Northern New Mexico (May 2024)

About this Trip

We took this trip right after school got out in late May. We flew Southwest Airlines into Albuquerque and stayed at a friend's casita. Since most of the activities we did were free, this was a pretty inexpensive getaway. I did purchase the Meow Wolf and Sandia peak tickets in advance, but not a lot of other advanced planning was needed.

Day 1 Albuquerque

We landed in ALB at about 10:20 a.m. Our original plan was to take the Sandia peak tram and eat lunch at Ten 3 restaurant up on top. The boys were starving though, so we ended up having lunch before heading to Sandia. This left little to do up on top of the peak, but we did walk around and take in the views before heading back down. Riding the tram alone is a fun experience (especially if you can get a spot in the front or back of the tramcar). Note: temperatures at the top of the peak can be about 30 degrees colder than the city.

Next, we went to visit the Petroglyph National Monument next to take in designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago. We went to the visitor's center first to get our passport stamps and junior ranger activity books and badges. There are a few different things you can do here (hours may vary seasonally, check the park web site to be sure):

1. Boca Negra Canyon - Take short walks to see 100 petroglyphs. Open 8:30 am - 4:30 pm daily. Last entry at 4:00 pm is strictly enforced.
2. Piedras Marcadas Canyon - A 1.5 mile round trip to see 400 petroglyphs. Open daily sunrise to sunset.
3. Volcanoes Day Use Area - Explore cinder cone volcanoes. Parking lot hours are 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.
4. Rinconada Canyon Hike -  A 2.2 miles loop trail to see 300 petroglyphs. Open 8:00 am to 5:00 pm daily.

We started a little later in the day so we really only had time to choose one so we selected Boca Negra Canyon. At the Canyon, walks were short (as advertised) but there is a nice little hike up that was fun and the petroglyphs were really cool.

After the petroglyphs, we drove to Santa Fe Brewing (HQ) for a flight and dinner. The kids played with a giant chess set and we relaxed after a busy day of travel!

Day 2 Pecos and Santa Rosa

We decided to embark on a water adventure and headed east to visit Blue Hole Santa Rosa. On the way, we made a stop at Pecos National Historical Park, and I'm so glad we did. Pecos is an exceptionally well-maintained park, featuring an outstanding museum within the visitor center where you can learn a great deal about the native people and the Spanish settlers. You can even descend into two fully restored kivas and explore other ancient ruins. 

Santa Rosa was fun (a little crowded, but not crazy). The boys had fun jumping into the way-too-cold-for-me water. We had hoped that the inflatable water park next door would be open too (to get more out of Santa Rosa) but it's only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. 

Day 3 Meow Wolf and Santa Fe

We had breakfast at Tia Sophia's, which is my favorite food in New Mexico; I recommend the chorizo burrito served "Christmas" style. After that, we went to Meow Wolf: House of Eternal Return, which is a great way to spend a few hours in a parallel dimension.

We grabbed some donuts and coffee over at the descriptively named Craft Donuts and Coffee food truck, did some shopping around town, and had dinner at Coyote Cafe and Cantina before heading back to our casita for the evening. 

Day 4 Bandelier National Monument

We got breakfast near our casita and then headed to Bandelier National Monument. We started at the visitor center to get our Junior Ranger supplies and then hiked the Main Loop and the Alcove. This is another excellent attraction maintained by the National Park Service. Trails are not too difficult (I did find the ladders a little scary - which surprised me, I'm usually fine with heights). The guys were fine with the ladders and they hiked all the way up to the top. The monument also has a cafe there which is cool if you want to stay longer and didn't pack a park lunch. 

After Bandelier, we had lunch at Tune Up Cafe (so good) and then went to the Railyard Santa Fe area for lunch, shopping, and to relax. We wanted to try to do Taos Pueblo this day too, but they closed at 4:00 and it was too far of a drive so we skipped it. Next time!