Looks like I made a wrong turn at Albuquerque...

August 13, 2008 7:11 AM

Vacation in Albuquerque, and I'm looking to do a few specific things... other suggested activities also welcome.

So I've decided to take a wrong turn at Albuquerque. I'm thinking of spending a week in the area, probably arriving the last weekend of the balloon festival (around October 10 or so). Planning on about a week in the area. I've found some information about things do to in the city proper, but I'd also like to get out into nature.

I'd like some suggestions for two activities in particular. First, some day hiking. I'm used to hiking in the woods and up hills in New England, so a change of scenery would be nice - something in the desert (are there any other options?), some heavy climbing is totally fine.

Second - a horseback trip. I have never ridden before, so I imagine a guided trip would be best, but preferably not something that's too touristy. Are there places that will do overnight trips? I don't mind joining up with a random group of strangers.

Any other suggestions for do-not-miss destinations or events? I'm not wedded to staying in the city for the entire time, so hopping around cities in the area (or day trips out of the city) is ok by me. Suggestions for places to stay (cheap B&Bs or quirky hotels)?

Which brings me to... can I do this without renting a car? I expect I'd need one to get to hiking/riding destinations, but inside the city? Or traveling to nearby cities? Could I get away with renting a car just for the days I'd actually be outside of the city limits?

posted by backseatpilot to travel & transportation (8 comments total)

I would definitely rent a car.
It's a western American city.

For day hiking, I would suggest going to Petroglyphs National Monument. There are some great day hikes in a desert environment and the petroglyphs are pretty neat.
posted by Seamus at 7:45 AM on August 13, 2008

You want a car. You could probably get around Albuquerque itself by bus if you had to, but a lot of the interesting things in that part of the country are an hour or two's drive.

Albuquerque itself is an OK town but doesn't hold a lot of charm. Depending on your budget and time you may want to drive north up to Santa Fe / Taos / Los Alamos, or south to White Sands and stay for a couple of nights.

For hikes near ABQ, Petroglyh is a good option. Another place I really like is Tent Rocks. If you're just looking for a nice long walk, it's easy to go up Sandia on the east side of Albuquerque; lots of trails.

If you have time to head up north.. Up near Los Alamos the Bandelier National Monument is beautiful. A nice long day trip from ABQ is to go up the west side (US-550, NM-4) to Los Alamos, enjoy the view of Valle Grande or take a soak at Jemez Hot Springs on the way, then go east through Bandelier, then to Santa Fe and back to ABQ.

Santa Fe is a great town to visit, could easily spend a whole day poking around shops, etc. Some good art museums, too. If you're interested in the US science / military history then Los Alamos has two interesting museums: the Bradbury Science Museum and the Los Alamos Historical Museum.

One really unique New Mexico experience is to go visit one of the local Pueblos. The best way to do that is to visit during a festival / dance day; most of them are open to visitors. Here's one schedule I found in a quick search, but there's probably better resources.
posted by Nelson at 8:12 AM on August 13, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Tent Rocks Tent Rocks Tent Rocks.

We were in ABQ/Santa Fe a few weeks ago for a few days, and two of the best things about the trip were Tent Rocks and the Los Alamos Historical Museum (we were sort of museumed-out and, frankly, so stunned by the wonderful collection at the historical museum that we skipped the Bradbury).

The scenery at Tent Rocks is about as different from a hike through the New England woods as you can imagine. It's like being on the moon, but with more oxygen. The trail up to the top of the mesa requires a bit of scrambling near the top. And part of it goes through a slot canyon. It's just spectacular. Make sure your camera has fresh batteries and lots of space on the memory card. Bring water - more than you think you'll need. It's dry there!

Oh, and if you're going to be up in Los Alamos or Bandelier, take a little detour to White Rock pictures and stop by Overlook Park map, which overlooks...well, a lot. The Rio Grande, and neighboring mesas, and just amazing scenery.

Bandelier is also very cool. Have fun and eat some chiles for me - red or green or both.
posted by rtha at 8:39 AM on August 13, 2008

Just got back from Albuquerque.

Take some time and visit the Aquarium/Rio Grande Botanic Garden - this was one of those "hey there's a sign saying aquarium - d'you wanna go?" moments. There's a fabulous childrens' garden with giant root vegetables you can play in; also model trains and a butterfly pavilion. I'm no kid but boy was that a beautifully designed garden. For maximum effect, drive around in the desert for a while beforehand, so that when you get to see all that green and water it really tears you up. The jellyfish room in the aquarium is beautiful.

Also, the Atomic Museum is good.
posted by media_itoku at 8:56 AM on August 13, 2008

Car: yes.
Top of the mountain.
Find a local and there's a place where you hike a while and find a spring where people waterslide down the rocks and rope swing off the rocks into a pool of nice cold water.

Otherwise, Albuquerque mostly sucks.
posted by zengargoyle at 8:58 AM on August 13, 2008

The best mexican (or southwest - whatever) restaurant I ever at at in my life was in Albuquerque, but the last time I was there was over 10 years ago. In the old town square tourist trap area. I can't quite recall the name, La Hacienda maybe?

Definitely get a car.

The Atomic Bomb museum is interesting. Cable car ride up Mt. Sandia ok. I was with people who didn't like to walk much. Albuquerque, as a town, is kind of meh.
posted by lordrunningclam at 9:27 AM on August 13, 2008

what's fun to do in albuquerque? check it out.

you WILL find the greatest mexican food (more properly, new mexican) you've ever had. monroe's is one of the better ones, and it's quite affordable. but finding great food in albuquerque is as easy as driving down the street, assuming you love red or green chili. (which is to nth all the other folks warning you to get a car. you won't be able to get from the airport w/o a car.)

going to acoma is a great day trip, as are the others mentioned above.
posted by deejay jaydee at 12:40 PM on August 13, 2008

The Sandia mountains to the east of Albuquerque (just on the edge of the city) has some beautiful hiking and city views. But, yes a week in Albuquerque is probably much too long. I would go up to Santa Fe...it is really just a more pleasant place, though expensive, and highly walkable compared to sprawling Albuquerque. Also, there is great hiking there and up in Taos. Also, there are hot springs up in Taos. And, yes you will have to rent a car to get around, I'm afraid. There have been some past threads on Albuquerque...take a look at those if you want to know where to eat.
posted by fieldtrip at 3:34 PM on August 13, 2008