty and it was horrible. Urine covered the floor. The small cemetery, itself was pretty rundown. The only thing that made my visit worthwhile was that there was some vandalism that reminded people that heroes did not rest here but rather thieves against indigenous people. It was obvious that Kit Carson's grave had been restored after many years of vandalism.

Muddy walkway's, dilapidated tennis courts, poorly landscaped cemetery, couple of baseball fields…read more An eyesore in the middle of Taos "Arts" culture was a surprise.

Wholeheartedly a fan. This beautiful pullover atop Cuchara Pass is a must see and stop in this part…read moreof the state. On the southern end of the Sangre de Christos, the area is barely traveled to by the masses leaving a lot to discover.

Near the Spanish Peaks and Cordova/Cuchara Pass is this breathtaking overlook…read more A great place to watch for wildlife. I could sit here all day and take in the beautiful views and sounds.

Carson covers a lot of land. We drove one way round the Enchanted Circle up to Angel Fire and the…read moreother way to Ojo Caliente from our crib in arroyo Seco. We reached 9,000 feet, it was cool and the Aspens had almost turned during early November. Still beautiful and so deserted we had the road to ourself. A bit nippy for hiking for us softies but we saw a few parked cars.

Always beautiful w vast wonders. It's a wonder and as you drive you realize Carson is everywhere…read moreand everything around you. You live within it.

I hate that we couldn't access the sidewalk to be on the bridge. The area next to it does have…read moreparking but it is limited. They have a nice trail you can walk on and different areas to take cool photos. The best part is that it is free. They also have vendors selling goods in the parking lot.

Located about 10 miles from Taos, NM stands this majestic bridge!…read more While on vacation, we decided to come see the gorge, the Rio Grande River, and the bridge that spans it. And what a sight it was to behold! We parked in the Rio Grande Gorge Rest Area. The bridge & gorge are viewable from here. There are sheltered picnic tables and restrooms here. In 1963 the bridge was started and was completed in 1965. It is part of the US Highway 64. There are three spans connected to create one bridge 1,280 feet long (two 300-foot-long approach spans with a 600-foot-long main center span). September of 2012, the bridge underwent a $2.4 restoration which included structural steelwork, a new concrete deck surface, new sidewalks, ramps, curbs, and gutters. We were unable to walk out onto the bridge, but we did walk out to the rim. The dirt path was easy to navigate. Once near the rim, it becomes rocky and there is no barrier to keep you safe from falling off the edge, so watch your step! Since I am not very steady of my feet, I didn't go out as far as I would have liked to. A few more steps and I would have had a better view, but I stopped. Sadly, the bridge was closed to pedestrians in Sept. 2025 due to suicides. I feel that by not getting to walk across the bridge, my experience was hindered. I would have loved to get a full head on view of the gorge! For me, having the view from here would have been safer and more ideal! You've probably seen this bridge since it has appeared in a few movies including Natural Born Killers, Twins, White Sands, She's Having a Baby, The Signal, Paul, Vacation, Wild Hogs, and Terminator Salvation. Locals call this bridge the "High Bridge" or the "Gorge Bridge". It is the seventh highest bridge in the U.S. It is located in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. If we make it back here in the future, I hope we will be able to walk to the center of the bridge!