Two extraordinary natural wonders are tucked away in New Mexico's arid southeast: the mesmerizing White Sands National Monument and the magnificent Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Also impressive, if less well known, are the thousands of petroglyphs at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site and the sprawling lava flow at Valley of Fires Recreation Area. This region also swirls with some of the state's most enduring legends: aliens in Roswell, Billy the Kid in Lincoln, and Smokey Bear in Capitan. Most of the lowlands are covered by hot, rugged Chihuahuan Desert – once submerged under the ocean – but you can always escape to the cooler climes around the popular forest resorts of Cloudcroft or Ruidoso.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Southeastern New Mexico.
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While a cave might not sound quite as sexy as redwoods, geysers or the Grand Canyon, there’s no question that this one measures up on the national parks’ jaw-droppingly ginormous scale: to simply reach the main chamber, you have to either take an elevator that drops the height of the Empire State Building or, more enjoyably, take a spooky 1.25-mile subterranean walk that goes down and down (and down) from the cave mouth into the yawning darkness.
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Undulating through the Tularosa Basin like something out of a dream, these ethereal dunes are a highlight of any trip to New Mexico, and a must on every landscape photographer's itinerary. Try to time a visit to White Sands with sunrise or sunset (or both), when the dazzlingly white sea of sand is at its most magical.
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Roswell's excellent museum deserves a visit. Twelve galleries showcase Southwestern artists including Georgia O'Keeffe, Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth, along with an eclectic mix of Native American, Hispanic and Anglo artifacts that illustrate the domestic and spiritual lives of the region’s inhabitants. There’s also a fascinating display on local rocket pioneer Robert H Goddard, who launched the first successful liquid fuel rocket in 1926. The adjoining Goddard Planetarium shows science and art-themed films on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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There’s a lot of reading to be done here and exhibits dive right into the nitty-gritty, assuming familiarity with Roswell's extraterrestrial past. Display panels share witness statements, newspaper cuttings and extended essays, outlining the 1947 Roswell Incident Timeline and explaining the 'great cover-up.' Serious UFO-logists will lap it up; for skeptics and the merely curious, homemade models and gruesome mock-ups provide light relief.
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It's hard to believe that in Billy the Kid's era Lincoln was home to a bustling population of nearly 900. Today it is essentially a ghost town, with only about 50 people living here. Those who do, however, are dedicated to preserving its 1880s buildings. Modern influences, such as souvenir stands, are not allowed, and New Mexico has designated the entire town as the Lincoln Historic Site. It's a pretty cool place to get away from this century for a night.
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The remote Three Rivers Petroglyph Site showcases over 21,000 petroglyphs, incised six centuries ago by the Jornada Mogollon people onto the flat surfaces of boulders atop a low ridge at the eastern edge of the Tularosa. The images include birds, animals, masks and human figures, and can be seen on an easy mile hike that leads through mesquite and cacti, with good views of the Sacramento Mountains to the east and White Sands on the western horizon.
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Looming over the northeast corner of town and nicknamed 'the golden cube,' this four-story museum is surrounded by historic missiles, and holds excellent exhibits on space exploration. A Hall of Fame hails pioneers from William Congreve, whose rockets were fired at the Battle of Waterloo, to Neil Armstrong, while other displays cover New Mexico’s potential role in commercial space flight. The adjoining New Horizons Dome Theater (adult/child $8/6) screens giant-screen movies and has laser planetarium shows (adult/child $6/5).
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At the Valley of Fires Recreation Area, 4 miles west of Carrizozo, you can explore the rocky blackness of a 125-sq-mile lava flow that's 160ft deep in the middle. The paved 0.6-mile nature trail is easy for kids and holds informative signs describing the geology and biology of this volcanic wasteland, or simply hike off-trail, cutting cross-country over the flow. You’ll find first-come first-served campsites and shaded picnic tables near the visitor center.
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San Patricio, a tranquil country village along the Rio Ruidoso, has the kind of golden glow and gentle scenery that's been drawing artists to New Mexico for more than a century. Located on gorgeous Sentinel Ranch, this gallery displays the work of Peter Hurd and his son Michael, plus that of their relatives, the Wyeths. The owners added a winery to the mix in 2019. After perusing the artwork, pop into the adjacent tasting room for New Mexico wine and beer.