New Mexico recommendations?

Hey all, down here free all weekend in Alb. and was hoping a few of you could throw some ideas for killer landscape spots...I don't know it all that well down here.

Thanks all!

Bisti Badlands is someplace that I'd really like to visit in NM, but its a haul from Alb.

Close by if I remember correctly from Laurent Martres' book is tent rocks.

I don't know anything fantastic right outside Albuquerque but within a couple hours drive - White Sands tops my list.

Valley of Fire near Carrizozo is cool too. There's a petroglyph area near there also.

And if you're down that way you might want to check out the Very Large Array (telescopes featured in the movie Contact).

Hi...drive up to the top of Sandia Crest or take the tram...great views! Also Petroglyphs National Monument is just outside town on I-40...some great close ups on a couple walks. If you're looking for culture...go to Old Town. Those are some of the close ones in Albuquerque. Also if you like night shots...driving Route 66 with its neon signs is fun.

Have fun!

I thought of more that aren't quite as close if you want to drive an hour or so out of town. The Salinas Pueblo Missions south of town, they are more "sunrise" ruins. Also, outside (north of) Santa Fe is the Pecos National Historic Site that has a great mission ruin...it's also more of an evening place but it closes in the afternoon. If you want to drive a little further...west of Santa Fe there is Bandelier National Monument which has some great hikes but don't know what it looks like in the winter. But at White Rock and around the Los Alamos area since you're inside a caldera there are some good views...White Rock has a Rio Grande canyon overlook in town and it would be a sunrise shot. And of course about an hour south is the Bosque Wildlife Refuge and the geese are probably still there...and as mentioned before 50 miles west of Soccorro is the NRAO/VLA (the dish telescope) which is a great place to visit!

Lots to see...

I second the tram suggestion. We did it last year and it's spectacular. If they run them where you could be on top at sunrise or sunset, and still catch a ride back down, that would be a nice location.

Don't forget the local pueblos (although many charge a tripod fee, if memory serves). For a short (for NM) drive, there's always Bandalier up near Los Alamos and Chaco Canyon. And the low winter light is very kind to Bandalier since the Ancestral Puebloans built their dwellings to take advantage of that low southern exposure as much as possible.

-D

Old Town - Santa Fe, petroglyphs just west of ABQ (sunrise), Bandelier NM and Tent Rocks are both close.

Here's a link to several NP in NM: http://www.newmexico.org/go/loc/parks/page/parks-nationalparks.html

Regards, Ken

Take Interstate 40 east to HWY14 and take that north to Santa Fe. You will go through old mining towns of Golden, Madrid, and Cerrillos. Once in Santa Fe, walk around the old town plaza for shots of the architecture. From Santa Fe take I-25 south to Cochiti Pueblo and Tent Rocks:

http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/rio_puerco/kasha_katuwe_tent_rocks.html

You could easily spend 4-5 hours in Tent Rocks--Way cool!

You could also take I 25 north from ABQ to Bernalillo and head NW to Jemez Springs and then HWY 4 to Los Alamos and Bandelier for a nice day-long trip.

Have fun!