Around 4000 Apache – not only Mescalero, but also Chiricahua and Lipan – live on this reservation, stretching approximately 720 sq miles south and west of Ruidoso on the flanks of the magnificent Sierra Blanca Peak. These nomadic peoples reached the area eight centuries ago; with their mobility increased by the acquisition of the horse, they later became much-feared raiders. They now run a casino hotel and a ski area.
Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation
Southeastern New Mexico
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
18.52 MILES
The remote Three Rivers Petroglyph Site showcases over 21,000 petroglyphs, incised six centuries ago by the Jornada Mogollon people onto the flat surfaces…
New Mexico Museum of Space History
18.19 MILES
Looming over the northeast corner of town and nicknamed 'the golden cube,' this four-story museum is surrounded by historic missiles, and holds excellent…
Mexican Canyon Trestle Overlook
13.38 MILES
Built in 1899 to carry timber down to Alamogordo for the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, the railway line here twisted up the Sacramento Mountains for…
Hubbard Museum of the American West
16.02 MILES
This town-run museum focuses on local history, with a wonderful gallery of old photos, and also displays Native American kachinas, war bonnets, weapons…
15.64 MILES
The painters, writers and craftspeople who live in the tiny enclave of La Luz, 4 miles north of Alamogordo, share a passion for creating artwork and…
15.73 MILES
National attention focuses on the Ruidoso Downs racetrack on Labor Day for the world's richest quarter-horse race, the All American Futurity, which has a…
19.74 MILES
Railroad buffs and kids flock to this 1898 railway depot, for five rooms of train memorabilia and toy trains, and a 2.5-mile narrow-gauge minitrain ($5)…
25.54 MILES
One of the world's largest solar observatories is near Sunspot, 20 miles south of Cloudcroft. Though it's primarily for scientists, tourists can enter the…
Nearby Southeastern New Mexico attractions
1. Mexican Canyon Trestle Overlook
13.38 MILES
Built in 1899 to carry timber down to Alamogordo for the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, the railway line here twisted up the Sacramento Mountains for…
15.64 MILES
The painters, writers and craftspeople who live in the tiny enclave of La Luz, 4 miles north of Alamogordo, share a passion for creating artwork and…
15.73 MILES
National attention focuses on the Ruidoso Downs racetrack on Labor Day for the world's richest quarter-horse race, the All American Futurity, which has a…
4. Hubbard Museum of the American West
16.02 MILES
This town-run museum focuses on local history, with a wonderful gallery of old photos, and also displays Native American kachinas, war bonnets, weapons…
5. New Mexico Museum of Space History
18.19 MILES
Looming over the northeast corner of town and nicknamed 'the golden cube,' this four-story museum is surrounded by historic missiles, and holds excellent…
6. Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
18.52 MILES
The remote Three Rivers Petroglyph Site showcases over 21,000 petroglyphs, incised six centuries ago by the Jornada Mogollon people onto the flat surfaces…
19.74 MILES
Railroad buffs and kids flock to this 1898 railway depot, for five rooms of train memorabilia and toy trains, and a 2.5-mile narrow-gauge minitrain ($5)…
20.48 MILES
Said to be the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi, established in 1898, this small but well-run place features exotics from around the world. Assuming…