Old West Country's 25,000 square miles feature ancient ruins and modern
spaceports, stunning natural vistas and charming communities. Spend a few
moments with us on line, then plan on making a visit soon !
Your Vacation Resources!
 Plan Your Visit:
Spend a few days, a week or longer in sunny southwest New Mexico. Our vacation-planning materials will help!
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Gran Quivera photo courtesy NPS. |
Top Old West Destinations:
 Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument
Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument offers a glimpse of the homes and lives of the people of the Mogollon culture who lived there from the 1280's through the early 1300's. Containing 533 acres, it was established on November 16, 1907. The dwellings are located forty-four miles north of Silver City, New Mexico, on Highway 15.
|  Elephant Butte Lake State Park and Reservoir
The largest and most popular lake in New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake State Park provides a setting for every imaginable water sport. The visitor center offers regional interpretive exhibits. The mild climate of the area make this park a popular year-round destination.
|  Old Mesilla
The heart of the picturesque village of Old Mesilla is much the same as it was one hundred years ago. Thick walled adobe buildings, which once protected residents against Apache attacks, now house art galleries, restaurants, museums and gift shops. Today, tourists stroll on the peaceful plaza and imagine life as it might have been many years ago.
|  Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
Bosque del Apache is Spanish for "woods of the Apache," and is rooted in the time when the Spanish observed Apaches routinely camped in the riverside forest. Since then the name has come to mean one of the most spectacular national wildlife refuges in North America. Here, tens of thousands of birds--including sandhill cranes, Arctic geese, and many kinds of ducks--gather each autumn and stay through the winter. Feeding snow geese erupt in explosions of wings when frightened by a stalking coyote, and at dusk, flight after flight of geese and cranes return to roost in the marshes.
|  City of Rocks State Park
Formed of volcanic ash 30 million years ago and sculpted by wind and water into rows of monolithic blocks, City of Rocks State Park takes its name from these incredible rock formations. Cactus gardens and hiking trails add to this unique destination.
|  Very Large Array Radio Telescopes
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory designs, builds and operates the world's most sophisticated and advanced radio telescopes. Scientists from around the world use these powerful tools to study the sun, planets and other objects in our own solar system, as well as distant stars, galaxies, and other mysterious objects many millions, or even billions of light-years away.
|  Catwalk
The Catwalk National Scenic Trail offers a fascinating glimpse into the geologic and historic foundations of southwest New Mexico. The result of cataclysmic volcanic actions, the area now offers a beautiful picnic spot next to Whitewater Creek, a challenging one-mile trail along the historic 1890's mining waterway, and a sense of place that creates images of an earlier time.
|  New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum
Working the land has been a key ingredient in the cultural mosaic of New Mexico for more than 1,000 years, uniquely blending farming and ranching methods from Indian, Spanish, and Anglo cultures. The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces applauds the important roles that ranching and farming have played in the development of the Southwest.
|  Deming Luna County Mimbres Museum
Located in the 1916 red-brick National Guard Armory building, the Deming Luna County Mimbres Museum has about 25,000 square feet of exhibition space. The visitor will find a bit of everything here including a Military Room, the Quilt Room, the Doll Room and the Tack Room. The museum also tells of life in the Southwest, showing a Mimbres Room that showcases prehistoric Mimbreno pottery.
|  Shakespeare Ghost Town
Walk the streets trod by Billy The Kid, John Ringo, Curley Bill, Russian Bill, The Clantons, Jim Hughes and Sandy King. Walk a portion of the Butterfield Trail. See 28 points of interest and hear stories of the West as it really was. Take the guided tour of seven buildings including the Grant house, saloon, Stratford hotel, old mail station, old powder magazine, blacksmith shop and assay office.
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