9 New Mexico Natural Wonders You Need To Add To Your Outdoor Bucket List For 2020
Are you currently feeling the pangs of cabin fever? Now is the perfect time to plan out your upcoming outdoor adventures! If you need some ideas, here is a look at some of our favorite suggestions for places to enjoy New Mexico’s great outdoors.
Do you prefer to view your natural wonders in the dark? Make the most of New Mexico’s inky black skies by booking a stay at the New Mexico Lodge And Observatory. Read more in This New Mexico Lodge Has An Observatory That Is Worth A Trip From Any Corner In The State.
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Sometimes called the Valley of Dreams, this isolated landscape contains an impressive collection of hoodoos, eroded cliffs, and other classic markers of badlands. The colors here are muted warm tones of red, orange, and brown, interspersed with flashes of grey, white, and black.
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Another isolated area of badlands, Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness is home to approximately 45,000 acres of jaw-droppingly unusual rock formations. In fact, one step onto the land here and you'll swear you were transported to another planet.
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Deep, clear blue waters are all you really need to consider for a summer escape. Pair that with the opportunity to practice your diving skills in the middle of the desert and you have the Blue Hole, found near Santa Rosa.
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Containing approximately 100 caves within the entire caverns, this national park is home to one of the nation's largest cave chambers.
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This national monument contains extensive badlands, lava formations, lava tubes, and an impressive natural arch.
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Also referred to simply as Tent Rocks, this landscape is oddly filled with cone-like rocks that tower overhead. These cones—or tents—are composed of pumice, tuff, and sandstone.
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New Mexico's own version of the Grand Canyon sits near the Colorado border. Enjoy the views from above at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge or on the canyon floor while exploring the river.
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One particularly interesting area is the Valles Caldera National Preserve, located just outside Los Alamos in the northern portion of the state. This preserve is home to one of the country’s only supervolcanoes.
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If this iconic national park is not on your bucket list, what are you doing? Composed of gypsum sand that covers thousands of acres, it looks incredible and makes for a surprisingly fantastic spot for dune sledding.
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Featured Addresses
Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, San Juan County, NM 87413, USA
Bisti / De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area, County Road 7297, Bloomfield, NM 87413, USA
Blue Hole, Santa Rosa, NM 88435, USA
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad, NM, USA
El Malpais National Monument Visitor Center, 1900 E Santa Fe Ave, Grants, NM 87020, USA
Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument, 0 NM-22, Cochiti Pueblo, NM 87072, USA
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, New Mexico 87529, USA
Valles Caldera National Preserve, 39201 NM-4, Jemez Springs, NM 87025, USA
White Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA