Other activities in Southwest
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Absolute Bikes
Absolute Bikes has the scoop on the biking scene. The shop offers mountain-, road- and children’s-bike rentals (from $15 per day), as well as trail maps and info. It also sells equipment and does repairs.
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Jemez Springs Bath House
The pretty village of Jemez Springs was built around a cluster of springs. You can experience the waters yourself at rustic Jemez Springs Bath House, with private tubs, massages and more.
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Alamogordo Chamber of Commerce
On just two days a year (the first Saturday in April and October), the public is permitted to tour the Trinity Site, where the first atomic bomb was detonated on July 16, 1945, 35 miles west of Carrizozo. The eerie tour includes the base camp, the McDonald Ranch house where the plutonium core for the bomb was assembled, and ground zero itself. The test was carried out above ground and resulted in a quarter-mile-wide crater and an 8-mile-high cloud mushrooming above the desert. The radiation level of the site is ‘only’ 10 times greater than the region’s background level; a one-hour visit to ground zero will result in an exposure of one-half to one millorentgen (mrem), two…
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Born-n-Raised on the San Juan River, Inc
Trout are jumpin’ and visitors are floating. Navajo Lake, which stretches over 30 miles northeast and across into Colorado, was created by damming the San Juan River. At the base of the dam, there’s world-class trout fishing from late June through September. You can fish year-round (although you’ll need a permit), but catch-and-release regulations protect the stocks. The tiny community of Navajo Dam has several outfitters providing equipment, information and guided trips. Talk to the folks at Born-n-Raised on the San Juan River, Inc, based at Abe’s Motel & Fly Shop; the guy who started these personalized trips – he now has guides working for him – has been fishing…
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Sin City Scuba
To dive in Lake Mead you will need to present expert technical diving certification. If you have the right card, however, this is one of the most interesting dives in America. Above the dam at Lake Mead, divers can explore the fuselage of a mostly intact B-29 bomber that crash-landed into Lake Mead in 1948 but was only located in 2001. Visit Sin City Scuba in Vegas to hook up either trip. It costs $465 to dive the bomber (www.divethebomber.com) – yes, it’s expensive, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relive this region’s Cold War history – and a National Park Service–preserved site. River dives start at $150.
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Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
West of Brigham City, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge engulfs almost 74,000 acres of marshes on the northeastern shores of the Great Salt Lake. The best time for bird-watchers is during fall (September to November) and spring (March to May) migrations. Birds banded here have been recovered as far away as Siberia and Colombia. Cruising along the 12-mile, barely elevated touring road feels like you’re driving on water. You can hear the replicated migratory calls year round at the Wildlife Education Center. The center is just after the I-15 intersection; the driving tour is 16 miles west.
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Los Rios River Runners
- Taos, USA
- Activities › Other
The major summertime attraction is white-water rafting in the Taos Box, the steep-sided cliffs that frame the Rio Grande. Busloads of rafters from Santa Fe go up to Pilar, which can become a flurry of sunburned and screaming tourists. The best time to go is in May and June, when snowmelt keeps the rivers rapid, but it’s warm enough to enjoy the splash. In town, contact Los Rios River Runners, which runs trips for around $100. It also does half-day trips on the slightly less rabid Racecourse ($50) – make it more exciting by running it in an inflatable kayak where you’re the sole driver.
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Wildlife Education Center
West of town, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge engulfs almost 74,000 acres of marshes on the northeastern shores of the Great Salt Lake. The best time for bird-watchers is during fall (September to November) and spring (March to May) migrations. Birds banded here have been recovered as far away as Siberia and Colombia. Cruising along the 12-mile, barely elevated touring road feels like you’re driving on water. You can hear the replicated migratory calls year round at the Wildlife Education Center. The center is just after the I-15 intersection; the driving tour is 16 miles west.
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Elena Gallegos Picnic Area
Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, in the foothills of the Sandias, is a popular jumping-off point for hiking, running and mountain-biking trails; some are wheelchair-accessible. Go early in the day before the overhead sun gets too hot, or at dusk to take advantage of the panoramic sunset views and watch the city lights begin twinkling below. Time your walk carefully, though, because darkness falls quickly after the sun sets and howling coyotes ring the park. They won’t bother you, but if you’re a fully fledged urbanite and unaccustomed to uninvited nighttime company, it might be unnerving.
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Stone Age Climbing Gym
Rock climbers itching to hit the wall will dig the Stone Age Climbing Gym, offering 12,000 sq ft of professionally designed climbing terrain simulating a variety of real rock features. Walls cater to all skill levels and reach almost 30ft high, and there are two lead climbing stations and four bouldering areas to choose from. Equipment can be rented for $6 per day. If you’re a novice and want to learn, try an intro class ($40). The gym is a great option, especially on rainy days when you don’t feel like seeing another museum.
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Canyon Rims Recreation Area
The BLM Canyon Rims Recreation Area to the east of Canyonlands National Park has two interesting overlooks, undeveloped hiking and backcountry driving. Turn west off Hwy 191 (32 miles south of Moab, 27 miles north of Monticello); a paved road leads 22 miles to Needles Overlook and a panorama of the park. Two-thirds of the way to the overlook, the gravel Anticline Overlook Rd stretches 16 miles north to a promontory with awesome views of the Colorado River.
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Northeast Cyclery
Cycling is a major sport in Albuquerque, both for beginners and national-level competitors. Get outfitted at Northeast Cyclery and head out. Download a useful city map at www.cabq.gov/bike to find dedicated off-road tracks along arroyos. To ride along the Rio Grande, park at the Albuquerque BioPark and follow the riverside trail north or south (the smell of green chiles roasting at local factories is best appreciated if you head south in October; the path is less urban if you head north).
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High Desert Angler
New Mexico’s truly outstanding fishing holes are better accessed from Taos and the Enchanted Circle, but there are plenty of opportunities around Santa Fe, including Abiquiú, Nambé Lakes and Rio Chama. You’ll need a license – available at tack shops like the High Desert Angler, which also sells a large selection of gear and offers guided excursions to private streams (one/two people from $275/350). A one-day, state-required license is $22.
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Las Vegas Motor Speedway
For adrenaline-pumped Nascar, Indy, and dirt-track and drag races, drive out to this $200-million facility featuring a 1.5-mile superspeedway, a state-of-the-art dragway, a paved oval short track called ‘The Bullring’ and a racing school (for ride-alongs). Show up early for autograph sessions at the track before start time. In March, Nascar Weekend draws more than 300,000 spectators. Buy tickets, which quickly sell out, as far in advance as possible.
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Coney Island Emporium
The highlight of NY-NY's gargantuan video arcade and amusement center is the roller coaster, a four-minute high-octane ride with stomach-dropping dipsy-dos and stellar Strip views.
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Wild Sierra Adventures
- Reno, USA
- Activities › Other
The Truckee River Whitewater Park injects action into the middle of downtown with year-round kayaking. There's a mellow beginner's area, but most of the park is Class II or III rapids. Located on the valet level of Silver Legacy, Wild Sierra Adventures, run by the affable Jim Bell, offers tons of adventure: kayaking, tubing, mountain biking, skiing, horseback riding and snowmobiling.
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New Wave Rafting
Busloads of people head up to the Taos Box for white-water river running, but there are also mellow float trips throughout New Mexico and overnight guided rafting trips. Contact New Wave River Trips and stay cool on trips through the Rio Grande Gorge (adult/child half-day $52/42, full day $90/75), the wild Taos Box (full day $115), or the Rio Chama Wilderness (three days $500).
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Adventuredome
Enclosed by over 8000 pink-glass panes, Circus Circus’ indoor amusement park is packed with thrills. Must-rides include the double-loop, double-corkscrew Canyon Blaster and the Sling Shot tower ride that packs a whopping four Gs of acceleration. Older kids get a rock-climbing wall, bungee-jumping area, mini golf and 4D special-effect ‘ridefilms.’ Clowns perform free shows throughout the day.
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Taos Mountain Outfitters
- Taos, USA
- Activities › Other
The huge Taos Mountain Outfitters rents and sells everything you need to get out and play. It also has loads of info on nearby hiking trails, ranging from easy day hikes to overnight backcountry trips, and alpine mountain trails along rivers to awesome hikes along and through the Rio Grande Gorge. Many hikes begin near the Taos Ski Valley, 20 miles north of town.
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Castles N' Coasters
Older kids will enjoy Castles n’ Coasters, a big amusement park by the Metrocenter Mall about 20 miles northwest of downtown, near exit 207 off I-17. From chickens to brave-hearts, there’s a coaster for everyone, plus a watery log ride, a magic carpet ride, and other thrills and attractions, including miniature golf courses and video arcades.
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Twin Fin
The beauty hidden behind Lake Powell’s waters is phenomenal – entire sandstone towers and once dusty desert ground are now surrounded by water and inhabited by schools of hungry fish. It’s a mesmerizing sight to see the natural world taken to this other level. Visit Twin Fin to set up a half-day trip – it costs $190.
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Open Road Tours
Most people arrive at the canyon in private vehicles or on a tour. Be advised that finding parking can be a chore in Grand Canyon Village. Open Road Tours runs shuttles from Flagstaff ($27, two daily) and Williams ($22, two daily). It can also arrange helicopter tours (from $145) over the canyon.
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Crystal Hot Springs
Get into hot water year-round at Crystal Hot Springs, 10 miles north of Brigham City in Honeyville. Adults float in different temperature soaking pools while kids zip down the water slides (open shorter hours than the pools November through February). Camping at RV/tent sites is $25/15.
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Peace Surplus
Get the rundown on nearby hiking, bike rental, rock climbing and cross-country skiing at Peace Surplus. It's one of the best places for outdoor and travel gear in the city, and the friendly, helpful staff is more than willing to share their knowledge.
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Lehman Caves
- Nevada, USA
- Activities › Other
For a 60- or 90-minute guided tour of the caves here that are richly decorated with rare limestone formations, head to the Lehman Caves five miles outside of Baker. There are first-come, first-served developed campgrounds in the park.
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