SNACK POOLSIDE AT ARRIVE HOTEL
A summer day spent by the pool can be hard work, what with the lounge chair positioning, towel fluffing, and sunscreen applying. Arrive Albuquerque, a new boutique hotel on Historic Route 66, understands the struggle. Arrive’s Zia-symbol-shaped pool and roughly 3,400-square-foot deck extends off the hotel’s DWTNR bar and restaurant. “It’s a perfect spot for cocktails and all-day poolside lounging,” says Abraham Juarez, the hotel’s manager. Try the smashburger, which takes things to the next level by adding a roasted poblano chile between the two patties. Then cool off with a Snowbird Slushie—pineapple, coconut, lime, and Mal Bien Zacate Limón mezcal—that’s bright, boozy, and made for the heat. BONUS: Come ready to dance on Slushie Sundays, which feature DJs in the pool area and discounted slushies. —Lanee Lee
📍 717 Central Ave. NW, Albuquerque; 505-578-5647, arrivehotels.com/albuquerque
SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS
1. Whether it’s a Hollywood star or a fifth-generation Santa Fean, you never know who you might run into at La Fonda on the Plaza’s Bell Tower Bar. “I love going up there to sip a glass of bubbly, watch the most gorgeous sunsets in the state, and listen to the fascinating conversations,” says Jenny Kimball, La Fonda’s board chairman emerita. 📍100 E. San Francisco St., Santa Fe; 505-982-5511, lafondasantafe.com
2. Beware, it’s not easy to come down from the high of Escondido’s rooftop terrace. Views of Santa Fe against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are only matched by chef Fernando Ruiz’s fusion of coastal and northern Mexico cuisine. 📍1101 Paseo Corazón, Santa Fe; 505-316-4718, escondidosf.com
3. Chef Sean Sinclair elevates the smashburger with New Mexico green chile and melty Tucumcari cheddar cheese. Savor his take on the classic for brunch or other seasonal fare anytime at Hotel Chaco’s Level 5 Rooftop Restaurant in Albuquerque, where views are a feast for the eyes. 📍2000 Bellamah Ave. NW, Albuquerque; 505-318-3998, hotelchaco.com —Lynn Cline
BAKE BREAD IN A HORNO
You smell it first—yeasty dough and wood smoke. Then, the golden loaf—generations in the making—emerges from the outdoor adobe oven. For more than 20 years, Norma and Hutch Naranjo have been sharing the skills, history, and culture of traditional Pueblo horno baking at their Feasting Place cooking school. Norma welcomes guests into their Ohkay Owingeh home and demonstrates how to make traditional dishes: bread, biscochitos, tamales, and empanadas. Outside, Hutch has been heating the adobe oven for hours. When the baking is done, the food is served—leaving everyone with a full belly and a new skill. “This is about learning something you can take home with you,” Norma explains. —Sarah Mock
📍 340 NM 68, Ohkay Owingeh; 505-753-6767, thefeastingplace.com
REACH FOR THE STARS
During the day, fish for a trophy bass on the 170-acre lake and walk the interpretive trail of prehistoric footprints at Clayton Lake State Park and Dinosaur Trackways. But nighttime is when this International Dark Sky Place shines. The park remains sheltered from light pollution and actively prevents it, maintaining skies clear enough to meet the gold standard. At 5,186 feet, the 450-acre park sits at the edge of the Rockies, where the mountains and volcanoes turn to rolling hills and the plains extending to the east. Twice per month from May through October, park manager Mark Funk rolls the roof back on the Starpoint Observatory and sets up a pair of 12-inch telescopes for star parties guided by expert astronomers and neighboring park managers. “If you camp out here and wake up in the night, you can’t see your hand held out in front of you,” he says. “It’s that dark.” —Jennifer C. Olson
📍 141 Clayton Lake Rd., Clayton; 575-374-8808, nmmag.us/clayton-lake
ATTEND BLOSSOMS AND BONES MUSIC FESTIVAL
Three days, a dozen bands, and Ghost Ranch’s 21,000 remarkable acres make Blossoms & Bones more than just a music festival. “Ghost Ranch never ceases to amaze me,” says Jamie Lenfestey, director of Lensic 360 and the event’s co-founder. “There’s a serenity and a sacredness in being up there. You’re removed from the rest of the world.” Morning yoga, Ghost Ranch classes and tours, VIP upgrades, and a variety of camping and glamping options add to the musical experience, September 11–13. “We strive to curate a lineup with a strong female presence in honor of Georgia O’Keeffe,” Lenfestey says. This year’s roster includes Grammy-winning songstress Lucy Dacus, experimental artist Santigold, two-piece band Shovels & Rope, and Kenya-born folk singer Ondara. “We want people to come because they know one or two of the bands and leave talking about the bands they didn’t know,” he says. —Maria Manuela
📍280 1708 Dr., Abiquiú; 505-685-1000, ghostranchmusicfest.com
PARTY AT THE GALLUP ARTS CRAWL
“Crawl” barely describes Gallup’s monthly arts gathering. But maybe the name asks you to slow down and appreciate what draws thousands of folks to a few blocks along Coal Avenue and Second Street. “Downtown Gallup totally transforms and becomes this inviting and energetic place,” says Rose Eason, executive director of gallupARTS, which supports the Gallup Arts Crawl. On the second Saturday of the month from April to September, up-and-coming artists share their work, galleries open new shows, food trucks line the block, and musical acts jam onstage. “Take your time to talk to artisans,” Eason says. “It’s really part of the experience.” That’s because Arts Crawl is often an entry point for new artists from throughout the region. Everyone can get in on the act, too, with free crafts—from potato-stamped tote bags to handmade stick horses—taught by local instructors who help make the experience fun and creative.—SM
TOUR ZUNI PUEBLO
“Our history isn’t written down,” says Zuni Pueblo cultural interpreter Shaun Latone. “If you want to understand who we are, you won’t be able to learn unless you take a tour.” New Mexico’s largest pueblo offers more than a dozen tours and experiences, ranging from 60-minute traditional Zuni cooking classes to an all-day archaeological exploration of the Great Kivas (a Chacoan outlier village). On the historic Middle Village tour—a site only accessible to outsiders with a guide—visitors see the heart of Halona: Idiwan’a. There, A:shiwi (Zuni) residents still live in traditional adobe homes, ceremonial dances take place, and the 17th-century Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Mission stands as a testament to Zuni resilience. Tour guides vividly recount thousands of years of A:shiwi history—from creation to modern-day restoration efforts. “That’s my story,” Latone says at the tour’s conclusion. “Shorter than the Discovery Channel and no commercials.” —Candolin Cook
📍1239 NM 53, Zuni; 505-782-7238, zunitourism.com
GO UP, DOWN, AND UNDERGROUND
1. Trek Bandelier National Monument’s 1.4-mile Pueblo Loop Trail, where you’ll find wooden ladders to cavates—small alcove homes carved into volcanic tuff by the Ancestral Pueblo people who flourished in the area for four centuries. 📍15 Entrance Rd., Los Alamos; 505-672-3861, nps.gov/band
2. All you need is 26 inches of cool plastic disc to sled down the white gypsum of White Sands National Park. Find a gently sloping dune with a nice level runoff away from the roadway and vegetation, and let it rip. 📍19955 US 70 W, Alamogordo; 575-479-6124, nps.gov/whsa
3. Descend the equivalent of a 75-story building on the 1.25-mile Natural Entrance Trail at Carlsbad Caverns National Park to view formations like Devil’s Spring. 📍727 Carlsbad Caverns Hwy., Carlsbad; 575-785-2232, nps.gov/cave —Debra Levy Martinelli
FOLLOW THE KID’S FOOTSTEPS IN LINCOLN COUNTY
Take a ride on the wild side along the 84-mile Billy the Kid Scenic Byway, which tracks the hoof steps of the notorious outlaw. “For better or worse, Billy was recognized and celebrated in Lincoln as a vigilante who opposed the political machine run by wealthy businessmen and politicians who manipulated the government to enrich themselves,” says Oliver Horn, Lincoln and Fort Stanton historic sites regional manager. Hop on the loop in Ruidoso and cruise north to Capitán, home of Smokey Bear, before you hit Lincoln, site of the Lincoln County War and Billy’s jail escape. Bonus: Attend Old Lincoln Days in August, complete with gunfight reenactments and a Last Escape of Billy the Kid Pageant. —DLM
📍 US 380, Lincoln; 575-653-4025, nmhistoricsites.org/Lincoln
SPEND A NIGHT WITH FILM LEGENDS
At El Rancho Hotel, it might be 1950 or now: This grand dame of Gallup hospitality has Old Hollywood in its DNA. Built in 1937 by R.E. “Griff” Griffith (brother of D.W.) as a base for film productions, its lobby is anchored by a spectacular stone fireplace and red-carpeted twin staircases to a second floor lined with signed photos of stars who stayed there. But don’t expect any ghosts, says El Rancho historian Leroy McCray, who began as a desk clerk 30-plus years ago; he’s never had a supernatural experience at the hotel. What you will find are legendary tales, like the time Errol Flynn declined to hitch up his horse across the street. “He rode in through the front door, down the hall, and into the 49er Lounge and ordered whiskey for himself and beer for his horse,” McCray says. Two weeks later, John Wayne “didn’t want to be outdone and did the same thing.” —Molly Boyle
📍1000 E. Hwy. 66, Gallup; 505-863-9311, elranchohotel.com